Chapter 20
“A twenty-carat yellow diamond, unearthed from the Anbeju Mine and shaped by the legendary Fagrit. Two centuries ago, it was the most prized possession of Empress Ireis.”
I remained silent.
“Grandjerry Castle, a twenty-room estate nestled in the southern resort district, complete with two thousand pyeong of secluded shoreline.”
Still, I said nothing.
“Twenty chests, overflowing with solid gold.”
I continued to wait.
“Make your choice.”
As the Grand Duke spoke, a single question dominated my mind.
Was the man simply obsessed with the number twenty?
Perhaps he had gone out of his way to ensure everything matched. Regardless of his reasons, each proposal was so magnificent it made my vision swim. To call these ‘gifts’ seemed like an understatement; this was a level of prosperity that felt entirely fabricated.
Was all this truly the price for safeguarding the memories of the late Grand Duchess?
It occurred to me then that obsessive devotion could be a terrifying force. There is a saying that a pinch of salt makes sugar taste even sweeter. Seeing this display of immense fortune, I realized that when a foundation of pure love is seasoned with mutual resentment, it creates a bond more valuable than the world itself.
If I took the diamond and sent it to auction, the profit would be astronomical. A private castle by the sea was the kind of fantasy a commoner wouldn’t even dare to dream of. And twenty chests of gold? The mere thought sent a surge of excitement through me that was hard to suppress.
It was a relief that Tulia had been drilled in proper decorum, even if her other skills were lacking. My outward appearance remained modest and composed, though internally, I was mourning. To secure that elusive A-grade, I had to walk away from every one of these treasures.
“Grandfather,” I began.
I knew that once this audience ended and I reached the privacy of my bedroom, I would be sobbing into my pillows.
“Is this my reward for protecting Grandmother’s estate?”
For a fleeting second, the Grand Duke’s brow pinched. Without the protection afforded by my status in this obsessive romance, his gaze—sharp and predatory as a lion’s—would have likely crushed my spirit instantly.
Yet, I found I wasn’t particularly frightened. At least not when the topic involved the Grand Duchess.
Assis Grand Duke Frazier studied me for a moment before turning away, appearing somewhat pleased.
“It is a bounty for a child who saw fit to remind me of the Frazier statutes.”
“I understand,” I replied, maintaining my submissive tone. “In that case, Grandfather, what would happen if I found none of those three options appealing?”
His expression soured. He looked at me as if I had lost my mind, prompting me to speak up before he could grow truly angry.
“There is a different form of compensation I desire. Please, hear me out before you decide.”
“Speak,” he commanded.
“I am currently without a father to shield me, and my mother is no longer with us,” I said, choosing my words with care. “The main estate of House Frazier is as sprawling as the Imperial Palace itself. I require a certain level of authority to truly protect myself.”
I met his gaze, speaking with a deliberate, quiet confidence.
“I wish to be granted the Direct Lineage Necklace ahead of schedule, Grandfather.”
The Grand Duke arched an eyebrow. “Family tradition dictates that such authority is bestowed only upon a member’s sixteenth birthday. You would cast aside my offerings to demand this now?”
I hesitated, posing a question I genuinely could not answer. “Grandfather… when exactly is my birthday?”
He blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
“I apologize. It’s just that… since no one has really looked after me, I never actually learned the date.”
I had spent countless hours in this world, but I hadn’t memorized every single character’s birth date. Tulia was a secondary antagonist, after all; her birthday wasn’t exactly common knowledge to a player.
My confession seemed to strike a chord of displeasure in him. His eyes grew cold and distant, like a frozen sea beneath a winter sky. I worried I had blundered again, but as I tried to gauge his mood, he abruptly turned his back to me.
“Grandfather?”
“You truly are something else,” he muttered.
“Pardon?”
“It is nothing. You are dismissed.”
“Father! This is madness!”
Viscount Lilius rarely dared to raise his voice to the Grand Duke. However, the recent disaster regarding the Statis Plain had left him drowning in debt, and the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his desperation. With his back against the wall, his fear of the family patriarch had been replaced by frantic audacity.
“Tulia hasn’t even made her social debut! Bestowing the authority of the direct lineage upon her now is unthinkable!”
The sting was worsened by the fact that his own son, Tedrick, had recently seen his own necklace revoked.
“You forget yourself, raising your voice in my presence,” the Grand Duke said.
The sheer weight of his voice forced Lilius to instinctively shrink back, his hands clasped tightly. When he spoke again, his tone was much more restrained.
“I apologize, Father. But the situation with Tulia is simply illogical.”
“Why do you find it necessary to challenge the head of this house, Viscount?”
“The girl has no proper education. She will be an embarrassment to our bloodline.”
The comment about her lack of learning made the Grand Duke think back to their recent encounter. Currently, the Empire’s elite and its wealthiest guilds were pouring fortunes into the study of Ancient Languages. Yet Tulia had managed to master that very tongue through nothing but her own initiative.
He wondered if the girl was a hidden prodigy, much like her grandmother had been—a woman who thrived on solving the impossible. But he quickly pushed the comparison aside. It was dangerous to view her through the lens of another; he needed to judge her on her own merits.
Unaware of his father’s internal shift, Lilius pressed his point. “Father, surely the law requires her to have a tutor and complete her debutante before she can wear the necklace?”
“Viscount Lilius.”
The sharpness of the name made the Viscount go silent.
“The choice is mine.”
“But… Father…”
“Naturally, she will undergo the standard trials first.”
Lilius might have found comfort in that once, but the Tulia he saw now was different. She had changed so fundamentally that it was as if she were a different person entirely. He had a sinking feeling that she would somehow navigate the examinations with ease.
Just as he opened his mouth to protest one last time, the Grand Duke clasped his hands behind his back and looked away.
“Besides, it seems Tulia Frazier possesses a far better grasp of our family laws than you do, Viscount.”
Lilius turned pale, silenced by the stinging reminder of his humiliation at the council meeting.
“My Lady, shall we go with this dove-grey ensemble today?”
“That works,” I replied.
Tulia’s closet was a sea of extravagant lace, ribbons, and billowing sleeves. However, the dress Adel held up was a practical outdoor garment with narrow sleeves and a dark lining. It was perfect for study; ink stains wouldn’t be an issue.
“I am certain you will excel at your trials,” Adel said warmly.
She didn’t realize that my lack of a tutor was a deliberate sabotage by Lilius and Aubrey, but her unwavering support was comforting nonetheless.
“Your older brothers passed their lineage exams with flawless marks,” she added. “I have no doubt you will follow in their footsteps.”
I remembered then that the twins were designed to be paragons of intellect and beauty—ideal candidates for a romantic lead. Though they were away at the Academy, they returned to the estate periodically. With the Grand Duke’s birthday approaching, their arrival was imminent.
Thinking about Tulia’s strained history with them, I felt a heavy weight in my chest. This was going to be another difficult hurdle to clear.
