Chapter 56
My Way to Survive
Moreover, he could create things that were incomparable to the Cleaning Potion for him, who couldn't escape the label of being inferior to his predecessor.
During the time Yuan was gone, Geret Pellieresse felt it to the bone.
'I need Yuan. If possible, I want to put a leash on her, lock her in the side room, and make her a fool who can't even think of being happy on her own.'
To do that, he must first separate Yuan from the Monster trapped in the Black Manor.
From the Monster who would either steal his treasure and waste her abilities or kill her!
Why did the Deposed Emperor send the Bridal payment so late?
It meant that he was fully accepting Yuan as his wife and acknowledging the Pellieresse Count family as his in-laws!
'That can never happen. Who decided to acknowledge this place as his in-laws? I can never accept this marriage. Yuan, that girl, is Pellieresse's property forever, my property!'
Geret Pellieresse left Priscilla, who was happily counting the gold bars sent by the Deposed Emperor, and went from the drawing-room to his study.
The secret agent Giyotel was already inside through the back door.
"Did you find out?"
"There is a family cemetery of the Marquis Lev family in the Marquis Lev territory. The Deposed Empress went there a few weeks ago, and she visited again this week. I bribed the gravedigger and asked, and he said that he was told from above to take good care of the Deposed Empress because she would be visiting two or three times a month from now on."
"Louise, she must have buried it there."
"Yes?"
"We must leave for there immediately, so prepare."
As soon as Count Pellieresse, who had hastily packed his bags, burst out of the study door, he ran into Regina, who was loitering in front of it.
Regina was draped in more luxurious jewelry and dresses than ever before, and while he used to think that was necessary for her to marry into a decent family, he felt strangely twisted inside.
"Regina."
"Yes, Father."
Regina, who had been watching outside as a suspicious man slipped into the study, and then her father went inside and stayed for a long time, answered obediently.
Through the open doorway, the suspicious man followed her father out. When she met the man's eyes, she flinched and pretended not to see him.
The Count, scrutinizing his daughter with bleary eyes, warned sternly.
"Don't get any foolish ideas. Behave yourself."
"Yes?"
"I'm talking about First Prince Bolonico."
Regina's eyes quickly sharpened at the tone that implied she shouldn't expect anything because it was a pointless endeavor.
"He and I are already lovers."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"I didn't throw myself at him first! You know! You saw it too, Father! He sent me letters first..."
"Draycoop Treloni sent several letters again today. Your name was clearly written on them. In my opinion, that guy is good enough for you. He's the most realistic marriage prospect. It would be nice to be involved with a better family, but don't get involved with First Prince Bolonico for nothing. It doesn't matter if there are subtle rumors. That will increase your value. But don't even think about openly dating the Prince."
Regina glared at her father with eyes full of resentment.
It would be one thing if there was no hope at all. But she was in the middle of having a sweet dream called Bolonico.
Bolonico did a lot of things to upset people, but he had a beauty that was on a different level from the horse-faced Draycoop, and above all, he was a Prince of this country.
And the Emperor's eldest son.
In Regina's eyes, her father, Geret Pellieresse, looked like a coward who was only thinking about throwing away the opportunity in front of him with unnecessary worries.
If he wanted to throw away the opportunity, he should do it alone. Why hold onto his own child's ankles?
Count Pellieresse whispered, not caring about Regina's resentful eyes.
"If Marquis Compagni is just a snake, the Prince is a cobra with deadly venom. Beautiful and cunning poison itself."
"In what way?"
Count Pellieresse left those words and waddled past Regina with the strange man behind him.
"Where are you going?!"
Count Pellieresse did not answer his daughter's question.
Regina glared at the study key jingling at her father's waist, then immediately ran to the warehouse where the messenger bird were gathered.
"Marquis Lev territory... family cemetery... visit two or three times a month... take good care..."
Regina, squeezing out the voices that had leaked from the study door, immediately sent a letter to Bolonico.
"I have no choice, Father. I'm going to find my own way to survive."
Regina glared at the messenger bird flying away with the note attached.
Now that she had seen hope in Bolonico, there was no way she could be satisfied with that horse-faced Draycoop Treloni.
If you asked the Rockenhardt territory residents what they were most interested in these days, everyone would answer like this.
'Cleaning Potion.'
Starting with the Marquis Lev family taking about dozens of territory residents as an urgent recruitment, nearly 300 territory residents are currently mobilized to search the White Forest like they are combing it, extracting or drying and grinding herbs.
In addition, new jobs began to emerge for artisans who had been barely making a living without utilizing their expertise at all.
Making pretty glass bottles to hold the Potion and paper labels to wrap around the bottles, as well as printing houses that printed boxes and wrapping paper for gift wrapping, were busy every day.
It was only natural that the commercial district became lively at once, as merchant groups who had been staying only in nearby territories to obtain Cleaning Potion came to Central Rockenhardt one after another.
It was a change in just one month.
"This is why local specialties are important."
Hille, who had taken off his worn-out clothes and put on clothes that were moderately shiny, said with his nose held high.
"From the moment the Madam told me about the idea for this Potion, I had gold floating in my head."
"Hey, four-eyes. Yuan did all the work, why are you bragging?"
"Your Highness. If a businessman has no desire for gold, it will only remain in the realm of art. It's like keeping a wonderful object at home and displaying it."
"Leave the Painkiller and go."
"Ah. The Madam made all of this this time. Now that Your Highness doesn't take Painkiller much, and I'm being called here and there, well..."
"Go."
His eyes, which clearly said, 'You talk too much,' turned past Hille to the door of the office.
As Hille disappeared with a sullen face, Marquis Mosan Rebeu Lev, who had been holding back his cheers, took a breath.
"Her Highness is a blessing. A real one."
"Don't flatter me."
The amount of Potion that was hastily made and sold over the past month was all sold out.
The profits earned paid the territory residents for their labor, and even after lighting up the streets of Central Rockenhardt, which had been plunged into darkness every night, with gas lamps, a huge amount of gold remained.
"Why don't you tell her yourself? She'd like it."
"Anyway, where is the real boss, not that tall figurehead?"
Klaud was lost in thought for a moment at Marquis Lev's excited question.
His thick, long fingers slowly stroked the bundle of Painkiller that Hille had left behind.
"She's probably holed up in her study in my room. Even though she's busy, she still follows the procession to fetch water and comes back and holes up and reads something."
"I heard she visits the family cemetery often, so I guess she likes getting some fresh air?"
"Is that so."
Klaud's voice was low and calm, but not very pleasant.
But Marquis Mosan Rebeu Lev, not caring about that, was busy praising Yuan.
"How can she be so smart and virtuous."
"Virtuous? She's like a busybody mutt-"
"She gets along with the servants without any barriers, and above all, she gets Your Highness out of the bedroom."
"I came out because of myself, not because of Yuan-"
"So, I wanted to give her a gift this time, so I prepared something."
Klaud's excuses were not working on Marquis Lev, who had an excited face.
Marquis Lev bowed to Klaud, who was buried in a pile of documents, with a solemn face.
"Isn't Her Highness just the right age for a Debutante?"
"Debutante? A married woman?"
"This time, the Marquis castle plans to hold a grand Debutante for the daughters of the vassals belonging to the Marquis territory. We're going to increase the scale especially."
"......So?"
"We're inviting Her Highness to enjoy the atmosphere of the Debutante. Naturally."
Klaud's brow furrowed very slightly.
"I don't think she likes noisy events like that-"
"Did you even ask her? Even if she's shy, she'll have a fantasy about Debutante at that age. Especially if such a handsome man goes as her partner, she'll be the envy of everyone."
Marquis Lev took out a hand mirror from his arms - I don't know why Lancelot and the rich keep hand mirrors in their arms - and held it out to Klaud.
In the small mirror, a handsome man with disheveled blonde hair had a somewhat dissatisfied look.
"Does being escorted by the 'Deposed' Emperor also include in the girls' fantasies?"
A secret smile spread across Marquis Lev's lips, who had taken back the hand mirror, at Klaud's self-deprecating words.
"You can become the real owner of Rockenhardt, Your Highness."
Marquis Lev raised his momentum after confirming Klaud's quickly hardening face.
"Whatever the inside story is. Your Highness is the Deposed Emperor who stepped down at his own request. According to the documents and the news, wasn't the content that Your Highness voluntarily handed over the throne to his uncle, Grand Duke Igor, and stepped down?"
"......"
"It is a title and land that my father, the late Marquis Lev, who is also Your Highness's maternal grandfather, inherited to the late Empress Eleanor. If Your Highness signs the prepared documents, it will be inherited without any problems. It's been late for a long time."
"......"
"If you're worried about being Her Highness's partner as the Deposed Emperor, become the Count of Rockenhardt. Become a Count and come out into the world completely and live with dignity. Wouldn't Her Highness be happier than being trapped in the Mansion all the time?"
"Debutante."
Klaud was lost in thought.
"Debutante......"
Marquis Lev nodded vigorously, calming his quickening breath.
While putting honey on his lips, he would invite her to the Marquis castle, which was filled with only beautiful and sparkling things, for Her Highness, who was disappointed during the previous territory inspection.
"That's what everyone else does."
Klaud, who had been listening quietly, muttered like a sigh.
"If my uncle even arranges such a place, I won't stop Yuan from attending."
"Then-"
"But if I have to escort the Countess of Rockenhardt as the Count of Rockenhardt, I'll have to think about it."
