After walking down the long corridor, Lowell soon arrived in front of Maude’s office. With a stiff expression, he skipped knocking altogether and stepped inside. Maude, seated at the table and reviewing documents, slowly lifted her head to look at him. She blinked languidly, then shot to her feet in surprise.

“Brother!”

It was his younger sister, whom he had not seen for half a year. The one he had raised with utmost care, his only beloved younger sister. Lowell clenched the newspaper he held in his left hand.

“How could you do something like this…?”

With long strides, Lowell approached and placed the crumpled newspaper on the table. The wrinkled shape of the newspaper indicated that Lowell was not in his usual mood.

Lowell was a man of gentle temperament, rarely one to frown or lose his temper. But today, he made no effort to hide his displeasure. Faced with his cold expression, Maude averted her eyes and stepped back.

“How’s the Stahem Bank?”

For generations, the Hableins had held the financial reins of the empire, a family that had never run dry of money. Since their grandfather’s time, the sons had been dispatched across the land to expand financial enterprises, and now there was hardly a corner untouched by Hablein money. As the eldest son, Lowell had been staying in Stahem, overseeing the merger of smaller banks.

But the scandal involving his sister—encountered even in the peaceful countryside—was what put him on the night train. Yet rather than answer, he stood still, gazing at Maude in silence.

“Let me explain. Please, relax and sit down.”

With a light push from behind, Maude guided him toward the terrace. Once Lowell was seated, a smile spread across her face. Returning to the table, she picked up the wrinkled newspaper and rang the call bell.

Soon, the sound of Sarah entering the office could be heard.

“You called, my lady?”

“Bring us some coffee, will you? I have a rather angry guest today.”

Maude playfully frowned as she gestured toward the terrace. Following her hand, Sarah’s gaze naturally shifted that way. Lowell spotted her first and greeted her with a wave, his expression noticeably brighter than when facing Maude.

“You’re back!”

Sarah started in surprise, quickly straightening her posture to offer a polite bow.

“I came running because of that article.”

Maude lowered her voice to a whisper.

“No wonder,” Sarah replied firmly, her voice just as low.

Maude narrowed her eyes at her maid. With a gentle touch, Sarah took her mistress’s arm and drew her toward the terrace.

“I’ll bring it right away.”

With a respectful bow, Sarah exited with light, brisk steps.

The cheerful mood that had briefly filled the room with her arrival quickly faded. Lowell’s expression showed no sign of softening, despite Maude’s carefree smile and easy demeanor.

“It’s nothing serious, brother.”

For more than three days, high society had been abuzz with gossip about her and the Grand Duke—and she dared to say it was nothing?

“Nothing serious?”

Lowell ground the words out, putting weight on each syllable.

“Well…”

“Even when some tawdry tabloid paints you and the Grand Duke as madly in love?”

He tapped the front page with his left hand, where the photo was printed.

Lovers of Bergen: Society’s darling, Maude Hablein, has found her true love.

It was the headline that had set the summer season ablaze. For all its notoriety, the wording carried a strangely lyrical rhythm. Compared to the usual vulgar sensationalism of such papers, this one was almost poetic. Maude nearly let slip that she rather liked it—that it wasn’t so bad at all.

Awkward under her brother’s gaze, she turned her head and cleared her throat.

“I did leak it myself, but just a little…”

Lowell’s face went white; not only his thoughts but even his fine features drained of color. He stared at her in disbelief.

“Just a little. And I had some business to attend to as well.”

“Ha…”

He pressed his fingers to his temples and let out a sigh—long and heavy, as though it might sink the earth itself.

Finding his reaction almost endearing, Maude smiled softly and continued,

“I was just in a bit of a hurry, that’s all.”

Lowell’s eyes followed the elegant arc of her pale, slender fingers—landing squarely on the photo of the striking man and woman.

The blurred faces were hardly an issue. The real problem was that they looked so perfectly matched just standing together.

“D*mn it.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Lowell roughly folded the newspaper and shoved it aside to the corner of the table.

“So what you’re really asking is… why do you have to make this much money? The coffeehouses are thriving, and besides, you’re a Hablein. Are you telling me you don’t have money?”

Lowell’s voice rose in frustration, but Maude didn’t react. Almost as if she had been expecting it. She kept smiling calmly.

“All that overflowing wealth belongs to our ancestors, grandfather, father… and you, brother. It’s the Hablein family’s.”

“What?”

“I want something that’s truly mine. And I want a lot of it.”

‘Truly mine.’

Lowell knew better than anyone what she meant by those words. They surged into his ears like the rising tide.

His one and only sister, Maude, loved the Hablein family more than anyone—but she also hated it more than anyone. Like any other ducal household, the daughters of Hablein were expected to live out the lives predetermined for them.

Like flowers chosen to bloom on command.

But Maude had always said she refused to live that way. And today, she said it with all her strength.

“I don’t want to go through bridal training just to get married and be swept away.”

“Who said that? No one’s ever thought to make you do something like that!”

Lowell flared up, running a hand through his hair, his face flushed. How could she belittle herself this way? It hurt him to hear it.

“You never know. Father might look at Lady Saena and start to envy her.”

She shrugged, as though that’s just how people are.

“Saena Nowood?”

“They say she’s the perfect daughter of a ducal family and a role model. The complete opposite of me. It was all over the paper.”

“…”

The audacity—some cheap tabloid rags.

Lowell nearly choked on the curse words welling up in his throat, holding them back with effort. His clenched fists were proof of it.

Maude glanced down at his reddened hands, feeling a pang of guilt. She knew too well how often his heart ached from worrying about her.

“Well, I am everyone’s sweetheart,” she said boldly, resting her chin in her hand on the table.

“Hah…”

“And that’s satisfying in its own way, isn’t it? Something no one could ever truly have.”

Her brazen words finally made Lowell chuckle despite himself. Maude’s radiant smile was what mattered most to him. His lovely, precious, mischievous little sister.

“Father and I—we both care about you more than anything, Maude. You know that, right? Please, never forget it.”

Lowell clasped his hands together as though in prayer, pleading earnestly.

‘Please.’

Seeing his face weighed down with worry did make her uneasy, but Maude felt no regrets. Not about any of it. She was about to live through the most scandalous social season of her life—but the rewards were too great to doubt her choices.

She had secured grounds to expand Brisa’s business, and though the Grand Duke’s heart might still waver, the scandal had grown irreversible. She had also safeguarded the wager table with the Emperor. It was, without a doubt, a summer of gains.

“My partner for the Founding Festival will be the Grand Duke. So please, make sure Father doesn’t come running here in a panic like you did.”

Beaming, Maude slowly turned her gaze outward. Beyond the terrace, the world was in the midst of greeting summer—the dazzling blue sky, the deepening green of the trees, the gentle breeze tickling her forehead.

And just as the Festival came up, Lowell launched into another round of scolding.

Maude loved it all: his soft voice fretting only over her, the birdsong, even Sarah’s delicate touch as she set down a teacup.

On that early summer day, Maude’s eyelids grew heavy. It was a wonderfully drowsy afternoon.

***

The next morning, Lowell boarded the early train back to Stahem. Weariness clung to his eyes as he set out into the dewy dawn—he had left unfinished business at the bank behind.

As the morning train rattled away, carrying her nagging brother, Maude sat in her office feeling lighter. She picked up her pen to send word to the Captain about her upcoming trip to Latria. This year’s harvest promised to be particularly abundant, and she expected to be busy.

Hello, Captain. 

With the coffee harvest season here, I will be staying in Latria for a while. Please forgive me if I’m difficult to reach during this time. I plan to return to the capital before the Founding Festival begins, so I hope to see you then. I’ll send word when I’m back.

Sincerely,

Maude Hablein

She imagined the attention she would receive, and it made her chuckle.

Thinking of that tall, stoic man standing unflinching before a crowd of reporters, Maude struggled to hold back her laughter. Smiling to herself, she tucked the neatly written letter into an envelope.