Chapter 5 – The Northern Speraum (Part 1)

Three days before Reubellina and her party arrived, Paddington, the butler of Speraum Castle, was busy preparing to welcome them. On this day, the daughter of a family that formed the Northern region visited Paddington.

The Northern region was an alliance of several families led by the Grand Duke of Speraum. While Tartenon governed the North, he relied on the cooperation of other families to handle important matters. Nearly all the families trusted and followed Tartenon, but the family of the lady who appeared now was different.

“Lady Phineus.”

“It’s been a while, Paddington.”

The young lady from the Count of Phineus’s family never doubted that she would be Tartenon’s match. During the time when Tartenon’s father, the former Grand Duke of the North, was alive, her place was by Tartenon’s side. The Phineus family, which had the greatest wealth in the North, could not be ignored.

To properly govern the North, the funds from the Count of Phineus were essential. Hence, Emmern Phineus could act imperiously in the North.

“I heard new people are coming to this castle?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“It’s probably going to be another incompetent woman like last time.”

“Lady, even if you are who you are, saying such things….”

“Which family pays the most taxes to the Grand Duke’s house?”

Emmern voiced what everyone in the North knew. Paddington sighed as she mentioned it. She used such statements to make the servants uncomfortable whenever her opinions were not accepted. The problem was that even the servants couldn’t overcome Emmern’s tantrums.

When Tartenon was absent, as he was now, Emmern’s arrogance knew no bounds. Even knowing this, Paddington couldn’t be disrespectful to her. Once, when Paddington reported to Tartenon, Emmern, upon learning this, used a poor harvest as an excuse to drastically reduce the taxes she paid.

“The Count of Phineus.”

“Exactly, Paddington. So, except for His Grace the Grand Duke, no one in Speraum Castle can contradict my words.”

“Understood, my lady.”

Paddington closed his eyes tightly. He felt he couldn’t properly follow Tartenon’s orders to prepare to welcome the person who would become the Grand Duchess.

***

Back to the present.

“Ren, what?”

Reubellina’s voice was quiet.

Tartenon stepped forward to manage the situation, but Reubellina firmly gripped his hand, glaring at him to ensure he wouldn’t interfere.

“Oh, didn’t you know? Our family has a very close relationship with the Grand Duke.”

“Family?”

“Yes.”

“Which family are you from?”

Reubellina’s words grew terse, but Emmern, filled with ambition to subdue the capital’s nobility, didn’t notice.

“We, Count Phineus, are of the House of Speraum……….”

“The Count of Phineus?”

Reubellina tilted her head in confusion and ignored Emmern, asking Sandy, who was standing behind her.

“Where is the Count of Phineus from?”

“I’m not sure either, my lady.”

Sandy genuinely didn’t know. Born and raised in the capital, she had never heard of the Count of Phineus. To the capital’s nobility, any family in the North, excluding the Grand Duke Speraum, was insignificant.

There was no need to know them, and they were too powerless to matter. Reubellina struggled to recall what kind of family the Count of Phineus was but couldn’t remember anything.

As she pondered, Teryn, standing behind her, whispered.

“It’s a place that sells Northern fur through the Musen Trading.”

“Fur? Ah, that place.”

Emmern’s face reddened. She had never been treated like this in the North and didn’t know how to respond. Whenever she appeared, even the most esteemed servants of Speraum bowed to her. The same went for Tartenon’s previous fiancée.

“What, I thought it was a great place, but it’s just that?”

Reubellina opened her fan. With a swishing sound, she covered half her face with it and spoke.

“Phineus is a place that supplies fur to the capital.”

“Now you understand our family’s importance….”

“The quality of the fur isn’t good, so we were thinking of ending our dealings. This is perfect.”

“What?”

“It’s perfect timing. The trading company suffered significant losses because the Count of Phineus kept postponing meetings. As the lady of that family, I’m sure you can pass the word along.”

It was not a suggestion but a notice.

‘The inventory was piling up, it was a problem.’

The Count of Phineus was the only one who caught and supplied fur from Northern animals. Initially, the quality of the fur was good, so they continued the deal, but after the former Count of Phineus died and the current Count took over, the quality deteriorated.

Softening the leather required significant labor costs. To increase profits, the Count of Phineus reduced the workforce. The leather quality worsened, and with no alternatives, the capital’s nobles were forced to use fur from the Count of Phineus.

‘But not anymore.’

With Reubellina in the North, things could change. She planned to oversee Northern affairs and produce and sell fur herself directly. She already had the method in mind; she just needed more animals. She had thought of asking Tartenon to hunt, but things turned out this way.

“Tell the Count that the Asillious Trading Company will no longer purchase fur from the Phineus family.”

While Emmern blinked in shock, her escort, recognizing the gravity of the situation, whispered to her.

“Lady, don’t fall for it. It would be better to pretend to listen and then plan the next step.”

However, Emmern ignored her escort’s advice. She couldn’t stand Reubellina, who knew nothing about the North but was looking down on the Count of Phineus.

“Do you have the qualifications for that?”

Emmern scoffed. At that moment, Reubellina’s anger exploded.

“How dare you!”

Reubellina threateningly closed the fan. The sound of the fan hitting the palm of her hand was quite loud. At the loud thud, the attention of the people watching their confrontation focused on them.

“I already let it slide that you called my fiancé ‘Ren’, by his nickname. I think I’ve shown enough leniency.”

“What, what?”

“No matter how provincial a Northern lady you are, don’t you have any sense of hierarchy? Get it together. I am the heir to the Duchy and the future mistress of Grand Duke Speraum’s family.”

Reubellina didn’t bother to add that they were on different levels. Just one look at Emmern’s attire was enough. Though dressed for travel, Reubellina’s outfit was a top-quality dress, unlike Emmern’s, which was not.

Even their light accessories were worlds apart. Reubellina’s earrings, though smaller than Emmern’s, were made of rare southern pearls. To obtain southern pearls in the North required a fortune. Even then, it was nearly impossible, as the capital’s nobles purchased them first.

Reubellina looked Emmern up and down slowly, giving back the disdainful laugh. There was nothing better about Emmern.

“You! How dare you….”

“It seems you didn’t learn etiquette well. ‘How dare you’ is a phrase used by superiors to inferiors.”

Reubellina’s mockery turned Emmern’s face crimson. Just as Emmern’s hand moved to strike Reubellina, Tartenon stepped in front of her.

No matter how impudent Emmern was, she couldn’t strike the Grand Duke of Speraum. Her hand stopped, and Reubellina lightly tapped Tartenon’s hand.

“My, how sweet of you.”

At Reubellina’s gentle words, Tartenon took her hand. Reubellina’s gaze briefly flicked towards Emmern. She could have handled it herself, but she didn’t stop Tartenon because of this.

Emmern’s eyes, almost tearful, looked betrayed. Tartenon, focused on Reubellina, didn’t even glance at her.

‘How pitiful.’

It was obvious she was in a one-sided, tearful love.

‘Wait. No.’

Reubellina quickly changed her mind. The truly pitiful person was her, who had been abandoned by her former fiancé and had to leave her comfortable capital mansion for the cold North.

‘Yes, I am the one more pitiful.’

So, Reubellina justified herself.

‘So isn’t it okay for me to be a little more self-indulgent?’

Since there were no eyes and ears of the capital here in the North, she decided that she could fully express her personality. And Emmern made that resolution even stronger.

Since it’s come to this, she decided to act like a madwoman from the capital.

So that these people wouldn’t dare look down on her, on Reubellina Asillious. Her golden eyes shone with determination.