Chapter 5 – Adaptation (Part 13)

Cassius had just been forced to leave work early by the King’s order after an unexpected meal with Princess Karinsa at the Administrative Palace. When he entered the mansion with Aaron, Elysia was in the drawing room, in the midst of entertaining Ronan.

“You’re home early today. Are you feeling unwell?”

Pedro the butler asked worriedly, seeing the Duke return much earlier than scheduled.

“There was a bit of a problem at the Administrative Palace, making it impossible to work, so I came home. I’ll head straight to the study, so please bring me some tea.”

However, Pedro, who would normally have moved immediately, hesitated, watching the Duke’s expression.

“Is something the matter?”

“Well, Madam has begun the task of redecorating the Ducal household.”

“That matter is entirely up to Miss Serenze’s discretion. There’s no need to report every detail to me.”

“Because of that, someone from the Haas Trading Company is here to consult with Madam.”

“Is that so? It might actually be more efficient for someone to come in person. They can think more concretely about what’s needed while touring the mansion.”

Cassius was about to head to his study indifferently.

“The person who visited is Ronan Hass, the head of the trading company.”

‘Oh no! You reckless brother!’

Aaron screamed internally.

“Given the scale of the family, it’s not unreasonable for the head of the trading company to come in person.”

With that reply, Cassius headed towards his study again. Aaron, concealing his agitation, followed the Duke.

However, after taking a few steps, Cassius stopped. The overly cheerful scene of Ronan and Elysia sitting across from each other, laughing and consulting, came to mind.

Upon reflection, it occurred to him that Elysia, having been in the Ducal household for only a short time, might be overwhelmed handling such a big matter alone and could fall for a skillful merchant’s tactics.

“Where is the consultation taking place…?”

Before Cassius could finish his question, the butler, as if waiting, pointed towards the reception room.

“The small reception room in the main building. The refreshments for the two of them are still being prepared, so I’ll bring enough for three.”

Following the Duke towards the reception room instead of the study, Aaron thought today was a day of calamity. He pitied himself for having to deal with the Princess and the King in the morning and his brother in the afternoon.

***

Elysia observed Cassius, who was sitting next to her, facing Ronan, and sensed something increasingly ominous.

‘This isn’t good. I feel like something dangerous will happen with these two together.’

“I’m not here to interfere or monitor. I finished work earlier than usual and came to have tea with my fiancée, so please continue with what you were doing.”

Despite the Duke’s dry words, Aaron wore a sullen expression.

‘Duke, you were just going to your office until you heard Ronan was here, weren’t you?’

“I was just about to wrap up our conversation. As I mentioned earlier, please confirm the details through the butler and proceed accordingly. The sooner we start, the better, right?”

Elysia emphasized “the sooner, the better” in her speech. Although she wanted the work to proceed quickly, it also reflected her desire for Ronan to leave as soon as possible.

‘As the head of the trading company, he must have a keen sense. He should understand what I mean. If he does, say goodbye and leave quickly!’

Ronan fully understood Elysia’s underlying wish for him to disappear quickly, but he pretended not to notice and maintained his business smile.

“If the order is as Madam requested, it should be possible to prepare it within a few hours, so I’ll bring the samples myself and visit again tomorrow morning. Given the small scale of the task, it shouldn’t take long.”

Cassius wondered why Ronan said it wouldn’t take long. Sensing this, Ronan, without being asked by the Duke, began to explain.

“Duke, I knew the future Duchess was remarkable, but I didn’t realize she was also so frugal. She was very considerate in ensuring the Grendel family’s money wasn’t wasted. Even as a merchant, I was moved by her concern for the Grendel family’s finances.”

Elysia felt dazed by Ronan’s words. She hadn’t anticipated that he would want to make money by pretending not to notice. It was clear to everyone that his intention was to provoke the Duke’s pride and expand the work.

Ronan was someone who rarely failed, even with obvious moves. Whether it was love or strategy, few men wanted to appear stingy in front of their fiancées.

‘Brother, do you think the Duke will fall for such an obvious trick?’

Aaron, witnessing his brother’s nonsense, was honestly disappointed by the trivial provocation.

‘Maybe an average person who loves to flaunt wealth or has material desires would fall for it. But someone like the Duke, who doesn’t need to concern himself with such things, wouldn’t fall for such a shallow provocation…’

“There was no need to be extremely concerned about the finances. While frugality is good, excessive consideration can actually damage the prestige of the Grendel household. What does the current order list look like?”

Before Elysia could answer the Duke’s question, Ronan interjected.

“She said she would change the interior of a few reception rooms and dining rooms and the textiles at the central entrance.”

“That alone won’t seem to change the atmosphere of the mansion. First, prepare to replace all the textiles in the entire mansion. That alone will be a large scale, so we can discuss the next steps afterward.”

Replacing all the dining rooms, reception rooms, inner and outer curtains of each room, and decorative tapestries in the hallways and entrances would require enough fabric to furnish three or four noble households. If he subtly included high-end carpets for the floors, he could earn even more profit.

Ronan thought this was just the beginning and smiled broadly.

“I’ll prepare as you said. Since it’s a matter involving the Grendel family, I, the head of the trading company, will personally oversee and meticulously examine every detail. Then, may I rise to start the work?”

When the Duke nodded, Ronan stood up. As Ronan stood, the Duke spoke to him.

“Even the smallest decorative textile must be of a level befitting the Grendel household.”

“Of course.”

Ronan answered briskly. Elysia, surprised by the rapid development, felt as if she saw sparks flying between the two. After Ronan left, the Duke looked back at Aaron, who was still standing behind him. Aaron was also stunned by the situation.

‘Oh no! I was being oblivious.’

Aaron hastily left the reception room, claiming he had urgent matters to attend to. In the reception room, now left alone with Elysia, Cassius looked at her dazed face. He began to regret his actions, wondering if he had overstepped.

“I said I would leave it to you, yet I meddled on my own.”

“No, it’s just that you have merely advanced something that would have happened eventually. If it was bound to happen, it’s better to deal with it now.”

Elysia couldn’t hide the undertone in her words. Although she was smiling, her lips were trembling slightly.

When she was at the Serenze household, she was so bothered by fittings that she rarely went out to have clothes made, and she didn’t like walking around choosing things, so she rarely went to the shopping district. But thinking about replacing all the textile products in this enormous ducal household made her feel like she would scream in despair.