Chapter 36. The Queen’s Summons

“Welcome.”

The Duke of Blanche greeted me with his usual courteous demeanor. It was as if he was welcoming a child returning home in glory.

Meanwhile, the Duchess tried to hide her displeasure with a forced smile. Judging by her twitching lips, she was clearly unhappy with the situation.

Given that the imperial family had taken the initiative to hold our wedding grandly, she couldn’t openly oppose me without risking the Duke’s displeasure.

In other words, I had the Duke’s full support for the time being. I smiled brightly at the Duke of Blanche and responded.

“Thank you for the warm welcome, Duke.”

“We’re practically family now, so why keep calling me Duke? Feel free to call me Father.”

“Shall I, Father? It’s not quite natural for me yet, so I keep forgetting.”

The Duke laughed heartily at my smooth change in address. He seemed very pleased that I was being so compliant.

The Duke’s gaze toward Aster also softened. He patted Aster’s shoulder with a satisfied smile.

“It seems like good things are happening since Aster returned. Don’t you think?”

“Indeed.”

The Duchess awkwardly agreed with a forced smile. It was almost pitiable how hard she was trying to hide her displeasure. Helen, standing next to her, didn’t bother to hide her annoyance and frowned.

“You came even though the wedding hasn’t been held yet.”

“We couldn’t delay it any longer.”

“Right. Welcome.”

I shrugged and nonchalantly responded to Helen’s half-hearted welcome. There was a reason she was so deflated and grumpy.

‘Judging by how she’s trying to gauge the Duke’s reaction, she must’ve gotten a real scolding.’

I heard that the Duke severely reprimanded her for the incident during the debutante ball. Her allowance, which she received for maintaining her dignity, was also cut in half.

Given her extravagant spending habits, the sudden reduction in allowance must have made her life quite difficult. Why did she have to stir up trouble and poke the sleeping lion?

Even now, she seemed to be subtly glaring at me while still being cautious of the Duke’s reaction, indicating she hadn’t learned her lesson.

After the awkward welcome, a simple tea time was arranged. The Duke looked around and asked,

“Where is Paris?”

“He went out for some business. He’ll be back by evening.”

“Tsk, he’s probably chasing after some woman again.”

“Paris doesn’t always do that. Speaking of which, if you want him to develop a sense of responsibility, you need to give him some responsibilities. While you’re still healthy, let him take on some tasks bit by bit.”

“You need to trust someone to give them responsibilities.”

The Duke clicked his tongue in disapproval. It seemed true that he managed all the businesses by himself.

Considering how distrustful the Duke of Blanche was, it made sense that he wouldn’t entrust his business to Aster or Paris. The Duchess, however, didn’t give up and pressed on.

“If you teach him, he’ll do well. Paris takes after you, so he’ll do just as well.”

The Duke’s expression softened a bit at her coaxing tone. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly turned to Aster and said,

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“Would you consider using the Rain Mine, which your wife brought as a dowry, to start a business?”

“Dear!”

The Duchess was taken aback. She had suggested giving responsibilities to Paris, but the conversation had suddenly shifted to Aster. The Duke signaled her to stop interrupting.

“As you know, the Rain Mine has a high yield of magic stones. It would be beneficial to link it with the magical device business. After all, your wife gave it to you as your share. It would be a waste to leave it unused.”

“I will proceed with it.”

“Good.”

The Duke nodded in satisfaction. It was quite amusing to see the Duchess’s face contort in displeasure.

“Don’t be so upset. I have plans for Paris that suit him.”

“You always just plan every year.”

“He’s my son, do you think I would neglect him? I’ll take care of it in due time.”

The Duke’s tone indicated that he didn’t want to discuss it further. The Duchess clammed up like an oyster. From the way things were going, it was clear where their weak points lay.

What if the Duke entrusted Paris with a task and he failed miserably? That would only strengthen Aster’s position.

Having finished my calculations, I addressed the somewhat displeased Duke.

“Father, aren’t you worried about whether my brother-in-law has the leadership qualities to lead the Blanche business?”

“Camilla, this is not something you should interfere with.”

The Duchess reacted sharply, but I didn’t stop talking. What I was about to say would seem beneficial to her son, even though it would ultimately harm him.

“How about this? To verify if my brother-in-law is qualified to inherit the Blanche business, why not provide him with investment funds? If he produces significant results, you could then entrust him with the business.”

“Hmm.”

“Aster’s investment can be covered by my dowry, but my brother-in-law currently has no capital. To be fair, shouldn’t he also be given investment funds?”

As soon as I finished speaking, the Duchess looked at me with eyes full of suspicion. I merely shrugged and smiled.

After a moment of contemplation, the Duke spoke.

“Hmm. That makes sense.”

“If given the responsibility, he might perform well. In Francis, we often assign test projects before entrusting someone with a business.”

Encouraged by my subtle pressure, the Duke took the bait. His response was driven by the competitive spirit of not wanting Blanche to fall behind Francis.

“When Paris returns, tell him to come to my study.”

“Alright.”

The Duchess responded noticeably brighter. Although she felt uneasy about accepting my help, it was a difficult offer to refuse given Paris’s precarious position.

I wondered how shocked she would be when she realized the trap I had set. Creating a phantom merchant guild was a simple task for me.

‘I’ll make sure the Duke loses a significant amount of money.’

It’s more effective for someone to seem competent at first and then fail spectacularly than to fail from the beginning.

I smiled with satisfaction, thinking of the perfect person for the job. He owed me a favor, so he would gladly help.

* * *

In the luxurious tourist island of Vaikan, located in the southern part of Ahivith, the young owner, Sezad Vaikan, was taking a nap. He received an unexpected letter and grinned.

“What’s this from the Queen?”

To him, every woman was a ‘princess,’ but Camilla Francis was a ‘queen.’ She was the only woman who hadn’t fallen for his charms.

Sezad read the letter carelessly while holding a woman by the waist.

[Time to repay your debt.

I have a commission for you, so come to Apelli (the capital of Ahivith). Before the wedding.]

Along with the brief note was an invitation. Sezad frowned at the invitation as if he had seen something strange.

After a moment, he dismissed the woman and stood up, stark n*ked, to read the invitation thoroughly. It was the most absurd news he had received recently.

After confirming who Camilla Francis was marrying, Sezad’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“Blanche?”

Blanche was a family that had been enemies with Francis for generations. Five years ago, the Emperor had forced an engagement between them, and now they were finally getting married.

Camilla Francis wouldn’t easily mortgage her life, even under an imperial decree. Unless she was bringing in a man to be her puppet husband.

Could she be calling him to sabotage the wedding? If so, he would gladly help.

“What could she want from me?”

He muttered coolly, brushing his auburn hair back. His golden eyes, sharp like a predator’s, seemed ready to bite anyone.

The muscles on his tanned, well-built body twitched with dissatisfaction. As he stood up, a servant draped a robe over him.

He casually tied the robe and told the servant,

“Prepare to leave for Apelli.”

“Right away, sir?”

He nodded lazily, popping a grape into his mouth from the table. Once the servant left, he slowly got up and twirled a dagger in his hand. The sharp blade spun effortlessly on his palm.

“I wonder what kind of man he is.”

What kind of man could make the formidable Camilla give up her freedom?

He might have been rejected because of his promiscuous lifestyle, but Blanche? That didn’t seem right.

Sezad frowned, displeased with Camilla’s decision.

“Joining my harem would be better than going to Blanche.”

He muttered words that would earn him a slap if Camilla heard them, and then suddenly threw his dagger.

Thud!

With a loud noise, the dagger he threw embedded itself deeply into the target on the wall. His skill at hitting the bullseye was exceptional. He glared at the target and growled.

“I’ll go and check it out myself.”

* * *