Chapter 44. Let’s Get Closer

But I had no memory of carrying anything that Blanche might want in that carriage. Even if my mother had something, as a child, I wouldn’t have known. Only my deceased mother would know.

What was clear was that they left without obtaining what they wanted.

“If I could figure out what it was, things would be clearer.”

“…”

“For now, it would be best to track the Black Shadow. Thank you for providing valuable information.”

As I lifted my head and smiled, he quickly adjusted his expression. Was it just my imagination, or did he look quite bitter just moments ago?

His mind seemed very cluttered. Aster wiped the cold sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief and spoke.

“We should head back. It would be troublesome if you got seasick on top of this.”

With that, he began to slowly steer the boat back to the villa, supporting me all the while.

* * *

By evening, the Blanche family had gathered in one place. The amusing part was that Sezad was also present. Apparently, the Duke had invited him at the last minute.

I was somewhat taken aback to see Sezad grinning, wondering when he had gotten so close to the Duke.

“Thank you for inviting me, Your Grace.”

Helen beamed at Sezad’s polished words. I found it hard to hide my expression, seeing Sezad, who acted like a perfect businessman, so unlike himself.

It was both ridiculous to see him acting like that and gratifying to see him earnestly fishing for Blanche. Paris greeted Sezad.

“Oh, we meet again?”

“It’s nice to see you often, brother.”

It seemed Paris and Sezad had already decided to call each other brother, flaunting their camaraderie.

Paris was grinning ear to ear at being called brother.

Paris had always been weak to those who flattered him. The Duke spoke.

“This time, you’ve brought a decent man.”

“I can’t remain childish forever.”

Helen blushed and answered shyly, like a demure lady. It seemed she was aware of her previous immature behavior.

Seeing her act like that in front of Sezad, the Duke was truly remarkable. Perhaps it was because Sezad’s family was from the South.

Southern nobles were often seen as unrefined and not very noble-like. Because of this, most of Blanche’s business was with the East and West.

Francis, however, had deep ties with the South, free from such prejudices. They also had strong connections with the northern nobles who managed the borders.

I had thought the Duke would disregard Sezad, but this invitation was truly unexpected.

The Duke’s gaze towards Sezad was not ordinary. It gave me an idea of the Duke’s intentions.

It seemed he regretted not having ventured into the South earlier due to his prejudices. Now, he wanted to seize this opportunity to expand into the South.

In short, he had a greedy look, as if he was planning to use Helen for a marriage alliance.

“The Vaikan family is quite famous in the South. How is your father? Any siblings?”

“My father is retired and recuperating due to a chronic illness. I am the only child.”

“Then there’s no worry about succession. Having too many dependents can be a hassle.”

The Duke was openly pleased to hear that his father was ill and that he had no siblings. Sezad, not being their biological child, seemed unaffected.

“Your family wasn’t that prominent a few years ago.”

“It’s embarrassing to say it myself, but I’m quite capable. Most of the family’s current ventures were started by me.”

“I like your honesty. It’s better than pretending to be humble and kind.”

The Duke handed over a glass, smirking. I couldn’t laugh, knowing he was indirectly referring to Francis.

‘You’re just a money-grubbing raccoon.’

Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to show it outwardly.

Being openly bad while knowing it was less of an issue. It was just frustrating to see dirty water blaming clear water.

Judging by the atmosphere, the Duke seemed to consider Sezad as a prospective son-in-law. After all, most of the men Helen had been with were nobles from minor families with only good looks.

Sezad, being a businessman, must have been appealing. At least having money would be somewhat beneficial to Blanche.

This was possible because the Duke had little expectation of Helen. The Duke casually brought up a topic.

“I heard the salvage of the Shepherd ship will begin soon?”

“Yes. Thanks to your help, the approval process is progressing quickly. We should be able to start the salvage by next month.”

“It’s the duty of old nobles to support hardworking young men.”

The Duke pretended to have decent values. In reality, he had expedited the approval in exchange for money from Sezad.

Thanks to this, Sezad had obtained the salvage approval without any complicated procedures.

Once the approval was secured, attracting small fish would be easy. With Paris pulling in the Blanche family members, the future looked promising.

After all, only we knew there was nothing in the sea.

At that moment, Helen spoke to the Duke in a coquettish voice. It was an unexpected topic amidst a business discussion.

“Father, now that Aster’s wedding is over, please arrange my marriage too.”

“Helen, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

The Duke seemed to question why she was bringing this up now, but Helen remained unfazed. She said,

“I can’t stay under your shadow forever. I’ve had my debutante ball, so I’m a proper lady now.”

It seemed she was uncomfortable with me living in the castle. It was evident on her face that she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

The Duke clicked his tongue and avoided answering Sezad.

“What do you think?”

“I want to focus on my business for now.”

Sezad, having keenly understood the Duke’s intentions, quickly stepped back. He realized the Duke wasn’t ready to formally accept him as a son-in-law yet.

“Tch.”

Helen pouted, showing her displeasure. Then she spoke in a bizarre voice, as if her tongue had been cut in half, shocking everyone.

“You don’t want to marry me? You always call me a princess.”

“Ahem.”

“Ahem.”

The Duke and I cleared our throats simultaneously, our eyes meeting in bewilderment at Helen’s inappropriate behavior.

Sezad, trying to maintain his composure, said to Helen,

“We’ll talk later.”

“When is later?”

“Helen.”

Unable to bear it any longer, the Duchess scolded Helen. Whether she was drunk on the pre-dinner drinks or just enamored with Sezad, it was an unpleasant sight.

Fortunately, Helen wasn’t completely oblivious and kept her mouth shut.

As the business discussion continued and dessert was served, the Duke finally showed interest in me.

“Is everything comfortable for you, dear?”

“Comfortable? Thanks to your consideration, it feels like home. And it’s great having Aster by my side.”

I looked at Aster with a loving expression. While I couldn’t act as coquettishly as Helen, this much was doable.

If I acted like Helen, it would only raise suspicion. Sezad seemed disgusted, but I ignored him.

“I’m glad to hear that. After all, I’ve taken care of everything, so there shouldn’t be any discomfort.”

“Actually, I wanted to discuss something because of that. Isn’t it hard for Mother to manage the household alone?”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

“It would be easier if we did it together. I’ll do anything you need.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“As you know, my mother passed away early, so I practically graduated early from my bride training. I won’t be a burden.”

As I persistently suggested to Isabelle, the Duke gave her a look, signaling to give me some tasks. Reluctantly, she said,

“Fine, then join us at the Bella charity event. It’ll be a good opportunity to make an impression on the sponsors.”

Her willingness to suggest it indicated that everything needing laundering was already done. But even that was an opportunity for me.

“Can I really go?”