9. The Solution Is Not Far Away

Since meeting Father yesterday evening, I had been continuously depressed.

The fact that we had lost the mine passed down through generations of our family, or that I would never see the office filled with long memories again, wasn’t that important.

To my question about whether something was happening with the family, Father was as tight-lipped as if he had a padlock on his mouth.

Brienne’s mine wasn’t small. If all ownership and rights were sold, it would have been an enormous amount, so what could have made Father pay such a large sum that he needed to make such a big decision?

If nothing was wrong, that would be fortunate, but Father’s image of constantly changing the subject kept flickering before my eyes.

I should have stayed home for the night.

Father’s face as he waved his hands and sent me back, insisting he was really fine, remained firmly lodged in one corner of my heart.

“Miss, are you feeling unwell?”

Annie, who was brushing my hair, spoke to me.

Annie was usually quiet. Since she normally never spoke more than necessary, this was rare. It seems even to her, my condition was terrible.

“Sigh…… Annie.”

I raised both hands and buried my face in them.

I could feel Annie stopping her brushing.

“I know I shouldn’t be like this, but today I don’t want to do anything.”

I had an appointment to have refreshments with Mrs. Wellers in the morning.

Though called refreshments, it was more like a mid-term check to see if I had forgotten the etiquette she had taught me.

That wasn’t all. She would subtly check if my body size had changed by eyeballing me, poking my waist with the end of her fan, or adding criticizing remarks in refined language.

I didn’t have the confidence to endure such hardship in this condition.

“Then, if you do nothing, that works, right?”

Annie said simply, as if it were obvious.

I removed my hands covering my face and looked at Annie through the mirror.

I met eyes with her. Her face was as calm as her tone, which had sounded almost like a suggestion.

“How can I do that……? I already made an appointment with Mrs. Wellers.”

Annie silently began to mess up my hair that she had just neatly brushed. She started disheveling it when she only needed to braid and pin it up.

My slightly wavy hair quickly became bushy and increased in volume.

My entire head began to look like the body of a fat mountain goat.

“Wha-what, Annie, why are you doing this? After brushing it so diligently……”

But despite doing something childish, Annie’s face was serious. Annie began to ruin my hair even more diligently.

This was terrible.

There wasn’t even an hour left until Mrs. Wellers arrived.

After finishing my hair, I still needed to touch up my makeup a bit more and practice the etiquette I remembered in front of the mirror.

Before the lady arrived, not only was there no extra practice time, but restoring my hair to a presentable state seemed nearly impossible.

Just spraying water on my puffed-up hair would clearly take an enormous amount of time.

My face in the mirror looked gloomy, as if dark clouds had gathered, even at a glance.

“Miss.”

Annie sighed.

“Just say you’re sick today. What’s the use of that grand title of being engaged to the ducal family?”

“Pardon……?”

Annie, what’s this?

Was she always like this?

I thought she was a very calm and serious person.

“I apologize for overstepping my bounds.”

Annie apologized to me through the mirror. Then she tidied the ends of my scattered hair with her fingers, which still had oil on them.

“But today I somehow wanted to help. Miss, you’re like a train that doesn’t know how to stop.”

“A train……?”

Isn’t that an insult?

There wouldn’t be a single lady in the Empire compared to that ignorantly large, transportation device made of iron with not a single delicate aspect.

Seeing my face becoming serious, Annie quickly opened her mouth again.

“When it’s too hard, it’s okay to take shortcuts and rest once in a while. The world won’t collapse because of such things.”

“……?”

Now I understood what she was trying to say.

Shortcuts.

Yes, I know there are such ways to live.

But I was the eldest daughter of a declining comital family. I had never chosen such options.

My becoming lazy meant that the burden on Father and Mother would double. Of course, they would undoubtedly overexert themselves to fill the gap.

And probably, even now.

Therefore, not once had I tried to deceive their eyes or make myself comfortable.

But…… today, Annie seemed right.

The world wouldn’t collapse if I didn’t meet Mrs. Wellers for one day.

My small world, my family’s livelihood, was safe for the time being.

“Come to think of it…… I feel chilly.”

“My goodness, you’re burning like fire. You can’t take a single step outside like this. I’ll inform Damon about your condition.”

Annie promptly responded as if playing along with me.

The moment our eyes met in the mirror, we burst into giggles.

❀❀❀

Jace Riverton submerged his body up to the top of his head in the cold bathtub.

This was his meditation method when things didn’t go as planned.

The bath wouldn’t end until the ice in the cold whiskey glass placed outside the tub had completely melted. No, he deliberately didn’t end it.

“Robin.”

Less than 10 seconds after he called, Robin quickly ran in from somewhere.

Jace, who had tilted his head back and risen from the water he was submerged in, silently extended his transparent, pale hand while brushing back his darkened wheat-colored hair with his wet hand.

Robin handed him a cigarette.

As Young Master Riverton put the cigarette in his mouth, Robin lit it. Water dripped down from under the young master’s raised wet fingers.

“Has ten days always been this long?”

Young Master Riverton, exhaling pure white smoke, asked Robin who was standing beside him while looking into the distant void.

“Pardon……?”

Not understanding what he meant, Robin answered in a dumbfounded voice.

Young Master Riverton, holding the cigarette filter between his wet fingers, turned his ice-cold eyes toward Robin. Meeting his gaze, Robin flinched as if stabbed with an ice pick.

Soon Young Master Riverton relaxed his expression and formed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Despite his more lenient appearance, Robin didn’t relax. He knew from experience that his master’s mood could change as quickly as boiling porridge.

“I was so pleased that person appeared before me that day, even without an appointment……”

Young Master Riverton’s eyes were trembling finely, wet with ecstasy. His eyes seemed to vividly recall someone he had met somewhere. His long eyelashes dipped deeply, lowering his gaze.

With a gaze as if immersed in reminiscence, Young Master Riverton’s eyes were fixed near the floor. With a gaze that seemed to scan the cracks of a very low place, the young master smiled happily once more.

If someone had been there, Robin thought inwardly, they would have melted away the moment they were touched by the young master’s gaze.

“I almost spoke to her by mistake.”

He kept fidgeting with the cigarette in his hand as if pleased. In reaction, some of the blood-red rose petals floating on the bathwater where Young Master Riverton was immersed scattered slightly.

“I wonder what face she’ll make when she learns it was my doing that stopped the entire steel industry of Brienne.”

Realizing the subject of this conversation was Lady Brienne, Robin remained quietly silent.

“Poor Rosie.”

Contrary to his worried tone, Young Master Riverton’s lips curled up and his cheeks flushed red.

That appearance resembled the innocent expression of a child swelling with excitement just before unwrapping a birthday present.

Of course, Young Master Riverton was a person far from words like “innocent” or “child.” But there seemed no other way to express the excitement that had appeared on his face right now.

Robin, as always, did not answer his words.

Recently, his master seemed overly excited whenever he talked about his fiancée. And for some reason, he seemed particularly interested in her.

Robin felt increasingly sorry for the eldest daughter of Brienne.

If only she had an exceptionally pretty smile that made the young master develop favorable feelings for her, she would have been less pitiful than now.

However, judging by his current attitude, his master would undoubtedly ravage what he wanted until it was broken and shattered, until he completely lost interest. Especially since his master always got what he wanted.

Robin inwardly expressed condolences again for poor Lady Rosaline Brienne.

She would likely suffer countless pains until his master’s interest completely disappeared.

But one thing was certain. Before long, that flashing gaze and passion of his master toward her would fade away. Robin could be sure of this. Just like all the numerous toys that had accidentally entered his field of vision until now.

That burning desire would soon extinguish into a coldness colder than anything else. Until then, Robin knew from experience that it was nearly impossible to dissuade or persuade him.

At that moment, Young Master Riverton suddenly threw the cigarette loosely held between his fingers into the wide-mouthed whiskey glass.

Smoke was still rising from the cigarette. Seeing this, Robin startled and stepped back. But fortunately, as the cigarette sank into the deep level of whiskey, the disaster of fire erupting did not occur.

Robin, who had been inwardly afraid of a fire, collapsed onto the bathroom floor as the strength left his two legs.

While Robin fell in confusion, Young Master Riverton had already emerged from the ice bath and was putting on a robe by himself.

With the robe around his body, Young Master Riverton stepped forward over the towel spread on the floor. The moisture dropping from his feet wet the towel on the floor.

“Wait……”

Walking as if in a dream, Young Master Riverton muttered in an eerie voice.

Passing by Robin who had fallen to the floor, he continued walking forward. Finally, he stopped at the window and stood there, looking outside. And he remained motionless there for a long time.

“There’s no reason to wait exactly ten days.”

As the atmosphere grew heavier, his voice lowered as if displeased. Hearing that voice, Robin unconsciously gulped.

Immediately, a short and firm order was issued.

“Robin Wellers. Clear all schedules for the time being and make preparations so that the plan can proceed without any hitches.”

Since receiving inexplicable orders from his master was nothing new, Robin wasn’t greatly surprised. His answer was always just one.

“Understood.”