Chapter 14

Amelia promised Leonel that she would never leave him, vowing not to leave alone, but he didn’t seem to believe it. If you think about it, Amelia was not a very good protector, even with her empty words. It was only when she saw Leonel nodding reluctantly that she felt relieved.

“It must be hard to believe.”

Despite her assurances to Leonel, it was nearly impossible. It was hard enough for her to leave the Grand Duchy alone, let alone take Leonel. She’d be lucky if she didn’t get thrown out penniless. Amelia was a weak person with no money or power.

In this noble society, power was not something that could be obtained through effort. It was a matter of social status. Power was determined from the moment one was born. If that’s the case, the only thing she could obtain later on was money…

“How can I earn money.”

Originally, money could only be earned by those who already had it. The saying that money begets money isn’t without reason. Even if she wanted to start a business or invest, she needed capital to begin with. Someone like her, who didn’t have a penny in her name, couldn’t do anything.

Should I go to Edward and ask how much my dowry is?

“No, don’t… “

Even if she had some property, it would be confiscated the moment she divorced Raphael. After all, those things were all acquired through her marriage to him.

And that person wouldn’t give her any alimony.

“I would be lucky if he didn’t strip me of everything.”

Over the past few weeks, she has realized something while looking into various books. In the Khalid Empire, if a woman was engaged in economic activities, she was guaranteed a social position. Otherwise, she had to be a wealthy heiress who received a significant inheritance. But Amelia was just a lowly viscount’s daughter. The latter option was already out of the question.

“What can I do right now…”

Before she transmigrated to this place, she was just an ordinary office worker. She didn’t have exceptional business talents, nor did she know what would go well in advance.

Wait a minute…?

“I know everything, don’t I?”

She knew exactly how Aaron, a man with a humble background and no influence, had risen from the position of Third Prince to Crown Prince. Originally, Aaron could never have become the Crown Prince. The First Prince, Patrick, was too perfect. Patrick was the Empress’s son, and there were many noble families supporting him.

Even without going to Patrick, Aaron couldn’t defeat the Second Prince, Logan. She knew exactly how Aaron, who was like that, acquired wealth and power.

Aaron was skilled in manipulation, but he was also a great entrepreneur who had luck on his side.

“Your Highness?”

“Uh, where are you going?”

“I want to meet Edward.”

She hadn’t been out of the library for weeks, so they looked surprised that she’d barged out the door. It seemed that they didn’t take the order to reduce the number of maids lightly. There were only two maids guarding the door. Even the maid, who always kept an eye on her, was nowhere to be seen.

“What?”

“If it’s Lord Edward…”

“He should be in the Grand Duke’s office.”

Edward Ayden was not only Raphael’s subordinate but also the person in charge of the Siegfried family. He was a perfectionist who kept no other butler and handled everything himself, even though the Grand Duke’s household was not particularly large.

“Your… Your Highness…!”

She seemed to know from experience that she shouldn’t provoke her when she was in a bad mood. She didn’t know how many crazy things she had done to get this far. Still, it wasn’t as difficult as she had thought. The company she used to work at was originally a place with various types of people, and she had encountered more than a few lunatics before transmigrating.

“A sudden visit… I’m sure His Grace the Grand Duke wouldn’t want it.”

“I know.”

But she wasn’t going to see Raphael. She didn’t even want to see his face every evening, let alone seek him out separately. The one she had business with was Edward, not him.

“First, you should report to the head maid…”

“I’m just going to see Edward, do I have to report that to May?”

“She told me that if you go anywhere, you must tell her first…….”

The maids’ reactions had changed since she first came here. If it were before her transmigration, they would have ignored her and met her gaze directly, but now they hurriedly avoided her gaze. They had to report to the head maid whenever their master was going to see a servant. And judging from the maid’s words now, it seemed like she had to report whatever she did.

“What did you call me with your mouth?”

“Your Highness.”

“So I, the Grand Duchess, am supposed to report to the head maid where I’m going?”

“That’s…”

There was no point in listening further. The power dynamics of the Siegfried family were already firm. Her current position didn’t even allow her to act freely among the maids.

“This is really impossible…”

Whether the maid was following from behind her or not, Amelia headed towards the office. It was better to move quickly when told to pull out the horn quickly. Just in case someone else got there first.

“Your… Your Highness. Even now…!”

“It doesn’t matter. I didn’t come to see His Grace the Grand Duke.”

The way the maids were drying her off in a contemplative state was enough to show how much Raphael didn’t appreciate her visit.

Knock knock.

Just by knocking on the door, she could feel the atmosphere inside change. As though they were encountering an unwelcome visitor.

“I came because I wanted to see Edward.”

There was no way she would willingly come all the way here. Just in case someone misunderstands.

“I came because of the budget.”

With an attitude that seemed to say, ‘Are you still not going to open the door?’ she stood in front of the door with my arms crossed, waiting. Raphael, with his sharp hearing, would have naturally heard what she said.

“Your Highness?”

Edward’s glasses were crooked as if he had hurriedly come out. And look at his facial expression. With a face full of curiosity, Amelia smiled brightly.

“Why are you looking for me….”

“I want to take back what I said about not spending my money.”

***

“What? What do you mean….”

She had money. A lot of it.

“I’m talking about using my personal funds.”

“Ah, yes…”

Just by hearing my response, I could tell what Edward was thinking, looking at his immediately stiffening face. The original Amelia used to go to Edward to ask for more money every time. It seemed like he expected the same this time.

Well, it wasn’t exactly like that, but I didn’t feel the need to correct him.

“I want to know about the personal budget I can use each month. And if I don’t spend the money, can it be carried over?”

“If you wish, anything is possible.”

“Well… then, can you prepare for me to be able to spend the money starting from tomorrow?”

Amelia tried her best to appear innocent, like an inexperienced grand duchess. It would be troublesome if anyone found out what she was planning to do next.

“When you buy the items you want, you can issue a check in the name of the Grand Duchy, it can be done.”

He seemed to think she was going to buy something. If that were the case, she wouldn’t go to Edward. If she needed something, she would have called the merchants into the house as she used to.

“I need cash.”

“What?”

There was no point in wasting money on alcohol, dresses, and jewelry. Besides, if she were to leave the Siegfried family, she wouldn’t be able to take them with her. And her wardrobe and jewelry box were already overflowing with all sorts of luxury items. Even if she changed outfits every hour, she wouldn’t be able to wear them all.

“Why do you need cash…”

“Prepare cash that I can use immediately by tomorrow.”

Amelia had rarely gone out until now. She hadn’t even properly explored the gardens within the castle walls, let alone ventured outside the castle. The Siegfried people seemed to indulge Amelia’s every whim, but in reality, it was far from the truth.

Amelia’s extravagance had ultimately taken place within the Siegfried estate. Despite spending so much money, was she truly happy? Even if she bought dresses and jewelry, there was no one to appreciate them.

“Your Highness, if you could tell me what you want to buy…”

“I don’t want to buy anything.”

“What?”

She already knew what she had to buy. Not unnecessary luxury items, but something that could truly become money.

“Wasn’t my personal funds money that I could spend as I pleased?”

“No, that’s correct.”

“From now on, I want to receive everything in cash.”

After all, cash is the best. It left no records and was perfect for secretly keeping some for oneself.

“I will do as the Grand Duchess wishes.”

“Your Grace.”

As the confrontation between her and Edward dragged on, Raphael, who couldn’t bear it any longer, appeared. This was the last person she wanted to meet. She had not gained immunity yet when seeing him during the day. Seeing Raphael at night was a different kind of danger, but he was especially dazzling in the light. His handsome face looked even better.

“It’s been a while since the Grand Duchess visited me. You could have just told me at night.”

It was a sarcastic remark, asking why she had come all the way to the office.

“It seems like I’m done here. Then, I will take my leave.”

Amelia intentionally didn’t glance at Raphael and only looked at Edward as she spoke.

I didn’t come to see you, okay?