Chapter 28

Evelyn received a bundle of letters delivered to her by Merrilyn and began to skim through them one by one.

‘This one’s from the dressmaker, this one’s from the countess I met at the ball, and this one’s from the jeweler…’

She had been checking daily to see if there was a reply from Fenris, but she couldn’t find his name anywhere.

She even opened letters with unfamiliar names in case Fenris had sent a letter under an alias, but there was nothing that seemed to be from him.

‘Could it be that he had already attacked Nosellerton?’ 

If that were the case, the Empire would be in an uproar over Nosellerton’s downfall.

At that moment, Evelyn noticed a name she had forgotten about for the past few days among the envelopes she was flipping through.

[Oakley Loeom.]

Evelyn had sent her a letter to get permission to visit the trading company, but she had completely forgotten about it.

Evelyn quickly tore open the letter to check its contents. Along with Oakley’s greetings, there was an invitation to come and see the new processed stone coming in this weekend if she was available.

She was grateful for the invitation.

‘Well… since things are still quiet on Fenris’s side, I’ll meet Oakley first.’

Evelyn quickly wrote a reply.

After asking Merrilyn to send the letter, Evelyn took a sip of the now-cold jasmine tea.

‘Hmm…’

It seemed like a good idea to discreetly check on Nosellerton’s safety through Dyffrin.

Dyffrin was Nosellerton’s closest confidant, so if anything happened to him, Dyffrin would be the first to know.

In the past, Dyffrin would have coldly dismissed any questions about work with ‘It’s a matter of the royal family,’ but these days, he was quite open to discussing various topics, so he might share news about Nosellerton as well.

Just then, there was a knock on the door outside the entrance. Since there was no maid nearby, Evelyn walked over and opened the door herself.

“Lady Evelyn.”

The person who knocked on the door was Rykal.

“Rykal! What brings you here at this hour?”

Normally, he should have been working with Dyffrin at the palace.

“I came to fetch some documents from Master Dyffrin’s study.”

“Oh, I see. Please come in.”

Evelyn stepped aside. Rykal bowed politely and entered, heading upstairs to the study on the third floor.

A short while later, when Rykal came back down, Evelyn lightly tapped his shoulder a couple of times.

“Rykal.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s not urgent and you can spare a moment, would you like to have a cup of tea before you go?”

“That’s…”

“It’s okay to slack off sometimes. The streets in the capital are under construction these days, so you can use that as an excuse to Dyffrin.”

Evelyn coaxed Rykal with a playful smile.

Rykal seemed embarrassed at first, but after deciding to indulge in a short break, he nodded.

“Alright. Then let me rest for just 10 minutes.”

“Good decision.”

Evelyn called a maid and ordered black tea with sugar and milk. Since there was no need to have a discreet conversation with Rykal, they sat in the hall on the first floor instead of moving to the reception room.

Soon, the maid brought what Evelyn had ordered on a tray.

Evelyn brewed the tea herself and added sugar and milk. Rykal’s gaze was fixed on the strange recipe.

“What is that…?”

“It’s the latest trend, milk tea.”

Sweet drinks or soft desserts with plenty of sugar were still a culture exclusive to noble women.

Men would occasionally indulge at parties, but they didn’t really enjoy them. Some felt embarrassed to enjoy sweet food.

That’s why Rykal was looking at the milk tea with one or two spoons of sugar in it as if it was something grotesque.

But Evelyn knew about Rykal’s secret taste. He not only liked cute things but also quite enjoyed sweet foods.

“Try it. It’s a trendy tea among noble ladies these days.”

She had heard that this sweet milk tea was trendy at the royal ball she had attended.

Rykal cautiously took the cup and took a sip. Evelyn didn’t miss the slight widening of his eyes.

‘He likes it.’

Not wanting to embarrass him by pointing it out, Evelyn suppressed her rising smile and brought up the topic she had in mind.

“So, I’m visiting the Loeom Trading Company this week, and I’m wondering what gift would be appropriate.”

“The Loeom Trading Company?”

Rykal’s eyes widened even more than when he took a sip of milk tea. Evelyn and the Loeom Trading Company, it seemed like an unlikely combination.

“Yes. I briefly chatted with Miss Oakley at the royal ball. She invited me to visit the trading company this time.”

“Oh… I see.”

Rykal seemed to find that invitation quite daring.

The Loeom family was one of the most notable families these days. People were lining up to get close to Oakley Loeom.

The reason the Loeom family was so noteworthy was because of their business acumen.

The Earl of Loeom managed the minerals produced in his territory, his eldest son processed the minerals with the smelters, and Oakley herself made topsides in the capital harbor and sold processed stones to other countries.

Unlike nobles who focused solely on managing their territories, the Loeom family quickly ventured into industry and commerce, and all the members of the family had experience in making and selling goods.

However, Rykal’s approval of this relationship wasn’t just because the Loeom family’s business was promising.

After all, just the name of the Duke of Liwonoc would open doors with any trading company, including the Loeom Trading Company and the Pinford Trading Company.

But connections built on personal relationships couldn’t be bought with money or power, and sometimes these connections revealed hidden treasures.

Sometimes, these hidden treasures were more valuable than money or military power.

That’s why Rykal welcomed Evelyn’s growing relationship with Oakley.

‘If it’s a major trading family, it would be the Marquis of Pinford, but I never really warmed up to them.’

Evelyn brought Rykal out of his thoughts.

“I’m thinking of bringing alcohol as a gift.”

“Alcohol…?”

It was an unusual gift for a young lady to give.

“I heard that Miss Oakley is quite a drinker.”

Usually, noble ladies or women who are fond of drinking are often looked down upon as lacking refinement, but Oakley was an exception to that notion.

Since she dealt with merchants from the trading company and male nobles, she couldn’t avoid drinking, and people didn’t find it strange.

That was her talent if it could be called one.

Rykal also thought positively of Evelyn’s bold idea.

“I think giving valuable alcohol as a gift would be nice. It may not be typical, but it’s better to give something the recipient likes.”

“As expected, Rykal, we think alike.”

“Since you may not be well-versed in alcohol, I’ll order it and deliver it to you by the day you visit the Roem Trading Company.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

Evelyn had mentioned it to Rykal with this situation in mind, but she gave a sly smile.

Rykal also smiled and finished his milk tea.

Then, subtly checking the wall clock, he quickly got up from his seat.

“More than 10 minutes have passed…!”

It had already been 20 minutes since Rykal sat on the sofa. Evelyn leisurely stood up to see Rykal off.

“There’s nothing we can do about the time that’s passed, so don’t rush. If Dyffrin scolds you, just use me as an excuse. He’s been quite affectionate towards me lately.”

Rykal, gathering his coat, muttered in a small voice.

“Looks like my nagging paid off.”

“Nagging…?”

Rykal shook his head with a smile on his lips.

“Nothing, Lady Evelyn.  I’ll be on my way now. I’ll make sure to send the gift alcohol.”

* * *

Time passed, and the day of Evelyn’s meeting with Oakley arrived.

Rykal indeed did not forget and sent the alcohol for Oakley. Evelyn dressed up more meticulously than usual and packed the alcohol in the prepared gift box.

“Are you sure you’re okay to go out, Madam?”

Merrilyn, who received the gift, asked with a worried face. She was concerned about Evelyn going on a long trip so soon after her collapse a few days ago.

It would take about 3 hours to reach the port where the trading company was located. By the time she returned to the mansion, the sky would be dark.

“I told you, I’m feeling better after taking the medicine. Really, I’m not even coughing anymore.”

The medicine from the clinic had worked quite well, and the symptoms of coughing and feeling lethargic like a soaked sponge had disappeared.

Merrilyn, having observed Evelyn’s condition up close, couldn’t voice her concerns any further.

When Evelyn, having finished all preparations, went downstairs, Dyffrin, who was sipping coffee on the sofa in the first-floor hall, looked up.

Today was Dyffrin’s rare day off, but he would probably spend the entire day catching up on work in the mansion’s study.

“Are you leaving now?”

“Yes. I need to hurry. I promised to have lunch with Miss Oakley.”

Dyffrin didn’t hide his displeasure.

When Evelyn had first mentioned going out to meet Oakley, Dyffrin had shown the same expression.

His reason was similar to Merrilyn’s. He questioned whether she should be going on such a long trip when she hadn’t fully recovered yet.

He was overly concerned about her health. Evelyn had found Dyffrin’s behavior puzzling but recently reached a conclusion.

‘If me as his wife collapses outside again, it would create bad rumors about Dyffrin as well.’

Of course, there might be some genuine concern for her well-being, but his excessive care was also likely due to the opinions of others.

“Well, I’m off then.”

“Evelyn.”

Evelyn paused at the sound of his voice calling her. Dyffrin folded his newspaper and spoke.

“If you collapse there, I can’t come to get you. So if you feel even a little unwell, just return to the mansion.”

“How can I do that when I’ve promised?”

“That’s not something you need to worry about. There aren’t many people who would dare to challenge the Liwonoc family.”

Unlike Rykal, Dyffrin didn’t seem to care which family the person she was meeting belonged to.

“Remember what I said.”

Despite everything, she felt a bit good.

Evelyn responded with a smile.

“Alright.”