Chapter 64

Current Emperor Sirius III of the Sirius Empire sent a letter requesting an engagement with his sister, Princess Ophelia.

Of course, it was neatly rejected. Nevertheless, letters kept coming persistently from Sirius III, and they continued to be rejected.

He is Grand Duke Florence. Even if he repeatedly rejects the Emperor’s requests, Sirius III cannot touch him, and he himself does not need to pledge allegiance to the Emperor.

Many people may be interested in the marriage of Grand Duke Florence, but for Theodore, his only interest is ‘Meia’.

Grand Duke Florence holds the right to the throne of the Sirius Empire. However, he has never once shown any desire for the throne throughout generations. The Imperial Family knows this well, so they do not guard against the House of Grand Duke Florence and maintain good relations.

There are many families who wish to marry Theodore, the sole heir of the wealthy House of Grand Duke Florence, who holds the right to the throne. Although he is in a position where he can obtain anything he desires with just a reach, Theodore feels no particular need for it.

Even after his parents passed away, his thoughts did not change.

After coming of age, he thought he could marry a woman from a suitable family and have an heir.

He didn’t want to experience losing someone he loved.

He planned not to create anything precious and not to love anyone. He lived by smiling appropriately and working appropriately.

His world was always quiet. A black world that no one could color.

But his thoughts changed after meeting Meia. He realized that morning would come even if he was alone in pitch-black darkness without stars and moonlight.

Silver hair that captured the moonlight and sunlight, plump red lips, and blue eyes that exuded calmness and elegance began to brighten and beautify his world. The dark world he had always lived in appropriately could no longer be found.

If she desired, he would give her the vast lands and seas of Florence, all his wealth, jewels, and power without reservation. If by any chance she accepted him, she could have everything that came with him.

Sweet imaginations continued, making him dream of a rosy future. Such imagination was always not good for the heart.

Today, Meia woke up early in the morning and enjoyed her leisure while rolling on the bed. She thought that life in the Grand Duke’s house was exactly to her liking, to the extent that she wondered if it was okay not to study and just play. There was no Luman or Meryl to stress her, and no need to study forcibly, nor prepare for gatherings.

She had always lived busily as a prospective Crown Princess at the Duke’s residence. In the morning, mana training, followed by horseback riding and light exercise in the morning, and then studying to become a person suitable for the Empress after breakfast, and more studying. Furthermore, she attended occasional tea parties and various banquets and even helped with the affairs of the Imperial Palace.

At the Grand Duke’s house, she wakes up in the morning, does some exercise and mana training. Then she has breakfast with Theodore, drinks a cup of tea, works together in the office, has lunch, and takes a walk. Returning to the office, she continues with work and meetings, sipping strawberry tea brought by Venable until evening.

Above all, she liked the peaceful daily life with him every day.

“Young Lady, are you awake?”

Agnita entered, opening the curtains.

“Yes, Agnita, good morning.”

Seeing Meia rolling on the bed, Agnita went out and returned with a trolley carrying breakfast.

“Will you be in the office again today, Young Lady?”

“Yes, I plan to. The Grand Duke said he would come to the room by 10, so I’ll be here until then. How do you find the room used at the Grand Ducal residence, Agnita? Are the staff kind?”

In response to Meia’s question, Agnita smiled and replied.

“They are all kind. But.”

“But? Tell me, Agnita.”

“They all praise Grand Duke Theodore Florence. To the point of boredom.”

Listening to Agnita’s words, Meia nodded.

“That means Grand Duke Theodore treats his subordinates well.”

“Young Lady, have you heard the rumors about the Grand Ducal house lately?”

“What rumors?”

“They say you will become the Grand Duchess.”

“Really?”

She knows Theodore likes her. He confessed, after all. Although she hasn’t been able to give an answer yet, she plans to respond to the engagement when the time is right. She looked forward to seeing what expression Theodore would make then.

Not that she was planning to get engaged just to see that expression. Having spent half a day in the study together and even showing her sleeping face, he had to take responsibility!

Agnita frowned and said.

“Grand Duke Theodore confesses to you every day, and you manage the household, and even in the library, you were on the sofa in such a posture, so do you know how many romance novels are coming out among the servants? They even say it will lead to marriage, so I firmly said it’s not true.”

Meia spoke coldly to Agnita’s words.

“Agnita, where are you currently affiliated?”

“I belong to you, Young Lady, but currently, I am at the Grand Ducal house.”

“Even if you quit here and follow me back to the Ducal residence, until then, Agnita, you are affiliated with the Grand Ducal house. You have violated the basics of being a servant. Have you forgotten what you learned? What does a servant learn first?”

Agnita realized she had made a mistake.

“We do not speak carelessly about the master’s private life or rumors. We must never open our mouths until the master tells us to investigate and speak.”

“Agnita, if a person forgets their initial resolve, they are forgotten by others.”

“I will be careful, Young Lady.”

Meia gestured for Agnita to come closer. She stroked her hair as she approached and said.

“Criticizing your words and actions is the same as criticizing me. Agnita, you must always be careful.”

“I will do better in the future. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve always done well. There was nothing you couldn’t do. Just be careful.”

“Yes.”

Agnita, with tears welling in her large eyes, suddenly seemed to remember something and stood up.

“Young Lady, the soup will get cold. Please eat quickly.”

After having a light breakfast on the bed, Meia was escorted by Theodore, who was always waiting at the door, into the office. After quickly organizing some light documents, they began to discuss ‘embezzlement’.

“There is a report from Juan yesterday.”

“What report is it?”

“It’s about Lady Nordic.”

“Please tell me.”

“Her daughter enjoys expensive shopping every day, her son stays in expensive hotels while studying abroad, and although Viscount Nordic reportedly fails in business every year, the household is maintained. Isn’t it amazing?”

“I expected it, but hearing it makes me feel complicated.”

Theodore knew well that Lady Nordic had taken charge of the household affairs and did her best to manage the Grand Ducal house after his parents passed away. He trusted her that much, but discovering that it wasn’t the case deeply disappointed Theodore. No, it hurt him.

“It’s not your fault, Grand Duke Theodore.”

His black eyes, filled with disappointment, showed he was hurt.

Lady Nordic received a letter from Grady, an auditor at the Grand Ducal house. The content was that Lady Jasmine had taken leave due to her daughter’s childbirth and that a woman had attached herself to the Grand Duke.

It even stated that she was a female mage from another country.

‘Our Diana suits the Grand Duke!’

After the previous Grand Duke couple died, she devoted herself to managing the Grand Ducal household.

Thanks to that, she could use an enormous household budget, which she could never touch in her lifetime, as much as she needed every month.

So, it was enough to raise a small greed. With this amount of money, she could feed her son delicious food, and with this money, she could tailor a new dress for her daughter.

And a small mistake occurred. She wrongly entered numbers in the budget report. So, she tried raising the prices of the purchased items little by little. That was the start.

Fortunately, the documents with raised prices were not caught. A lot of money started accumulating under her name. She was happy to be able to do a lot for her family. The reason she could embezzle like this was that young Theodore didn’t particularly care about household affairs, and the aides didn’t know the market prices of household items.

Rather, he was grateful to her. Initially, she felt guilty about secretly embezzling the household budget, but after 1 year, 2 years passed, she became indifferent. It’s already been 7 years. It was only difficult at first, but after several times, she got used to it, and it became easy to skillfully alter the books.

Curtains, chairs, tables, and dishes, etc., as much as she managed the large household of the Grand Duke, there were many places to spend money, and there were that many gaps. With a lot of money, she could provide quality education for her son and dress her daughter elegantly.

If her husband, Bran, hadn’t continuously failed in business, she could have accumulated more wealth. However, even if he failed in business, money kept coming in, so supporting him was always possible.

Above all, Bran had a good relationship with the auditors of the Grand Ducal house, making him a useful husband. Thanks to that, she could embezzle efficiently with them. Well, the accountants being stupid also played a part.

Since Lady Jasmine, who came to help with household affairs, arrived, it became a bit difficult to embezzle.

<You’ve worked hard managing the household alone. Please work slowly and take it easy, Lady Nordic.>

When Theodore, who spoke kindly, recommended Lady Jasmine, she couldn’t refuse.

<Understood.>

A while ago, when Theodore was away, Lady Jasmine spoke to her.

Feeling a sense of crisis, Lady Nordic returned to the mansion unconditionally, claiming to be sick.

She was afraid of getting caught. Fortunately, even after time passed, there was no word, so she felt relieved that her embezzlement hadn’t been discovered.

And Grady, the auditor, said.

That statement sparked greed. There was no law that said a retainer family couldn’t become the Grand Duchess.

Her daughter was beautiful and smart. There was a sufficient possibility that her daughter Diana could become the Grand Duchess.