“I should hold a large-scale auction the day after the imperial banquet.”
Viscount Monzas reviewed the documents on his desk. They were letters notifying him that the repayment deadlines for loans borrowed from various noble families were approaching.
Before the repayment deadlines passed, he needed to liquidate everything in the empire and leave.

“But the paintings…”
At Orson’s words, Viscount Monzas immediately glared at him.

“You just need to paint diligently. What’s the problem?”
“Well… it’s just that time…”
“That’s why you need to paint something quick. You need to put at least four pieces up for auction.”

The money earned from previous auctions amounted to 750,000 litas, and the liquidated assets of the family totaled 100,000 litas.
Additionally, the profits made from selling paintings to unsuspecting buyers added another 50,000 litas.
So far, he had accumulated 900,000 litas. It was enough to start a new life under a new identity in the Kingdom of Bornor, but it wasn’t abundant. At least 1.5 million litas would be needed to live comfortably.

“If I stir up the nobles a little during the imperial banquet, I can earn even more. I’ll have to persuade them well.”

If the mood was set properly, even 2 million litas wouldn’t be out of reach, which made the imperial banquet crucial. The imperial family already owned a painting by Melchaski, which could spark the nobles’ desire to buy.

“But if we do that, the quality of the paintings…”
Orson still seemed foolishly concerned about the quality of the paintings.

“The paintings don’t matter. What’s important to people right now is the story, not the artwork. Just paint something. Does it really matter?”
“But… if the quality of the work is too poor…”
“What do you know?”

Viscount Monzas picked up a pen and began writing something on paper.

“Just shut up and do as I say. Four might not be enough, so make one a series and paint five pieces. For the series, draw two pieces connected by a long red line. Then, scribble black on the top and dot the bottom with various colors.”

As the viscount’s hand moved without hesitation, Orson’s face grew even more troubled.
This wasn’t art. It was nothing more than a façade wrapped in pretentious words without any real substance. It was a deception, hollow and empty.

“Got it? Now go dry them outside while the sunlight is good.”
“If I do that, the paintings will crack and get damaged quickly.”
“You!”

Viscount Monzas hurled a vase from his desk at Orson. The water splashed over Orson before the vase shattered on the floor with a loud crash.

“Who do you think you are to lecture me? Do you think I don’t know that? Stop worrying about such things and just do as I say! How many times do I have to tell you?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Again! Again! Do you think you’re above me just because you can paint better than me?”
“No, of course not. I would never think that.”
“Then just do what I tell you. No backtalk.”

Still fuming, the viscount stormed out of the room with angry strides.

“Ha…”

Orson sighed as he looked at the memo the viscount had left behind.

“This isn’t art…”

This wasn’t the kind of work he wanted to create. Whatever his brother was thinking, this felt like a fraud.
But Orson didn’t have the strength to oppose his brother. His very existence was a sin from birth, a source of pain for his brother and his brother’s mother. Because of that, he couldn’t claim his position as the son of the late viscount. He had always stood in his brother’s shadow.

With a sigh, Orson grabbed the memo and left the room.

***

The house felt unusually quiet after returning from the boutique.

Having had her budget cut, Rosette was sulking and refused to speak to Father, and the Countess seemed equally upset about something, remaining silent. When the two of them were together, they would grumble about how the Ameron Duchess and other noblewomen treated them differently, but today they were unusually quiet.

Thanks to that, the mansion was peaceful.

“Did you know? Lady Rosette has been sneaking peeks into your dressing room.”
“My dressing room? Why?”
“She seems curious about what dress you’ll wear to the imperial banquet.”
“The imperial banquet dress? It hasn’t even arrived from the boutique yet.”
“Exactly. That’s why she keeps sneaking glances. It’s almost like she’s planning to steal it.”

Well, if it was Rosette, that wouldn’t be surprising. From what I’d seen over the past few days, she was full of inferiority when it came to me.

“Then, shall we have a little fun?”
“What kind of fun?”
“Just a little prank on Rosette. But this only works if she has bad intentions.”
“What kind of prank?”

Tonin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. She had been grumbling about Rosette bullying her as my personal maid, so she seemed eager for some payback.

“Come here.”

I leaned in and whispered my plan into Tonin’s ear.

“Think you can do it? Oh, and tell the boutique this is for adding extra funds.”

I handed her some bills and a bright smile spread across Tonin’s face.

“This will be so much fun.”
“Go on, then.”
“Yes, Miss.”

Tonin, more excited than I’d ever seen her, quickly hurried off.

“Espin.”

Just as I was watching Tonin’s retreating figure with amusement, the Countess called out to me with a frightening expression.

“Is something wrong?”

The Countess stormed toward me, extending her hand.

“Hand over the money.”
“What money?”
“I heard the Count gave you 300,000 litas. You’re too young to manage such a large sum, so I’ll take care of it for you. Now, hand it over.”

Behind her, I noticed Rosette peeking out. It seemed she was desperate after Father had cut off her allowance.

Well, with a string of social events coming up and no suitable dresses to wear, it made sense.
Rosette and the Countess refused to wear the same dress twice, convinced that anyone would actually remember their outfits.

“I can manage it just fine. Don’t worry.”
“No. A sum that large should be handled by the lady of the house. Hand it over.”
“Father entrusted it to me.”
“Even so, it’s better if I take care of it. Don’t you agree?”
“No, I don’t. Besides, that money comes from my late mother’s estate. So I definitely can’t give it to you.”
“That’s exactly why I should have it. As the current Countess, it’s only right that I manage the late Countess’s estate.”
“How shameless of you. Do you really think you’re qualified to handle my mother’s inheritance?”

The Countess, with a face thicker than hundreds of layers, showed no intention of backing down.

“Hand it over.”
“I don’t have it.”
“What?”
“I’ve already spent it.”
“You spent that much money?”
“Yes.”
“You’re insane! Stop lying and hand it over.”
“Feel free to search for it. Oh, and I’ll be sure to tell Father about this.”
“What?”
“Father entrusted the money to me. If you take it, you’re essentially saying you don’t trust his judgment. I think he should know about this.”
“You little—!”
“Please, maintain your dignity, Countess.”
“You insolent child!”
“Is age the only thing you can bring up? Then, as someone older, don’t overexert yourself. I’d hate for your bl＊＊d pressure to spike and cause something unfortunate.”

I smiled sweetly at her, and the Countess clenched her fists tightly.

“I wonder how long you’ll keep that smug smile. What will the Count say when he finds out you wasted that much money?”
“We’ll see. Look forward to it.”
“Oh, I will. Let’s see how long you can hold your head high in this house.”

The Countess spun around so sharply that the air seemed to shift. Even as she turned, she glared daggers at me, making me momentarily wonder if her neck might snap.