Chapter 110

“You fools! This is all your fault!”

The Viscount of Wintlet threw his half-smoked cigar violently.

“I spent so much money on your education, and none of you are worth anything! Idiots! If only you were half as competent as that Sabrina wench!”

Crash!

The sound of glass shattering echoed through the room as the items on his desk clattered to the floor in disarray.

Fortunately, most of the belongings had already been packed onto wagons heading for the estate, so there wasn’t much left to break.

Looking around the nearly empty room, the veins on the Viscount’s forehead bulged.

“All you do is eat, sleep, and laze around! Sabrina didn’t even have a tutor, yet she landed a position as an aide in one go! Lazy fools…”

Frightened by the Viscount’s outburst, Frederick and Jonathan shrank back. The second son, Frederick, stepped back a few paces and began to argue.

“Well, how were we supposed to know it would turn out like this? It’s not like we did anything. The one who messed up the trading company was our elder brother, and it was you who didn’t push harder for the marriage alliance with the Hatchet family, Father.”

“You dare raise your voice at me?”

The third son, Jonathan, stepped between them to mediate.

“Stop it, both of you. Fighting among ourselves won’t change anything.”

Grinding his teeth, Jonathan continued.

“His Majesty may have blocked us from approaching that Sabrina wench, but we still have one card left to play.”

Frederick narrowed his eyes and asked, 

“A card?”

“The Duchess of Evenheim.”

Jonathan placed a calming hand on the Viscount’s shoulder, who was still fuming.

“Elder Brother Archer said the Duchess is already on our side. He’s certain of it. Let’s trust him for now. If he can establish a connection with the Duchess of Evenheim, we can easily reclaim the mansion.”

“Hmm…”

“Let’s give Elder Brother Archer a chance. We don’t have any other options right now.”

***

“My goodness.”

In a garden dotted with white tables, nobles gathered in small groups, casting glances in one direction. They whispered among themselves in hushed tones.

“I didn’t expect him to show up at the gathering today. I heard the Wintlet mansion is up for sale… Was that just a rumor?”

“Who knows? He looks far too composed.”

“Should I go over and casually ask if the rumors are true?”

“Oh, come on! No matter how curious you are, you can’t do that!”

The subject of their gossip was none other than…

‘Ugh, they’re so nosy.’

Archer Wintlet.

‘Ugh, this is humiliating.’

Hiding under the shade of a large tree, he ran a hand over his flushed face. He couldn’t hear their words clearly, but it wasn’t hard to guess what they were saying.

Selling the prized mansion in the capital and even auctioning off the treasures from the Wintlet family vault—it was an utter blow to Archer’s, no, the Wintlet family’s pride.

Glaring at the host of today’s tea party, Archer ground his teeth.

‘If you think about it, this all started because of that weasel, Seitz!’

He had said there was no way they’d get caught, that countless people had made money using this method, and only a fool wouldn’t try it.  

Every time they met, he egged him on, so Archer followed his advice, and now his household was in ruins. He had claimed there was no risk, but when the situation exploded, he acted as though he’d never said such a thing.  

The Seitz family’s network of connections was among the best in the capital’s nobility, so severing ties was out of the question. Yet, lately, Archer felt his insides twist every time he saw Leon Seitz’s face.  

Ha, d*mn it.  

Archer, who had been muttering curses under his breath, swept back a few strands of hair that had fallen over his forehead.  

‘No, no, that’s not it.’  

He steadied his ragged breathing and shook his head.  

‘This is all because of Sabrina, that wench. If it weren’t for her, why would the Emperor have scrutinized a mere mid-tier trading company so closely? This was deliberate, to humiliate me.’  

If it hadn’t been for Sabrina, the flaws would never have been exposed. If she had just behaved herself, handed over a few decent pieces of information, or given Frederick and Jonathan a position each, none of this would have happened.  

As always, he silently blamed Sabrina for a long while before sighing deeply.  

‘That’s something to deal with later. For now, the priority is capturing Elena Evenheim. This is my, no, our last chance.’  

At that moment, he spotted Elena approaching from a distance. Her well-kept, pink hair seemed to sparkle more than usual today.  

“Ahem.”  

Clearing his throat for no reason, Archer put on the most charming smile he could muster and stepped forward. He called out loudly to her.  

“Elena!”  

“……”  

But Elena didn’t react at all, continuing to walk gracefully along her path.  

‘Did she not hear me?’  

Archer called her again.  

“Elena!”  

“……”  

“Duchess Evenheim!”  

At the change in address, Elena finally stopped walking. She turned around slowly.  

“Yes, do you have any business with me?”  

Her expression seemed colder than usual, though Archer dismissed it as his imagination. Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, he let out a laugh.  

“Business? Surely, we don’t need a reason to talk, do we?”  

“What do you mean by ‘we’?”  

Elena asked indifferently. Archer’s lips quivered slightly in embarrassment.  

“Ha-ha, why such harsh words? We’re clearly…”  

“We’re nothing, aren’t we?”  

Elena cut him off coldly.  

“You’re Sabrina’s brother, and I’m her friend. That’s the extent of our relationship….”  

“……”  

“And now you’re no longer connected to Sabrina, are you? That means you have no connection to me either.”  

Elena’s words caused Archer’s face to flush red. He raised his voice, sounding wronged.  

“I thought we shared good feelings toward each other. How can you say such things?”  

At his words, Elena frowned slightly.  

“Did you really think that? It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I’ve never had any special feelings for you, Young Master Wintlet. I was merely kinder to you because you were Sabrina’s brother.”  

“I’m still Sabrina’s family…”  

“Sabrina abandoned the Wintlet name. How can you call yourselves family? You never even considered her as such, did you? I’ve heard more than a few rumors about that.”  

Elena’s icy demeanor left Archer speechless. She continued, looking him straight in the eye.  

“Besides, I heard you’ll be leaving for your estate soon. Isn’t that right?”  

“Well, that’s…”  

“Safe travels, then. I hope you have a pleasant journey. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”  

With a small nod, Elena gracefully walked past him toward a table.  

Immediately, people swarmed around her, eager to greet her. Within moments, Elena was surrounded, and Archer could only see the backs of others blocking his view of her.  

To Archer, the scene resembled an impenetrable fortress wall. A high and sturdy barrier he could never overcome.  

“……”  

It struck Archer then that he was utterly alone in this space. Even the glances and murmurs that once followed him were no longer directed his way.  

Whoosh.  

A chilly breeze swept past him, sending a shiver down his spine.  

‘Now, it’s truly…’  

The end. It was the end.  

* * *

“So, you’re moving next week?”  

Chase asked as they climbed the stairs to the office. Sabrina nodded in response.  

“Yes. There’s not much to renovate, so I plan to redecorate gradually. It’s fun to add personal touches one by one.”  

“Well, that’s true, but…”  

Chase stopped at the landing. Gently pulling Sabrina’s hand toward the wall, he spoke.  

“Why don’t you stay at the Imperial Palace?”  

Sabrina firmly grasped Chase’s hand before letting it go.  

“No, Your Majesty.”  

Chase furrowed his brows in a pleading expression, his golden eyes sparkling as he asked,  

“It’s my wish, though.”  

“Even so, I can’t. We already see each other enough while working.”  

“Maybe that means the workday is too short.”  

Sabrina bristled at his teasing remark.  

“What? Don’t even joke about that! I told you before, don’t mess with my off-hours. If you do, I won’t let it slide.”  

At her stern warning, Chase chuckled softly and nodded. Sabrina relaxed her sharp gaze slightly and added,  

“Besides, the only reason I even considered buying that mansion was because of your suggestion. So why are you suddenly asking me to stay at the palace instead?”  

“I didn’t mean for you to live there. I just thought it’d help you let off some steam. After all, nothing would irritate the Viscount of Wintlet more than you becoming the owner of that mansion.”  

Chase muttered under his breath,  

“Come to think of it, you’ve always been a bit defiant. Even when you were a rookie, you insisted on sending me to meet my father, despite my protests. You were quite bold back then.”  

“That was all for your benefit, Your Majesty…”  

“Exactly. And I liked that about you.”  

Smooch.  

Chase bent down and quickly kissed Sabrina on the cheek.  

Startled, Sabrina’s eyes widened as she glanced around nervously.  

“Your Majesty!”  

“Yes, Sabrina?”  

Smooch.  

This time, Chase kissed her other cheek. Sabrina scolded him softly, her voice slightly gentler.  

“What are you doing in such a sacred place? Someone might see us.”  

Chase chuckled as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.  

“This ‘sacred’ stairwell is empty except for us.”  

“Still, you never know. I don’t want anyone catching us.”  

“Why not? They’ll find out eventually.”  

“Well, yes, but… I want to be the one to tell them. Personally. Especially to the other aides.”  

Chase tilted his head and asked,  

“Then when will you tell them?”  

“Hmm, soon?”  

At Sabrina’s vague answer, Chase placed a hand over his heart, feigning exasperation.

“I understand, but don’t keep it hidden for too long.” 

Chase sighed briefly.  

“I never realized how frustrating it would be not to show how much I like you. Feels like we have even more restrictions now than before we started dating. Back then, I could joke around and smile at you without a second thought, but now I can’t even do that.”  

“Well, people will notice from the way we look at each other, so there’s not much we can do about that. And…”

Sabrina quickly scanned her surroundings before standing on her tiptoes.  

Smooch. 

Sabrina lightly kissed Chase on the cheek, her eyelashes lowering as she continued speaking.  

“This isn’t so bad either, is it? It’s more thrilling, more nerve-racking.”  

Chase’s expression softened, his face breaking into a playful smile as he placed a hand on the cheek she had kissed.  

“Maybe… or maybe not…I think I need another to be sure.”

His eyes gleamed mischievously as he said.

“Oh, come on! Hurry upstairs—you’re going to be late for the meeting.”  

Unable to hold back, Sabrina gave Chase a firm push on the back with her palm. Their laughter echoed softly up the staircase.  

Engrossed in their pink-hued atmosphere, neither of them noticed the presence of someone watching them from one floor below.