Chapter 13
In the Kamina Empire, it was a long-standing tradition to grant land or a villa of equal value to a daughter when she married.
But Count Barnett, who had adopted Juliana purely to profit from her marriage, believed that raising her was more than enough of a favor. He never intended to give her anything.
In her previous life, Juliana had entered the Everett household with nothing. That was why she had no choice but to endure their poor treatment in silence.
Now, Braeden was pointing that out.
He was asking what the Count planned to give the daughter he claimed to treasure so much.
Count Barnett, caught completely off guard, opened and closed his mouth like a fish gasping for air.
“Since you care for her so deeply, Count, I imagine giving her Raztena wouldn’t be asking too much,” Braeden said.
Braeden spoke in a low voice, almost as if he were talking to himself, but it was still clear enough for the frozen Count and Countess Barnett to hear every word.
“R-Raztena, you say?” Count Barnett stammered as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Raztena was the most valuable land the Count owned. A fertile agricultural region, it brought in a significant amount of rent each year and was one of the Barnett family’s main sources of income.
To give that to Juliana? It was unthinkable. No, it was something that absolutely must not happen.
Snapping out of his panic, Count Barnett began thinking quickly.
He couldn’t afford to back out of Archduke Ortis’s generous offer. Rejecting the mining and exclusive distribution rights to the Kaerbro Mine now would be sheer madness.
So, what should he do?
He just needed to hand over some worthless piece of land and make it look like a proper gift.
But if he openly offered something too insignificant in front of the Archduke, Braeden would surely notice something was off.
Count Barnett racked his brain, trying to figure out how to offer Juliana useless land without losing face.
Just as Count Barnett was still trying to come up with a solution, Juliana spoke up.
“If you’re going to give me land, then please give me the Razdelus estate.”
Count Barnett stared at her, surprised that she had taken the initiative to ask for something.
“Razdelus…?” he repeated.
He couldn’t immediately recall such a place and had to think for a moment. Razdelus was a remote, forgotten part of his territory.
“Yes, I think Razdelus would be suitable,” Juliana said again, calmly and clearly.
Countess Barnett, secretly pleased, nodded slightly. She was relieved to see that Juliana seemed to have at least some modesty and restraint.
Count Barnett also began to think it wasn’t a bad suggestion. To Archduke Ortis, it would look like he was simply a kind father granting his daughter’s request.
“All right. If that’s what you want, then I’ll give it to you,” he said.
Seeing Count Barnett smile for the first time made Juliana feel sick to her stomach, but she returned his expression with a gentle smile.
“Thank you, Father.”
Razdelus, the barren and worthless land he had just agreed to give her, would be announced as a key strategic zone and begin urban development a year later. In her past life, the moment that news came out, Count Barnett strutted around as if he had won the world.
But in this life, he wouldn’t get that chance.
After that, the discussion about the marriage moved quickly. The engagement would be announced in a small ceremony the following week, with the wedding planned for two months later—a rushed timeline.
Count Barnett, usually cautious, showed no signs of hesitation this time. He was too focused on the sapphires from the Kaerbro Mine, which he expected to have in hand after the wedding.
For once, he didn’t oppose anything Braeden suggested.
Once the conversation ended, Juliana invited Braeden to walk through the garden with her under the excuse of giving him a tour of the estate grounds.
The garden was beautifully maintained, with trees trimmed by the gardener and clusters of flowers like verbena, allium, and hyacinths arranged in perfect harmony. When the wind blew, a rich floral scent filled the air.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Juliana asked.
Braeden immediately understood what she meant, and a small, relaxed smile touched his lips.
“I tend to have a good sense for things. And your family, well… let’s just say they didn’t seem very ordinary.”
He explained that he had brought up the topic of the land as a kind of test, to see how they would respond.
Juliana could tell he had been trying to speak kindly, choosing his words carefully. After thinking it over, she asked him quietly,
“Do you care about someone’s background or lineage?”
Just from that question alone, Braeden seemed to know what she was really asking.
Juliana felt a sense of relief when she saw that the light in his crimson eyes hadn’t changed—they were calm, steady, just as they always were.
If Braeden had been someone who valued noble bloodlines, this marriage could have been called off entirely.
At first, Juliana had planned to hide her circumstances from him for as long as possible. But after spending time by his side, she realized it would be far more difficult to keep him in the dark.
He held a position of immense power—one that gave him access to almost any information. On top of that, he had a sharp intuition that allowed him to see through people and situations with ease.
If she couldn’t hide it, then it was better to come forward first.
That was the conclusion she reached, but it wasn’t a decision that came easily. Her heart didn’t settle as neatly as her reasoning. More than anything, she didn’t want to lie to someone who had shown her nothing but kindness.
That feeling guided her lips to speak.
“Are we talking about Miss Juliana’s story now?”
His crimson eyes, steady and unreadable, fixed on her face. Juliana met his gaze and began to speak calmly.
“I was adopted by Count Barnett when I was five years old. He took me in with the intention of using my marriage to gain wealth and power.”
From a childhood she could barely remember, Juliana had been raised and trained to become the perfect bride.
They had made her call them Father and Mother, but never once tried to hide the fact that she was adopted.
Juliana had always known she was a child they had paid money for. Knowing that, how could that man truly be a father? How could that woman ever be a mother?
She remembered the years spent holding back—her words, her actions, even her thoughts—never allowed to step out of line. With a heavy heart, she continued speaking.
“The only thing that worked in my favor was being the daughter of a viscount from a distant branch of the Barnett family. At the very least, there’s a drop of shared blood.”
Juliana spoke in a dry, almost mocking tone, as if telling someone else’s story. Braeden glanced down at her and responded casually, as if tossing the words out without much thought.
“I want you because you’re Floreseco. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t have given you a second glance—even if you were a queen.”
As he said it, a slight frown crossed his face. He thought of Empress Pamela, who always tried to catch his attention whenever he visited the imperial palace.
He knew better than anyone that people in high positions could be just as shallow and disgraceful as anyone else.
He hadn’t said it to comfort her. Braeden truly didn’t care much about noble blood. He was only playing the role of a noble himself, because it was useful.
After living for thousands of years, it was easy to become indifferent to the things humans held so dearly. Their values often seemed trivial.
“As long as you are Floreseco, nothing will change between us,” Braeden said.
Once again, he firmly stated that their relationship would not be affected. Nothing would change.
Perhaps, from his perspective, he was simply saying what needed to be said. But to Juliana, it felt like her shaky footing had finally settled beneath her. The feeling was strange—reassuring, even.
It was the first time she had ever shared her secret with anyone. To say she wasn’t nervous would have been a lie.
She had been afraid—afraid he would reject her for who she was, or that her truth would be turned into a weakness and used against her.
But after hearing Braeden’s words, the uneasiness that had tossed her heart back and forth began to calm.
Strangely, it felt as though sunlight had reached into her chest—warm and peaceful.
“I see,” she said softly.
Juliana didn’t feel like saying thank you would fit the moment. Instead, she simply nodded, slowly and sincerely.
“Is there nothing else you want to tell me? If I’m going to be surprised, I’d rather get it all over with at once,” he asked playfully.
Juliana couldn’t help but smile as well, a soft curve forming at the corner of her lips.
“No, there’s nothing else. And what about you, Your Grace? Nothing more you’d like to say to me?”
She simply mirrored his question back, but Braeden paused for a brief moment.
It was only for a second. His slightly stiff expression returned to normal just as quickly.
“Nothing at all,” he replied.
A rare, perfectly composed smile appeared on his face. Juliana smiled too, unaware that this was the same smile Braeden used whenever he was hiding something—like a mask he wore to cover the truth.
At that moment, Tristan returned to the estate.
As he came around a corner and saw Juliana walking with Braeden through the garden, his expression twisted strangely.
A long silence fell between them before he finally forced out a greeting.
“Your Grace.”
It was the kind of greeting that made it obvious he didn’t want to acknowledge the Archduke, but knew he had to.
“Tristan Barnett, the young viscount. So, you’re my fiancée’s brother. Nice to meet you,” Braeden said.
But his tone didn’t match his words. There was nothing friendly about it.
After hearing Juliana reveal she was adopted and seeing the way Tristan looked at her, Braeden had reached a conclusion he didn’t like at all.
The polite smile he had worn just moments ago disappeared. A coldness settled over him, sharp enough to kill a blooming spring flower.
Juliana felt the sudden change in his mood and couldn’t hide her concern.
“Your Grace?” she called gently.
Only then did Braeden realize his expression had slipped.
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