Chapter 24
The luxurious Count Bailey, the morning sunlight gently filtering through the red curtains in the main residence of Count Dennis.
Inside, the servants were busily preparing the tea the count would drink and the clothes he would wear.
Count Dennis, dressed neatly in a suit, sat at the table with a solemn expression and put on his glasses. To examine the documents closely.
These were also documents that required the royal family’s permission to smoothly carry out mining operations in the Bailey territory in the future.
Since it was a business I closed a long time ago, I still wasn’t fully familiar with the overall details. Some tasks were vividly remembered, but others were like darkness, with nothing coming to mind.
So the count needed Eric’s help even more.
While he was only using his head to understand the current situation, Eric was already sketching out a comprehensive and detailed plan for the business.
In fact, it was not easy to mention the trade negotiation rights with the kingdoms before fully launching the business.
Who could possibly take away the benefits enjoyed by someone else and easily take their place?
Eric’s ambition for the mine site left a strong impression on the count’s mind. It was as if he were looking at his own youth.
“If only Edward had taken after him…”
At that moment, when the count was shaking his head to dispel the lingering regrets in his heart, the sound of the countess’s knock from outside the door broke his reverie.
“Honey, I’m going to step inside for a moment.”
Soon, the countess, adorned with a sapphire necklace and dressed in a blue gown, entered gracefully.
She sat across from the count, holding a tray filled with fragrant jasmine tea.
The count did not take his eyes off the documents even when his wife brought him a teacup.
When the lady nodded towards the surroundings, the servants retreated one after another.
An empty room. Only the suffocating silence lingered between the couple.
The countess looked at her husband, who was engrossed in paperwork, with disapproving eyes.
I was anxious because it was a business that could fold at any moment. Not only that, but I found it chillingly unpleasant that Eric was involved between the royal family and my husband.
She had hardly eaten or drunk anything for a while.
It was after realizing that the reason they were able to reclaim the Bailey family’s mining business, which had been dedicated to the empire, was none other than Eric’s contributions.
I thought Eric’s status had changed, but I never expected the Emperor’s trust in him to be this great. It was a situation I couldn’t even have imagined in my dreams.
Even being elevated to the status of the second son of the Bailey family, despite being the son of a maid, made my blood boil.
But I had to endure because I had to send Eric to war in place of my son.
Wasn’t it truly a fierce battle?
In the battle where the tide had turned so much, I believed that not only the emperor but even the possibility of anyone surviving was uncertain, and that there was no chance he would come back from that battlefield.
No, I thought it was his fate to close his eyes there. But…….
The countess, who had been lost in brief contemplation, composed her dark expression and lifted the teacup before her.
Taking a sip of tea, I glanced sideways at my husband sitting in front of me.
I started getting angry at that indifferent face that seemed unconcerned about not showing up for meals these past few days.
The tone directed at her husband began to mix with subtle sarcasm.
It seems like you’re busy because of work. You don’t even have time to see your wife’s face after such a long time.”
“If you felt that way, I’m sorry, but please understand. As you can see, it’s an important document that needs to be approved by the royal family. Eric must check it before delivering it to His Majesty the Emperor.
At the count’s words, the lady’s smooth forehead crumpled up.
“Why are you leaving that to Eric? Your trust in that kid has really grown lately, hasn’t it?
“I said it was a document that required His Majesty’s permission.”
“Anyone would think that without that kid, the business couldn’t move forward. You truly have an amazing son.
“Remember. The eldest son of the Bailey family is Edward. Not some illegitimate child, you know.”
“Madam!”
The count’s gaze, which had darkened, finally turned towards the countess.
The anger that had risen to the top of my head was short-lived; seeing my wife’s gaunt face, I let out a brief sigh.
He suppressed his emotions and spoke calmly.
“I will ask you. Is it the business you disapprove of, or is it the fact that Eric is involved?
“What if it’s both?
“Then, there’s no need to discuss it further.”
As the count turned his indifferent gaze back to the documents, his wife’s eyes became even sharper.
“Can’t you wait just a little bit, as Edward said? They say you can take over the Earl Cecil’s business.”
“When will you stop that pointless talk…!
Miss Cecil is the only daughter of the count. You do understand my intentions, right? Why are you stepping into that dangerous mine again when there are safer ways to establish a family?
“Then Edward’s scheme to seize Count Cecil’s fortune is truly stable?!
“To steal our property? Are you… are you insulting our Edward right now?
As the lady’s voice rose, the count slammed his palm down on the table as if he didn’t want to hear it.
“A family that survives thanks to the Cecil family’s help. The eldest son who says he wants to create such a family! It’s utterly pathetic. I won’t say it twice. I will never give up on this business until the day I die. Just know that.
At the count’s firm voice, the lady could no longer continue talking about the business. She kept gnawing on the inside of her lips.
She, observing her husband’s grim expression, sensed the tension and changed the subject.
“Okay. If that’s your intention. Instead, as soon as His Majesty the Emperor gives permission, have Eric step away from the business immediately. After that, Edward will take over. For now, I’ll be busy with wedding preparations, but after the wedding…
“Sorry, but as soon as we get the approval, I plan to entrust Eric with the overall aspects of the business.”
You want to entrust the business to Eric? Are you saying that a bastard child, not even the eldest son, dares to take over the family business? Is my husband in his right mind right now?
When the unexpected words came out of the count’s mouth, the lady’s face turned pale. She even started to stutter.
“Wh-what are you talking about, right now?
“During the course of the business, Eric will personally lead the overall operations. In the meantime, Edward can focus on the affairs of the Cecil family as I instructed.
“Honey! How! How!
The lady’s mouth, which had fallen open, could not close. I wanted to shout at him to take back everything he said to the count, but there was no way to stop him now that he had made up his mind.
She merely looked at those cruel lips with a dumbfounded expression at her husband’s outrageous announcement.
She let out a short sigh, at a loss for words.
The count cleared his throat twice and then focused back on the documents.
After a long silence, the countess stood up, clutching the unfortunate blue dress tightly.
Unlike her earlier steps, the sound of her determined strides echoed loudly on the marble floor.
As the lady stepped out the door, the waiting head maid, Madame Vianne, closely approached her side.
“Ma’am, is there something the matter?
As the lady with the flushed face looked around, the head maid hurriedly spoke.
“It seemed like the voices inside were getting louder, so I completely cleared the area around me.”
The wife’s previously feigned calmness turned into a sinister glare that she had been trying hard to hide.
She looked out the window to suppress her anger. As she caught sight of the annex bathed in sunlight in the distance, her eyes gleamed like a viper’s.
“Has there been any suspicious activity from Eric lately?”
According to the butler, the count and young master Eric recently went to the mining site together.
“Just the two of us… Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Arrogant bastard. What do you think you are?
Seeing the lady gritting her teeth, the head maid looked around and cautiously began to speak in hushed tones.
“Madam, I actually have something to tell you. A few days ago, I heard a strange story from a maid in the annex.”
“A strange story, you say…?
The head maid lowered her voice and spoke quietly.
“Well, they say Aria comes out of Young Master Eric’s room every dawn.”
“Every dawn…?”
As the Countess’s green pupils dilated to their fullest, the head maid seized the moment and intensified the story.
“Don’t you understand what it means for a maid to stay in her master’s bedroom every night?
“So, are you saying that Aria and Eric are sleeping together? What a perfect match they are. I’m speechless!
The lady shook her head and clicked her tongue, but the maid’s voice grew heavier with each passing moment.
“Madam, perhaps this is a good thing. With this incident, Aria will no longer be able to be Master Edward’s maid.
“Yeah. It has become like blowing your nose without using your hands.
“Also, perhaps.
“Through Aria, wouldn’t it be easy to identify Lord Eric’s weaknesses? If you charm that child well, you might even be able to easily get rid of that thorn in your side.
The lady fell into deep thought at the maid’s words. As Madame Vianne said, the strange relationship between Aria and Eric was beneficial to me.
The reason Edward, who usually follows his orders well, is the only one who raises his voice and stands up to him is always because of that Aria, isn’t it?
All this time, Aria had been digging her own grave, making her diligent efforts seem futile.
There was no way Edward would accept a maid who was already romantically involved with Eric.
Also, as long as I could persuade Aria, I could easily have Eric in the palm of my hand.
The maid who always used to be a nuisance has become so useful.
The countess’s eyes, which had been recalling Aria, soon began to show a strange light.
She secretly gave instructions to the head maid.
“Madam, call Aria to my bedroom this afternoon. I need to see for myself what that child has to say.
