Chapter 117

Rosemond looked at Baron Darrow with an expression asking what he wanted to say, and Baron Darrow said to Rosemond with a groveling expression.

“Should you not have to pay for the cost of having raised you thus far?”

“… Huh?”

The cost of being raised. Rosemond thought silently. Who was the person that had ordered her around like a maid from the age of ten, only dressed her in rags, and left her half-brother to rape her? Someone like that dared to mention money with his mouth? Rosemond was shocked at his shamelessness. Soon, however, she showed her distinctive smile and whispered to Glara for something.

“Good. So you want that?”

Rosemond pulled up the corners of her mouth and laughed.

“You should have said that before. Then I could have left yesterday.”

What a waste. Rosemond added to her words with a voice filled with regret.

“Sure, money. It’s good.”

Alas, the condition for her to be able to forget about her childhood misfortune was just measly money? Should have said it sooner. She could have just shoved so much money down their throats so they would suffocate.

Rosemond grabbed the waiver of parental authority from the hand of Baroness Darrow. She smiled coolly and threw a purse full of gold coins that she had received from Glara to the Darrow couple. Gold coins poured out of the open purse and bounced off the body of the Baron and Baroness. Rosemond greeted them for the last time with a voice full of fury.

“Please live long. Baron as well as Baroness.”

Until the day she could become the Empress and completely destroy them, she hoped they would live for a long time.

That morning, Patrizia regretted having heard the story of the past from Lucio last night. She lowered her head with a flustered expression.

“Ah… how will I see that person’s face now?”

Knowing the secret meant knowing the person’s weakness. Patrizia had discovered Lucio’s weaknesses. The problem was that the ‘weakness’ was something that worked on her. In the past, she would have reacted coldly, but after hearing the terrible story, it seemed that she could no longer treat him coldly. She should have just not listened. Patrizia regretted it.

“Your Majesty, is something wrong?”

Mirya asked as she had no idea what was going on, and Patrizia shut her mouth. It was about the Imperial Family. Even if it was Mirya, she was very cautious to bring it up out loud, so Patrizia just shook her head and said, “I am just not feeling well today.” After hearing the words, Mirya made a big fuss and said she would boil up some soup and bring it up. As she disappeared into the kitchen, Patrizia wore a dress with the help of the other maids and raised her head elegantly.

“Ella, how much time is left before Rosemond will return?”

Rafaella, who had been watching Patrizia get ready beside her seemed to ponder for a bit at the sudden question and then answered.

“Well. Perhaps by now, she is heading back from the countryside? The Darrow home is a bit far from the capital. Probably less than a week.”

It was far away indeed, and while Patrizia mumbled to herself, Mirya appeared with pumpkin soup. Since it was a lie that she was not feeling well, Patrizia felt a slight stab from her conscience. However, Patrizia did not show any of it, and gave a small smile while saying, “Thank you.”

“Mirya, I think we need to re-budget the Vain Palace.”

Patrizia, who took a bite of pumpkin soup, casually brought up the topic. Mirya responded with a voice that thought it was a given.

“Now, she is not even a Baroness, but just a lady. I think you must definitely do that.”

“Alright. It is too late. Reduce the budget, and other useless expenditures designed to consume luxuries from the original budget. Anyway, the maids in the Vain Palace are few in number, so they should not care anymore.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will do that as soon as possible.”

Patrizia smiled brightly and nodded her head. Now it felt like the surroundings were being sorted out a bit. But she still couldn’t be relieved. Rosemond wasn’t like a usual bet. The comfort that she felt right now was fleeting, as it was just the illusion of not having to see Rosemond in front of her eyes for the time being.

Patrizia thought that before Rosemond would try to do anything else, this time it would not be bad for her to do something first. Even if it was fatal, it could not be helped. It wasn’t necessary to deal gracefully with a person who ignored moral ideas.

“How are the preparations for the Founding Day celebration?”

“It is almost over, Your Majesty. Now only the small details are left.”

Mirya said this with a smile.

“Congratulations. You can rest a little from today. You were so overwhelmed these days that I was very worried about whether you might get sick.”

“Fortunately, the one thing I was born with was the gift of strength.”

Patrizia smiled with a smirk after those words. She was safe even after having sucked poison, so she had to admit she had physical strength at least. Patrizia emptied the soup bowl clean and spoke quietly, “Then it would be better to go to the library today.”

Since Rosemond’s appearance, it has been a long time since she had felt her mood soured toward the library. Anyways, there was no Rosemond right now. Patrizia moved slowly with a satisfied smile.

The sunlight wasn’t as hot as she had thought it would be, so Patrizia enjoyed the refreshing feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time.

As she walked into the library, a librarian who she seemed to have seen after a few months, greeted her properly. Patrizia moved to the bookshelves filled with books on science to find a book that she had been trying to read before.

At such leisure, her face looked more comfortable than ever. When she finally found the bookshelf she wanted, she mumbled to herself at the welcome discovery.

“Ah, found… it.”

However, the joy did not last long. Patrizia, within the large and numerous bookshelves of the spacious library, encountered Lucio and blinked her eyes at being taken aback. Why was this person here at this time…? Patrizia was so surprised that she stood blankly, without even thinking of greeting him properly. Lucio greeted her first.