Chapter 45

Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi

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Chapter 45

At that time, when Anriche had been immersed in her agony for so long—

Knock, knock.

A short knock sounded.

Hearing that, Anriche lifted her head.

“…Come in.”

She answered in a drooping voice. Then, the door opened, and the person who entered the office was…

“Madam.”

…It was Alexei.

Why did Alexei come all the way here?

Anriche’s eyes widened slightly. Meanwhile, Alexei approached her with neat steps.

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, Duke. That’s…”

“You look a little depressed.”

She only opened and closed her lips, though she couldn’t get the words out easily. When she thought of explaining to Alexei what had happened today, she already felt her heart swell.

‘Because of my easy judgment… I’ve only hurt Liliana.’

When she picked up Liliana from the orphanage, she was determined to take good care of her. She made up her mind to make Liliana smile every day.

How short it was…

Just then, Anriche once again fell into self-hatred.

“Take this.”

Suddenly, Alexei laid the candy and chocolate one by one on her desk as she was lost in her thoughts.

She looked down at them with a puzzled face.

“This…?”

It was a familiar snack.

In fact, she had no choice but to feel so. Because those candies and chocolates were snacks that were given by Anriche to Lilliana and Elliot.

Alexei smiled faintly before opening his mouth.

“It is said that eating sweets makes you feel better.”

“…Yes?”

“So, Liliana and Elliot asked me…”

A calm voice reached Anriche’s ear. “To give this candy and chocolate to Madam.”

“Oh…”

“They said they wanted you to cheer up, so they asked me to pass it on to you.”

Saying so, he recalled a time when he ran into two children.

As Alexei was walking into the townhouse, he suddenly stopped. It was because he could see Liliana and Elliot sitting side by side in the corner of the garden, chatting quietly.

Then, the two children flashed their heads up.

Their faces brighten as if they were lit by a lamp. As if they had been waiting for Alexei until now.

‘Dad!’

Holding Liliana’s hand tightly, Elliot rushed towards Alexei in a hurry. The little boy carefully opened his mouth with a determined voice.

’Dad, I have something to ask you…’

Even Liliana was facing Alexei, swallowing a gulp. The child could not hide her nervousness whenever she encountered Alexei.

As Elliot said that, the two children handed the treats they were holding dearly in their hands towards him.

Alexei accepted them by surprise.

’Well, Duke…’

At the same time, Liliana carefully opened her mouth.

‘Mother… I think she’s feeling a little depressed because of things about me.’‘Is the Madam depressed? Besides, what things are you talking about?’

Still confused, Alexei asked Liliana with a puzzled face. Seeing that, Elliot hurriedly cut into the conversation.

‘So, Dad, what happened was…’

The two children stood side by side and explained everything that had happened.

Upon listening to their explanations, a deep wrinkle crept into Alexei’s forehead.

‘…That’s what happened.’

Nodding her head, Liliana carefully added her words.

’Yes, so… I wish the Duke would give mother some of these snacks.’‘Me?’‘Yes. It makes me feel good when I eat sweet things.’

Hearing these words, he suddenly remembered the day Anriche came to his office. That day, too, the cookies she put down were very sweet…

Alexei shrugged his shoulders lightly.

‘Well, can you deliver the snacks yourself?’‘Of, of course, I can, but…’

Liliana, who seemed to ponder for a moment, shook her head lightly.

‘Nevertheless, if the Duke directly consoles her rather than me, I think mother will have more energy.’‘Why do you think so?’‘Well… Because the Duke and Mother are married to each other…?’

Tilting her head a little, she then smiled brightly at him.

‘If the person you love takes care of you, won’t mother feel more at ease?’

‘Person you love…’

Hearing those words, Alexei felt something tickle like a feather rubbed in the corner of his chest. Of course, Anriche and Alexei were a legal couple, and people usually think they would love each other, but…

‘…It’s love?’

It was a little strange, though it wasn’t a bad feeling.

With that thought in mind, he gazed at the snacks in his hand.

Chocolate wrapped in gold wrapping paper was Elliot’s favorite snack. The pink candy was also what Liliana usually had in her mouth every time.

‘But, guys, these are your favorite snacks, aren’t they?’‘It was given to me by mother after all. So, I can give mother one or so.’

As Elliot replied that it was nothing, Liliana also agreed with Elliot by nodding her head enthusiastically.

Seeing the children’s reactions, Alexei burst into laughter and carefully packed the snacks into his pocket.

Then, he stroked their heads affectionately.

‘Yeah, I will not forget to tell her.’

Thinking of the children whose eyes were shining like stars, Alexei finished the conversation.

“…That is what it was.”

Anriche, who heard her situation, silently looked down at the snacks.

‘I see…’

Even though she was so complacent, the children still cared about her. The depths of her heart have been pounding.

Smiling faintly, she gazed down at the sweets again.

“Thank you.”

“Are you feeling a little better now?”

“Yes. The children have taken such great care of me, and I can’t keep being sad.”

After answering that, Anriche raised her head. The violet eyes were now restored to their usual vitality.

“I, I want to hold Viscountess Ivan directly accountable.”

“Are you saying you’re going to send a letter of complaint?”

“Yes. She dared touch Liliana. She deserves to be held accountable.” She said, clenching her fists and speaking in an energetic voice.

On the other hand, Alexei tilted his head slightly to meet her gaze.

‘…Yes? What?’

Because of that, she opened her eyes wide, not understanding what his action meant.

“Madam.”

“Ye, yes?”

“Isn’t it a little weak with just a letter of complaint?”

He raised the tip of his lips at an angle after finishing his words. At that, Anriche was a little stunned. Because Alexei had always had a neat face, he felt a little unfamiliar to her now.

How could Alexei have such an evil smile?

But, even that evil smile suited Alexei incredibly well.

‘Hey, this looks like an eminence grise, doesn’t it?’

From a handsome and cold-looking man, is he going to be an evil handsome…?

…No—!

She struggled to clear her expression.

Meanwhile, Alexei continued his remarks in a calm voice. “As the Madam knows, the Duchy of Valois is investing money in several businesses.”

“Oh, yes.”

She nodded her head unknowingly.

For a moment, Alexei’s smile widened a little as he spoke the next words.

“…And, some of those businesses are run by Viscountess Ivan’s family.”

“Ah…!”

Anriche opened her eyes wide, understanding what Alexei was trying to convey now.

“I think it’s time to get those funds back… What do you think of it?”

“Of course, I agree.”

Agreeing with his statement, she smiled at him mischievously.

The couple’s smiles were just like each other’s.

***

The next morning.

Viscount Ivan, with a confused face, held out a letter to his wife.

“Honey, how the hell did this happen?!”

“Yes…?”

Viscountess Ivan accepted the letter with a bewildered face.

After looking at the name of the sender, her whole body stiffened. It was because the sender of the letter was Anriche von Valois.

“Why did the Duchess…?”

The hand of Viscountess Ivan, who was holding the letter, began to tremble.

‘It’s not enough to cut me off. Are you really going to protest me?’

She had an ominous feeling.

Viscountess Ivan hurriedly read her letter. After a while, her eyes widened.

“What, what is this—!”

At that, Viscountess Ivan lifted her head, flashing with a pale white face. The sentence written in elegant brush strokes was like a death sentence for her business.

「 Valois is deeply regretful about this.

We will no longer invest in the business run by Viscounty Ivan.

In addition, we also plan to recover all the funds we have invested so far within a week.

So, I would like to ask for your cooperation so that Viscounty Ivan can recover the funds without any problems.

I want to proceed with this as mildly as possible, but if there is a conflict of opinion… 」

“…We are also considering a coercive direction.”

Viscount Ivan read the end of the letter in a voice that seemed to faint at any moment. Her trembling fingertips gripped the letter.

Tossing the crumpled letter to the floor, Viscountess Ivan jumped up from her seat.

“No!”

“What the hell have you done!”

Viscount Ivan grabbed his wife’s shoulders as he continued to raise his voice. “Why are the Valois suddenly withdrawing funds!”

“Ho, honey.”

“Once they get their money back, we’re done! The business must be shut down!”

Viscount Ivan stared at his wife with glaring eyes.

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