CH 32.1

“It’s . . . none of your business.”

“Don’t try to hide it from me, Grand Duchess.”

An annoyed gaze was evident in Robert’s eyes as he watched Anne’s face grow serious. Robert frowned.

“The mine acquisition business that Father started with determination this time . . . When I checked, the veins had already run out. Damn, those swindlers dare to play with Libelois. Even the creditors come to the house and make a fuss, would I have any other way?”

“How much work are you doing? Are you doing anything more than the existing business?”

“Besides that, we also bought a large trading company in the southern region, but the trading ship suddenly sank, causing some debt. All of a sudden, everything went awry . . . We tried to stop it, but suddenly things got difficult.”

“Ha . . . Therefore . . . You borrowed that much money from His Grace. How . . . such a foolish thing.”

When Anne lamented the foolishness of her family, suddenly a smirk appeared on Robert’s face.

“This is your fault. If you had acted wisely in the first place, Father wouldn’t have sent a messenger to the Grand Duke in a hurry. He said that you ignored all the letters Father sent.”

“You are really proud of what you say when you were just stealing wealth. Still, you should have given a word.”

Feeling her head hurting, Anne touched her forehead. Her eyes went dark just seeing this helpless family. Then, a fact flashed through her mind.

It didn’t take a day or two for the business that Libelois has been boasting to go bankrupt, so it wouldn’t come all of a sudden. But, coincidentally, it was certainly strange that it all happened in an instant. It was disconcerting that the family’s finances had all but collapsed in the mere month of her departure from Libelois.

“Then why did everything become so difficult suddenly?”

“After you left, people suddenly appeared here and there asking to invest. Damn, we looked all over the place to see if that was safe. Obviously there was no problem, but after we started the business or whatsoever, things suddenly went awry. They persuaded us to invest first, and then everyone came all at once and said they were trying to recover their investment.”

“It must have been because Father sold the Grand Duke’s name first, so they were determined to aim at it.”

“The place Father talked about was not an investment meeting, but a social gathering. In the first place, Father only met upper-class nobles, not merchants like that.”

As Robert said, Count Libelois was suspicious of people. He believed only in high-ranking nobles who were higher in rank than him. It meant that he was an idiot who gave money without stalling, but he wasn’t a fool who snapped at every attractive offer.

Upon hearing the situation, Anne got somewhat puzzled, but it was more urgent to reverse this transaction than that.

“So, how are you going to pay the money back? Have you come up with a solution?”

“You don’t have to worry. He’s your husband, so why do I need to pay back right now?”

“If the marriage ends, there is even a penalty. Did Father sign it after seeing that clause?”

“Angroanne, you are speaking strangely. Why would you end the marriage? And think about it. If you give birth to an heir, he will tell you that you don’t have to pay that amount.”

At this point, Anne was enraged at Robert’s carefree attitude. Even in this situation, the fact that his complexion was not gloomy at all meant that he had believed in something.

“That’s not what I want.”

Robert spread his legs wide and folded his arms in frustration.

“Whoo, that’s your problem. You’re going to continue to live as the Grand Duchess anyway, so what’s the fuss if I just have to hold on until the heir is born? This will happen more often in the future, so prepare in advance. It’s for the family.”

“As always . . . That again.”

Anne could see the Count’s face, possessed by the lust for power over Robert’s face. Even his cloudy eyes, stained with filthy obsession, were the same.

I was not wrong.

The blue eyes slowly filled with tears. As always. Anne realized once again that she was a piece of the chessboard for the family’s honor. Now, she was treated as a mare for the family.

In an instant, the blood all over her body cooled. She couldn’t stand it and shot her words out.

“Who said I would keep this marriage forever?”

“What?”

Robert’s facial muscles hardened at those words. Perhaps Robert suddenly felt anxious at the unusual look on Anne’s face, so jumped up.

“Angroanne, what are you talking about?”

“Brother asked me why would I end this marriage.”

“You . . . Are you trying to run away from here? When you only have your body. . . Are you going to tarnish the honor of your family by selling your body?”

The roaring shout pierced Anne’s ear like a sharpened sword.

What can she do? This was something she heard all the time growing up, but it wasn’t as blunt as usual. As if pierced by an invisible sword, a cold wind blew into her heart.