Chapter 11
Early the next morning.
Adelaïde carefully slipped out of her bedroom. The cool touch of the cold marble floor against her bare feet woke her completely. She tiptoed down one flight of stairs and through the long corridor, pausing ever so often to look back, worried she might make a sound.
Stopping before the door that was her destination, Adelaïde turned her head and scanned her surroundings. There was no sign of anyone. She let out a small breath and pulled the doorknob.
“Phew, no one’s here.”
Muttering in a whisper, she stepped through the slightly open door. She approached the desk, took out the box she had hidden in her shawl, and carefully set it down. Adelaïde smoothed the deep blue ribbon, smiled, and hurried back to her room.
Morning.
The Duke’s gaze stopped on his desk the moment he entered his office. For a full thirty minutes, the Duke stared at the box without looking away.
“Your Grace, you’re here already?”
Marcus entered the office.
“Is there something on the desk? I’ll wipe it down.”
Only when Marcus approached did the Duke finally look up.
“Just get to work.”
“Yes.”
The Duke sat down in his chair as if nothing was amiss. His eyes were still fixed on the neatly placed box. He didn’t need to ask who had left it.
He slowly untied the ribbon and opened the lid, revealing a crystal that held a clear, transparent light. Inside was a small brooch, perfectly preserving the flower petal they had found together in the garden that day. The Duke lifted the brooch and held it up to the light.
“The petal from that day.”
The soft, suffused blue light and the color of the petal blended together in a strange, beautiful harmony. A moment later, the corners of the Duke’s lips lifted ever so slightly. It was a smile no one had ever seen.
A leisurely afternoon.
Adelaïde looked up at the sound of a knock on the door. Victor, the financial manager, came inside.
“Welcome, Victor.”
“Good day, My lady. His Grace the Duke sent me.”
“The Duke did?”
Adelaïde’s eyes widened as she gestured for Victor to sit.
“His Grace said it would be best for you to oversee the ducal estate’s household finances from now on.”
“Me? But we haven’t even had the engagement ceremony…?””
“That’s only because we are awaiting His Majesty’s approval. Since you have signed the contract, the two of you are already as good as married.”
“But…”
“I will assist you with all my heart, so please do not worry.”
Victor placed a thick stack of ledgers in front of Adelaïde. Adelaïde’s face slowly hardened. The densely packed script, jumbled numbers, and untallied sums swam before her eyes.
‘These are ledgers? Not scribbles?’
Adelaïde sighed and picked up a pen.
“Victor, would it be all right if I made some changes to this?”
“Pardon?”
Victor tilted his head, looking puzzled.
“I just want to make it easier to read. The content won’t change, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Yes, My lady. Please do.”
Victor nodded and observed Adelaïde closely. His expression seemed to say, *What could a noble lady possibly know about looking at ledgers like these?*
Adelaïde adjusted her posture comfortably and drew a table on the paper. She drew lines for each category, organizing it so that income, expenditures, balance, and totals were all visible at a glance.
“I may not look it, but I have several years of experience as an office worker. This is simple.”
As Adelaïde moved her pen with confidence, Victor, who had been watching from the side, suddenly straightened up.
“Good heavens. My lady, it’s all clear at a glance.”
“Right? It’s much easier to manage when it’s written like this from the start. You can immediately see where money is being spent.”
Finally, Adelaïde circled the unnecessary expenditure items in red ink.
“This needs to be reduced. And this needs to be replaced.”
Victor fell silent for a moment, looking down at the documents.
“How do you know all this so well?”
“Well, I… Ah, I suppose it’s from managing the Count’s family’s estate by myself… Haha, hahaha.”
“You are incredible, My lady.”
Victor’s eyes shone with respect. Adelaïde felt a sense of pride inwardly.
‘Who knew I’d get to use my Excel skills here.’
Adelaïde quickly scanned the rest of the contents. Then, her eyes stopped on one particular section.
“…What is this?”
Victor leaned in. The item she was pointing to was servant management. The budget for meals, clothing, and even rest allowances was absurdly low compared to other items.
“No one could live like a human being on this budget.”
Adelaïde’s voice became firm.
“This needs to be increased. If things continue like this, it will eventually lead to a greater loss down the line.”
At that moment, an old memory surfaced in Adelaïde’s mind. A colleague who had endured endless overtime and a pittance of an allowance, only to collapse in the end.
‘I can’t bear to see that happen a second time.’
The tip of her pen tapped the paper.
“This item here. Let’s reduce the budget for staff replacement and redirect that money to improving the treatment of the current servants. That way, we won’t need to hire more people. Proper management is more important, after all.”
Victor stared at Adelaïde, momentarily frozen, then bowed his head deeply.
“I will relay your words exactly.”
He stood up, clutching the ledgers to his chest. Watching Victor’s retreating back as he bowed and left, Adelaïde tilted her head. Even though he was walking on the marble floor in shoes, Victor’s steps made no sound.
“That’s strange. Those are clearly heeled shoes, so why is he so quiet? Is it some new technology?’
Adelaïde tried walking on the marble floor on her tiptoes.
“Even walking like this makes a sound.”
No matter what she did, she made a sound.
“What an incredible skill.”
Victor went straight to the Duke’s office. A short while later, after hearing the report, the Duke’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
“…Is that what she said?”
“Yes, Your Grace. She is truly remarkable. Not only did she grasp the ledgers at a glance and revise them to be easier to read, but she also personally suggested measures for improvement.”
The Duke gazed blankly at Victor, who was reporting with shining eyes. He was a loyal financial manager who had worked for the Karsiten ducal estate for over fifteen years. But the Duke had never heard him praise anyone before.
“Is that so?”
The Duke’s gaze shifted to the window.
At first, this marriage was nothing more than a contract to obtain the Count’s family’s processing methods. It was true that when he met her, he had felt a flicker of curiosity, wondering if she might hold the key to a long-held secret.
‘This is just a transaction…’
But unexpected things kept happening. The gift he received a few days ago had stirred his heart in a strange way. And now, this unexpected ability, revealed by Victor’s report. As all these pieces came together, a corner of the Duke’s heart was thrown into turmoil.
‘…Eventually, she’ll ask for a divorce.’
His gaze lingered for so long that the scenery outside the window blurred. He himself couldn’t understand why a simple contract marriage was unsettling his heart this much.
Two days had passed since Adelaïde gave the organized ledgers to Victor. The butler came to Adelaïde’s room himself.
“His Grace wishes to see you.”
Following the butler into the office, she saw the Duke sitting not at his desk, but on a sofa.
“You’re here.”
The Duke’s voice was low. Adelaïde calmly bowed her head.
“Why did you call for me?”
“Come and sit.”
As soon as Adelaïde sat across from him, the Duke held out a sealed envelope. A golden seal was stamped prominently upon it.
‘…What is this? Am I allowed to see it?’
A wave of tension washed over her.
“It’s a report from the last council of nobles.”
‘Phew, what a relief.’
Adelaïde looked at the Duke with visible relief.
“I called you because I need your help.”
“My help?”
Adelaïde’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘But can I be of any help?’
She took the document the Duke was holding out. Urged by the Duke’s gaze, she broke the seal. Inside was a dense list of gemstones mined from the royal mines, along with their price calculations and items scheduled for crafting.
‘What should I… What should I be looking for?’
Adelaïde, who had almost blurted out something to the Duke for handing her the document without any explanation, bit her lip and averted her gaze.
The Duke placed a box on the table and opened the lid.
“You’ll need to look at this as well.”
“They’re raw gemstones!”
“Do you see anything unusual?”
Adelaïde took a breath and meticulously examined the documents and the raw stones. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong, but when she cross-referenced the detailed items with the raw stones, something soon caught her eye.
“Right here. There’s a raw stone that’s been priced far too low for its yield.”
As Adelaïde pointed with her finger, the Duke leaned over to look at the document. Her pupils wavered at their sudden proximity.
“…Which part are you referring to?”
The Duke’s voice came from right in front of her.
“The raw emerald.”
Adelaïde lifted the emerald.
“It might look ordinary on the surface, but it’s not a stone with impurities. It’s very likely a clarity emerald. In that case, the price should be at least five times higher.”
Adelaïde continued her explanation, tapping the item with her fingertip.
“And this part here. I see the raw stone isn’t present. The document lists it as a ruby, but if the reported color is ‘deep blood,’ there’s a high probability it’s not a simple ruby but a rare pigeon blood ruby. The royal family might have deliberately set the price low, but in my opinion, it seems like it was manipulated with the intent for someone to embezzle it.”
The Duke’s eyes flashed.
“Manipulation?””
Adelaïde nodded calmly.
“Gemstones can easily deceive someone without a discerning eye. However, as an appraiser, the absurdly low price was enough to make me suspicious from the start. This doesn’t seem like a simple mistake, but a deliberate undervaluation.”
When Adelaide finished speaking, a heavy silence descended. The Duke looked down at the documents, then raised his head again to stare straight at Adelaide. It was a gaze so intense it was suffocating.
