Chapter 8 

The hospital where my mother was staying was a bit far from the capital.
Even by train, it took about three hours to get there.

It was a hospital located in a peaceful area with nice mountains and rivers—
a place usually used by wealthy nobles.

It had been built with my grandfather’s support,
so he had the power to make a place there for my mother.

The only problem was that it was far away,
so I needed to make time and prepare myself to visit.

“Anais!”

My father waved at me with a bright smile on his face.

“Father. Have you been doing well? It’s been a while since I came, right?”

“No, Anais, it’s fine.”

He gently took my hand.

“What about Mother?”

As we naturally started walking, I asked how my mother was doing.

“She’s getting better. They said the medicine is working because your mother is very strong-willed.”

“That’s such a relief.”

During the three years I had to endure with Egbert,
my mother had slowly been recovering.

Thinking about that made the past three years feel not entirely wasted.

“…I heard you got divorced?”

“Yes. I wanted to tell you in person,
but I guess the news reached you first.”

I gave an awkward smile.

It was a topic I had no choice but to bring up.
Honestly, I had delayed visiting because I didn’t want to talk about it.

And I already knew exactly how my parents would react.

“You should’ve been more patient!
You knew your marriage was tied to our family’s future.
Go back and beg for forgiveness!”

“He wasn’t a good husband. I was unhappy.”

I didn’t come all this way just to hear things like that.
Then again, it was my mistake to expect anything better.

“I have no intention of taking back that decision.”

My father frowned.

“Fine, but I heard you inherited the bank?
How much did you get? That old man—he gave you something, right?
It better not be a measly amount.
He bragged about his money so much when he came saying he’d support you.”

His eyes were full of greed.
He looked like someone craving what didn’t even belong to him.

Yes, this was exactly who he was.
This is what my parents were really like.

I hadn’t learned from my parents.
I grew up learning from my grandfather and in his care.

“He said he’d at least make sure you’d never go hungry!
You brought the bank with you, so there must’ve been a lot of wealth tied to it.
How much did you get, huh?”

My father and mother didn’t know about the promise between me and my grandfather.
Only Grandfather, Jenus, and I knew about the three-year grace period.

My father walked one step ahead of me.
It felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Maybe if you had waited longer, you could’ve gotten even more.
You think there’s a man who never cheats? Especially among high-ranking nobles, they’re all the same.
But even those men always return to their families when they get older—”

“Please stop, Father.”

The sweet smell of flowers and the soft spring breeze all froze in that moment.
I knew this would happen.

This was why I hadn’t wanted to come.

“You disrespectful brat. How dare you cut off your father?”

“I don’t know when I’ll be able to come again, Father.
Should I just leave like this?”

He cursed at me and suddenly grabbed my arm tightly.

“That money—the things you got from the divorce—don’t think it’s all yours.
We’re the ones who raised you, so we deserve a share!”

He turned his head away with a sour look, but didn’t say anything more.

Silence hung between us, and it stayed that way until I left.

As if… he really had nothing else to say to me.

“What happened in Pablo yesterday… didn’t go well, did it?”

Ella looked at my face, nodded, and finished her sentence.

Ella had been with me since before I got married.
Since I was about fifteen, I think.

“Sounds like the Viscount said something he really didn’t need to say again.”

That’s why she knew everything about my family situation.
She also knew what kind of people my mother and father were.

“…Was it that obvious?”

“Very much so.”

I found myself brushing my cheek without thinking.

“Busy again today?”

Ella asked while brushing my hair, trying to lighten the mood.
I gave her a bitter smile and nodded.

“Yeah. I have a VIP loan screening today, so I’ll be back late.”

“Then I’ll prepare something that looks elegant but still feels comfortable.
You’ll be sitting for a long time, so tight clothes won’t be good.”

I chuckled softly at her cheerful chatter.

“I’ll count on you, Ella.”

“Yes! I’m your magical fairy godmother, after all!”

She hummed a tune while brushing my hair.

Just like Jenus had said, there were many people who needed money to start a new business.
Even if they avoided me because of Egbert, they still drooled over the bank’s money.

It was just the beginning of spring.

In this breezy, gentle season, people often wanted a fresh start.
That was a rule I had learned from working in the bank over the past few years.

“Did Jenus send any documents?”

“Ah! Mr. Pet sent over the documents you requested.”

Ella handed me a sealed envelope that had been neatly placed on the table.
Inside were the graduation lists for this year and a detailed breakdown of the students’ academic records.

There was a small note attached at the top:

[I’ve marked the names of those who already have jobs with red circles.
The ones I personally think are good candidates are marked with blue circles. Please use this for reference.]

He’s really a good person.
Sometimes I wonder if I could’ve survived without Jenus.

He’s like a real-life guardian angel to me.

Out of the 23 notable graduates, only 3 had blue circles.
Two of them were from fallen noble families, and one was from a commoner background.

They were people who were more desperate to make a living than to worry about what Egbert might think.
Even among them, Jenus had picked people with the skills I needed.

To think I still can’t completely escape Egbert’s influence even after the divorce…
Graham really is something else.

There was one candidate I liked the most, but I’d have to meet them in person to be sure.

Still, if I could bring in even one of the three, that would be good.
Two would be even better, if possible.

At that same time—
Baldwin was also having a busy morning. He had a brunch meeting with the Germani representatives.

Baldwin started his meal looking as sharp and refined as if he had been measured with a ruler.
His neatly slicked-back hair gave off the air of a sophisticated businessman without flaw.

But despite that, the Germani side was being rude.

“Tch. Hey, Aide Lutherick. Are you sure you communicated our stance clearly?
We told you we can’t order the ships if the price goes above our offer!
We need a signed contract, don’t we?”

“As far as I recall, we clearly conveyed our position as well.
If you don’t accept our pricing proposal, then there’s nothing more we can do.”

“We already know you’ve started bringing in materials.
Are you planning to just hold onto all of it and let it rot into garbage?”

“That’s our concern, not yours.”

“Hah. This is so frustrating! Lord Baldwin!”

Kerko, the representative from Germani, slammed his fist on the table.

“What, is he deaf now?!”

Lutherick’s expression stiffened, his brows tightly furrowed.

“Lord Baldwin! Please look at me!”

Kerko waved his hands wildly in the air.

Baldwin slowly raised his head.
His striking purple eyes gleamed with a sharp, metallic chill.

Kerko smirked arrogantly and opened his mouth again.

“Let’s not waste each other’s time or money.
Wouldn’t it be better to just settle this reasonably, Lord Baldwin?
Let’s make it a win-win. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Kerko’s tone was full of arrogance, clearly looking down on Baldwin.
At the beginning of the conversation, he had at least pretended to be polite.
But it didn’t take long for his true nature to show.

Baldwin smirked crookedly.

Low-class people like that exist everywhere.
And Baldwin had been dealing with people like Kerko for a very long time.

He knew all too well how many people revealed their worst sides, thinking Baldwin couldn’t hear or understand.
He had already mastered the skill of picking out gems from piles of garbage.

And a person like Kerko?
Not even worth recycling.

Especially after changing his terms right before signing the contract—he had already crossed the line.

Baldwin wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and motioned to Lutherick with his chin.

“This contract is off.”

It was a refreshing and satisfying declaration.