Chapter 66
***
I’m sorry, but we can no longer approve your loan.
Count Adolph Leslie’s steps were heavy as he left the bank. His head hung low, weighed down by deep worry.
That was the fifth rejection.
At this point, he might as well have been refused by every bank in the kingdom.
If loans were impossible, he needed investors—but that was no easier.
No one would meet with him, no matter how much he tried to emphasize the potential of his project.
He had even humbled himself, begging those who had once invested and withdrawn to return—
but they wouldn’t even pretend to listen.
“Derek Grenville must be behind this.”
Adolph clenched his jaw tight. He knew Derek’s influence ran wide, but not this wide.
He’d thought the man was a tiger cub—
turns out, he was a sly hyena.
Though anger boiled in his chest, Adolph couldn’t completely deny understanding Derek’s motives.
After all, the marriage he’d been so eager for was now on the verge of collapse.
In a way, Derek’s retaliation was almost to be expected.
Of course, the engagement hadn’t been formally annulled yet.
But judging from Elisa’s actions, it was only a matter of time.
Derek Grenville must have realized that too—and used his influence over the investors.
He was probably doing it to pressure Elisa into returning.
But Adolph had no intention of telling his daughter any of this.
Business and marriage were separate matters.
That was precisely why Derek’s intimidation enraged him even more.
“I have to find the money by next month…”
If he couldn’t, the project would grind to a halt.
A temporary stop might be bearable, but the real issue was uncertainty—
there was no knowing when it could resume.
If he couldn’t secure funds this month, there was no reason to think he’d succeed next month.
In fact, the longer it dragged on, the slimmer his chances became.
Yet if he stopped now, more than half the project would be wasted, and the losses would be enormous.
Even selling everything he owned wouldn’t be enough to repay the debts.
He didn’t need every investor back—just enough to keep the fire from spreading.
“Should I resort to loan sharks…?”
The thought flickered through his mind—
and Adolph violently shook his head.
If the business failed, he could accept the consequences himself.
But loan sharks imposed joint liability.
His family—his cousins—would all be dragged into ruin with him.
That, he could never allow.
As he stood there, lost in thought about where to find money or who might lend it to him,
a carriage stopped in front of him.
When the coachman opened the door, Adolph climbed in naturally, assuming it was his own carriage.
“You’re quite careless, aren’t you?”
Startled by the familiar voice, Adolph jerked his head toward the sound.
In the shadowed corner of the carriage sat a man.
“Ethan…!”
What was he doing here?!
Adolph’s eyes darted around, only to realize, too late,
that this wasn’t his carriage at all. His face twisted in irritation.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“That’s my question, Count. You’re the one who stepped into my carriage.”
Annoyed as he was, Adolph couldn’t refute it—Ethan hadn’t forced him in.
He had simply been too distracted to check before boarding.
It was his own fault.
He wanted to get out immediately, but the carriage had already begun to move.
“Stop the carriage this instant!”
His shout thundered through the small space.
“No need for that. Since you’re already here, why not sit down?
I have something important to discuss.”
“I have nothing to say to you! Tell your driver to stop!”
“Count, you don’t acknowledge my relationship with Elisa.
So tell me—why should I obey your orders?”
No matter how furiously Adolph glared, Ethan didn’t flinch.
He just smiled, infuriatingly calm.
Once, Ethan had been a servant in House Leslie—
the kind of man who couldn’t even make eye contact with his master.
But Baron Ethan Estevan was a different man entirely.
Arrogant. Insolent. And worst of all,
the man who had taken his daughter.
“Please, sit, Count.”
“…”
“Or stand, if you prefer. It makes no difference to me.”
The implication was clear—he wasn’t opening that door.
Grinding his teeth, Adolph sat down, if only to preserve what little dignity he had left.
“Say what you came to say. I’m a busy man, so make it quick.”
“I’m busy as well, so I’ll keep it brief.”
Ethan took out a pocket watch, checked the time, then glanced out the window.
Folding his hands over his knee, he looked back at Adolph.
“I can introduce an investor for your Solperia project.”
“…What?”
Adolph blinked. He’d expected some nonsense about reconciliation or acceptance—
not this.
He had kept the financial crisis strictly confidential.
If word got out that investors had pulled out,
the project’s credibility would collapse completely.
So how did this man know?
“Did you set spies on me?”
“Of course not.”
Ethan gave a casual shrug.
“I didn’t have to. The information found its way to me on its own.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“That’s not important. What matters is—I can connect you with an investor.”
He smiled faintly, tilting his head just enough to be irritating.
Adolph’s frown deepened.
“So this is your plan—to buy my favor? Ridiculous.”
Adolph snorted and crossed his arms.
“And who exactly is this supposed investor?
Some worthless nobody you dug up?”
“The Marquis of Nella of the Kingdom of Solperia.”
“…What?”
Carnes Nella, Marquis of Nella—
the Chancellor of Solperia, the king’s son-in-law, and one of the richest men alive.
Most of the kingdom’s trade ships bore his crest.
And this man claimed he could introduce him?
Adolph narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“How do you know the Marquis?”
“I once rescued his son, Lord Martin Nella, when he was held hostage in the Empire.”
A faint memory surfaced—
an old newspaper article about the mysterious ‘K’ who had rescued imperial hostages.
Adolph remembered being impressed, even admiring the man’s courage.
And now he realized this man sitting across from him had been that hero.
I really was a fool…
“When I freed the young lord, the Marquis gave me this,” Ethan said.
He pulled a small, worn golden button from his pocket.
An anchor-bearing mermaid—the symbol of House Nella—was engraved upon it.
“He told me that if I ever needed assistance, I should bring this to him.
So, unless your business carries some unsavory baggage,
the Marquis will likely invest.”
Throughout Ethan’s calm explanation, Adolph’s eyes remained fixed on the button.
It was a tempting offer.
If the Marquis of Nella invested, his financial troubles would vanish.
And he would no longer have to bow to Derek Grenville.
But…
“…I refuse.”
Adolph finally spoke, his voice low and strained.
“You’re mistaken, Baron. This business has nothing to do with Elisa’s marriage.
Don’t waste your efforts.”
“That’s what you think,” Ethan replied evenly. “
Others don’t see it that way.”
“What did you say?”
“I won’t press the matter. If you don’t want my help, so be it.”
Ethan slipped the golden button back into his pocket,
and Adolph’s gaze unconsciously followed it.
Only when it disappeared from sight did he realize how foolish that was.
“But if you ever change your mind, come find me.
I can do at least this much—for my future father-in-law.”
“Who’s your father-in-law, you insolent brat?!”
Adolph roared, leaping to his feet—
just as the carriage came to a sudden stop.
He stumbled, caught his balance, and glared as the door opened.
“Well then,” Ethan said with a smile,
“take your time to think it over. Farewell, Count.”
Beyond Ethan’s mocking grin,
Adolph saw the gates of House Leslie coming into view.
