After the Countess of Tolomiès left, Leopold returned alone to the lounge.

He quietly uncorked the cognac bottle.

The tension had eased, the ball was almost over, and the people he needed to attend to had already left. It was the perfect time to drink some strong liquor.

Leopold gently poured the alcohol into a glass.

After hearing the information Elisabeth had tipped him off to, Leopold became eager to somehow acquire the Nancy mines.

So he invited Madam Louise to the city. Her financial cooperation was absolutely necessary to obtain the mining rights.

That’s why he called her in, even though he knew Elisabeth would be upset.

Of course, Elisabeth said it was fine, not to worry, but.

Was it really alright?

Until now, she had to helplessly watch her husband’s mistress staying in the annex. She could make that woman miserable outside the house, but couldn’t drive her out of the home.

She had to keep enduring until her ‘mother-in-law’ stepped in.

That was the limit of what she could do from the position of a ‘virtuous countess’.

She said she would gladly endure and wait for a greater revenge, but.

Really, could she endure it?

Leopold took a sip of the cognac in his glass.

In fact, he didn’t need to worry about how Madam Elisabeth was faring in the household.

She and he were merely bound by a transaction.

A relationship where he couldn’t even carelessly kiss the back of her ungloved hand. A connection formed by chance due to aligning interests. That was about her place in his world.

So he shouldn’t have cared how she was treated in the household.

But, it wasn’t alright.

She must have already been deeply hurt by her husband.

He worried if his actions had hurt her more, if it was okay to act solely for his own benefit without considering her feelings.

‘Am I even in a position to worry about such things?’

Leopold quietly sank into contemplation.

***

Returning to my lodgings, I changed into comfortable clothes and flopped down on the bed. I needed to remove my makeup and wash up right away, but I was too tired.

I hadn’t expected much, but the time at the ball was more enjoyable than I thought.

I saw Julia get scolded by her father, made a decent impression in high society, and eased some of the knots in my heart while talking with Leopold.

I exhaled comfortably for once.

Just then, a maid came in and carefully spoke.

“My lady, there’s a message from the Count.”

“What message?”

“He says the ball must be over, so please depart tomorrow if possible.”

I frowned as I got up.

It took a good five days by carriage from where I was now to my hometown.

It was now dawn, not far from sunrise. I hadn’t slept a wink all night attending the ball. I needed rest before a long journey.

“Can’t I leave the day after tomorrow? I haven’t packed yet, and I want to rest a bit…”

The maid looked troubled at my words.

“The Count sternly said to return immediately, saying the mansion management isn’t being done properly while you’re away. Madam Louise sent the same message too.”

If even my mother-in-law said so, there was no way to refuse. Managing the mansion was a duty I had to fulfill as the ‘Countess of Tolomiès’.

Moreover, Felix chose to send a verbal message through a messenger instead of writing me a letter. Because he knew I couldn’t refuse his will anyway.

I heaved a deep sigh.

“I understand.”

I had forgotten for a moment.

That no matter how much I complained, there was no one in the household who would consider my circumstances.

There was no time to lie around leisurely. I had to quickly wash up, pack in advance, and get as much sleep as possible before the carriage was ready.

I got up from the bed and headed to the dressing table.

Before removing my makeup, I looked out the window for a moment.

Suddenly, I recalled the Duke of Lenoir asking kindly.

‘You didn’t hear any harsh words from that person?’

The promise he made playfully echoed in my ears.

‘I will definitely protect your position.’

I silently gazed at the faintly brightening eastern sky.

For some reason, I started to miss him a little.

For quite a while, it seemed.

Ch3. The Hunting Gathering

After returning home following the royal ball, I quietly managed the mansion.

Julia Florence became confined at home, unable to go anywhere.

Unable to even exchange letters with his lover, let alone meet her, Felix became dejected as if he had lost the joy in life.

I refrained from meeting Leopold directly for a while.

Instead, I regularly contacted Leopold through the problem solver’s office. When exchanging letters, I was extremely cautious, always going through the hands of trustworthy people.

Meanwhile, time passed, and the final bidding date for the mining rights auction approached.

Now we really had to finalize the investment amount and complete the bid.

Leopold shared every little piece of information with me.

「…This is the amount the House of Lenoir will bid. The large number at the top is the total sum, the small number right below is the amount from the Duke’s assets, and the number at the bottom is the amount invested through Madam Louise’s arrangement.」

I carefully examined the letter from Leopold. The amount contributed through Madam Louise’s help was larger than I expected.

‘It’s really fortunate that woman didn’t side with Felix.’

Madam Louise had been against participating in the auction from the beginning.

She valued long-term relationships with high-ranking individuals more than immediate financial gains. She didn’t harbor much animosity towards the nobles of Lorraine either.

She probably thought like this:

There’s not much to gain by acquiring the Nancy mines, so rather than competing for that, it’s better to generously concede and put the Duke of Lenoir in our debt.

Of course, she had no idea that what was buried in those mines was something far more precious than silver.

I quickly wrote a reply.

「There is still no change in the amount the House of Tolomiès has decided to bid. However, I think it would be best to delay the bid until the deadline, just in case. We never know what whims my husband might have.」

After finishing the letter, I called for Marie.

“Deliver this well. Make sure Madam Louise doesn’t find out.”

“Don’t worry.”

These days, Marie was simultaneously acting as my maid, spy, and mail courier.

Although most of the mansion’s maids were on my side, there were few people I could trust enough to entrust with such tasks, so I had no choice.

“Has Felix not returned yet?”

“No. He didn’t say when he would be back either.”

I clicked my tongue.

Recently, Felix had been going out frequently without revealing his destination or expected return time. He was clearly running around trying to find a way to meet Julia somehow.

“Marie, give some extra money to the coachman and find out which direction Felix is heading. Ask the people at the problem solver’s office too. Tell them to report to me immediately if they find out anything.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Marie answered dependably.

I nodded and leaned my head back against the chair. Thinking about too many things at once was giving me a headache.

I had to endure. I could endure this much.

***

The Countess of Tolomiès wasn’t the only one with a headache as the final bidding date approached.

Baron Florence, who didn’t even bid in this auction, also felt like his head was about to explode due to an unexpected unpleasant incident.

However, his headache stemmed from purely personal emotional issues.

“I didn’t expect the Count himself to visit this humble place.”

The Baron muttered sarcastically as he stared at the guest before him.

After the incident at the royal ball, Baron Florence left the capital and came down to Montrevy, where the Duke of Lenoir lived, to clean up the mess his daughter had made and wrap up his business.

He was angry at his daughter, but also at the Count of Tolomiès.

It seemed insane to him that a married man would take someone else’s precious daughter home with him.

He couldn’t confront him directly due to his high status, but he wanted to avoid meeting him if possible.

Yet today, that Count of Tolomiès came to see him.

Baron Florence tried to maintain his composure by wetting his throat with tea. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his expression from contorting.

Felix spoke in a gentle voice.

“Humble? It’s an honor to be able to visit the Baron’s villa.”

In truth, this meeting wasn’t pleasant for Felix either. It was the first time in his life he had to lower himself this much.

In his mind, there was an enormous status difference between himself and Baron Florence. In any other situation, he wouldn’t have shared a table with a mere low-ranking noble like this.

But today, he was in a position where he had to plead with that very low-ranking noble.