Riona Klaus, the Grand Duchess of the Klaus ducal family, was having a meal.
Yuri, still with bandages around her calves, nimbly rearranged the food to Riona’s taste while serving her meal.
“Are you doing well with the task I assigned you?”
“Of course, Grand Duchess.”
Yuri nodded with a dark expression as she answered.
In truth, her condition was not good at all.
The place where she had fallen down the stairs still ached, and the calf that had been hit with a cane was scarred.
That damned Esika had threatened to cut off the jewels she was bringing from her family.
With everything going badly, Yuri was even more anxious.
‘There’s no other way but to do this job properly.’
Clatter— At the sound of dishes colliding, Riona frowned.
“Yuri?”
Yuri, who had been lost in thought for a moment, hurriedly bowed her head and set the dishes right.
And then it happened.
Bang—
The door opened noisily, and with thudding footsteps, Callian Klaus entered.
Riona elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin, and Yuri, after staring blankly at him for a moment, belatedly flinched and stepped back.
Callian’s eyebrows were set, and his face was somewhat pale.
Riona, unconcerned, smiled brightly and asked.
“I heard you had something to do even if it meant skipping dinner, but it seems you’ve finished your work, Duke.”
“Mother. There is something I cannot understand.”
Callian’s low voice was filled with thick bewilderment.
His purple eyes trembled as he looked at Riona.
“Whatever it is, please sit down, Duke.”
Riona spoke gently, trying to calm her son who seemed surprised or angry about something, and signaled to Yuri.
Yuri pulled out Callian’s chair and looked at him, but he sat down without even making eye contact with her.
Splash—
Callian’s eyebrows twitched again at the sight of Riona pouring water into her empty glass.
Mother, his only mother, looked at him with warm eyes.
“Did something unpleasant happen?”
“I’ve been reviewing the budget list for Esika.”
“…Ah.”
The corners of Riona’s lips twitched slightly before gradually returning to their place.
“Why were you suddenly curious about that?”
“It is my duty as the head of the Klaus family to ensure that the family budget is being used appropriately.”
“Oh, Callian. How attentive of you.”
Riona praised in response to her son’s stern words.
“But there was something I couldn’t understand. Mother, you clearly said that Esika’s extravagance was so severe that it was straining the family’s finances…”
Callian asked Riona with a cold gaze.
“The ducal budget used for her in the three years since she married amounts to only 20,000 ling.”
The annual salary of a maid in the ducal household is about 5,000 ling, and with experience, they can earn two or three times that.
A dress suitable for a noblewoman costs 20,000 ling for a cheap one, and if it’s a bit more lavish, 50,000 ling.
The dress Riona is wearing now would be worth more than 50,000 ling.
But for the Duchess to have spent an amount that doesn’t even equal one shabby dress in three years…
It was an absurd record that didn’t match the word ‘extravagance’ at all.
Riona’s eyes trembled as she looked at Callian.
“…So, Duke, have you come to accuse this mother of lying?”
The dining atmosphere froze in an instant.
“I’m not here to accuse Mother, but to know the truth.”
“The truth…”
Riona drank water from her glass with a cold gaze.
Then, letting out a small sigh, she continued.
“Esika grew up as the daughter of the Brigitte family, who bought their title with money, and didn’t receive the education that traditional noble children like Callian did. She was more interested in what she could enjoy than in her duties as a Duchess.”
“…”
“To become a person of the Klaus ducal family, she needed to remove Brigitte’s vanity. So I thought I needed to be stricter with that child, and I was afraid that my soft-hearted son wouldn’t understand his mother’s deep intentions.”
Callian’s hand twitched at Riona’s words.
“So you’re saying you lied to me.”
“Callian.”
Riona spoke to him with a look of exasperation.
“Who do you think put Callian in the position of Duke?”
Callian’s purple eyes trembled faintly.
Riona seemed to be reproaching herself instead.
As if hurt that her son, who always trusted her implicitly, had shown a look of doubt.
“This mother has lived thinking only of Callian’s well-being. I’ve accomplished that… and the issue with Esika is the same.”
“Still, you shouldn’t have told me such a lie.”
Callian spoke firmly and clearly.
He had thought Esika was truly brazen when he saw her looking at him in a maid’s uniform.
Also, although she had been wearing the same red dress for some time, the reason he never imagined such a thing could happen was because of his mother’s words.
The Esika Klaus in his mind was just a woman who was ‘so extravagant that she could endanger the ducal finances’, as his mother had said.
However, when he realized there was a truth he didn’t know, he felt ashamed.
And he felt a sense of defeat towards Esika Klaus.
Esika would not bow before him. Because she hadn’t really been extravagant after all.
“…I understand, Duke. At that time, it was a white lie for your sake, but if you were hurt by it in the end, that too must have been my misjudgment.”
“…”
“But you must know that everything I do is for your sake, Duke.”
Riona’s voice sounded sorrowful.
When Riona had this look in her eyes, Callian’s heart ached.
Sympathy for his mother, who sacrificed her entire life for him, filled his chest with a stifling sensation.
“And… I heard that you reassigned Esika’s room.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Callian’s hand twitched.
Esika’s room change had also occurred after the conflict with his mother.
But… he hadn’t known she was staying in such a shabby room.
No matter what mistake she had made, it was too small and secluded for a noble lady to reside in.
So he had unilaterally ordered the room to be changed without consulting Riona.
She might be displeased about it.
After a moment, Riona’s voice was heard.
“You did well.”
At this unexpected praise, Callian’s eyebrows twitched.
Yuri, listening from behind, clenched her fist tightly.
“I was thinking of suggesting a room change anyway, as Esika seemed to be reflecting enough. This mother has always felt uneasy about it.”
Riona said with a bright smile on her face.
“Now that the Duke is taking an interest in household matters as well, it seems our Klaus family will only become more harmonious.”
Callian stared blankly at Riona for a moment and thought.
‘Yes… Mother wouldn’t have deliberately tried to torment Esika.’
And he calmly replied.
“Yes. I too desire peace for Klaus. But I would like you to promise me one thing.”
Riona’s eyes flickered for a moment.
Callian was not one to object. Especially regarding internal family matters.
“From now on, when you make decisions about Esika, please consult with me as well.”
Riona’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Callian’s expression was serious, and his deep eyes were urging for an answer.
With her smile fading, Riona shifted her gaze downward and replied.
“…I shall do so, Duke.”
**
The Brigitte family was nobility in the Frihatz region, located south of Tureshan’s capital, Torres.
Bordering the sea, the area was always bustling with merchant ships and traders, and as it became more vibrant, so did the Brigitte mansion.
Having helped revitalize the empire’s economy through trade restrictions during the war, Brigitte received a baron title from the emperor, and now, no longer just a jeweler’s family, they were flourishing the region as a merchant noble family.
Gossips said that the treasures in Baron Brigitte’s warehouse could buy out the small noble families in the capital as easily as filling a shopping basket.
“Esika… has sent a letter.”
Shupert Brigitte, the eldest son of the Brigitte baronial family, was in charge of all the trading company’s authority on behalf of his elderly father.
His appearance was exceptionally handsome, with beautiful silver hair and blue eyes.
Three years ago, his only younger sister Esika had married into the prestigious Klaus ducal family in the capital Torres, and although they had sent her off with a hefty dowry, there had been no news from her.
It was said that the etiquette of the ducal family was so strict that even close visits from her own brother could be seen as a flaw.
Although he sent jewels every month through Esika’s childhood friend Yuri… he couldn’t help but worry.
Rip—
Shupert opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.
It was filled with neat, pressed handwriting, unlike Esika, yet unmistakably hers.
[To my dear elder brother Shupert,It must be the season when unripe velvet grapes are arriving at Frihatz harbor. I miss the tangy scent and the sea fireworks we used to watch together.
Today, I’m writing to you with a few requests.]
Shupert’s eyebrows moved at the word ‘requests.’
Two years ago, when he had met her and asked if she needed anything, Esika had just shaken her head weakly.
That child, who had always been bright and cheerful, looked as if her soul had died.
Although worried, he had to turn away reluctantly at her look that begged him not to ask further.
[Please stop sending me jewels from now on. If someone with handwriting different from mine requests jewels or says that I asked for them, it’s all lies, so please report that person to the authorities.]Shupert turned to the next page with a hardened expression.
[And this might be a difficult request, but I hope you could receive my share of the inheritance from Father in advance. Please use that inheritance to purchase the land marked on the enclosed map.]A map was enclosed, with a red circle drawn on the wasteland in the Elmur region west of the capital.
“This place is…?”
Shupert’s eyebrows twitched.
As the territory expanded due to the conquest war, the emperor wanted to establish new hub cities in each region, and Elmur was one of the candidates for a hub city in the west.
Of course, a region called ‘Tzuchen’ had a higher possibility than Elmur, as it had good accessibility with its multiple waterways.
The Klaus ducal family was also known to have invested in Tzuchen.
However, Elmur, which Esika had circled, is not as attractive to investors compared to Tzuchen due to its poor environment.
“Why would Esika choose Elmur…”
The last line was written like this:
[Please, I beg you, elder brother.]My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
