To Those For Whom Even Regret Is A Luxury - Chapter 50

‘How come?’

Lucas’s brain was paralyzed by the incomprehensible situation.

‘How… is that in Ariana’s hands?’

The previous Duke Fedegrin had failed miserably in a series of investments.

It was a blow that would have bankrupted an ordinary noble family several times over.

Money is needed to maintain a large noble family.

The Fedegrin family’s ability to avoid bankruptcy and maintain their status and territory was not simply due to reputation and connections.

The previous duke had been using a simple and effective method.

He decided to manipulate the taxes collected from the territory.

He drove out the tenant farmers and filled their places with foreign slaves.

Although it was technically illegal to use slaves in the empire, laws were quietly broken in remote areas far from the system.

And the agricultural products and textiles produced by these slaves were not recorded in the books.

The Fedegrin family had such a long history that they had maintained close ties with the local inspectors.

And the inspectors secretly reported only to the Fedegrin family about the value created from the slaves, receiving a satisfactory commission in return.

Thanks to this reduction in the scale of the harvest, the Fedegrin ducal family was able to reduce a considerable amount of taxes.

But that was a secret known only to the previous Duke Fedegrin, the duchess, and Lucas.

No one but the master and mistress of the Fedegrin family could have known.

“You… what have you done?”

“Is that important?”

Ariana tilted her head slightly.

“Rather than how I found out about this, you should be racking your brains about more urgent matters. For example, how to beg for forgiveness from His Majesty the Emperor, who is furious about the large-scale tax evasion that has been going on for two generations.”

“I asked how you found out!”

“It seems you don’t even have the mental capacity to make excuses.”

“Ariana!”

At the sudden shout, Ariana smiled faintly.

Caught off guard, only instinctive aggression remained.

Seeing that beastly appearance, laughter flowed out without her realizing it.

“How could you provide proper support if you can’t even do such simple calculations?”

“I apologize, Madam. I calculated as you said, but you didn’t give me any hint about the commission part…”

“Hey! So you’re saying it’s my fault?! If you had a brain and any sense, you should have figured it out yourself! Tsk… It’s a problem that you’re not quick-witted, but this is even worse. Just taking after your mother’s bloodline, I wonder if you’ll turn out to be slow-witted and stupid.”

The reason the Duchess Fedegrin entrusted the management of the secret ledger to Ariana was not because she trusted her. It was because she saw her as a shell without any will and disregarded her.

No matter how much she thought about it, she hadn’t died on the day she was hit by Edward’s car.

At some point, her sense of self had already died.

“How could I have been so stupid?”

Ariana let out a self-deprecating laugh, and Lucas flared up.

“It’s not that I’m stupid, it’s that you’ve done something wicked!”

“…”

“You had someone search my house. Right? Do you think you’ll get away with doing something like this?”

“It won’t do you any good to provoke me like this.”

Ariana tilted her head lightly.

“I haven’t completely blown up everything I have in my hands yet.”

“…What you have in your hands?”

“Do you know that the Duchess Fedegrin has been dealing with private loans?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Lucas frowned deeply.

The Duchess Fedegrin was in charge of all the household affairs of the ducal family.

Lucas didn’t know exactly about the family finances, but he had no doubt that his mother was wisely managing the household.

“Are you now trying to insult my mother as well!”

“Oh my, you didn’t know at all. This must be even more shocking for you.”

Ariana said with a bright smile.

“The duchess has recently been dealing with private loans. Did you know that last social season’s fashion was Lafine silk and pink sapphires, and this season’s trend is white ermine fur? It seems the family finances have become quite poor due to the successive trends of excessively expensive items.”

“That’s impossible.”

Lucas shook his head with a hollow laugh.

The mother he knew was someone who had dedicated her life since her youth to support the declining ducal family.

Moreover, as the refined mistress of a ducal family, she had wisdom and exceptional insight. Such a mother would not put a strain on the family finances to the extent of resorting to private loans just because of fashion trends.

He did recall the particularly white fur gleaming on the body of the duchess whom he had escorted to the ball a couple of months ago.

It was true that he had wondered how his mother had managed to acquire such a luxury item when most of the available cash had been poured into the Lopez House.

But he didn’t question it. Could the duchess of the prestigious Fedegrin family not freely wear a mere fur?

‘Anyway, if the Lopez House succeeds consecutively at the St. Verdicto Festival and the Founding Day, the investment will be returned many times over soon, so it doesn’t matter.’

Such calculations were also in his mind.

The very person who had destroyed that Lopez House was now brazenly chattering away with an unwavering face.

“Of course, the wise duchess did choose a company with a lower interest rate among them. But oh dear.”

A fresh smile played on Ariana’s lips.

“It seems she didn’t know that the company she chose was actually a money line for the Dawn Faction.”

“…What?”

The color drained from Lucas’s face.

Why was the name of the Dawn Faction coming up here?

The Dawn Faction was a group that advocated for the succession of the former crown prince, the current emperor’s elder brother, who had been deposed due to his cruel nature and was now imprisoned in the western tower.

In other words, it was a rebel group.

“That’s nonsense!”

Lucas shouted, his neck veins bulging.

“There’s no way Mother would have been involved with such people!”

The prestige held by the Fedegrin ducal family came from their history as a founding contributor family.

For such a family to be involved with rebel group money.

Originally, it might have been possible to somehow smooth things over by claiming it was an unknowing mistake, but…

Would that be possible now that the existence of the secret ledger had been exposed?

Lucas felt cold sweat breaking out on his back.

“I don’t believe it.”

Yes. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t believe it.

How could a woman who couldn’t do anything but fiddle with musical notes know about the existence of the secret ledger, and even know about the duchess’s circumstances that even he didn’t know about?

Lucas gritted his teeth and muttered.

“You must be trying to deceive me with malicious words. Do you think I’ll fall for such tricks?”

“Whether you believe it or not is your freedom, Duke. From my position, it’s actually better if you don’t believe. Because then…”

Ariana closed her eyes and smiled sweetly.

“You’ll despair even more when you realize you can no longer deny it.”

Lucas was at a loss for words for a moment.

In the clean smile and sparkling eyes, blatant and intense malice was overflowing.

“Ariana. You… you’ve changed too much.”

The Ariana he knew, even if she had noticed the affair with Elena, would have come to Lucas first.

With those kind and innocent eyes, she would have asked for an explanation from Lucas, the person involved.

This woman who set such a chilling trap and made a fool of people was someone he didn’t know at all.

“…Is it that guy?”

Lucas muttered dejectedly.

He couldn’t believe that Ariana had done all this by herself.

“Did that guy tell you to do this?”

Ariana let out a chuckle.

Even at this point, Lucas still wouldn’t fully acknowledge her. His consistency was remarkable.

“Do you like that guy so much? Huh?”

After repeatedly bringing up Dante, Lucas growled with glistening eyes, as if fixated on it.

“Dante Heigenberg, I noticed you before that guy did.”

A passionate voice poured out towards Ariana.

“It was I who noticed and discovered you when you were stuck in a corner, unable to even play the piano because you were so conscious of your brother. If it weren’t for my discerning eye, you and your family would still be struggling to get by!”

“…”

“I! I was the first to notice you and love you. I’m better than that guy-”

“Love?”

At the cold voice, Lucas stiffened.

“No. What you gave me was a fruit so rotten that its flesh was all bruised. It might have looked appetizing…”

“But it was so disgusting that I couldn’t bear to swallow it without immediately vomiting it out.”

The corners of her rosy lips curled up, forming a sinister curve.

Lucas was momentarily captivated, and in that moment, Ariana turned around and started walking away.

“Ariana! Damn it, Ariana!”

Belatedly, Lucas pounded on the bars, but Ariana disappeared without stopping.

“Damn it, damn it all!”

Left alone in the prison, Lucas kicked the innocent bars in frustration.

He slumped down on the floor. His confused mind wouldn’t settle down.

‘Just who is that woman?’

The gentle voice that had wrapped around his ears. The relaxed gestures. Even the mocking smile that had seemed sinister.

Recalling Ariana’s last smile, Lucas swallowed hard.

Ariana had become a woman he didn’t know at all.

Unbelievably insolent, and also… so captivating that he couldn’t shake her from his mind.