The servants scattered hastily without even making excuses.

“Wilhelm!”

Edward growled irritably.

“Fire all of them as of today.”

“My lord. If they are dismissed without a grace period, for the servants, their livelihood…”

“Not my problem! If they don’t like it, they can volunteer for free!”

He had no salary to give to such useless servants when cash was already scarce.

“Fire them immediately!”

Wilhelm closed his mouth.

If the servants were fired, it was obvious where they would run to. They would try to make some cash by tipping off all sorts of newspapers.

In the past, he would have dissuaded Edward out of concern for the Lopez family’s honor.

But Wilhelm just nodded with a hardened face.

“Yes, I understand.”

Wilhelm, with a hardened face, held out what he had brought.

“This is a collection notice that arrived today from the Imperial Bank.”

“Damn it!”

Edward’s face scrunched up as if he had seen a demon.

If you default on Imperial Bank debt, your credit is ruined in an instant. However, there was no money to repay the refunds.

The ten million cardina that had flowed in like a dream as tickets sold out the day before had melted away as quickly as snow on a midsummer’s day.

‘I didn’t even spend that much… Damn it!’

All he did was get a new suit tailored for appearance’s sake, and throw a few jewels at Elena because she was so annoyingly persistent.

Ah, he did invest a considerable amount in a company that looked promising, since just holding onto cash was a loss.

He also tried to increase his principal through card games.

Edward truly did his best to handle the refunds.

‘Should I withdraw the money invested in the trading company? But that’s like killing the goose that lays golden eggs…’

Withdrawing the investment could put out the urgent fire to some extent.

But it wouldn’t be enough to pay off all the debt, and it seemed too stupid to withdraw an investment that was sure to bring profit.

‘At times like this, I desperately need the Duke’s help…’

If Lucas had been alright, he would have quickly paid off this mere ten million cardina.

In aristocratic society, connections are money. As a prestigious high noble, Lucas was seen as an endless source of money for Edward.

But Elena had burned that money source completely.

Thoroughly, without a trace.

“To think that the Duke has been stripped of his title. Damn it, what a terrible nightmare this is!”

Still unable to believe it, Edward clenched his fist.

The news that Lucas had been accused of treason and stripped of his duke title was nothing short of a disaster for Edward.

It seemed like a lie that there was once a time when he was filled with joy at the prospect of forming a marital alliance with the Fedegrin ducal family.

Edward gritted his teeth and searched for the root cause of this incident.

“Elena! Where is that girl?”

“She stayed out overnight yesterday.”

“Damn it! She’s decided to go completely wild now! Is the image of a slut popular these days?!”

He had heard that Elena was recently in an intimate relationship with one of her fans, Adolf.

Adolf was rich, so he wasn’t a bad match. He was also a kind of comrade who invested in the same trading company.

However, it was unacceptable for Elena to fool around with another man while still unmarried.

“Bring her to me as soon as she returns home. Understood?”

‘If this Adolf fellow is truly smitten with Elena, I should make him provide some funds.’

Edward tapped his calculator, thinking of the Schmitt viscounty’s wealth.

“…Yes, my lord.”

“Damn it…”

Edward, having downed a whole bottle of alcohol, collapsed weakly onto the sofa.

Earlier today, he had also visited the nursing home where his father, the previous Count Lopez, was hospitalized.

Wondering if there might be any secret family funds.

‘Of course, there’s no way such a thing exists.’

After his maternal grandfather died and inherited the family, his father who lived obsessed with alcohol and women wouldn’t have left such a thing behind.

Of course, even if it did exist, there was nothing he could get out of the previous count who was still in a comatose state.

‘Why do these things only happen to me?’

One sister committed a cruel betrayal, the other stupidly cut off her lifeline, and he even lost at card gambling.

Edward couldn’t understand why such misfortunes were befalling only him.

“Damn it. Damn it all…”

Edward kept drinking straight from the bottle.

The burning liquor went down his throat, scorching his esophagus. But Edward couldn’t even feel the pain.

Even if he could repay the debt with Adolf’s help, that wasn’t really the main problem.

The real problem was that with the failure of the last performance, what little remained of their reputation as a “musical noble house” had been completely shattered.

Edward gritted his teeth.

He had tried to revive the family’s old reputation as a “musical noble house.”

Then he too could have been revered as a refined artist like his grandfather, who was famous as a musical master.

‘The Founding Festival, which was to be the stepping stone, was right around the corner…’

The Founding Festival.

If he had succeeded there, a dream stage for artists, the Lopez House would have been reborn as the empire’s top opera house.

But there was no way someone with debt to the Imperial Bank could qualify to perform at the Founding Festival.

“I’ll take back much more in the future, so be prepared.”

At the sudden recollection of Ariana’s voice, Edward involuntarily gritted his teeth.

What more could she take from here?

She truly was a cruel girl.

The most frustrating thing was that he hadn’t recognized such an evil and chilling nature while living under the same roof all this time.

“My lord. There is a visitor.”

At Wilhelm’s voice, Edward clenched his teeth.

It was obviously a debt collector. He didn’t want to see them.

“Tell them I’m not here.”

“Uh, my lord. It doesn’t seem to be someone from the bank.”

“What?”

“They said they wanted to invest in you, my lord.”

“…What did you say?”

Edward’s eyes widened.

A moment later, a guest entered the reception room of the Lopez mansion for the first time in a long while.

The man, neatly dressed in a navy suit, immediately broke into a bright smile upon seeing Edward.

“Hello, Count Lopez.”

“…Who are you?”

Neat attire, handsome face, smooth smile.

Everything about him was so plausible that it gave a strange sense of discomfort.

However, the suspicion that arose in his mind disappeared a moment later as if washed away.

“I’ve always admired your talent, so it’s truly an honor to meet you like this. In fact, I’ve had my eye on you since you were studying at the Ende Royal Academy.”

“…Since the academy days, you say?”

Edward’s eyes widened.

During his academy days, Edward was not a standout student. Rather, he was quite the opposite.

“They say he’s the grandson of that ‘musical master’.”

The curious and expectant gazes would disappear like mirages whenever they saw Edward perform.

“What’s this? It’s boring and monotonous. Just a copy of the textbook, nothing more.”

“Hey, that’s a compliment. He even applied the harmonies we learned recently incorrectly, you know.”

Chasing away the old memories, Edward asked.

“Is that true?”

“Of course. I thought it was a talent that would surely bloom brilliantly in the future… but recently I’ve been hearing unfortunate news.”

The man’s eyes showed concern.

“Thinking it would be a shame for such a person to fall like this, I came to visit. What do you think, Count? How about accepting the help I’m offering?”

“Help, you say?”

“The debt you owe to the Imperial Bank, I’ll repay it in full for you.”

“…!”

Looking at Edward’s widened eyes, the man smiled gently.

“Of course, since I’m providing you with a large sum immediately, the interest is a bit high, but…”

“How much…”

“Instead, I’d like to guarantee you a good opportunity so that you can repay safely.”

The man lowered his voice as if telling a secret.

‘That’s not an answer to my question.’

Edward had asked about the interest, but the man was saying something completely different.

However, the next moment, Edward forgot everything and became immersed in the man’s story.

“Let me use my influence to get your performance on stage at the upcoming Founding Festival.”

“The Founding Festival… you say?”

“Yes. Isn’t it the dream stage for artists? If you can stand out there, only a smooth road will unfold in your artistic life afterwards. Of course.”

The man smiled brightly.

“With your talent, you’ll surely stand out there too.”

Thump.

At that moment, Edward heard a welcome hallucination.

It was the sound of hope’s ember being rekindled.