Two weeks after Elize returned. They came back riding an old rural carriage, not even the duke’s carriage.

Their appearance, with messy hair and wrinkled clothes from the long carriage journey, gathering their belongings, was like that of defeated soldiers.

They came down with Elize and grabbed her, sobbing loudly.

“Oh my, what are we going to do now!”

“To think that His Grace was bewitched by that woman and abandoned us!”

Traces of violence remained on their faces and bodies as they vented their frustration.

These were wounds from when they were dragged out after refusing to leave the annex until the Grand Duke provided proper compensation through marriage.

Before being dragged out, they shouted for him to take responsibility and marry Elize, but after being dragged out, they seemed to realize that was impossible and demanded other compensation if he wouldn’t marry her.

Riena, who had come to see that sight, spoke to the baron couple with contempt and pity.

“I’ll give you 10 minutes.”

“10 minutes……”

“Since you keep mentioning compensation, I should give you some. I won’t care what you take from this villa for 10 minutes. Butler, time them.”

“Yes, madam.”

The Grand Duke’s butler standing next to Riena took out his pocket watch and looked at the minute hand.

At that moment, the baron couple dashed into the villa like lightning.

They grabbed everything valuable in sight indiscriminately.

The baron jumped up and down trying to take down the expensive hunting rifle hanging high on the wall, while the baroness went into the room Elize and the Grand Duke had used to retrieve Elize’s accessories.

But those were already gone, probably cleared away by the maids, so the baroness hurriedly came down with a jeweled candlestick and porcelain from the fireplace mantel in her hands.

Since they hadn’t brought bags, they stuffed things into their pockets haphazardly, and later threw dignity to the wind and gathered items in their skirts. Watching this, Riena laughed loudly as if it was extremely amusing.

“It’s been 10 minutes.”

“Good. Now drag those things out of the forest.”

Exactly 10 minutes later, the Grand Duke’s servants dragged out the baron couple.

The baron couple didn’t shout to be let go. Instead, they desperately held onto the things they had taken, afraid of dropping even one item.

The baron couple and their shabby luggage were thrown out of the forest.

It was due to Riena’s order to throw out all the filthy things from inside the villa.

Afterwards, the baron couple packed the items they had taken into bags, then barely managed to get a carriage with help and returned to the capital.

At first they thought they were fortunate to have salvaged even a bit, but as they got closer to the capital, they became furious.

The position of Grand Duchess had been right before their eyes. No, it was Elize’s position!

But that cunning woman Riena had taken what was theirs.

Not daring to curse the Grand Duke, the two enthusiastically badmouthed Riena. Then they gradually realized what a difficult situation they were in.

It’s no longer about becoming Grand Duchess. Riena will have spread all the rumors in high society.

‘Now no nobleman will try to take Elize.’

The future is the problem. If Elize can’t get married, how can they continue to live in luxury? They’ll have to sell the baron’s estate right away.

Just then, the baroness who had been crying while hugging Elize suddenly stopped crying.

“Wait, the house looks a bit different……”

The garden that had been a mess with no management was now tidy, and the peeling walls of the house were now clean.

“Come to think of it, didn’t they say there was a fire? In Elize’s room?”

Now remembering the letter Ael had sent, the baron hurriedly went inside.

The baron couple went up to Elize’s room and gaped in shock.

“How on earth did this happen?”

“I was about to tell you about that. That Ael……”

Elize explained that Ael had worked at Ash Company and used that money to repair the house.

Hearing this, the baron’s eyes widened and he called for Ael to be brought immediately. Soon after, Ael, who had been preparing food in the kitchen, came up and the baron immediately went to her.

“Aelfrida!”

Is he going to hit me as soon as he arrives? Instinctively, as Ael raised her arms to brace for the violence about to befall her.

“How admirable, my daughter!”

The baron embraced Ael’s shoulders.

“Ah!”

Surprised by the baron’s action, Ael let out a short scream and pushed him away.

The father’s embrace that she had hoped for like Elize when she was young brought no joy at all.

It just felt unpleasant, as if a strange middle-aged man had suddenly hugged her.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Suddenly, I was startled……”

Realizing what she had done in pushing away her father, Ael hurriedly apologized.

“No, it’s alright. You must have been surprised since it was so sudden.”

The baron, whom Ael thought would yell at her asking if she found him disgusting, apologized in a very gentle voice contrary to her expectations.

Ael was bewildered by his attitude. Did father suddenly hit his head? Why is he acting like this?

It wasn’t just Ael who was perplexed. Elize also found her father’s attitude ridiculous.

She thought he would grab that thing’s hair and make her kneel down to scold her like before when told she had gone out to work.

‘I thought we could correct that impudent attitude a bit.’

Even after Elize returned, Ael no longer bowed her head to her. Moreover, instead of staying obediently at home to work, she would leave in the morning and return late in the evening.

‘Is that thing trying to run away?’

That was Elize’s first thought. She must have been badly influenced among the imperial people, and she never wanted to get married before, so wouldn’t she try to run away?

There really were women who ran away like that.

So she threatened that she would report to Ash Company first if you disappeared. She thought that would make her a bit more docile. She seemed to have a lot of affection for that place.

But soon after, she said she was fired from Ash Company and shut herself in at home.

When asked about the Oltbear mansion, she replied that she was fired along with being told there was no more work at the company today so she didn’t need to come.

At first she thought it might be a lie, but looking at her expression, it seemed to be true.

Still, she thought she wouldn’t have to see that smug look anymore, but she still acted proudly.

Elize found it difficult to deal with such an Ael.

Before, she could easily mock and hit her, but now when she saw that face looking down on her, she would hesitate and avoid it.

So she hoped the baron couple would return quickly. Then Ael would return to her former state.

But her father who returned was suddenly being affectionate to that thing.

‘Why?’

While Elize was puzzled, the baron spoke to Ael again.

“Aelfrida, it must have cost quite a lot of money to repair the house, how did you manage all of that?”

As expected.

At the baron’s words, not only Ael and Elize, but even the baroness wore expressions that said ‘of course’.

“As Elize said, I went to work at Ash Company.”

“A noble lady working with foreigners, commoners at that! How disgraceful!”

The baroness made a fuss at Ael’s words, but the baron ignored her and asked again.

“Then what about the money left after the repairs? Do you have it? Surely they must have paid you well for calling in a lady of a baron’s family to work.”

“There isn’t any.”

“What?”

“I only worked in exchange for repairing the burned area. I did receive a bit more in cash, but I used it all to prepare meals for Jena, the elderly couple, and everyone. I also used it to pay their overdue wages.”

“……You really have nothing left?”

“No. You can search my room if you’d like.”

Ael spoke confidently like someone with nothing to hide.

The Imperial Bank had not started general operations. They only manage the company’s money for now.

So father couldn’t think that I would have an account there.

‘I’ll keep it hidden till the end.’

He’s the type of person who would try to take it away somehow if he knew. Isn’t that what he’s doing now?

The baron briefly considered searching Ael’s room. But he recalled that Ael had never lied to him before.

‘I beat and pressured her since she was young, so she probably can’t even think of hiding things.’

Unlike before, the way she answered with her head held high was impudent, but he didn’t intend to scold her that much since he was pleased with how much she had changed the house.

‘The caretaker will come to take this one, so she shouldn’t be injured until then.’

When the baron couple were chased out of the villa, it was the caretaker who provided a carriage.

The caretaker told the baron couple to take good care of Ael while he wrapped up the villa affairs and came up to the capital as soon as possible.

And he said he would pay the remaining 2,000 guilders after seeing Ael in the capital, so the baron couple should vacate the house that night.

‘That old bastard is so lustful……’

The baron clicked his tongue, thinking of the caretaker with eyes reddened by desire.

In Denertum, it’s natural to spend the first night together after the wedding ceremony.

But he was so aroused that he said he wanted to spend the night with Ael before taking her down to the territory.

He even asked them to vacate the house as if it were a hotel.

It was an insulting request, but the baron couldn’t get angry.

‘The only way to get a large sum of money right away is from the caretaker.’

He received 3,000 guilders and 2,000 guilders remain. If he is satisfied with Ael, wouldn’t he give a bit more in gratitude?

The baron looked at Ael again. A valuable asset worth 5,000 guilders. Maybe he could even get a bit more.

If so, it must be managed preciously.