WBSML 10

Chapter 10

“You really have been too kind. I sometimes think that you, Marquis Hagen, are truly the greatest blessing that ever came to Valour.”

“Haha, I feel the same way. Valour is my blessing, too.”

“Unfortunately, it seems I won’t be able to participate this time.”

Eliza rolled her eyes slightly as she assessed the situation.

Count Valour was unusually showing his disappointment.

“For an investment of this scale, it is customary for me to affix my seal personally. However, I am scheduled to be away from the capital on that date.”

“I see. What a shame. It’s such a good opportunity…”

“I will!”

After thinking for a moment, Eliza set down her teacup with a distinct clink.

Count Valour’s brows furrowed at the sound.

Eliza boldly raised her hand in front of him.

“I’ll go. It’s a good opportunity, after all.”

This investment was bound to fail.

If it did, Valour’s wealth would decrease.

And that was precisely what Eliza was aiming for.

The losses of Valour were none of her concern. After all, it was wealth she would never inherit anyway.

But what if she could gain wealth precisely because Valour suffered a loss?

There’s a secret hidden in the Saxen Pebbles. A secret only I know.

Eliza smiled as brightly as she could.

Count Valour looked her over with clear displeasure before asking,

“You?”

“If you’re a direct member of the family, you can sign as a representative, can’t you? Marquis Hagen went to the trouble of making such a good proposal, and I would hate to let the opportunity go to waste.”

After deciding to run away, Eliza’s biggest obstacle had been the lack of sufficient funds.

She had even considered entering a convent, almost out of desperation, but an unexpected opportunity had appeared.

A way to secure not only enough money to escape, but also financial independence—and, as an added bonus, strike Valour right in the back.

The Saxen mine made it possible.

Eliza agreed to act as the representative for the contract concerning the Saxen mine.

After saying her farewells and leaving the room, she was followed out by Count Valour, who excused himself from Marquis Hagen for a moment.

“Eliza Valour.”

“Yes, Father.”

The two stood facing each other in the hallway.

Count Valour looked Eliza up and down with displeasure before clicking his tongue.

What did she do to make Marquis Hagen have no intention of taking her as a daughter-in-law?

Considering how close she had been to the young master of Hagen, and given all the rumors circulating in high society, they could easily have been married by now.

It was a shame that there was still no news of a wedding.

“Always conduct yourself properly. Especially when it comes to this matter, be cautious.”

“Of course.”

“And… has the young master of Hagen still said nothing?”

“…No. That’s right.”

Ever since their engagement, Marquis Hagen had never once rushed to arrange the marriage.

Eliza had been relieved by that, though she had never understood why.

Now she thought she finally knew.

The engagement was only necessary to keep me tied down. He never intended to actually take me as his daughter-in-law.

Eliza suddenly realized something else.

The price of dark magic was absurdly disproportionate.

For example, to curse someone you wished to target, you might need the lives of ten people in exchange for a single drop of that person’s blood.

Yet for a room like the one she had seen to have been prepared to such an extent, it couldn’t have been something arranged over merely a few years.

They must have been dabbling in dark magic since she was a child.

When exactly did Marquis Hagen begin targeting me? And when did he intend to sacrifice me?

Eliza bit her lip briefly.

Then, when Count Valour turned his back, she hurriedly raised her head.

“Wait, Father.”

“Do you need something?”

“I have something to say regarding the engagement.”

Count Valour, who had been about to return to the room, gave her a subtle look.

“Did the young master of Hagen tell you something?”

“Not exactly… Recently, there’s someone new I’ve been seeing.”

“Eliza Valour!”

A thunderous roar erupted from Count Valour.

Eliza’s shoulders flinched, but she quickly regained her composure.

“Perhaps we should discuss it inside—”

“How have you been conducting yourself?! Do you realize how long you’ve been engaged—”

“What if that person is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”

Eliza didn’t raise her voice.

And yet, those three words—the Crown Prince—landed clearly in Count Valour’s ears.

“…You?”

The Count’s eyes widened as he examined Eliza from head to toe.

She had a passable face, one inherited from her mother.

But had she really managed to captivate the Crown Prince, who was known to have no interest in women, with that alone?

He still couldn’t believe it.

But the enormous possibility was enough to calm his anger.

“I’ll call you soon. Wait in your room.”

Count Valour returned to the drawing room for the time being.

Eliza gave him a light bow and, inwardly, apologized to the Crown Prince, whom she was about to use.

Eliza was waiting in her room to be summoned when it happened.

Amidst an unexpected commotion, the door flew open.

“It was you, wasn’t it?! You did it!”

Eliza stared expressionlessly at her younger brother, Hellreos, who had barged into her room.

What is it this time?

His oddly proportioned face looked particularly stupid whenever he was angry like this.

“You should maintain some dignity, Hellreos Valour.”

“Hey! I found something like this in my room!”

Hellreos strode toward her, his face flushed red with anger.

He was huffing and puffing as he pulled something out of his pocket.

It looked like a long, thin white thread.

It was a strand of hair.

“What about it?”

“My bluebird disappeared! And this is your hair! It was you, wasn’t it? You did it!”

“Hellreos. You asked me to do your arithmetic assignment for you, remember? I only went into your room because of that.”

“Oh, right! You haven’t done it yet!”

“It was too easy. Surely you aren’t incapable of doing even that, are you? Our heir to the Valour family?”

“That’s…!”

Hellreos opened his mouth and rolled his eyes around.

Eliza continued watching him with an utterly composed expression.

Hiding her contempt for her younger brother beneath her slightly sharp features, she spoke in an even tone.

“That was a textbook I used when I was thirteen.”

“I-I know! I just asked you because I didn’t have time to do it myself!”

The corners of Eliza’s lips rose smoothly.

Hellreos Valour was sixteen years old, but everyone knew he was so foolish that he had failed even the academy entrance examination and had needed money to buy his way in.

“And now you’re laughing at me?!”

Despite being exactly that foolish, Hellreos still refused to abandon his arrogant attitude.

There was an obvious reason he could treat Eliza this way.

No matter how brilliant Eliza was, everyone in the family doted exclusively on Hellreos.

“Apologize! I said apologize!”

Hellreos continued screaming obnoxiously before suddenly noticing the snow globe sitting on the bedside table near the window.

He hurried over and picked it up.

Eliza quickly reached out, but it was already too late.

A sharp shattering sound pierced the room.

The snow globe had been thrown onto the floor, losing its shape as it shattered into countless pieces.

“Ah…”

Eliza’s brows drew together slightly.

Seeing her discomfort, Hellreos finally felt a little better.

“What did you just do?”

“Hmph. What’s the big deal about a stupid snow globe? They said one of my bluebirds is worth as much as gold!”

“Hellreos Valour. You’re sixteen years old, and you’re throwing a tantrum over something like this?”

Eliza rose and walked toward the window.

Looking at the shards of glass that had once formed the snow globe, a chill entered her voice.

Hellreos, meanwhile, was simply pleased that he had managed to upset her.

“What are you going to do about my bluebird? Do you know how expensive it was?!”

“Do you even know what that thing was?”

“So what if that stupid snow globe was expensive?!”

Apparently, this boy thought the value of something existed only in its price.

Unable to hide her exasperation, Eliza sighed.

“Yes, you’re right. It wasn’t particularly valuable. But it was something I cherished.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Unlike that bird you kept locked up in your room without even giving it a name, I actually cared about that.”

Hellreos frowned as though he couldn’t even understand what she meant.

Of course, compared to all the expensive things scattered throughout this mansion, the snow globe wasn’t particularly valuable…

“Happy birthday, Eliza Valour.”

That was the first—and last—gift Eliza had ever received from her father.

It was also the first and last time her parents had ever wished her a happy birthday.

Perhaps her father had simply been in a good mood that day.

His voice had sounded unusually warm.

That was why she couldn’t throw it away.

Even though she knew it was foolish, she couldn’t help but treasure it.

As if that kind voice from that day had been sealed inside the glittering glass globe.

Eliza’s violet eyes sank even deeper as she recalled the memory.