Chapter 75…

Take them all.

Nadia’s uncle calmly led Altair to his room, as if he did not panic in the slightest.

“This was Nadia’s room.”

The room seen through the wide open door was warm with dazzling sunlight cast in. It was decorated with fresh flowers, so a nice scent was present, and the furniture and decoration of the interior were flawless. Of course, it wasn’t the room Nadia once used, but she knew very well what room it was.

…This is Melissa’s room.

Since he kept singing about how precious his niece was in front of Altair, he couldn’t have shown him the room Nadia was actually using. Melissa’s room was probably the only room in the mansion that was well-decorated according to the tastes of a woman her age, so it seemed like her uncle had come to the last resort.

Well, I did use the room until Melissa took it away from me…

By saying ‘This was Nadia’s room,’ he was not completely wrong. Melissa, who had been robbed of her room unexpectedly, kept pulling on her uncle’s arm with a sullen look on her face, but he completely ignored her protests. It seemed like he was planning to avoid this urgent situation first and then comfort Melissa later. Whether he was aware of such a situation or not, Altair, who was looking around the luxurious room, tilted his head with interest.

“How fascinating. Nadia has been married to Aylesford for a long time, but this room feels as if it had been occupied only a moment ago.”

No matter how well one were to maintain it, a room where people had not been staying for a long time was bound to get cold. However, this room had warmth and human smell, so anyone could see that it was not a room that had been left empty for a long time. But even when the obvious was pointed out, her uncle never once appeared panicked.

“It was carefully managed so that Nadia could use it again at any time. After hearing that she was coming to the capital to celebrate the Silver Jubilee, we organieed it even more diligently over the past few days. It’s all out of consideration for her.”

“Is that so.”

Altair narrowed his eyes and began walking around slowly, taking the time to look inside the room. It took quite some time just to look around the large room, which included not only the bedroom, but also a bathroom connected to it, a dressing room, and a huge terrace directly overlooking the garden. As it was her first time seeing a room of this style, Anna’s mouth fell open and her eyes were busy darting here and there in amazement. Unlike Aylesford, which had a rustic charm, the Vine Manor was intricate and gorgeous wherever one looked, so it was quite pleasing to the eyes. Moreover, the clothes that Melissa had bought, as well as her accessories and cosmetics, were all spread out on the vanity table and in the dressing room. It was to the point that Nadia was worried that Anna’s jaw would drop to the floor as her mouth hung open. In comparison, Altair looked around the room with a grave expression. Half way through, he turned to ask the Marquis, who was still smiling.

“Are these all the things my wife used?”

The clothes and accessories tailored to Melissa’s taste were very flashy. It went without saying that they were all expensive luxury goods. Altair, upon naturally noticed that the texture was completely different from the items Nadia usually used, stared intently at the Marquis. At that, he nodded confidently in response.

“That’s right.”

“When my wife came to Aylesford, I thought she was a very simple person, but it seems she isn’t much so in the capital.”

“Yes… she had a good life in the capital. But isn’t the situation very different in Aylesford? I heard that there aren’t parties every day and there aren’t many occasions to wear fancy dresses, so she went there with simplicity.”

He responded with a smile, but in the end it was sarcasm that was hidden behind his words, ‘Aylesford is a small area, so would she really need those luxurious things?’ Could it be said that, like a typical capital aristocrat, he has a sword planted in his tongue? Afraid that Altair, who was not used to this type of conversation, might be offended, Nadia turned her head with concern, but she was worried for nothing. In fact, Altair’s eyes were glinting and a smile that he did not usually wear appeared on his lips, as if he had already seen this coming.

“It certainly used to be that way. But now, thanks to my wife, the situation in Aylesford has changed a lot, and she will need these luxurious things often, so we will take them all with us while we’re here.”

“…pardon?”

“I said I would take it all. Everything here.”

At Altair’s declaration, her uncle gaped. His mouth was wide open as if he had been hit in the back of the head, and Melissa also had a similar look on her face. The first to come to their senses was Melissa, the owner of the luxurious clothes, accessories, and cosmetics scattered throughout this room.

“Ah, father…!”

Melissa rolled her eyes here and there agitatedly as she nudged at her father’s side, but the Marquis, who had been deftly avoiding the situation, was unable to respond, perhaps because he was speechless. The Marquis himself said that this was ‘Nadia’s room’ and even acknowledged that everything in this room was hers, so there was, supposedly, no reason to stop the owner from taking it.

“This…This is also the property of the marquis…”

“Don’t tell me … you think it’s a waste?”

Altair cut off her uncle’s words as he attempted to prevent the situation.

“Well, that can’t be true, right? The Marquis of Vine refused to allow his nice to take her own belongings, because he felt it was a waste of property… how laughable this would sound to the other nobles.”

This made it seem like he’s worried about the Marquis of Vine’s reputation, but in reality, he’s threatening him. ‘If you stop her from taking it, I’ll tell the nobles all about your pettiness!’ There was no way that Nadia’s uncle, who was especially cunning among the capital’s snakes, would not be able to figure out that kind of intention.

“That can’t be true. If she wishes to take her stuff, there’s no reason to stop her.”

“Father!”

The Marquis’ lips quivered, and Melissa stamped her feet in frustration. Altair watched the scene leisurely and turned his head towards Anna and Marie.

“Take care of all the accessories here. They are precious items, so we can’t afford to lose even one of it.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Marie, who was aware of the situation, quickly responded and started gathering the accessories. Anna, who had been blinking blankly, also belatedly realised what was happening, and quickly joined to help Marie. On the other hand, Nadia was confused at the unexpected turn of the event.

It’s a robbery worthy of a true villain…

She felt very reassured that the villain was on her side. As she turned to Altair with such a subtle thought, his eyes seemed to say, ‘Did I do well?’ And at that, laughter escaped her lips.

Melissa must have realised that the situation would be difficult to turn around, and so, with a dissatisfied look on her face, she left. Meanwhile, Nadia’s uncle gritted his teeth, losing his initial relaxed smile. Her uncle’s now hostile glare now turned towards her and her shoulders shrank, but she wasn’t as scared of him as she used to be.

Maybe it’s because I have a reliable ally?

Somehow, she felt at ease.

❈❈❈

“Father! Are you really going to give it all away? What about my room?”

Melissa came to the Marquis’ room with a tearful face. She was happily waiting for Altair when this incident hit her like a lightning bolt. Her room, all of her clothes and precious accessories that took her so long to collect were all taken away by Nadia in a blink of an eye. Some of them originally belonged to Nadia, but that fact did not once cross Melissa’s mind. If it’s already in her hands, it’s hers. Why should she be concerned about the old owner?

“I don’t like this! I can never give it to her!”

Melissa whined as usual and pulled the Marquis by the arm. Normally he would have been willing to take her side and snatch away whatever Nadia was holding, but this time the marquis coldly shook her hand off.

“Please be quiet. I already have a headache. Are you trying to make it worse?”

“But…”

Melissa sank into her chair, tears streaming down her face. Marquis Vine let out a deep sigh at the sight of his daughter sobbing.

“Just be patient. That won’t last long anyway. I’m just telling her to take everything because what’s hers will eventually become ours.”

“What does that mean?”

Melissa tilted her head at the Marquis’ confident attitude. Marquis Vine clicked his tongue at his dumbfounded daughter.

“Think about it carefully. Why is it that Baron Aylesford rushed for a marriage?”

“That’s because… he needs a successor.”

There were widespread rumours that Baron Aylesford was an ugly man and a eunuch, and she remember how laughable she thought it was that such a man would take in a wife to get an heir.

“That’s right. The Baron desperately needs a successor. In the past, all he had to protect was his title, but now that he is wealthy, if there is no successor, everything he has worked on will be passed on to the wrong person.”

“That’s true, I guess. But what about it?”

“Why? That’s, of course, because that girl, Nadia…”

Marquis Vine, who had been raising his voice in frustration, suddenly closed his mouth. When Melissa blinked, waiting for him to quickly continue, Marquis Vine, after choosing his words, whispered in a low voice.

“That girl, Nadia, can’t give the Baron what he wants. So you can give him that instead. Then it can all be ours.”

“… What does that mean? Are you playing a riddle with me?”

When Melissa frowned, the Marquis shook his head helplessly.

“Ugh. How can I explain this to you? You just need to know this for sure. This marriage was out of that girl’s league. I didn’t know that sooner.”

The Marquis wet his lips and looked at his daughter.

“Don’t worry. Everything she has is yours. Have I ever broken my promise?”

Melissa shook her head. Her father always kept his promises. Nadia’s title as Lady, her wealthy and prestigious family, and her beautiful clothes and accessories that made Melissa envy. Her father put it all into her hands. Hence, it would be like that this time too. The marquis lifted his chin haughtily as his daughter’s eyes filled with trust.

“This is our home ground. No matter what, even that guy, Baron Aylesford, is in the palm of my hand.”

❈❈❈

“It was so refreshing!”

Marie giggled and showed Nadia a jewelry box full of trinkets. Melissa had amassed so much jewelry that she had several other jewelry boxes of similar size filled to the brim. It was all beautiful, but Nadia didn’t think she would enjoy using it.

“Marie, let’s sort and select only the trinkets that were originally mine, and sell the rest before leaving the capital.”

“If you sell them, you will not receive their original value.”

“That’s true. But I don’t want to take what Melissa already used.”

She answered firmly, and Marie nodded with a slightly bitter smile as if she understood how she felt.

“Yes. Shall I call Dillion?”

Dillion was the painter who sold of her jewelry when she was in dire straits after her parents died.

“Hmm… I don’t know if he’ll help me this time.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Altair had a little misunderstanding before because of the ring… I think he interrogated Dillion while pointing a sword at him.”

She already had a proper conversation with Altair, but she didn’t think he would apologise for threatening and interrogating Dillion afterwards.

“If that’s the case, I’ll be careful when bringing this up.”

“Um. If it’s Marie, Dillion would listen.”

Marie smiled as if telling her not to worry, and then looked around before whispering softly to her.

“By the way, you should be careful about what food you eat while you stay here.”

“Food?”

“Yes. Whatever you eat and drink.”

“Why?”

“The lord made a fuss about madame’s health, so the doctor prescribed some medicine. Medication can be tricky, so you have to be careful with what you eat.”

“I see… ”

No matter how good a medicine was, it could be poisonous depending on the combination, so it was common to be careful about what one ate before taking medicine…It bothered her that Marie’s expression was quite serious. But before she could find a hint on the reason, the door to her bathroom opened, and Altair, who had just finished bathing and was wearing only a robe, walked out.