ITMWG 86

Chapter 86…

Like father like daughter.

“Madame!”

Marie found out quicker than Nadia expected.

“I contacted Lord Daemon’s secretary to find out what he was doing.”

Lord Daemon was an elderly gentleman and a lawyer who had been managing the Vine family’s assets since before Nadia was born. He wasn’t a very friendly person, but the secretary who worked under him really valued their long-term relationship, which seemed to allow Marie to hear important matters in advance. Even at the time when Nadia’s parents passed away and the title passed to her uncle, Lord Daemon handled things accordingly, but some of his subordinates, including his secretary, took pity on her situation and offered a helping hand. Of course, she couldn’t receive any real help due to her uncle’s strict guard, but she was still grateful that they cared.

“It is said that Marquis Vine is preparing for a land transfer procedure.”

“Land transfer?”

“Yes. The one handing over the land is Baron Aylesford.”

Seeing that Marie’s complexion was unusually dark, Nadia could guess that the matter was quite grim. But what came out of her mouth next was even more shocking than expected.

“Considering the documents that Lord Daemon has been reviewing over the past few days, it appears that the lord is going to hand over the orchard.”

“The orchard… I see what you’re talking about.”

The only land that was valuable from feuding eastern noblemen like them was the orchard they got in exchange for subjugating demonic beasts. When it came to orchards, one might think, ‘That’s it?’, but that orchard was special. Since it was a land that produced precious fruits that were presented to the Emperor, it was no different from gold. It was understandable that her uncle, who was well aware of it, was drooling over it and pushed ahead with the procedure.

But…

Nadia was puzzled at the same time. When they had just acquired the orchard, Altair generously offered to hand over the land to Marquis Vine. Didn’t she already stop Altair at that time, reasoning that there was no need to hand over something so precious to her uncle? It made no sense that Altair, who had completely abandoned the idea out of respect for her wishes, still went ahead and did it without discussion.

Altair isn’t the kind of person who will forget such a thing.

“…I don’t think he really wanted to give it away.”

Marie, who had been on edge all the while, widened her eyes at Nadia’s remark.

“Then the lord must have other intentions… Then why didn’t he tell you in advance…”

Nadia wondered about the same thing. If it’s something that needed to be resolved with her uncle, it’s probably her problem too, so shouldn’t they have discussed it beforehand?

But what’s even more confusing is…

Things were progressing too sloppily for it to be Altair’s plan. If he had put his mind to it, she would never have known what was going on between her uncle and Altair. However, instead of completely and thoroughly hiding the matter, Altair chose to reveal it to her in a subtle and sloppy manner.

As if he wanted me to notice on purpose.

Just like right now. Did he deliberately avoid being in the same space as her to give Marie and her time to talk? As soon as Nadia came to that conclusion, she felt like her mind was racing. Could it be that Altair wanted her to realise ‘something’ on her own?

“… Marie. What time will the lawyer arrive at the mansion tomorrow?”

“The schedule is around 8 PM.”

If so, she had plenty of time to find out for herself.

A matter involving the family’s lawyer. If it’s something that Altair has to do on purpose.

The range should not be wide.

❈❈❈

Marquis Vine had been humming with excitement since morning. On that account, not only those who assisted the Marquis closely, but also the workers of the Vine family who were doing their jobs from afar could easily tell that he was in a good mood. Melissa also knew that her father was very delighted. However, unlike the ordinary servants, she even understood why her father was in such a good mood.

“Father, is there really a need to take over that piece of land?”

Melissa, who was having lunch across from the marquis, put down her knife and raised the question with a sour expression on her face. At those words, the Marquis’ eyebrows twitched as if asking what she meant.

“Why should there be a ‘need’? He said he would give me land, so of course I should take it.”

“All of Aylesford’s property will be ours in the end anyway. I’m talking about when I become a baroness.”

“I get it. But there is a difference between ‘Vine’ land and ‘Aylesford’ land.”

“Because ‘Vine’ is father’s, and ‘Aylesford’ is not?”

“What on earth are you trying to imply?”

At the strangely sarcastic remark, Marquis Vine put down his silverware with a loud ‘thud’ and his eyes bulged fiercely. Despite returning the question with a question, the Marquis was already able to see the hidden intention behind Melissa’s words.

Humph. You think you could soon become a baroness, so you don’t like me taking away your share?

After the Marquis said to Melissa, ‘You would be a Baroness!’, she walked around proudly holding her chin up as if she had already had Aylesford in her hands. Since her father took over the Marquess of Vine, something she could never inherit, she thought she could still easily obtain the title of baroness from a rural noble family. She didn’t even feel nervous in the slightest because the person guarding the place was a stupid girl named Nadia Vine. When she heard that Baron Aylesford was handing over valuable land to Vine, she was happy at first. But as she thought about it, she realised that although this might be good for ‘her father’, it might be a loss for ‘her’. Being so sure that Aylesford had fallen into her hands, she became greedy. One could even say ‘like father like daughter’ about the two of them. Melissa recognised her father’s warning, but shrugged her shoulders, acting ignorant. This was also something she had learned from her father.

“The process to take over land is quite complicated.”

“The lawyer does all the work, so why worry?”

“That lawyer is also a problem. I feel uncomfortable with that person.”

“… He’s definitely not an easy person, but… ”

Melissa, who was accustomed to the family’s servants bowing down to her, had always been uncomfortable with the stiff Daemon, but the Marquis really liked him. The family’s lawyer, Daemon, was a thorough principled person. When the previous marquis was still alive, he tried to somehow lure him to his side, but the old-fashioned principled man remained stubborn until the end. The only things that mattered to him were laws, documents, and contracts.

To put it another way…

If it was a contract that did not violate the law and had clear documentation, there would be no issues with other aspects.

It was fortunate that he wasn’t the type to be emotionally affected.

If Daemon had been the type to be bound by personal affection, the marquis would not have been able to cast out Nadia and take away the title and property of Vine. How fortunate it was that he realised the lawyer’s subordinates at the time took pity on Nadia and were trying to help her, and nipped it right in the bud.

“It’s already been decided, so don’t say anything further, Melissa. I decided to give you something big, so think of the land as a fee.”

“Tsk. How can you mention ‘fees’ between parents and children?”

“If I had been a generous person by blood, would you and I be having this conversation?”

After hearing the firm words, Melissa couldn’t express her dissatisfaction with the matter anymore and just snickered.

“Then when can I have the ‘big one’? And not ‘little things’ like this.”

“We will have to resolve this before that girl, Nadia, leaves the capital. I am looking for the right timing, so wait patiently. Things might become more complicated if you cause unnecessary incidents.”

“What kind of incidents are you referring to exactly?”

“The Baron is not a soft man. He is not easily swayed by beauty, so don’t hover around him or bug him for no reason. That only makes him vigilant.”

“But… Nadia and the Baron keep showing off their relationship by sharing the same room! What if their bond grows stronger while we wait?”

Marquis Vine clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry for his daughter at her complaint.

“In the end, the Baron is also a noble man. If the one he got married with deceived him, no one can be understanding of that. So just wait patiently. And quietly!”

“Ugh. Again with the nagging…all right!”

Seeing Melissa, who was still behaving immaturely, seemingly understood the matter, the Marquis let out a small sigh of relief.

“Anyway, the lawyer is scheduled to come this evening, so let’s bring out the seal.”

As Marquis Vine extended his hand towards Melissa, she took off the small necklace around her neck and handed it to the Marquis. As soon as it touched the marquis’s hand, the small key-shaped adornment increased in size and became a large key. It was the key to the safe where the marquis’ seal was kept. The seal was the most important object, expressing the intentions of the head of the household. The first thing nobles did when they inherited a title was to decide where and how to hide the seal. Regardless of who stamped it, as long as there was a seal on the document, it signified the will of the Marquis of Vine. It had a completely different weight compared to a signature. Hence, all nobles kept their seals hidden and took them out only when something important took place. Like today, contracts for transferring land required a seal, not a signature. This was because it was a document that must be submitted to the Emperor for approval.

No one would have guessed that I gave such an important key to my daughter as such a flashy necklace.

The Marquis of Vine admired his own cleverness and quickly hid the key in his chest pocket and left. The safe where the seal was hidden was placed in the previous Marchioness’ now empty room. It was connected to the Marquis’ room through a small door, making it easy to move around without being noticed by the servant. He went into his room first and headed to the Marchioness’ room through the small door between them. The safe appeared when he flipped the picture on the wall to the side. The Marquis hummed with joy, he opened the door of the vault, took out the seal and kept it carefully in the inside pocket of his coat. When it came to seals, everyone would think they would be large, but only the emperor used those. The marquis’ seal was about the size of an adult male’s thumb. The patterns engraved on the seal were delicate and complex, so they could not be easily counterfeited.

My wealth will increase again today.

The Marquis smiled proudly and, as if nothing had happened, he returned the safe and the painting to their original state and left. He did not notice that a strange shadow cast over where he had left.

❈❈❈

The promised time was approaching. Altair was quietly reading a book in his room, and as the time approached 8 o’clock, he calmly stood up. He seemed to be going to the place he had previously arranged with the Marquis. And Nadia naturally followed behind him.

“Let’s go together.”

“Do you know where I’m going?”

“Yes. I know what you’re trying to do.”

“You must have gone through quite a lot.”

In response to her clear answer, the corner of Altair’s mouth slightly rose and he held out his hand, as he expressed his wish to escort her.

He did not ask why she was interfering nor was he surprised when she said she would follow him.

I knew it. He was planning on doing this from the beginning.

Nadia held Altair’s hand, thinking that he was truly an unstoppable man.