In A World Full of Silence, My Heart Will Find Its Way To You - Chapter 83

The Next Morning

The butler stood silently, his eyes—worn with age—never leaving his master.

Edward, usually calm and composed, was sweating as he stared down at the documents the butler had handed him.

Lately, his temper had grown sharp and impatient, quite unlike before. As if he might make a serious mistake any moment.

As he scanned the papers, Edward’s brow furrowed deeply. He clicked his tongue from time to time.

Carefully watching Edward’s expression, the butler asked softly.

“Is something wrong at the worksite?”

“I thought the issue was already resolved last time…”

Edward finally looked up. His green eyes were clearly annoyed. He glared at the butler with displeasure.

“You knew, didn’t you? That they’ve been following only Eric’s orders?”

“Well, that is…”

The butler scratched his head, clearly flustered. In truth, he had already heard about the situation through the site manager.

He was even the one who first informed Eric about it. Eric had maintained the current system and gained full control over the workers.

“We pulled them back to the old ironworks, and now they’re going back to the coast? Are you expecting me to believe you didn’t know this?”

“You had already agreed before, my lord, to let Master Eric handle things. That’s why I didn’t think it necessary to mention it again.”

“And that gives you the right to move forward without telling me? Who do you think the head of this house is?”

“O-of course, it’s you, my lord. You are the rightful head of House Bailey.”

Even as the butler bowed deeply, Edward’s dark expression did not soften.

As Edward’s growing irritation turned toward him, the butler swallowed hard.

“At this rate, he’s going to run everything. All their complaints will be directed at me…”

Edward muttered bitterly. The close relationship between the workers and Eric was troubling.

They were probably comparing him and Eric constantly. For Edward, who needed to solidify his authority as the head, it was unacceptable.

His sharp eyes drifted toward the window, focusing on a distant building. Narrowing his eyes, he asked without turning.

“Why do you think they prefer to follow Eric’s lead?”

“I—I’m not sure…”

The intensity of Edward’s gaze made sweat bead on the butler’s forehead. He rolled his eyes, then finally answered.

“Perhaps… it’s because Master Eric has strong support from His Majesty, the Emperor. And he’s achieved a lot too.”

“Because he got support from the royal family?”

“He secured trade negotiation rights with the kingdoms before starting the business… and even opened a route to the Atil Kingdom on his own.”

“That cursed royal support and those trade rights!”

Edward slammed his fist on the table, his face red with anger. The loud crack echoed in the butler’s ears.

He shouted furiously.

“Why does His Majesty only listen to such a low-born fool? I am the rightful head of House Bailey!”

Edward could never accept the difference in their abilities. Or rather, he refused to accept it. His twisted perspective remained unchanged.

“Move all the workers back to the old ironworks. Cut the workforce in half.”

“But my lord, that’s…”

“The noise from the forest can’t be helped! Why does some filthy village matter so much? Just do as I say.”

“But this goes against our current policy. The farmers who haven’t benefited will be confused. If bad rumors spread again—”

“Who cares what they think? If they don’t like it, tell them to leave.”

Edward’s gaze once again turned toward the distant annex. He stared lazily in that direction.

“Now that I think about it, we don’t have to involve the royal family in our iron business, do we?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean…”

A strange smile crept across Edward’s lips. He muttered in a low voice.

“Why didn’t I think of this sooner? A clever way to keep him under my control…”

Still glaring, Edward looked away from the annex and fixed his eyes on the butler.

“I’ll sell all trade negotiation rights with the kingdoms, including Atil, to Grand Duke Stuart. For a high price.”

“W-what?! My lord, what are you saying? You can’t mean to sell the rights?!”

The butler stared at him in shock. But Edward remained calm.

“It’s a good chance to solve a big problem all at once. Better to hand it over myself than let him take it from me.”

“But my lord, giving up the trade rights is the same as selling the family’s business. Please reconsider!”

“Why should I?”

Edward lazily raised an eyebrow. A strange glint appeared in his eyes.

While the butler looked pale with worry, Edward remained relaxed. Their expressions couldn’t have been more different.

Edward knew how reckless this was. It could provoke the Emperor’s anger and bring backlash from the nobles.

But behind his green eyes lay something deeper.

The iron business that Charles, Emperor Carlos, and his father had all fought to protect.

In this delicate balance of power… what would he choose? It didn’t matter. Either way, he would end up trapped in the snare Edward had set.

A sinister smile spread on Edward’s lips as he thought of Eric.

“I’m the head. No matter how much he served my father, he can’t stop me.”

The butler opened his mouth with a worried look.

“Y-yes, my lord. If I’ve offended you, please forgive me.”

“Go get paper and a pen. We’ll draft a new contract for the trade rights.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Still uneasy, the butler bowed and turned to leave.

Just then, his eyes flicked sharply toward Edward.

He glanced at him for a moment before walking off. After he left, Edward’s gaze slowly returned to the annex.

His eyes, now filled with a chilling light, remained fixed there.

“You low-born fool… I’ll show you what happens when you provoke me. I wonder what choice you’ll make—will you beg the furious Emperor, or marry the Grand Duke’s daughter to protect the business? Either way, you’ll have to give up Aria with your own hands.”

At that moment, Aria’s words echoed in Edward’s ears.

“Even if he abandons me… I won’t regret my decision. Because I already love him.”

Thinking of Aria’s firm gaze, Edward let out a short breath, trying to suppress his rising anger.

“Unfortunately, Aria, you’re going to end up in my hands.”

Edward clenched his teeth, his cold stare slowly fading. A bitter smile lingered on his lips as he stared at the annex.

Outside the Room As he stepped out into the hallway, the butler stopped abruptly. His expression grew heavy.

He turned his gaze to the clear sky beyond the window. Unlike the sunny, cloudless day, his face looked grim.

‘The family that the count worked so hard to protect is falling apart in an instant…’

Letting out a deep sigh, he suddenly heard a maid’s voice.

“Butler.”

“Butler?”

“Oh, I must have been lost in thought. Yes, did you call me?”

His dazed eyes finally turned toward her.

“What is it?”

“You promised, right? That you’d reward whoever finds out where Lenny went.”

“Yes, I remember.”

The maid looked around carefully, checking that no one was nearby. Then she pulled the butler into a quiet corner.

In a low voice, she said:

“I know where Lenny is. She’s been secretly sending me letters.”

“She was curious about what’s going on here, so we’ve exchanged letters. But the one I got yesterday… it felt very strange.”

The maid paused, trying to steady her shaky voice.

“I don’t know if I should say this, but… Lenny said the madam is trying to kill her. She couldn’t sleep because of strange noises at night.”

“Where is she now?!”

“She gave me this address.”

Looking around again, the maid pulled a letter from her clothes and handed it over. As the butler read it, his eyes trembled.

“She used to stay in a house the madam provided, but after that night, she moved to this inn. If anything happens to her…”

A chill ran down the maid’s spine. Seeing her pale face, the butler bit his lip hard.

He could feel it clearly—time was running out.

Standing still, lost in thought, his eyes slowly turned toward the annex.

“My lord, please… protect this family…”

The butler quietly muttered, closing his aged eyes.

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