Revenge Comes with Interest - Chapter 88

Rivette was in high spirits, skipping breakfast entirely. She headed to the dining room where Allen and his mistress, Emily, were seated.

“Brother, my dress is arriving at eleven o’clock.”

“I know.”

Allen secretly hoped that Grace might come herself.

“Wait, where is Sarah? Why are only the two of you eating?”

Rivette found it strange since she had heard the news that Sarah had returned.

“Oh, that maid will be leaving the house soon,” Emily answered instead of a hesitant Allen.

“I see.”

In truth, Rivette had little interest in whom Allen took as a lover. However, this time, she needed Emily’s help.

“Brother, how about Emily attends to me at the selection banquet? I heard rumors that other young ladies are choosing noblewomen to be their ladies-in-waiting.”

At Rivette’s words, Allen nodded. It was not just any gathering; it was a banquet to select the Crown Princess of the Empire. He could not afford to be careless, even with the choice of an attendant.

“It would be fine if Emily does it, right?”

As Allen spoke casually, Emily quietly set down her fork and knife and replied.

“I would be happy to. It is not a place just anyone can go, after all.”

“Oh! Thank you. I knew noblewomen would understand each other.”

Rivette laughed, holding Emily’s hand tightly. Allen also thought he had made a good choice in taking Emily as his mistress.

I must not miss this golden opportunity.

The Imperial banquet was a place one could only visit with great luck, and it was the perfect venue to build connections with noblemen. Above all, one never knows how things will turn out.

Who knows? Maybe the Crown Prince will fall for me instead of Rivette.

Emily prided herself on the fact that her looks did not fall behind Rivette’s at all.

“Emily, tell me if you need anything,” Allen said generously, feeling in a good mood.

“With Allen by my side, what more could I need?”

At Emily’s gentle words, Allen wore a satisfied expression. As expected, a person’s background is important. She was a woman on a different level compared to Sarah, who had been a nuisance by questioning and checking everything.

“I should go take a milk bath before the dress arrives.”

Rivette left the dining room excitedly.

Everything is going very smoothly.

Allen had a good feeling. If Rivette was selected as the Crown Princess, his life would be perfect.

If we become the Crown Princess’s family, they will at least grant me the title of Duke, right?

Then he would be on par with Terran. Although they were from different countries, he had been annoyed at being overshadowed by Terran’s title. This chance to stand on equal footing was a dream come true.

About two hours later, the dress Rivette had been waiting for arrived. Allen stayed home from work, waiting for Grace to appear. However, the ones who brought the dress were Grace’s maid and another employee.

“Hello, President McDowell. Do you remember me?” Pauline greeted him politely.

“Ah! Are you not Miss Pauline?”

“Yes, that is right. I will come to see you separately after we help Lady Rivette into her dress. Our Lady has some documents to deliver to you.”

“Please do.”

“And this is Lady Grace’s chaperone, Madame Marie Cerruti.”

“Hello, President McDowell.”

Marie was horrified to see Emily standing with Allen, but she did her best to act as if nothing was wrong. This was because Emily looked even more startled upon seeing her. To think that instead of being married to her husband, Emily had become Allen’s mistress. Things were turning out to be quite interesting.

“A pleasure to meet you, Madame Cerruti. Your name sounds somewhat familiar,” Allen said kindly.

On the other hand, Emily, standing by his side, turned pale and began to tremble. Feeling something was odd, Allen looked at Emily. Following her gaze, he saw Madame Marie Cerruti standing there. Her posture and movements, while consistently smiling, did not seem like those of an ordinary maid.

“Emily, is she someone you know?”

“No, I am meeting her for the first… time.”

As Emily answered anxiously, Rivette fortunately appeared, making a fuss.

“Kyaa! Is my dress finally here?”

She was making such a scene that Allen felt completely dazed. Rivette guided Pauline and Marie to the dressing room. Behind them, servants carried the boxes containing the dress and jewelry.

Leah and Terran welcomed the Earl and Lady Wellington. As Terran had said, the siblings were very frugal and easygoing. It seemed the rumors that their financial situation was not good were true. For a fallen noble lady, the best way to marry without a dowry was to participate in the selection. However, Leah’s concerns deepened upon seeing Adele.

Phew! What should I do about this?

Setting aside her plain and ordinary appearance, she wore thick glasses, leaving Leah at a loss as to where to begin grooming her. Sonya would be in an uproar when she saw this.

“Grace, I will talk with Arthur, so…”

“Do not worry. Lady Wellington has quite a lot to do in the meantime.”

“I leave her in your care, Lady Vizak,” Arthur, Adele’s brother, offered his thanks, and Leah responded with a graceful smile. Leah led Adele to the dressing room.

“Lady Wellington, I am Grace Vizak.”

“Please just call me Adele.”

“Shall I?”

“I have never seen a beauty like Grace before. You are so beautiful that even a woman would fall for you.”

Adele, clutching a book to her chest, could not even look Leah in the face properly. She stole glances from behind her glasses and blushed.

“Seeing Grace, I thought Ophelia had come back to life.”

“Pardon? Ophelia?”

Leah wondered if she meant Ophelia from Hamlet. She knew her to be a tragic character. Having heard that Adele was a bookworm, it seemed she had a habit of projecting everyone onto characters from books.

“Adele, if you take off those glasses, can you not see well?”

The practical problem right in front of her was more important to Leah.

“No, I only wear them when I read. There is no major problem in daily life.”

“That is a relief. You cannot go to the selection banquet wearing glasses.”

Leah’s confidence had hit rock bottom. While it was said they did not select a Crown Princess based on looks alone, in their current state, it was Rivette’s victory.

No, Adele must have a hidden charm.

Since she read a lot, she must be an intellectual lady with excellent speech or deep wisdom.

If only pretty women became Crown Princesses, there would be no need for a selection banquet in the first place.

Leah composed herself. She decided to do her best to shape Adele into the dignified and elegant Carmen she desired. However, it did not take long for Sonya’s complexion to turn grim upon seeing Adele. Adele, on the other hand, shed tears of emotion upon seeing the red dress.

“It is exactly what I wanted.”

“I am… glad, My Lady,” Sonya stammered. She immediately began barking orders at the maids.

“Bring all the cosmetics we have, the jewelry, and what else was there?”

She gave orders haphazardly, clearly quite shocked. Leah could no longer just watch, so she approached Sonya and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

“Sonya, take it slow, one thing at a time.”

“But this is truly…”

“Sonya, you are the one who made the dress for the Empress of Saint Petersburg. You are a person who can recreate anyone to fit the dignity of the Imperial family in any situation.”

Leah encouraged Sonya, staring intently until her lips nearly twitched. Then Adolf stepped forward.

“My Lady, do not worry. Many members of the Imperial family have passed through our hands.”

“I will trust the two of you.”

I must ensure that Rivette is not selected.

Leah was equally desperate.

It was not until late afternoon that Leah could spend some private time with Terran. The two walked through the small garden, holding hands tightly.

“I wonder if I should be helping Sonya.”

Leah’s mind was filled only with thoughts of work.

“Grace, it is also important to give your people trust and wait for them. If you step in and direct and check every single thing because it does not satisfy you, the employees will not trust you.”

Leah looked at Terran as if he had hit the nail on the head. Honestly, she wanted to check everything Sonya was doing right now. But she remembered hearing these words before.

Leah, if the head of the guild does not trust the employees and suspects them at every turn, the employees will not do their best in the tasks they are given.

Her father had said the same thing as Terran. Why had she forgotten that important principle?

“You are right, Terran. I was being thoughtless.”

“I did not say it to make you blame yourself. I just think a commander and a business owner are not that different. Soldiers give their full loyalty when their superior shows them trust.”

“Trusting and waiting is not as easy as it sounds.”

“It is not easy.”

Terran gently smoothed Leah’s hair as it blew in the wind. Gazing into her bluish-purple eyes, he felt strangely enchanted. Even while talking with Arthur, his attention had been constantly drawn to her. Only then did he realize.

So this is what falling in love feels like.

A phenomenon where only one person is visible and your head is filled with her face. A feeling of wanting to cherish her because she is so precious. A feeling that death is not scary if you are together. Thus, when he thought about how she had come all the way to the Brassel Forest, teeming with thieves, his heart tingled as if struck by electricity.

On the other hand, a sense of selfishness also simmered. If she did not do business, she could spend more time with him.

“Grace, what is the reason you are so aggressive about expanding the business?”

“Pardon? Well, everyone has a desire to be successful while doing the work they want to do.”

“Success? You mean you want to be successful in business?”

“That is right.”

“Why bother when you have me?”

Terran was puzzled. At first, he had supported the process of her dreaming and achieving things. It was also true that he felt attracted to her constant effort, unlike how she had relied only on him in the past. But the scale was growing larger and larger.

“Is there perhaps another reason?”

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