The Abandoned Princess, Yet She Is Loved - Chapter 105

The Crown Princess’s proposal went beyond simply reclaiming wealth. It also carried the implication of the imperial family’s acknowledgment of their wrongdoing.

“She said they wouldn’t be held accountable anyway. And at this rate, the Emperor is going to die—so she must be trying to gamble on something before that happens.”

Moreover, the Crown Princess’s request didn’t conflict with Grace’s own goals. After all, both Frederick and Grace were currently fighting on the Crown Prince’s side. If there was a card that could overpower Vladimir, then perhaps it was worth playing.

“…I’ll do it.”

Grace, after a brief pause, gave her answer.

“Thank you—for accepting.”

“No, I see it as a sign that you trust me. I just… hope there’s a good outcome.”

Grace smiled gently at the Crown Princess.

Duke Reinheim trembled, clenching his fists tightly. His eyes were bloodshot, as if countless veins had burst inside them.

“Damn it…”

A string of curses spilled from his mouth.

In his hand was a letter from a merchant guild. It stated they couldn’t match the tobacco price he wanted and would only pay less than half of his asking price. On top of that, the supply quantity didn’t meet his demands.

“Ha…”

Encouraged by Grace’s claims that tobacco had great potential, he had converted his cotton fields into tobacco plantations. But at this rate, he was facing massive losses. The market situation was entirely different from what she had described.

She had said that tobacco was rare in the North and would sell well at high prices. But in reality, there were already many cultivation sites, and regulations limited how much could be supplied.

Losses on this scale would never have occurred if he had just continued growing cotton like usual.

It was the same with his other ventures. The stocks he invested in on her advice had gone bankrupt. The mines he funded yielded absolutely nothing, no matter how deeply they were dug. He couldn’t even tell how much farther he’d have to dig before finding any minerals—if they even existed.

None of the “exclusive intel” Grace had claimed to have acquired from high society had turned out to be profitable for him.

To chalk it all up to coincidence—no, the outcomes all clearly pointed in one direction.

“That wench deliberately screwed me over.”

“I’ve been duped! Aaaaargh!”

The duke’s scream echoed throughout the room.

“That damned girl… she…”

He had thought she was foolish. He could still recall the vacant smile she had worn while calling him “Father.”

He had assumed, starved as she was for parental affection, that just a bit of kindness had been enough to win her over.

When she had left this place, she had been little better than an imbecile. He had thought she would be easy to manipulate.

That assumption had turned out to be dead wrong.

“Because of that girl, my entire house is on the verge of ruin…”

A few days earlier, a letter had arrived from Vladimir.

“The intruder at Reinheim Manor… there’s a high chance it was the Duchess of Winstaine herself.”

He was fully convinced that the culprit had been Grace.

“Matching the description and the situation—it all fits her. I saw her meeting you, and right after, she snuck into the estate disguised as a maid. She’s an Armento, and the way she used multiple attack types matches the reports exactly.”

There weren’t many people in the Empire who could wield two elements.

After reading Vladimir’s words, Reinheim couldn’t deny that Grace was the most likely suspect.

The rapid report to the Crown Prince, followed by the swift mobilization of the Winstaine army—if the intruder had been the duchess, it all made perfect sense.

“To be stabbed in the back like this…”

He had been hit twice by Grace. First, by taking her advice and suffering economic ruin. Second, by her exposing the positions of the private soldiers he had stationed at House Reinheim.

“Unforgivable… absolutely unforgivable!”

His rage boiled over. He couldn’t contain himself unless he confronted Grace—the one responsible for all this. Grinding his teeth, Duke Reinheim made his way to the imperial palace the next day.

He went straight to Panbion and stood firmly at its main gate. How long had he waited? Eventually, Grace appeared at the entrance, walking with an unfamiliar woman.

“Father?”

Their eyes met. Grace looked surprised to see him at the palace. The duke stormed toward her.

“Aris, I think I need to speak with my father for a moment.”

“Ah, he’s family! Of course!”

The woman gave a short exclamation, waved to Grace, and then walked off. Duke Reinheim stood barely two steps away from her, face stiff with fury.

“What’s so urgent that you had to come here—?”

“You. Explain. Why did you do this vile thing to me?”

“Excuse me? What are you talking about, barging in here like this?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, damn it!”

The duke roared.

“Tobacco’s ruined! The stocks are ruined! The mine’s ruined! You think that’s all just bad luck?”

“Well… that’s the risk of investment, isn’t it?”

“Liar!”

“Unless you’re just stashing money in the bank, nothing’s guaranteed. You know that, right? Business isn’t something you can predict even a step ahead.”

Grace spoke nonchalantly, her eyes wide with false innocence. Watching Duke Reinheim crumble was immensely satisfying. She had laid the groundwork for this moment for so long.

“Surely someone as seasoned as you should understand that much, right, Father?”

“A lowborn like you dares to call me Father?”

“But you told me to call you that, remember?”

A slight smirk played on Grace’s lips.

“……”

Duke Reinheim was struck by the reality that he had no means to hold her accountable. She had set him up, but there was no proof.

And as for the manor break-in, saying anything would be an admission of treason.

Saying it out loud would be equivalent to declaring himself a traitor.

“Well then, I’ll be off. I need to fulfill a request from Her Highness, the Crown Princess.”

“You? A worthless, useless thing like you—what kind of request could she possibly have for you?”

“Hmm. Something that could change the fate of the Empire, maybe. Isn’t that wild?”

What the hell could that be? Duke Reinheim’s heart thudded anxiously.

“You’re getting angry a bit too early. Things won’t go your way from now on, so you might want to save your strength.”

“You… you little—!”

The duke shook with rage, jabbing a finger toward Grace like he was about to keel over.

“You ungrateful wretch… after all I did for you!”

“And what exactly did you ever do for me? I’m not sure I understand.”

“I let you, a bastard child… live in my house with your mother instead of throwing you both out! You should be grateful—you would’ve frozen or starved to death otherwise!”

Ha. A hollow laugh escaped Grace’s lips.

There were limits to shamelessness. He hadn’t even given them a proper room or meals—she had lived as little more than baggage attached to her servant mother.

And even that room and food hadn’t been gifts. They were the hard-earned result of her mother’s and Emily’s labor.

“You want me to be grateful you didn’t throw me out? That wasn’t for my sake—you just didn’t want the world to know you had a bastard child.”

“……”

“And you used me as a pawn in a marriage alliance you didn’t want, didn’t you? You couldn’t bear to send your precious daughters to that ‘monster duke.’”

Grace refuted him point by point.

“Of course, thanks to that, I got to become someone. Should I be grateful for that too?”

Duke Reinheim could only glare at her, unable to argue. She was right about everything.

“I… I won’t let you get away with this.”

His rage had yet to cool, so his words were still venomous.

“Do what you can.”

Grace had no fear of his revenge, so her voice was calm.

“I’ve wasted enough time here. I’ll be going.”

And with that, Grace left Duke Reinheim behind, shaking with rage. He remained there alone, staring endlessly at her fading figure.

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