The Art of a Brilliant Political Marriage - Chapter 6

Upon returning to her room, Cielin was indignant.

“——That was weak.”

Hearing his master’s remark, Litte seemed exasperated.

“No, that’s why I told you that you read too many gossip papers. Earl Zikkeldocra belongs to a noble house with a long history. His wife is a lady from another Earl’s family. Those ladies raised in greenhouses aren’t going to throw breakfast on the floor and tell you to eat it like a dog.”

“But it’s written in almost every gossip article, you know? Why do you think I bothered to wear such a nice dress!”

Stories of families bullying a new wife or stepdaughter filled the pages of the gossip papers daily. She couldn’t understand why it wasn’t happening to her. It would be fine if they threw hot food at her or poured water over her head. Telling her to crawl on the ground and eat like a dog would be the best. There was no shortage of variety when it came to bullying at the dining table.

And yet, all she got were words? Not having a seat prepared was nothing special at all. It was a huge disappointment. In comparison, her stepmother back home was much harsher. Perhaps that was the difference with commoners.

“Eating breakfast while dressed properly is common sense for nobles. It was your clothes back at your father’s house that were strange.”

“But I chose a beautiful dress specifically so it wouldn’t matter if it got dirty!”

“Don’t let it get dirty in the first place. Seriously, you are so out of touch.”

Litte shrugged his shoulders at the frustrated Cielin.

“Fine. I will keep my expectations high for the future. However, I did gain something today.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

Seeing Cielin’s sudden look of certainty, Litte looked at her suspiciously this time.

“This family is going bankrupt.”

“What did you see that made you think that? You won’t see a house this expensive-looking very often.”

“You’re being naive. Did you see the breakfast table? There was so much food that it couldn’t all fit on the table so early in the morning. Moreover, the fruit included ‘Gila,’ a luxury ingredient brought by express delivery from the neighboring country. Despite that, they only touched a small part of it. Even if they give the leftovers to the servants, there is way too much food. Also, the tablecloth was ‘Verucci,’ the highest-grade material usually used for dresses. The silverware was noble, but it was the latest design from the famous ‘Delba’ workshop. I’m sure it was the series manufactured to commemorate the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration. I could see the engraving. That happened just recently. The vase on the wall is a work by the master craftsman Visul, who was just awarded a gemstone recently. They even have jewels sewn into the curtains, and the lace is a high-end, latest fashion item. There is no way they can spend this much without going bankrupt.”

“You saw all that in such a short time?”

Litte’s eyes wavered in confusion as Cielin suddenly rattled off her observations. Being praised for having sharp eyes by an assassin didn’t feel bad.

“It’s only natural since I used to help my father, the crooked moneylender, appraise seized goods.”

“Oh right, you did do that…”

“Their clothes are a problem too. It’s insane to wear such high-quality items just for breakfast. Those stains won’t come out easily. Surely, they don’t mean to say they wear an outfit once and never again? I can’t understand how they can be so calm about it!”

Litte lazily tried to calm Cielin down as she trembled with “terror” at the waste.

“As usual, the things that scare you are weird. Just calm down for a bit.”

“How can I stay calm! The Earl’s lands are somewhat wealthy, but they don’t have this much income. Even my dowry will run out quickly at this rate. I wonder if they have borrowed a lot of money from my father.”

“Did the old man marry you off just to collect the money?”

“Instead of doing something so troublesome, it would be faster to let them go bankrupt and seize every single piece of furniture they have. That would more than cover the debt.”

She still didn’t know what her father was thinking when he arranged this marriage. However, she understood that this house was on the edge of a cliff, close to bankruptcy.

“If I assassinate the Earl, will that help?”

“That wouldn’t be elegant at all.”

She stopped Litte, who spoke like the assassin he was. Even a commoner like Cielin had her virtues. One should not do things that aren’t elegant.

“I came here happy because I had such an ideal husband and could enjoy a wonderful political marriage! This is terrible. If I just relax and enjoy the bullying, this house will be gone in no time. I can’t just sit here; I’m going to investigate everything thoroughly.”

“As you wish, My Lady. Before that, I’ll go snatch a little bit of breakfast for us.”

Litte gave a graceful bow and left the room.