The Elder Sister Who Ran Away After Being Cheated by Her Fiancé and Younger Sister - Chapter 27

In the end, Heinny Trading Company was acquired by Meilmans, just as Fretes had said.

Patrick had apparently become docile, as if he were a different person, and readily agreed.

Their father seemed to have opposed it. But since he was the only one resisting, it weakened his position.

Patrick forcibly expelled their father, became the company president himself, and signed the deal without hesitation.

Now, he was working steadily in cooperation with personnel sent from Meilmans.

“Sister’s teachings have truly taken root.”

“Down to the very soul.”

While glancing sideways at Fretes and Valken, who seemed to carry a somewhat rude nuance, Estelle organized her report and stored it in a folder.

Their father was completely crushed and had secluded himself in the villa.

Though “villa” was a generous term. It was more like a simple cabin along the main road, just a place to sleep.

Estelle had hoped to eventually develop the property, located near a camping area for travelers, into a proper inn for caravans, but their father seemed to have lost all motivation for such endeavors.

As for his mistress, she had apparently puffed up with pride, thinking, “Now I’m the lady of the house!” after her son became company president, but Patrick confined her to a separate wing.

It was under the pretext of recuperation, but in reality, she had grown so excessively overweight that she was genuinely facing health issues.

Meanwhile, their mother, Teresa, the rightful lady of the house, did not follow their father to the villa. Instead, she barged in on Clara.

Clara had been hiding in one of the Petrak family’s properties, a fact both families had known for some time, so Teresa naturally knew the location.

Rather than going to her husband’s dreary cabin, she moved in under the guise of “re-educating” Clara.

The one who was troubled by this was Theo.

Having his mother-in-law barge into his love nest with Clara and settle in was unbearable.

The house was so small it had only one bedroom, and with his mother-in-law just a door or a wall away, listening intently, he didn’t have the nerve to be intimate with Clara.

At first, he tried giving her pocket money and sending her out with suggestions like, “Why don’t you go enjoy yourself?” but the money quickly ran out.

After that, it was only natural to think that, since it was the Petrak family’s house, even if Clara was his wife, his mother-in-law Teresa was a guest who should go home. But Teresa had no place in the main family and didn’t want to go to her husband’s cabin, so she lingered aimlessly, trying to stay.

Clara didn’t mind having her mother around to act as a maid and take care of things, so she had no intention of sending her away.

Whenever Theo pleaded with her to send his mother-in-law home, Clara would just cry and say, “I feel sorry for Mother.” If he tried to suggest they needed time alone, she would reply, “Then let’s go on a trip together, just the two of us!”—making any reasonable discussion impossible.

In this situation, Theo was simply supporting Clara and his mother-in-law. While he could accept supporting his wife, he strongly protested that Teresa should go home. But Teresa was a woman who had led the trading company for years; she wasn’t about to be pushed around by someone like Theo. Clara, finding Teresa convenient to have around, would just cry.

This state of affairs continued for a while, and as the money ran out, Theo’s feelings cooled completely. He ended up divorcing Clara, giving her the property they were living in as a settlement.

Although Theo had cut his losses, his decision came too late—the amount Clara and Teresa had drained from him was no small sum.

Even after the divorce, they half-threatened him, implying the Heinny family bore some responsibility.

But the current head of the Heinny family was Patrick, who had no connection to Theo whatsoever. Moreover, he had personnel from Meilmans backing him.

Their attempts at negotiation went nowhere, and they eventually slunk away.

Later, Theo apparently went to the military base to see Estelle, but she had already been assigned to Hollanders. Even if she had been at Hanzelka, she wouldn’t have met him.

As far as she knew, Petrak Trading Company hadn’t gone under yet, so he must have been managing somehow. Or so she assumed.

She also hadn’t heard any news of Theo remarrying.

Clara and her mother didn’t return to the Heinny family but continued living together in the house they had received as part of the settlement.

Patrick sent them only the bare minimum for living expenses, adopting a hands-off approach: if they couldn’t stand it and came back, so be it; if they found a way to earn their own living, that was fine too.

The difficult part of being in the trading business was that if they were to die destitute, it would still cause problems.

In the end, Clara couldn’t bear the modest life in the small house. She bowed her head to Patrick, but instead of returning to her family home, she found a new man and disappeared from town with him.

Estelle hoped that Clara was living reasonably well somewhere far away and wished her a measure of safety.

Left behind, Teresa couldn’t stay alone and returned to her husband.

She probably thought the cabin was better than returning to the Heinny main house, where she would just be confined to a separate wing with the mistress.

Unable to forget her luxurious lifestyle, she lamented her misfortune at length every day, just as she had before, and blamed her husband whenever the mood struck him.

At first, her husband patiently tried to soothe her, but eventually, he reached his limit. From then on, their days were filled with constant arguments.

There was nothing to be done about it. Rumors among the merchant caravans passing through suggested it might eventually lead to violence.

Estelle bought the house where Clara and her mother had lived from Patrick.

She had her own thoughts on the matter, but the fact remained that Patrick was quietly handling the Heinny family’s loose ends.

She had no intention of reconnecting with her family, but as a gesture of support for the young company president, she purchased it at above market price.

She occasionally used the house as lodging for company associates, but she planned to keep it empty most of the time. Just in case Clara happened to wander back so she would have a place to stay.

It wasn’t out of affection.

It was a trap; meant to catch her and ensure she caused no further trouble to others.

◇

Estelle had come with Fretes to the port city of Hollanders.

It was a town brimming with vitality and noise, filled with people from various countries in all sorts of attire.

Large sailing ships lined the harbor, and the main thoroughfare for wagons was constantly bustling with carriages.

They weren’t at that hotel but at a moderately priced one with decent prestige. Even so, from the top floor, they enjoyed a view of the harbor as they leisurely ate breakfast.

“See that ship with the white main mast? That’s our ship.”

“Did you paint it?”

“It’s not paint. Up close, you can see it’s covered with thin, plank-like material.”

It sparkles and stands out, so I thought it would be nice.

It certainly stood out. Whether that was good or bad, Estelle couldn’t say, but if Fretes—Chris—thought it was good, then it probably was.

Estelle, who had taken time off, was spending time alone with Chris for the first time in a while.

Estelle still held her position in the military, and even after marriage, she lived alone in the quarters provided by the Hollanders military, where she was stationed. It was convenient because it was close—that was all.

Chris was also often away on business trips or inspections, so even if they lived in the same house, they weren’t always together. They did have a new home for the two of them, with their belongings moved in, so they returned there occasionally.

That seemed to be how noble couples lived, but they weren’t intentionally emulating nobles. It had just naturally turned out that way.

When they wanted to be together, they were together; when they wanted to focus on their work, they did so.

To an outsider, they might seem like a passionless, contractual couple, but that wasn’t the case.

Even when apart, there was a sense of security in her heart.

Estelle was not alone in this world.

It wasn’t that she had someone to rely on.

Well, there was that aspect too.

For example, when she stumbled upon something wonderful while out and about, she had someone to tell about it, someone who would surely share in her joy. That, she thought, was happiness.

Watching Chris happily explain various things about his ship, Estelle felt her cheeks relax into a smile without realizing it.

She would spend her life trading alongside this person.

—Maybe.

Yes, nothing was certain.

Maybe a time would come when they would part.

But until that day came, she intended to cherish each moment.

For now, last night had been enjoyable.

Unlike Chris, who had left the military, Estelle was still active and maintained her physical strength and muscle.

“Estelle, you’re making a strange face.”

“Chris, you’re cute.”

“It’s complicated, but if it makes Estelle happy, I’ll gladly accept it!”

Laughing together with the person she loved, eating delicious food.

A lot had happened.

If it was all the cost of reaching this moment.

Well, perhaps the scales had balanced.

After breakfast, they would go see Chris’s ship.

He might not realize it, but he had the eyes of a child wanting to show off his treasure.

She wanted to see that expression more, and of course, she was interested in the ship too.

Feeling the sea breeze, Estelle tilted her glass.

-END-