The Noble Lady Without Magic Aims to Become an Adventurer! - Chapter 60

Fars had made sure to contact the estate, so when the carriage arrived, Father and Otto were already waiting at the entrance.
Mother was immediately escorted to Father’s study against her will.

Inside the study were Father, Otto, the head maid Maris, Fars, and me. The atmosphere was heavy for everyone except Mother, who seemed oblivious and looked rather indignant.

“…Would you care to explain this, Shas?”

Father let out a sigh, waiting for Mother to speak.

“Gairon, it’s Marloa’s fault for not listening. I brought her a wonderful opportunity, and it’s so rude of her to decline now.”
“I don’t understand. Start from the beginning and explain everything.”

Father was clearly irritated by Mother’s vague explanation.
“I arranged a fiancé for Marloa through my connections, but she refused! Isn’t that ridiculous?”

“When did you make this arrangement?”

“At the recent tea party. All the other young ladies already had fiancés, and it was embarrassing that Marloa didn’t. So, I asked for someone—anyone—to be introduced. Several kind ladies offered suggestions, and I chose the best match.”

“…Who is this match?”

“The chairman of the Shaupens Trading Company. He’s a bit older, but he’s wealthy, isn’t he? He’s looking for a second wife, and I thought Marloa would be perfect.”

Does she not realize she’s doing the exact same thing she scolded Sara for? Of course not…

The Shaupens Trading Company was notorious for its dark reputation. It was well-known for rumors of illegal drug trading and human trafficking with other countries. Despite being questioned by the knight’s order multiple times, the company had connections with influential nobles who protected them, making it nearly impossible to gather enough evidence to bring them down.

The ladies at the tea party must have known this. There’s no way they weren’t aware of Sara’s scandal; they must have intentionally introduced such a person.

“Mother, if you’re so eager to marry someone off, why not Sara? After the Prince’s reprimand, there’s no man willing to marry her. Besides, based on what I saw earlier, I’d say this is less about marriage and more about being sold as a commodity.”

“Sara is out of the question. She’s been raised as a noble lady and possesses magical powers. I need to find her a much better match—anything less would be unfair to her.”

As expected, Mother openly looked down on me for not having magic. She didn’t even try to hide the difference in how she treated Sara and me.

It was clear she’d thought this way all along, but hearing her say it aloud crushed any remaining desire I had to argue.
The air in the room shifted dramatically, and it wasn’t just me who noticed. Otto, Fars, and Maris all furrowed their brows but kept silent.

Father, on the other hand, silently began writing a letter addressed to the chairman of the Shaupens Trading Company. Once finished, he sent it off via magical courier. Mother, seeing this, erupted in anger.

“Gairon, what are you doing!? I worked so hard to arrange this, and now you’ve ruined it!”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“The chairman promised to pay a significant sum once Marloa was sent to him.”

“Why did you decide this on your own?”

“I’m the Marchioness, am I not? It’s my duty to support and elevate the Marquisate!”

“This is human trafficking!”

“It’s nothing like that. Even if money is involved, she would still be his wife. Besides, what else can we do? Marloa is powerless, just a burden to the Marquisate.”

“…Is that truly how you see your own daughter?”

Everyone in the room was left speechless, having moved past shock into utter disbelief.

Father, holding his head in frustration, turned to Mother.
“Sara insulted her own sister at the tea party, resulting in her effective ostracism from noble society. Are you not aware that what you’ve done is even worse?”

“Why? I haven’t done anything cruel.”

Mother genuinely seemed to have no idea what she had done wrong.
Sara had spoken out to ridicule me, fully aware of her intentions. Mother, however, didn’t even understand what she had done. To her, it seemed like selling an “unnecessary tool” was perfectly reasonable.

What will Father do now?

I thought silence might linger for a while, but a magical message arrived for Father. It appeared to be a reply from the chairman of the trading company. Father opened the letter immediately and read a portion aloud.

*”When I received contact from the Marchioness, I was honestly surprised. I am aware that the Marquis’ daughter, Sara Efseé, fell out of the Prince’s favor and left the capital recently. The Marchioness mentioned she was struggling financially and needed a large sum to help Sara.

From my perspective, Miss Marloa would undoubtedly become popular in our company. I respectfully request that you send her to us as soon as possible, in line with the Marchioness’s wishes. If ensuring there are no witnesses proves difficult, I can arrange for people to handle the matter discreetly on my end…”*

So, the chairman knew about Sara. As expected of a trading company shrouded in dark rumors—they were well-informed about noble society. And I wasn’t intended to be his second wife; I was meant to work for his company.

In other words…

Mother turned pale as Father read the letter aloud.

“Shas, were you intending to sell Marloa into prostitution?”
“No, that’s not true! But… Sara is pitiable! She was exiled from the capital just for expressing concern for her sister!”

“And Marloa isn’t pitiable?”

Father and Mother looked ready to start arguing, but Otto spoke up.

“Master, this isn’t the time for a quarrel. There must have been many witnesses to their interaction at the shop. We must act swiftly before this matter spreads.”

Father snapped back to reality at Otto’s words.

“You’re right. Shas, I’m divorcing you. Pack your belongings and return to your family home immediately. What you tried to do is unequivocally human trafficking. For a high-ranking noble, such an act is especially grave. If word of this reaches the Prince, our family could face ruin, and as the mastermind of this crime, you would be sentenced to death.”

“…Death? That’s so cruel! I was just trying to help Sara by sending Marloa to the chairman’s company!”

“Maris, Fars, escort Shas out. Confine her to her room until her packing is complete.”

Maris and Fars forcibly removed my protesting mother from the study. Father’s expression darkened; he likely never imagined Mother would stoop so low as to sell her own daughter.
“Otto, prepare the divorce papers immediately and notify the royal palace.”

“Understood.”

Now, only Father, Otto, and I remained in the study. Even though I’d known all along how my mother viewed me, her actions still left me deeply hurt.

Why do I have to suffer like this just because I lack magic?

“The royal family may already have caught wind of this incident,” Father murmured. “Otto, search Shas’s room thoroughly for evidence. If she resists, restrain her.”

“Yes, sir.”

Otto left the study.

“Marloa, I’m sorry you had to endure such pain. Despite being looked down upon for not having magic, you’ve always held your tongue and endured it well.”

“…Father, I’ve grown used to it. Besides, I’ve been able to manage so far thanks to the people who support me. Please don’t worry about me. You’ll be busy handling Mother’s situation, so I’ll take my leave and return to my room.”

I returned to my room, feeling anxious about what would happen next. Never in my wildest dreams did I think my mother would resort to such reckless actions.

Marriage for the sake of noble connections, business alliances, or financial support is not uncommon. Such arrangements aren’t typically considered crimes. However, what Father and Otto feared most was Mother’s attempt to align herself with a criminal organization.

The implications go beyond losing the royal family’s trust—our entire house could face dissolution. Even as a student, I had heard about the dangers of the trading company Mother had contacted. Why would she involve herself with such a notorious group?

…Sadly, there’s no choice but to sever ties with Mother.

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