Chapter – 14
“This is….”
Cassian’s gaze froze for a moment.
The handwriting was somehow familiar.
Suddenly recalling someone, Cassian opened the drawer attached to the desk.
Click.
Inside the wooden drawer were stacks of parchment.
From among them, he pulled out a teal-colored scroll tied neatly with a ribbon.
“Your Excellency?”
Sophia looked on in puzzlement, but Cassian was too busy unrolling the scroll to respond.
I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. I have no intention of becoming the Emperor’s hunting dog.
It was a reply from Marquis Hetius from the past.
Back then, Cassian had wanted to bring Marquis Hetius to his side, so he sent a persuasive letter.
Pursuing freedom is good, but finding a sanctuary is also important. If you wish, I can arrange a place for you.
Hetius, who had wandered the criminal underworld with nowhere to rely on, had grown his influence by any means necessary to build a solid power base.
So Cassian suggested in a letter that Hetius settle in the south. He believed that with the Imperial household as a shield, Hetius might finally curb his reckless actions.
Yet Hetius replied with a clear refusal in less than half a day.
After that, Cassian never exchanged letters with him again.
“I never thought I’d see this again.”
Cassian swallowed his breath as he placed Hetius’s letter next to the contract that Evelyn had drafted.
Then he compared the handwriting of the two.
“It’s not just similar… it could be said to match exactly.”
A heavy gloom fell over him.
He didn’t know why, but he felt a strange unease.
Amazingly, the two had reproduced the same handwriting with not a single deviation.
Were lovers so alike that even their handwriting matched?
Even though Cassian knew their relationship well, he suddenly felt disturbed.
As Cassian moved the letter and contract aside, Sophia quickly spoke.
“What shall we do, Your Excellency? Should we raise the matter you advised us on previously?”
Sophia’s prompting snapped Cassian back to reason.
He quickly composed his expression, paused for a moment, and finally gave permission.
“Proceed as planned.”
“This… this is the problem?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Looking at the documents, I was utterly stunned, my eyes wide in disbelief.
I had expected some difficult issues, but nothing like this!
I wanted to throw the papers aside and stubbornly refuse, but Sophia kindly began to explain.
“Your predecessor, the head of the Hetius family—your late father-in-law—once borrowed money from Count Nordil in the nearby region.”
“My father-in-law?”
“Yes. During the time he served as the family head, he borrowed 2,000 gold from Count Nordil, pledging Palladium as collateral.”
At that time, Palladium was a herb frequently found in the Terton Mountains. Each piece was worth 1 gold.
In urgent need of money, my father-in-law offered Palladium as collateral for the loan.
“Luckily, my late father-in-law repaid the money on time. But the problem…”
“The Count didn’t return the Palladium?”
“Exactly. Count Nordil begged that the Palladium be returned later, citing an increase in patients with respiratory illnesses.”
In short, my father-in-law repaid the debt on time, yet the Count refused to return the Palladium, claiming it was needed for sick patients.
“And then?”
“As soon as the Count’s request was granted, the price of Palladium, which had been 1 gold per piece, skyrocketed to 20 gold.”
Huh? That’s… bizarre. Not double or triple, but twenty times higher.
It was like someone manipulating the market. Just like a stock market scheme.
“Was the price of Palladium stable when the money was repaid?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Palladium’s price didn’t fluctuate, so no one expected it to rise this much.”
I suppose that makes sense—it’s a herb effective even for mild illnesses.
“The problem was that the Count’s request was granted, and shortly afterward, the price of Palladium surged.”
“Yes. Seeing the skyrocketing price, my late father-in-law demanded that Count Nordil return it immediately.”
By then, even the Terton Mountains were running low on Palladium, and the Hetius family also needed it.
“Surely letters were sent requesting its return. Did they respond?”
“Always the same. They insisted that payment be made based on the value of Palladium at the contract’s expiration date.”
A thief! No, worse—just shameless!
I clenched my fists in silent fury.
“Please, Ma’am, have a glass of water first.”
Seeing my complexion, Sophia worriedly handed me some water.
I swallowed and forced myself to think calmly.
‘I expected complications, but I never imagined it would be this bad.’
Eight years of holding onto the Palladium meant no simple solution would work.
One might suggest that Cassian personally visit Count Nordil to retrieve it—but that’s practically impossible.
Why? Because just as Cassian inherited his title, the current head of the Nordil family recently succeeded his father.
Since the contract was made by the previous generation, the successor cannot easily intervene.
Knowing this, the Nordil family insisted that the Palladium’s price be calculated based on the contract’s expiration, and they would exchange the corresponding amount in gold.
‘I boldly said to take whatever, but this… this is a real nightmare.’
Just as I was considering ignoring it, an expectant gaze met mine.
“Is this alright, Ma’am?”
Looking around, I saw everyone’s eyes on me.
The maids holding trays in the corners shone with excitement.
Sebastian, usually silent, sent the most intense, expectant gaze.
Sophia, next to him, maintained her usual calm but seemed unusually excited.
Everyone in the parlor was watching me.
I wanted to say I couldn’t do it, but seeing their faces, I couldn’t speak.
“Of course. I’ll handle this myself! Everyone, go about your tasks.”
I swept my long hair back with one hand, speaking with confident authority.
Seeing this, Sebastian, who had been waiting beside Sophia, exclaimed in admiration:
“Thank you, Ma’am! We trust you completely!”
“Please carry on with your duties, Ma’am.”
Ah… this is bad.
I never thought I’d encounter a resource that fluctuates like a cryptocurrency in a romance fantasy setting.
Currently, Palladium is 30 gold per piece.
It had sold for 20 gold a few months ago due to its strong effect on respiratory illnesses, but now the price had changed again.
How do I know this? Suddenly, I had detailed information about Palladium in my mind.
One day, an artisan mistakenly added Palladium into plaster, thinking it was a different material.
The result was stronger and higher-quality works than before.
Even using mid-tier materials, if Palladium was included, the final piece could rival top-grade art.
This discovery drew great praise, raising the price of Palladium even further.
If left alone, the price kept rising, so the Nordil family had even more reason not to release it.
“Ha… someone does the work, but another collects the gold?”
As the Duchess, I couldn’t just stand by! I would have to take matters into my own hands and confront the Nordil family.
So…
“Mary, Rose. Bring me the wide-brimmed bonnets.”
Time to strike immediately!
