ESHPS 15

Chapter – 15

Roshane crossed her arms and leaned back casually.

“Duke, did you give me money?”

“What?”

“Since you didn’t give me any, I sent the bill your way.”

To anyone else, it sounded shamelessly bold, as if she were talking about money that had been entrusted to her.

“Why would I—Roshane, the money you spent is—!”

“A child’s mistakes are the parent’s responsibility. I’m the child, and you’re the parent, right? Let’s each do our part properly.”

Fighting spirit!

Roshane raised her fist cheerfully in encouragement. The Duke clenched his teeth and crumpled the bill in his hand. Then, as if declaring he would tolerate no more, he threw the bill to the floor.

“No. This isn’t mine—it’s the money you spent, Roshane. I can’t pay for this.”

The Duke glared at the bill lying on the floor with a firm expression.

“You’ve made unnecessary, impulsive expenditures. It seems you need to learn some basic economics again. You pay for what you spent, Roshane!”

“I don’t have any money.”

“That’s still your responsibility. You spent recklessly even knowing you had none! I never taught you to behave like this!”

Roshane let out a long sigh, crossing her arms and falling into thought.

“You have to deal with what you did, even if it means selling your jewels or ornaments.”

The Duke commanded firmly. This time, he had no intention of letting it slide.

Until she cried her eyes out and begged for forgiveness, he would not give in…

“Really?”

Even though he had no intention… why did it feel like she was actually happy?

Before the Duke could finish speaking, Roshane perked up, as if she had already found a solution.

“Is it really okay if I sell my jewels or ornaments to pay it off?”

“…Yes. They’re your possessions, so handle it yourself. But remember that selling them will fetch much less than their real value.”

“Got it?”

Ignoring the Duke’s words lightly, Roshane turned to look at the maids waiting behind her.

The maids looked awkward, unsure of what to do, stealing glances at both Roshane and the Duke.

“The items I said I’d sell earlier, that I left with the guild?”

The maids flinched in surprise.

“There were people willing to buy them, right? I had held off for a bit.”

“Yes, but, milady…”

“Go sell them.”

Roshane said firmly.

“Immediately, leave none behind. Send someone to the guild to sell everything right now.”

The maid couldn’t argue and instead cast a quick glance at the Duke. Seeing this, he furrowed his brows, seemingly annoyed.

“Why are you looking at me when she gave the order?”

As if to tell her to follow her lady’s command, the Duke gestured with his chin to hurry along.

“Y-yes, milady…”

In the end, the maids ran off to carry out Roshane’s orders.

“Huh. So at least you were thinking of taking care of the aftermath. Leaving the items at the guild beforehand shows that,” the Duke muttered.

“I thought something like this might happen. I didn’t expect it to actually happen, though.”

Roshane slumped her shoulders in a sad expression. Seeing this, the Duke coughed awkwardly.

“And by the way… Roshane, fix that weird way you talk.”

“My way of speaking?”

“I hear you even used it with His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“The Crown Prince said that?”

“Hah… if you speak like that to royalty, you could be executed for insulting the royal family.”

“I haven’t insulted royalty yet.”

Roshane’s mutter made the Duke freeze.

“…Yet?”

Did that mean she planned to someday?

“It wasn’t even in an official setting, just some brat…”

“Roshane.”

The Duke cut her off, looking around nervously as if someone might overhear.

It was the first time anyone had interrupted her mid-sentence. Usually, everyone just listened.

Feeling unusually displeased, Roshane frowned.

“Duke. Even if I did insult royalty, they can’t execute me on the spot.”

“Such absurd delusions…”

“If the emperor executed me immediately, he’d be dismantling the core of the imperial faction himself. He wouldn’t do that unless he was stupid, right?”

“…Oh?”

“And the Crown Prince will surely want to secure the support of the Rellaten family to solidify his claim, right? He wouldn’t dismiss us. If he did, all the nobles of the imperial faction would turn against him, jeopardizing his throne.”

“…That’s… true.”

The Duke nodded, clearly having never thought this far. A child could have made this calculation, but a Duke who had been bound by the royal leash for so long couldn’t even consider it.

‘I really need to overhaul this Duke’s thinking,’ Roshane decided, prioritizing her next move.

At that moment, the maid who had run off returned. Roshane’s eyes lit up as she looked at her.

“All sold?”

“Yes. I sent someone and informed them to sell everything.”

“Good. And the money?”

“They said they’ll send it to you immediately upon receipt.”

Roshane nodded with satisfaction. The Duke, hearing Roshane’s and the maid’s exchange, nodded in approval as well.

“See, Roshane. This is something you could handle directly. Continue managing things this way.”

“Yeah. I didn’t think it would be this easy either.”

“It’s always hard the first time. Everything gets easier once you get used to it.”

“Yeah. But it’s a bit disappointing…”

Roshane slumped her shoulders and muttered.

“The ‘Mermaid’s Tear’ was really pretty. I was tempted to keep it.”

The Duke, nodding with satisfaction, froze at the familiar word.

“Mermaid’s Tear?”

“Yes.”

It sounded far too familiar.

“…What is that?”

Roshane blinked her large eyes and answered.

“What else? It was one of the jewels in your collection, Duke.”

Her casual answer made the Duke’s arms fall limply to his sides.

“You… told me to sell my jewels or ornaments?”

“You… you…”

“Didn’t you check the bill? You couldn’t pay off this debt by selling just my jewels or ornaments.”

“You…”

“Don’t worry, Duke. I didn’t touch any other items. Only the gifts personally given to you by the Emperor. Official gifts or those with records, I left untouched. Handling those would’ve been troublesome. I just secretly sold the items that could be quietly disposed of, without leaving a trace.”

They were easy to distinguish because the subtle, greasy traces were still visible.

The Duke’s jaw dropped in shock.

“What… did you just say?”

“Since they were personal gifts from the Emperor, selling them isn’t a problem. …Ah, though the Emperor might be a little displeased, so be mentally prepared.”

No way.

Really?

Impossible.

The Duke recalled the maid’s earlier glance toward him when receiving Roshane’s order.

No way.

It couldn’t be.

The maid subtly avoided his gaze, and the Duke’s head drooped.

The bill he had thrown at her feet was visible.

The enormous number on it caught his eye.

“Insane.”

A curse escaped his lips as his bloodshot eyes glared at Roshane.

“Roshane!!!!!”

His loud shout echoed through the garden. The startled maids and gardeners bowed hurriedly.

Everyone but Roshane—the culprit—was flustered.

“You! You! You’re deliberately ruining our family! Our family!”

“I’m not ruining it.”

“The gifts personally given by the Emperor! You! How dare you sell them!!”

“It’s okay. The Emperor still can’t kill us, right? If we died, there’d be no family to uphold the imperial faction, so for now, we’re…”

“You don’t understand the Emperor! That’s why you can say such things! His Majesty kills anyone he dislikes without a second thought! He—!!”

Ugh, so noisy.

Roshane calmly covered her ears with her palms.

“What’s the big deal about selling a few items?”

Roshane, who had never feared the Emperor in her life, muttered casually.

“Alright, Duke. If the Emperor ever tries to kill us, I’ll step in and save us. That’ll do, right?”

After all, he can’t kill us—at least for now.

“You can thank me. The strongest person in the Empire is now your child.”

“Roshane!!!!”

Hmph. Still doesn’t believe me.

It is true.

Watching the Duke worry about how to report this to the Emperor, Roshane’s eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity.