IBTHM Chapter 25

"……Me? Me with who? With Dug?"

Hades didn't answer and just stared at me with an expressionless face.

To understand Hades's seemingly displeased state of mind, I organized my thoughts for a moment.

That expression, that line.

It seemed he found it distasteful that Douglas and I appeared to be close…….

Mm, even if we were associates exchanging for mutual benefit, it could be unpleasant from Hades's perspective.

We weren't lovers, but we were about to get married.

But still, the reason I couldn't help but laugh at his suspicion was…

Because I couldn't imagine at all what Douglas Hurane and I standing side by side would look like.

Was it because he and I felt like very close family?

Or because we were like a female friend and male friend with absolutely no potential for developing into a romantic relationship?

Rather than that…

'If Dug and I were in that kind of relationship…… would I be dating myself?! Is that what this is?'

To confess, Douglas Hurane was Aisha Esclife, and Aisha Esclife was Douglas Hurane.

For an 18-year-old noblewoman from the countryside who knew nothing of the world to smoothly increase her wealth in this empire, there were many difficulties.

So the very first thing I prepared to play with money was creating a suitable borrowed identity.

Come now, even if the author's naming sense hit rock bottom, would she really slap together a name like Douglas Hurane?

Douglas Hurane.

Nickname: Dug. If you roll the pronunciation a bit more Western-style, it becomes Dug…… maybe? Anyway, put together it's Deok-hu-ra-ne.

That was my alias, literally 'Fangirl'.

Not a young noblewoman, but a second identity created to easily deal with the tycoons who'd cut their teeth in the empire's various business circles.

In truth, Douglas Hurane only existed on paper—the actual person didn't exist.

Most contracts were discussed in writing. When face-to-face meetings were unavoidable, I hired a proxy, and since empire businessmen often negotiated contracts this way, there was nothing to arouse suspicion.

The moment they learned a young noblewoman was behind it, it was obvious that scoundrels bold enough to lowball contract terms or con artists constantly scheming to stab me in the back would stick to my rear like aphids.

While it wasn't illegal for Baroness 'Aisha Esclife' to jump into the business world, that was why I decided not to take an adventure with such predictable results.

Anyway, for that reason, I found Hades's suspicion so cute that I couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

"……You're laughing?"

"Ah, no……. I understand what you're misunderstanding, but Viscount Hurane and I are simply in a sponsor-sponsored relationship."

"What kind of sponsor readily hands over 8 billion nortes? That far exceeds the level of sponsorship."

Hades continued questioning like an interrogation.

"Besides, looking at your expression and the way you talk, you seem almost certain that sponsor will unconditionally give you that enormous sum without refusal."

At his detective-level sharp deduction, my spine tingled.

Of course. What's there to refuse or not? It's my money.

I briefly considered confessing the truth, then mentally shook my head. That wouldn't do.

Creating a fictional entity to conduct transactions under a borrowed name already touched slightly on imperial law, so the truth had to remain buried until the end.

I'd worked quite hard to avoid attention while pretending to sponsor our family with appropriate amounts.

'Mm…….'

I needed to arrange the money, and to do that, I had no choice but to bring Douglas into this.

But because of Hades, whose focus had gotten stuck on something strange, I found myself in a bit of a predicament.

Well, in times like this, the best strategy is to deflect vaguely and flee.

"Your Grace. Are you suspecting me right now? If you've already decided to misunderstand and suspect me, what good would it do for me to say more?"

When I spoke while slumping my body pitifully, as expected, Hades's face colored with confusion.

I gave him no opening and immediately added.

"We haven't spent enough time together to trust each other yet, but still, even though I clearly said it wasn't like that, for you to keep interrogating me like this—it's a bit hurtful."

Subtly stimulating the guilt of the Duke who was rather soft-hearted made my conscience protest with slight pain, but.

"Ugh……."

Ignoring that, I finished perfectly with a sigh.

As expected, the flustered Hades immediately corrected himself.

"No. I'm not suspecting you—I'm suspecting that sponsor. Can you be certain he has no impure intentions toward you?"

"Don't worry about that. I'm not stupid—you think I can't tell that much? Anyway, can we stop talking about the dowry issue here? Eight billion nortes is money I can fully arrange, so please don't worry."

"No. There's no need to contact him and ask for favors. I'll prepare the dowry……."

"Your Grace."

Cutting off his words, I thought.

Eight billion nortes was a very large sum. With some variation, but by past-life standards it was equivalent to about 8 billion won, and in this empire it was an amount you'd only get by disposing of about three or four moderately wealthy territories.

No matter how wealthy the Ruvermonte ducal house was, there was no way to arrange 8 billion nortes all at once.

Hades was undoubtedly planning to sell the diamond mine in central Peloce territory that he'd contracted anonymously to leave to Abel later. The current market value of that mine was about 10 billion nortes.

Selling it now would cause huge problems.

I won't explain in detail while we're busy, but to hit just the key point—that diamond mine was a device that became the decisive catalyst for Abel and Deborah to meet.

When I had money overflowing, why would I need to throw cold water on smooth romance progression by selling it?

I didn't want to cause even a fingernail's worth of trouble for Abel.

"Marriage is done by two people, so the preparation should be done together too. I'm grateful that Your Grace is trying to do everything, but if I only receive, I'll feel indebted and my heart will be heavy. So please let me do at least that much. Understood?"

"Aisha!"

I stood up quickly to prevent the conversation from dragging on.

Behind me I heard Hades's flustered voice, but ignoring it.

I hurriedly recalled in my mind the dozens of properties in the north and various merchant guilds, trade rights, and such. I needed to think about what to appropriately dispose of.

Let's hurry. To prepare 8 billion nortes, there was much to do.

After Aisha left as if fleeing, instead of catching her, Hades remained immersed in rather unpleasant imaginings for quite a long time.

'I can ask Dug.'

With a familiar expression as if recalling someone very close, Aisha had called her sponsor by the nickname Dug.

For some reason, Hades felt twisted inside. He hadn't expected the sponsor of Barony Esclife, who hadn't even been on his radar, to bother him this much.

Viscount Douglas Hurane.

It wasn't that he hadn't investigated him. But it wasn't something he'd thought particularly about.

It was quite common for fallen nobles without territories to sell titles to wealthy commoners, and Douglas Hurane, who'd obtained a noble surname three years ago, was one such case.

There were various reasons why wealthy nobles sponsored specific families or individuals.

And among those reasons, there were quite a few cases of using a few coins of paltry sponsorship to manipulate the sponsored with impure hearts.

'Why doesn't she understand that no one shows favor for no reason?'

Aisha said Viscount Hurane wasn't that kind of person, but Hades couldn't believe it.

Unless he was insane, there was no reason to provide massive sponsorship continuously for three years.

He must have harbored dark designs toward Aisha, and furthermore, he might be dreaming of developing into lovers with her or being bound in marriage.

Slam!

In that instant, the agitated Hades roughly brought his fist down on the desk.

'A wealthy person who could arrange 8 billion nortes in one go?'

He didn't have the skill to investigate individuals' asset holdings, so he'd just thought of him as a commoner-born man who succeeded at making some money and bought a noble title…

'He's that rich?!'

Aisha liked him, and they'd even made a marriage promise. If that scheming fellow had any sense, he wouldn't try any more tricks, but Hades couldn't stand how unpleasant he felt.

'No. What do I mean, for some reason……?'

The reason for feeling bad was clear, wasn't it? Using another man's money to prepare the dowry.

'If I only receive, I'll feel indebted and my heart will be heavy.'

Since Aisha had said that much, he'd let it go for now, but it still wouldn't do. Somehow, he would be the one to solve the 8 billion norte dowry.

Hades rose quickly, burning with determination for the first time in a while. A solution had occurred to him, so he needed to go to Aisha immediately.

If she continued to refuse, saying she felt bad just receiving?

He'd create justification and force it on her anyway.

In Ruvermonte, the greatest noble house in the empire, when receiving a duchess, the wedding gift should be on an extraordinary scale, shouldn't it?

'Take it! The diamond mine!'

Feeling his fighting spirit blaze hotter than when heading to the battlefield for some reason, Hades walked toward Aisha's room almost at a run.

He encountered Abel, who seemed to be coming toward him, when he was about halfway to Aisha's room.

"Huh? Father, where are you going? I was actually just coming to see you……."

"Oh, Dad's busy right now. If you have something to say, later."

He felt sorry to Abel, but this came first.

As he hurried his steps, Abel's puzzled voice stopped him.

"Are you going to Lady Esclife? She's not in the castle right now."

"What?!"

Hades whirled around in shock to look at Abel, whom he'd passed.

"Where did she go?"

"I don't know. She came to my room briefly while preparing to go out. She said she had somewhere to go."

At Hades, who seemed urgent for some reason, Abel reported Aisha's whereabouts with puzzlement.

Hades threw his clenched fist helplessly into the air as if in dismay.

She must have gone to find Douglas Hurane to receive the 8 billion norte sponsorship.

"Damn it, I need to go out too. I'll be back soon…"

As Hades abruptly turned direction to chase after Aisha without delay, he suddenly hesitated, looking at Abel.

More precisely, at the handkerchief Abel was holding carefully in his hand as if it were some treasure.

"You…… where did you get that? It looks like mine……."

"Huh? This?"

A handkerchief with an adorably embroidered figure of himself—black hair, red eyes.

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed to match the one in his drawer, the one Aisha had hand-embroidered…….

As he puzzled over this, Abel tilted his head and spoke.

"This…… the Lady stopped by my room before going out and gave it to me as a gift. She said she embroidered it herself."

Abel smiled shyly, seeming to think of Aisha, then added.

"I was actually on my way to show it off to you, Father. It seems the Lady worked incredibly hard making this…… I was so moved. Apparently she lost the one she was originally making, so she got in trouble making a new one."