The surrounding atmosphere collapsed in an instant. Kirsi played dumb about it and continued, "Is the percentage of profit that goes into my husband's private shares directly budgeted in the reports prepared by the plantation, or is it done separately outside the plantation?" Her tongue almost bit at the word 'husband'.
Harry put his surprise aside and cleared his throat smoothly. He replied, "It was done outside the plantation report."
Then Cedric would have to go through the finance ministry desk to cash out his personal profits. Kirsi said, "Contact me first before ordering the wood supplies later."
After lunch, Kirsi wandered around this 112-hectare plantation. Take a look at the production process, and rest for a while before going home. The tea plantations in Aslaug look like little experiments that stand out like a swollen thumb. Although this is included in private land under the name of the crown prince, this place is more often used as a resort to relax and hold outdoor parties. People can rent some interesting spots that don't interfere with production for their personal use. And these outside income funds will later go into Cedric's personal pocket.
Kirsi arrived home the next day, feeling like she had been crushed by the tea grinder. Without looking left and right, she instantly threw herself on the bed and slept until the afternoon. Her waist was so painful that she broke out in cold sweat throughout her sleep. When Cedric came home from work, he found his little wife curled up in the middle of the bed like a cat. The weather was very cold but her whole body was sweating. Cedric straightened her coiled body to make it easier to check her condition. Her forehead was at a relatively normal temperature. Is she having nightmares?
"Need a healer?"
Kirsi opened her eyes, then closed them, not interested in replying. She does not know this body cycle. Maybe now is the period. Just need to wait some time before her belly gets better. Putting her discomfort aside, she glanced at Cedric once more.
It was unimaginable that one day she would become someone's wife so soon. She had imagined marrying the man of her choice, side by side at the wedding altar in a beautiful dress, saying sacred vows, pairing each other's rings, and living a life of love. Unfortunately, not only can she not see her marriage, she can't even choose her very partner. Kirsi looked at Cedric's handsome face in hatred. If she didn't hold back, she would have snorted and beat up this man. Don't know why but she's been feeling literally bad lately.
Cedric, who felt he hadn't done anything wrong to get that kind of hateful gaze, poked Kirsi's forehead hard.
"Ouch! You?!"
"Me?" Cedric plopped down beside Kirsi, exhausted after a full day of arguing with old meats in the palace. He shortly closed his eyes, intending to rest. But his little wife would not allow that. Several small kicks and thrusts rained down on him. Cedric caught one of the naughty legs and held it.
"Hey, it's not good to sleep in the evening." Kirsi gave him a piece of serious advice.
"Yes, said the person who sleeps all day from morning to evening."
"You know a lot about me." Kirsi narrowed her eyes.
"I'm your husband."
Kirsi tried to pull her leg back, but her efforts were in vain as she lost her strength. Damn, Cedric's grip is like a crocodile nibble. She complained, but remembered something, and swallowed her grievance halfway. Instead, she started bringing up more serious topics. "…Do you know Eugene Goldstein?"
"Mm."
"Yes or no? "
"Yes."
"Could you introduce me to him?"
Cedric opened his eyes and looked at Kirsi with his eyebrows raised high. "I didn't know it was your type..."
Kirsi almost vomited blood hearing this. Who likes that old man with weird tendencies?! She only remembered that Eugene was a wealthy conglomerate that was successful in many fields, including furniture companies.
The protagonist in the story enlists Eugene to help with his many endeavours, and although Eugene is an unpleasant old man, he is still a capable businessman. One of the protagonist's success factors in the future is this Eugene.
Come to think of it, Eugene wasn't someone who would side with anyone other than money. So his bond with the protagonist is so fragile. If Kirsi could convince that person to be on her side, then her victory would be somewhat assured. At the very least, she could prevent her future little family from the protagonist's exile. Ahem, that doesn't mean Kirsi agrees to continue her marriage to Cedric. If she could get a divorce, she would ask for a divorce right away. But the problem was that as soon as they got divorced, Kirsi would instantly turn Cedric into her enemy, which alone is a long list of records.
"…Are you jealous?" Kirsi asked carefully, finding Cedric snorting disdainfully.
"I'm not close enough with him."
"Then use your position."
"You want your husband to abuse his power?"
Kirsi narrowed her eyes, "You think I don't know?" Never try to fool a reader who has read the story to the end. Although there may be slight differences, there are still some things that remain valid according to the narrative of the novel. One of them is that Cedric is an annoying guy.
Cedric burst out laughing. He tickled the sole of Kirsi's foot who was being held captive, and said, "Not for free."
"Fine, if that's how you go. I'll drain your treasure as soon as my plan works." Kirsi whispered to herself, but not low enough for Cedric to hear.
"I won't ask for anything outlandish." He defended himself.
"Let me hear it first."
On the soft mattress, the two lay strife. Shoulder to shoulder touching, with one of Kirsi's leg captive on Cedric's stomach, not allowed to go, and their heads close together less than an inch apart. In that stifling closeness, Cedric turned his head to meet Kirsi's eyes, letting the 19-year-old woman count his eyelashes.
Kirsi watched how the eyes that were previously filled with mischievous aura suddenly lost their antics. In an instant, the blue gem implied a very deep meaning that Kirsi couldn't grasp. Cedric continued to approach until the tips of their sharp noses touched. Kirsi had a fresh and bright olive skin, almost ivory, a stark contrast to Cedric's paleness. His blue eyes never left Kirsi's copper eyes. After a long pause, the man said, his warm breath hitting Kirsi's face, emitting a masculine fragrance and a slight smell of tobacco.
"Let's go back to your parents' house. This decent son-in-law would like to say his greetings."
-0-
Two days later, Alruna said that the president of the Goldstein company had invited Kirsi to his closed-door meeting. The invitation came on Thursday, and the meeting will take place this weekend.
Kirsi knows that closed-door meetings can usually only be attended by those who accept the invitation, and meetings like this do not carry the status of each other's family, but the status of the relationship between each other. For example, if Eugene Goldstein had a closed-door meeting, he would have held this meeting as the owner of the Goldstein company and not as the first son of the Goldstein household. And Kirsi, as his guest, came not as the eldest daughter of the Evander household, or even the wife of the crown prince, the Emperor's daughter-in-law, but as the rightful owner of some of her giant premarital properties. Namely the rightful owners of the Suerius-Walherich dam, several giant plantations in the East, and many more. To marry their daughter to a son from a prestigious family like Cedric, the Evanders certainly didn't mess around with their wedding dowry.
By marrying Kirsi to Cedric, the Evander family has indirectly announced their siding with Cedric as a potential heir to the throne. Social in the upper class is always divided into several parties. Most nobles would choose Cedric as the most suitable candidate for an heir, while the officials and scholars in the capital would definitely choose the third prince Arthur as their future Emperor, due to his background having been a commoner during his childhood. On the other hand, not a few also sided with the second prince Justin because of his prowess on the battlefield.
The Evander family throughout the story always show their loyalty to Cedric to the point where they can no longer continue. This condition was when it was finally discovered that Viona was the biological child of the Evander family patriarch, considering that Kirsi was only an adopted child.
At that time, the Evander family suddenly turned their back on the crown prince and caused Cedric's fall from the throne succession. Cedric and Kirsi were then exiled. And by the time Arthur's ascension as Emperor had been carried out, there was an order from the palace to execute both of them. At that time, the Evanders still had little tenderness left for Kirsi and contacted their family far west to help the couple escape. But unfortunately, the plan failed because Viona knew very well the areas in the west as her childhood place and managed to guess their escape route. In the end, Cedric and Kirsi were shot while they were still holding hands. This tragic love story actually looks more romantic rather than the dedication of the protagonist and female lead which is too beautiful to be true.
Actually, it is not explained whether Cedric and Kirsi really love each other, because both of them married only based on sheer interest. No description clearly explains how they see each other as loved ones. Cedric also doesn't look like the kind of guy who would stick with one partner for the rest of his life. But until the end, he still held Kirsi's hand and made himself a meat shield twice to protect her, before finally both of them died horribly.
Well, the story was so tragic that Kirsi almost cried when she remembered it. Not because she felt touched, but because if she was rash, that tragic story would become her future. Alruna who didn't know what her madam was thinking at this moment thought that the madam was sad because she had to meet the worst man in the entire empire.
Sadly, Alruna tried to encourage her. "Don't worry, Madam. You don't have to attend the meeting. Mr Goldstein has sent his invitations to the Master too many times, and he has never responded to one."
Ah, come to think of it, Eugene Goldstein likes anyone who has a certain appearance, whether it's a boy or a girl, he doesn't care. In the novel, it is not evident whether Cedric has a good appearance or not, other than it is mentioned that he is like a wild boar. But as long as she was reading 'My Dearest', there were at least a lot of weirdos trying to get Cedric's attention for their own sake. One of them is Eugene Goldstein. Kirsi, on the other hand, is always portrayed as prettier than the female lead who makes her beauty useless because of her bad behaviour. Kirsi shuddered at the thought that she would meet an old man who was after her husband.
"Can a closed-door meeting invite more than one guest?" throughout the novel, the only closed-door meeting Kirsi knows is from the protagonist who has several closed-door meetings with only two people secluded in a closed room.
Alruna noticed her madam's worry and said, "Not always. Mostly it is, but Mr Goldstein always invites more than one colleague to gather."
"Then I need to pay attention to my clothes." It's Thursday. Some things couldn't be done on Friday so she had to do them between today and the day after. The meeting will be held on Saturday. Then the only option left is to do it right now.
"You want to order clothes, Madam? It seems there is not enough time."
"No need. I'll just look for the finished one."
"... Look for? "
"We're going to the market."
"Master will not agree," Alruna said firmly.
"I'll take care of that. I insist."
And, here they were, in the middle of the bustling streets of the Hilaria shopping centre. Kirsi refused to come using her majesty's title as the Crown Princess and preferred to use an ordinary horse carriage like any normal person. Because her face was so well known in the capital, Kirsi wore a large black cloak to cover almost her entire body. Together with Alruna and Cedric's two trusted private guards, they walked close together like a group of travellers.
It's just Kirsi's trick to leave. Her goal was not at all to look for clothes, but to go alone when everyone in her party was off guard. Before they knew it, they had lost their young madam.
Frederick Winslow is one of the noble young masters who choose to work under the crown prince, which was a childhood friend. He laughed in agony while holding his neck. "Screw me."
Alruna, who wouldn't have thought that they would be missed, started to get hysterical.
Frederick made a loud whistle twice, and two people who had appeared out of nowhere suddenly stood behind him. He questioned them, "Which way did Madam go?"
-0-
On a city street that was a little quieter than the rest, lined a few shops that weren't too bad quality, but had a less than the promising exterior. A shop selling food will coexist with a shop selling clothes, and this inconsistency is often the case here.
A woman wearing a simple black cloak walked barefoot down the slightly damp paving block street. She took off her high-heeled shoes and carried them with one hand hiding in the cloak. When she came across dense bushes at the corner of the alley, she hid her shoes there and turned into an even narrower alley. Not far from there, there is a hidden shop that provides animal butchery services. People can bring their animals to be slaughtered, or they can buy them there directly. The shop was too hidden that only certain people would know. Putting aside the strong stench from the surroundings, Kirsi knocked on the door 3 times and entered.
There was a long hallway that greeted her. It takes about 10 steps to walk it. At the end of the corridor, there was an iron door that didn't have any oddity at first glance. Kirsi cleared her throat twice before knocking. There was a response from within, a languid male voice, said, "How are we going to fish this afternoon?"
Kirsi replied, "Too bad, the pool has been drained."
Not long after, the door opened with a loud scraping sound between the rusty iron and the rough stone floor. In contrast to its dull and shabby exterior, the interior of the room was almost as luxurious as the living room in Cedric's residence. Kirsi entered and was greeted by a man who appeared to be the same age as her husband.
The look in his eyes gave the impression that he knew everyone's secrets. So treacherous and brave. Kirsi has covered most of her appearance, especially her face and body shape. She was even willing to throw away her shoes for a while just so these people couldn't see her feet and scan her gait. Anyway, she can't get caught. But even with that near-perfect camouflage, Kirsi still felt naked before those gazes. The man wore a mask on half of his face, showing only a pair of clear brown eyes spiked with black powder, making it difficult for one to guess his true appearance.
The man scanned Kirsi's closed appearance casually, before saying, "To think you would both come here."
"Huh?" Kirsi was confused but soon forgot about it when the man changed the topic.
"Would you like to order some meat?"
"Oh, yes. "
"Have the discount card?"
"I want to register."
"Fine. Have a seat first."
"No, thanks." Kirsi refused. It was uncomfortable to be calm in a place where the law couldn't even reach. The man before her raised an eyebrow but didn't say much.
"What kind of discount do you want?"
"Something that will allow me to reach for the finest quality meat." As she answered, Kirsi stepped forward to take out a bag full of silver coins and set it on the mahogany table. Meat is meant as information here. If someone orders meat that is still attached to the bone, it means that person is asking them to find someone for him. Kirsi, on the other hand, just wanted to find some meat.
"There's no need to be so generous, Madam. We only need 8 pieces of silver coins for the subscription fee."
Her husband's monthly salary was about 17,500 silver coins, which was roughly equivalent to the monthly salary of a senior official in the palace. The position of a crown prince does not have an office with special authority and post, as long as the Emperor is still healthy enough to do everything himself. And to make a crown prince have a job, the Emperor needed to give him another rank in the government court system, that way, Cedric would still have a real job and a salary. And the nominal 17,500 pieces of silver are still not included in the monthly money given by the Director of the Imperial Clan for the descendants of the Emperor. That way, taking out a bag of money containing 2000 pieces of silver coins didn't burden Kirsi at all. 2000 pieces of silver coins are at least equivalent to 2 years of the city magistrate's salary.
Kirsi said, "There are 2000 pieces of silver coins in it. I will buy everything who wants my meat." Indirectly, Kirsi said that whoever wants to buy the same information as the one she is looking for, she will buy it from them. In short, she wanted to monopolize the information for herself.
"Okay." The man took the money and wrote something on the paper. The writing was so bad that it was hard for Kirsi to read. He said, "Go to the address written here before 9 pm. You can come any day except Friday. Also, you know that fishing with shrimp will not guarantee the quality of the fish."
Kirsi accepts it. She weighed the 2000 pieces of silver coins worth of paper with an aching heart. "And how can I confirm the veracity of this paper?"
The man snapped his fingers. "Smart consumer." He pointed at the piece of papyrus paper in Kirsi's hand and said, "The paper won't burn. That means, if you take it to the authorities, then you can drop us at any time. What do you think?"