~•|•~
"Let Inez do what she wants to do."
That's what Anthony said when Jouis told him of Inez's desire to pay the remaining salaries of the workers fired from Buford with her savings. After knowing Anthony's answer, the next morning Inez went to the bank accompanied by Anne and returned to the mansion with a large bag containing pieces of sena.
Jouis was helped by Inez to organize all the financial details given to the former workers. For this reason, Inez moved her desk to the butler's office so that they could work together more effectively.
As of this moment, Inez was sitting down while reading through the first batch of financial reports made by Jouis. Even though Inez knew the old man wouldn't corrupt the money, she still did what she was supposed to do.
Knock, knock, knock!
Inez glanced at the slightly open door. She found Anthony's silhouette standing there. Her lips turned into a wry smile. "Come in," she said rather curtly.
Anthony cleared his throat briefly. He opened the butler's room door and stepped in close to Inez.
"What's wrong?" Inez asked to the point. She gave her brother a quick glance.
"I heard from Jouis," Anthony said. "He said your work will be finished soon."
"Yes," Inez replied briefly, breaking her gaze from Anthony.
"I'm sorry," Anthony said suddenly, which made Inez look back at him.
"What did you do wrong?" Inez retorted, putting the document she was holding on the table and giving all her attention to Anthony. "Do you have anything wrong with me?" she asked sarcastically.
"That..." Anthony trailed off. "I'm sorry about that day. Back then, I said that because you hadn't made any contributions to Buford. But now..."
"Alright. If you don't really intend to apologize, it's better not to, Anthony," Inez cut in, feeling upset. She got up from her chair and looked sharply at the man. "I asked the butler not to provide any more dessert for me and you to save a little money. But Nicola, Christine, and Arabella still get it."
"Well..." Anthony nodded slowly. "I heard that too," he said. "Are you done?" he asked, looking confused at Inez.
"Not yet," Inez replied. "I just wanted to know the real reason you came here in between your busy schedules."
Anthony was silent for a moment, looking straight at his sister. He sighed softly afterwards. "Alright," he said. He stepped over and sat on a nearby chair. "You've contributed to Buford, Inez."
The girl clenched her fists under the table. She nodded slowly. "Yes, it is," she replied a little bit shakily.
Anthony stared at Inez in silence before he finally took something out of his coat pocket.
"What is it?" asked Inez, squinting to confirm what she was looking at now. She glared when she saw the familiar letter stamp. "It's from His Highness!" she exclaimed. She stared at Anthony. "How did you get that letter?"
"Relax, Inez. It only arrived a few moments ago," Anthony said. "I was going to give it to you. That's why I came here," he added.
"Huh!" Inez was skeptical. She strode furiously towards Anthony and took the letter from her brother. "You shouldn't have bothered!" she snapped.
"So," Anthony straightened up, "what did His Highness write?" he asked.
"What do you know for?" retorted Inez, turning away from Anthony. "You don't approve of our relationship!"
"Inez," Anthony called out, sounding frustrated.
"I'm just stating the facts," Inez replied, taking a small knife from the desk drawer and opening the letter with great enthusiasm.
"You know," Anthony said with a shrug. "I have savings."
"Yeah, I know," Inez replied, losing her enthusiasm for her brother and turning to read the letter from Lennox while smiling like a lovesick person.
Anthony gave Inez a strange look. He snorted rudely. 'So Inez can make expressions like that too,' he thought, allowing his sister to drown in the euphoria of romance first.
"Oh God," Inez said as she finished reading the letter and sat down on the chair with a big smile. Her chest and stomach seemed to be filled with butterflies.
"What's wrong?" asked Anthony as he stood up and approached his sister. "What did he say?"
"It's decided," said Inez, smiling happily, looking at Anthony.
"What?" replied Anthony indignantly. He was about to pick up the letter, but Inez's movement was faster. "Inez," he scolded.
"It's a private letter, Count! You can't read it!" said Inez, glaring at the man. She cleared her throat briefly with a flat expression. "We are going on a date tomorrow morning. By the Chete Riverside."
"Cih, just a date," Anthony replied immediately. He looked away from Inez. "I thought it was a wedding date," he muttered.
"Huh!" responded Inez indifferently. "You said you were embarrassed to offer a dowry to the palace," she said.
"Well, this is what I wanted to talk to you about," said Anthony, looking seriously at his sister.
"What?"
"If His Highness wants to marry you, I will use eighty percent of my savings as an additional dowry," Anthony said, nodding confidently.
"But you said—"
"If you marry His Highness, our family will also receive a huge favor," Anthony said. "Buford's honor will also return," he added. He let out a harsh sigh afterward. "Even so, the palace won't get much from Buford. And that can only happen if His Highness is seriously in love with you."
"Anthony," Inez called out, worried about her brother's change of plans this time.
"So, Inez..." Anthony looked at the girl. "If you and His Highness are so serious, marriage is a good option," he said with an exasperated sigh. "Although, to be honest, I don't like his bad attitude," he added, looking rather annoyed. He turned around and walked away from Inez while girdling his loins.
Meanwhile, Inez stared at Anthony's back in confusion. "You mean..."
"I mean," Anthony said, turning around and taking a deep breath. He looked at Inez with quivering pupils. "Marrying you off to His Highness has slightly better advantages than marrying the son of Count Fritz," he said.
"Well, you say different things, Anthony," said Inez, shaking her head in disbelief at her brother's words. "What if this evening or tomorrow you don't approve of our relationship anymore?"
"When that happens, it means His Highness has made me not want to marry you off to him," Anthony replied seriously.
"Anthony!" exclaimed Inez, clutching the letter in her hand. "He's the crown prince of this kingdom! Please be careful with your word!"
"I know, Inez." Anthony nodded confidently. "But he's also human. If... if he had an affair while he was in a relationship with you, like he did in the past, I will not be able to marry you to him. Even if he's one of the highest-ranking people in this kingdom. Even if you love him. But since he hasn't done that yet, I'll let you be. Just this once, Inez. Really, just this once," he emphasized.
"Never mind..." Inez held her head, which suddenly felt dizzy. "I have a date with His Highness tomorrow. So, don't make me uncomfortable," she pleaded, looking at the man.
"...Alright." Anthony nodded. "Then, I'll be going. Have a good work, Inez."
"Yes, ah... Do you know where Jouis is?" Inez asked before Anthony left the room.
"He's in discussion with Arabella's doctor," Anthony replied. He noticed the change in Inez's expression. "Don't you know?"
"What?" replied Inez.
"Arabella's psychological condition has been a little disturbed lately," Anthony said, avoiding Inez's gaze.
"Oh..." Inez nodded in understanding. "That's bad. I think you should be by her side. She just gave birth and is in a difficult phase."
"She became so because I was by her side, Inez," Anthony said again, which made Inez laugh bitterly. "Oh, I have an appointment with Allan," she said, changing the subject.
"Who is Allan?" Inez asked, curious because it was the first time she had heard the name.
"A bourgeois," Anthony replied.
"Well, be careful," said Inez, worried about her brother. "The bourgeoisie is much more cunning now than the nobility."
"I know. Thank you." Anthony nodded briefly. "See you soon, Inez." He walked out of the room.
"What a fickle plan," chided Inez as Anthony left. She let out a frustrated sigh afterwards. 'Get married, get married, get married. Like that's the only way out,' she thought. She glanced at the letter from Lennox and turned to the document she was reading earlier. She sighed heavily. 'I need to work harder,' she thought to herself.
———