For the Lady's Wise Regression - Chapter 56

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 56
Raimost Pilgram’s eyes gleamed the moment he saw Ian Ruscliffe step into view.
More precisely, at the thick sheaf of documents cradled in his arms.
“Not at all. Shall we reconvene the session? But first… might I ask what you’ve brought?”
At Raimost’s question, Ian placed the documents before him with a soft thud.
“I realized my initial report on the venture was rather incomplete.”
“Supplementary materials, then?”
“Yes. I hope you’ll excuse my inexperience—this is my first such meeting.”
Several pairs of eyes followed him as he returned to his seat.
In each gaze flickered resentment that he alone had been spared the ordeal they had all endured.
[Second Half Sales Report]
Raimost Pilgram smiled at the bold heading printed across the top page of the documents Ian had brought.
Flip, flip.
Only the soft rustling of turning pages filled the quiet conference room.
Tap.
Pilgram looked up after scanning through the entire report.
“Well then, shall we resume? From my left, if you please.”
Even as he listened to the presentation, Raimost’s gaze remained fixed on Ian.
How had he known to format the report in precisely the manner Raimost preferred?
This was their first meeting, after all.
The Emperor had no taste for such granular detail.
After each report, the task of distilling it to essentials always fell to him.
He had to extract only the vital information from the sprawling documentation.
But simplicity was everything.
Whether a venture was merely hemorrhaging funds, or would prove essential to the Empire’s future despite the time required.
For Raimost Pilgram, such judgments could be made with a single sentence.
Which meant he had to understand every detail of the enterprise in question.
This, then…
The format was unmistakably different from what would be presented to the Emperor, and Raimost’s smile deepened with each passing moment.
‘Someone close to me understands my preferences, it seems.’
That day, Raimost Pilgram did something unprecedented: rather than confiscate the budget of the noble who had presented his first Regular Budget Report, he allocated one nearly double the original.
To win someone’s favor, one need only provide what they desire most.
It was a gift from Raimost Pilgram to the mysterious ‘someone’ who had demonstrated this truth so perfectly.
***
Meanwhile, while Ian received Raimost Pilgram’s quiet approval in the budget report, Vanessa arrived at the reception room following a maid in the service of Crown Prince Tesse Decart.
Vanessa arrived at the reception room in the company of the Crown Prince Tesse Decart’s maid.
“Please wait here a moment, madam. His Highness will be with us shortly.”
…What? An urgent summons?
To anyone’s eye, this looked purely like a tea appointment.
That piano against the far wall, the table arranged as if for an audience to listen to a performance—everything suggested as much.
Seeing the Three-Tiered Tray laden with desserts, Vanessa found herself increasingly baffled.
Did Tesse Decart take piano as a hobby, then?
“…That hardly seems right.”
The man who dozed off in his chair every time a recital was held?
She’d seen him catch his sleep more than once, only to receive a blow from the Emperor for his trouble.
After he’d demonstrated such drowsiness to a foreign delegation, musical performances had mysteriously vanished from imperial banquets.
As Vanessa studied the suspicious arrangement of the room and began to divine Tesse’s intentions, light footsteps echoed in the corridor.
“Madam!”
“I pay my respects to the Empire’s young lion, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Ha! Let’s forget the stiff ceremony for today. Sit, sit. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I had them bring everything. If anything suits your taste, please take some with you when you go.”
“That’s kind of you, but I’ve only just finished eating. The tea you’ve prepared is more than sufficient.”
Vanessa took the seat Tesse indicated, settling herself across the table from him.
“Is that so? A pity. I should have found out your preferences beforehand. Oh—will you be leaving with Ian later?”
“If our schedules align, perhaps.”
“In that case, there’s no time to waste. Pilgram typically finishes his scheduled meetings two or three hours early.”
Tesse smiled warmly as he studied Vanessa’s face.
“Honestly, I’d hoped you’d come today… and here you are. I wanted to thank you again for honoring us with your presence.”
“…I beg your pardon? It seems premature to receive thanks.”
Vanessa’s reply emerged sharp-edged, her caution barely concealed.
“Ah, I forgot to mention the important part. That you would come to see me so early—this very morning, no less? That’s what I’m thanking you for.”
With a sly wink, Tesse reached up and plucked the dessert from the top tier of the Three-Tiered Tray.
“Is it because you’re meeting someone you’ve been waiting so long to see? Today’s dessert tastes sweeter than usual.”
What? Why is he acting like this? Is there poison in the dessert? Why is he so delighted?
Their only point of contact should have been the wedding ceremony.
Tesse finished off the dessert he’d casually taken, then wiped his mouth with his thumb.
“Madam, might you have some free time this coming weekend?”
“……Are you referring to the days of rest established by the Holy Nation?”
“That’s right.”
“Well…… I don’t particularly have anything pressing to do……”
Vanessa had been about to say she had no time at all, but her mouth snapped shut.
……What is wrong with him, really?
How wide was his smile stretching?
Tesse Decart’s face had gone beyond mere brightness—his mouth was pulled up so far his cheeks bunched near his eyes.
“Now that’s music to my ears! Excellent, excellent.”
“…….”
“If the madam has nothing pressing, then Ian would be in the same situation, yes?”
“Well…… I suppose?”
Vanessa dodged his gaze with an ambiguous answer.
She hadn’t even asked about Ian in the first place because she wasn’t curious.
If she answered directly, his circling conversational style—dancing around the real point without getting to it—felt like it would snag her words as bait and never let go.
“Well then, it’s nothing else, but……”
For just a moment, embarrassment flickered across Tesse’s face, which had been radiating cheerfulness throughout.
“……Could the madam perhaps become friends with the Third Princess of Antuella who is arriving with this diplomatic mission?”
“……Pardon?”
“Could you become friends with the Third Princess?”
Friends? What kind of friends?
It didn’t sound like he meant playmates.
“Is that for the duration of the delegation’s stay, or…… for some time to come?”
“What I’m hoping for is the latter.”
Never did she think the Crown Prince himself would take the initiative to arrange friendships for her.
‘……Do I really look that friendless?’
***
What Tesse Decart meant boiled down to this:
He was about to marry the Third Princess of Antuella, and with lingering resentment from the Ferry Capsizing Incident, he feared the citizens of the Decart Empire would harbor deep ill will toward her—and he wanted to enlist Vanessa’s help.
In her previous life, the marriage had taken place without any particular assistance from her, so she hadn’t thought it terribly important at the time.
But now that she understood Ian’s past, she could see how it might indeed be a concern.
Strictly speaking, they hadn’t committed the crime themselves, yet families torn apart by the ships they built numbered in the dozens.
And it was noble houses, no less, who suffered the losses.
Enormous compensation had been paid, certainly, but it wasn’t easy to rebuild a house that had crumbled in an instant.
As a result, some families had become fallen nobility from that incident, while others had hastily entered into arranged marriages to maintain their titles.
Moreover……
‘Gardelmore. The Duke’s house there is wavering even now over whether their sole heir will live or die.’
It was for this reason that House Leonard had rushed to diversify their business ventures, seeking to establish a stable revenue source as quickly as possible.
Because Gardelmore Duchy’s only heir now lay bedridden, teetering between life and death.
Originally, among the Five Grand Ducal Houses, House Sharoze had been the only one without an heir to the title, but now that she had married Ian, that ship had sailed—and the anxiety over succession would only deepen.
Moreover, compared to House Leonard, which currently had nothing of business consequence to present, House Raiben—Gardelmore’s close ally and steady supporter—stood a far greater chance of seizing the Dukedom.
Gardelmore and Raiben had conducted business in near-perfect partnership, so stable revenue wouldn’t be a problem for them, yet Raiben seemed to be waiting for Gardelmore’s heir to recover from illness at last—and the situation had stalled.
Had Raiben instead hardened his resolve and pressed the succession to the Dukedom sooner,
House Leonard wouldn’t be endlessly gazing at a tree they could never climb.
‘……No, wait. Why am I hoping for House Raiben’s intentions to change?’
In her past life, because she had married Calail, the available Duke’s houses they could pull down to gain a title had been two: House Sharoze and House Gardelmore—but now there’s only Gardelmore, just one choice.
And if she could block them from the start, no matter how much they struggled, she would only tire in waiting for an uncertain outcome.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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