I Seducing the Black-Hearted Duke Wasn't Me - Chapter 29

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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 29
“I absolutely cannot back down now. That woman has ruined my children’s lives! Not just Jerold, but Silvia’s future too……!”
Count Valentine drained his whiskey in one gulp, his face flushed with fury.
“I trust my children’s words. It’s all Jeherette’s doing. That woman seduced my son, and in the end, she’s destroyed my daughter as well!”
“Tch.”
The Duke responded with a lukewarm murmur and took a sip of his drink.
Blood ran thick, but Valentine’s judgment was appallingly poor.
‘Even I, who pay little attention to society gossip, know how shamelessly that girl threw herself at the Marquis. And as a father, he’s completely blind to his own children.’
What’s more, the Countess Valentine herself had sought to use her brother to plunder the Marquis’s wealth.
Yet to Count Valentine, both his children were innocent victims.
‘No further use for him.’
It was precisely as the Duke was mentally cutting Valentine loose that the Count pressed on.
“Your Grace, are you not concerned? Jeherette is growing far too powerful. In Jedo, there are scarcely any families who haven’t borrowed investment funds from that woman. She’s openly acting as a financier now.”
“Hmm.”
“And now that she’s acquired Bernstein as well, her standing already rivals that of most duchies. The Merciel Duchy doesn’t matter, of course, since their daughter will soon be Empress, but Blansch…….”
…….
The Duke’s eyes sharpened in an instant.
Valentine quickly closed his mouth, but that piercing gaze did not relent.
Yes.
The weakness of Duke Blansch, for whom everything was otherwise perfect as a nobleman.
It was inferiority.
Lady Merciel, daughter of a ducal house equal to his own, had been chosen by the Emperor himself to become his betrothed.
By misfortune, Duke Blansch also had a daughter of the same age.
He had done everything in his power to make her Empress, but the Emperor, caring nothing for political stance or factional strength, had chosen according to his heart alone.
And so the Merciel Duchy was destined to become the house that would produce the next Empress.
‘Cursed. If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have rushed into marriage. Who could have guessed the false goods would turn out to be a treasure? I’d have settled for even a Grand Duchess title.’
Yet his daughter, consumed by shame at being rejected by the Emperor, had married into a neighboring kingdom’s royal family that very year.
So Blansch had no more eligible daughters to offer.
And now, in such circumstances, Jeherette’s influence was surging.
‘I acknowledge her talent, certainly, but she’s become far too bold of late. Hmm.’
So then, what was to be done?
As the Duke fell into thought, Valentine’s face—the very picture of wounded indignation—swam into his vision.
A smile gradually bloomed across his lips.
“Come to think of it, don’t you have a piece of land called Valole among your family’s holdings?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. It’s neglected territory near Jedo, but…….”
“If I recall correctly, when Jeherette transports tea leaves harvested from her estates to Jedo, she must pass through that very land.”
“That’s right. Which is why we barely maintain it on the transit fees she pays. But why are you…….”
He trailed off.
Count Valentine, who had been answering carefully, suddenly fell silent.
He had grasped it. What the Duke was truly suggesting.
The corners of Valentine’s mouth, obscured by rage moments before, began to curve steadily upward.
* * *
“Well then, first things first.”
I nodded silently, watching Leon.
He’d mentioned seduction, and I wondered what on earth he had in mind.
“Wait. Seduction? Here? Now? Is that really all right?”
“What are you imagining? Don’t worry. It’s seduction your way.”
His reassurance was reassuring only in name, and “seduction my way” was a mystery in itself.
The conversation was drifting into increasingly murky waters, but I decided to listen anyway.
He raised one finger with confident certainty, a sharp gesture.
“Marriage is inevitable anyway. Right? You need an heir so that everything you’ve protected all this time won’t fall into someone else’s hands.”
“That’s true enough.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can marry just anyone. Take this Valentine business, for instance. That boy was after your family and fortune, trying to trap you. Wasn’t he?”
“……Yes, that too.”
“Exactly. So the safest marriage for you, Erna, is one to someone of equal standing or better. That’s how you protect what matters.”
Of course, this is also to safeguard your house, he added hastily.
I nodded slowly.
“From that perspective, while I may not be your best choice, I’m certainly not your worst. You agree on that much, don’t you?”
“That……is fair.”
It was sound reasoning.
“Behind me stand Bernstein and the Emperor. That’s certainly going to help you as well. To such a degree that the Exclusive Harbor I promised as an engagement gift would be nothing but a taste of what’s to come.”
“That’s a fair point.”
“And he’s handsome, too.”
“……I can’t argue with that.”
“Not to mention he’s skilled at night activities. Ah, but you’ll find that out for yourself through direct experience. Many times over, in fact.”
“I……see.”
Damn it all. So it hadn’t been just once that I’d found myself staring up at the ceiling. Lora was going to be absolutely delighted.
The unwelcome truth I’d stumbled upon hit me all at once, turning my vision white for a moment.
‘No, calm down first.’
What’s done is done, and there was no point dwelling on that part now.
Besides, there was nothing I could actually say about it.
I drew in a deep breath.
‘Just accept it. Honestly, he’s not wrong.’
Setting aside that last part entirely, most of what he’d said made sense.
Why shouldn’t it? Lora had said something similar not long ago.
‘The old me would have accepted without hesitation. The terms are just that good.’
But…….
There was one thing that gnawed at me.
One thing so troubling it overshadowed all those advantages.
A single question that kept making me hesitate.
And that was…….
“……Well, I understand what you’re saying, Leon. I think it makes a great deal of sense.”
“So?”
“But before I make a final decision, there’s one thing I’d like to confirm with you.”
“What’s that?”
He smiled gently, asking as if he’d answer kindly no matter what I questioned. As if there were no doubt he’d take care of whatever I needed to ask.
Gathering courage from that, I took a deep breath.
I steadied my gaze on him, about to speak——
“So you, perhaps…….”
“Duchess!”
The salon door swung open with a jingle, and a man came rushing in.
It was none other than the Roar Merchant Guild’s administrator, Jang.
“I apologize for interrupting your private time. I heard you were here……and I’ve come to deliver an urgent message.”
“It’s fine. What’s the matter?”
Normally he would have waited for me at the mansion.
The fact that he’d run all the way here meant it had to be serious.
At my question, Jang, breathing heavily, spoke with a pale face.
“Something terrible has happened. The guild is in complete upheaval right now.”
“The Roar?”
What on earth could possibly have gone wrong.
* * *
“What? A sudden increase in tolls?”
“Yes.”
At my shocked question, Jang nodded immediately.
I let out a hollow laugh, stunned, and slumped into a chair.
We were now at the Roar Merchant Guild’s headquarters.
I’d had no choice but to change locations when Jang showed up unexpectedly during my outing with Leon.
Any problem affecting the guild became a problem for Jeherette as a whole.
So I’d excused myself to Leon and hurried to the guild, only to be met with this absurdity.
“Valentine suddenly notified us that, starting this month, they’re raising the transit fees to five times the original amount.”
“What? Five times?”
“Yes. So I rushed over to negotiate with them as a representative, but they refused to meet.”
As he said this, Jang handed me a document.
[Effective this month, all merchant guilds passing through the Valentine County lands are hereby notified of a rate increase on transit fees to ‘5 times’ the current amount.
This measure takes effect immediately, with the first application scheduled to begin at the end of this month.]
But that wasn’t all.
[Furthermore, should you wish to negotiate regarding this matter, please contact the Valentine County office within this week.]
In other words…….
“They’re asking for negotiations?”
“It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?”
“So when I finally went to see him, I got turned away at the door?”
That’s exactly why Jang had come looking for me in such a hurry, he nodded in confirmation.
Jang was the Roar Merchant Guild’s representative and managed the day-to-day operations, but ultimately I remained the guild’s figurehead.
“We’ve taken a blow.”
I hadn’t thought he’d resort to such a contemptible tactic.

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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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