Resetting Lady - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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At the sudden declaration of dislike, Raymond glanced away once and answered.

“…Yes.”

In any case, Raymond himself was a person on Verdick’s side. Regardless of how Raymond might think of Verdick. At Raymond’s short answer, the Duke laughed as if amused.

“That doesn’t mean I dislike you, so there’s no need to react sensitively. I hate that a mere merchant dares to hover around the sacred council chamber. A parasite that deliberately incites conflict and sucks blood.”

“That’s a harsh assessment. I’m even more curious about why you called me.”

“I want to give you a better option. I feel sorry for the tragedy that befell Baron Seyertes.”

“Do you have a connection with my brother?”

“Somewhat.”

“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

The Duke put down his glass and moved his hand. The music rang out louder.

“Actually, it’s not much of a connection. What’s important is that I don’t particularly like Verdick Evans. That’s all.”

“I see.”

“Cautious to the end. Such an attitude may seem like you don’t want to make enemies, but it also makes it difficult to make friends. You’d better think carefully about my proposal.”

And the Duke immediately gestured to another student.

His conversation with Raymond was over.

On his way back, Raymond received a wine bottle handed to him by a servant. And in that wine bottle was various information about Verdick Evans.

* * *

“Lord Raymond, it’s been a while.”

“…”

Who was this again.

Raymond had to think for a moment before he could recognize who the woman in front of him was. Ah, right. My fiancée. Verdick Evans’s daughter, whom I’ve met three times in five years.

“Father told me to come get you since Lord Raymond wasn’t coming.”

The woman, almost buried in fancy clothes, lifted her chin pretending to be haughty, but to the tall Raymond, it was nothing more than a child’s imitation. And it didn’t even properly register in Raymond’s eyes. Because of what he had seen.

The letter that Count Fankair had handed him.

“…I see. There was no need to go to such trouble.”

“Why were you late?”

Because your father is a villain.

But Raymond couldn’t say those words.

Even after that, Raymond’s daily life didn’t change much. No, it changed somewhat. He became more diligent. There was no time to waste even a little. His anger toward Verdick wasn’t like that. It wasn’t the kind of anger that would stab Verdick with a knife or shoot him with bullets.

“Father will give Lord Raymond his full support.”

Raymond knew this too.

“So please don’t do this again.”

If he stayed quiet, Verdick would put the finest hay in his mouth, regardless of how things started. And his efforts as the new owner, the actual owner of the Seyertes family estate, could be seen in the estate’s development speed each year.

Mines and factories were built on the pastures, railways were laid, and the population increased. That would become Raymond’s again when he married Isella. Perhaps it would be better to set aside thoughts of revenge and take what he could get from Verdick.

“But I don’t want to live like that.”

He didn’t want to live being raised by Verdick. Raymond knew well that if he lost direction due to anger, he would gain nothing. Raymond was still someone who had much to lose, and so was Verdick. Between them, a fight beyond mere fistfights was necessary.

Raymond wanted the complete downfall of the Evans Family.

And Count Fankair was quite helpful with that.

“No, no. Don’t choose yet. You mustn’t give the impression that you’re calculating human relationships. You should appear somewhat naive, but honest.”

“Won’t I be looked down upon?”

Raymond, who had wielded both fists and grades among hot-blooded young men, didn’t quite understand his advice. But the Duke shook his head.

“You’re still young, so it’s fine. Not looking foolish and putting on airs are completely different matters. It’s natural for a young person to be somewhat naive. Never put on airs. Anyone with a bit of sense can see right through it. That’s something that lowers your value.”

“I understand.”

“But you mustn’t appear servile. Once you look servile, it’s over. Your posture and appearance are admirably upright.”

“Thank you.”

Raymond found this fact somewhat amusing. If his appearance had been unsightly, Verdick wouldn’t have tried to buy him. He was trying to provide his daughter with a good-looking stallion. What would have happened to them if he had been the one to fall ill instead of his brother?

Snap.

“I’m sorry.”

“Speak half a beat slower. Your speech is a bit fast.”

“Yes.”

This is somewhat like etiquette lessons for a young lady making her social debut. Raymond felt somewhat suffocated. It might not be so different. But this wasn’t particularly difficult. Raymond felt a small sense of achievement in refining his attitude through etiquette.

“And never lose your position as top student. Ask about academics, not Verdick’s business, as if you’re interested in learning. Duke Dalton has strong intellectual vanity, so if a young person like you asks, he’ll go on and on. And people like to think they’re being generous.”

Does the Duke also feel satisfaction in being generous to Raymond? But Raymond couldn’t ask that. Seeing Raymond glance sideways, the Duke asked.

“Why do you think I would take a liking to you?”

Raymond was curious about this. Does the Duke want to bring down Verdick through him? But why go to such troublesome and roundabout lengths? Does he have value? Value as a stallion? But he probably doesn’t have a daughter.

Raymond abandoned his thoughts. Now was the time to receive, not to weigh.

“…I don’t really know. However, I don’t want to disappoint your expectations, Your Grace.”

“You’re a decent student.”

At Raymond’s answer, the Duke laughed and slapped his shoulder loudly.

“Let me tell you something important. You must maintain your moral standing. That will be your greatest weapon.”

Raymond didn’t know that pigeons were still used so much in an age when telegraphs had become widespread. Invitations and letters of recommendation came and went, avoiding Verdick’s eyes. Raymond began to find a path that wouldn’t require dependence on Verdick.

“People still go wild for old-world values. The number of House members has increased, and Verdick’s wealth is greater than most earls. Yet why would he cause such a fuss wanting to become a noble?”

Isn’t it because most wealthy people are still nobles?

“Once you’ve gained money, next you want to gain honor and history.”

“I don’t quite understand, Your Grace. Isn’t honor something that can’t be obtained just by wanting it?”

The Duke shook his head.

“No, honor is something that’s created, Raymond. You know well how many people, yes, so-called righteous people who saved and developed the country, just fade away namelessly. No one remembers who invented scissors.”

“You can’t create something from nothing.”

“Right, so Verdick bought you to gain honor.”

“I have no honor.”

Raymond knew himself. What he currently possessed were only grades that were valid within the school. And his appearance. His family had fallen and debts to Verdick had accumulated.

“You’re insulting your ancestors right now. All the founding heads of noble families received their territories through tremendous effort, so how could there be no glory and history? What Evans has is only infamy.”

“I misspoke.”

“Apologizing too often isn’t good either.”

“Yes.”

“No, just keep quiet. Apologize when necessary… at the end, that’s appropriate. Good grief. To think I have to teach even this. No, don’t apologize. Later.”

Raymond closed his mouth. The Duke pointed to the portraits behind his room.

“Verdick Evans wants to have history. Right, to put it simply, honor isn’t just a simple ornament. What he wants to have is power. A stable foundation. You know well that the Evans Family came from a country beyond the White Mountains.”

“Yes.”

“So their foundation is cash, gold, and jewels. Such things are nothing compared to land. Foundation comes from land and law. That’s why he had to arrange a marriage.”

“Why didn’t he do it himself?”

Looking at Verdick Evans’s actions, he could have been Sion’s senior. But he married a merchant’s daughter and had children. The Duke explained in one sentence.

“When Verdick Evans was young, his wealth wasn’t even a tenth of what it is now. It was nowhere near enough.”

“I see.”

“And no matter how much the Seyertes family’s influence has diminished, it’s absurd for a baron’s family to marry a foreign ethnic. It’s utterly presumptuous. Even now, during the civil war, overseas nobles keep coming in… how dare… a mere merchant.”

The Duke glared at the floor. He seemed genuinely offended.

“The place where this foreigner has been making big money recently is the weapons industry.”

Count Fankair was also making money through the weapons industry and defense. Raymond felt somewhat ashamed. Because he was still just a student. He didn’t know how Verdick made money or tried to gain power. It didn’t seem like Verdick would tell him either.

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