The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 252

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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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Part 2, Episode 57
Isabela and Alpheus had spent more than half their lives in commoner’s clothes, so there was no problem at all.
But I was wearing commoner’s clothes for the first time. It was obvious that Leopold was in the same boat.
Still, the Western regional festival attire I’d changed into after washing was quite comfortable. There were no ornate laces, but a rather large ribbon kept it from looking plain, and the cotton skirt was lighter than several layers of silk dresses.
Since gem-studded hair ornaments looked completely out of place, I simply tied my hair back loosely—a sight that would have made the maids wail in despair.
“It’s not bad, is it?”
Silvia, who had also taken the trouble to change into festival attire herself, spoke cheerfully.
“I wore it often when I was young. Whenever my everyday dress felt uncomfortable or tedious.”
It was clear that Silvia had grown up with considerable freedom—free enough that her parents wouldn’t scold her even for wearing commoner’s clothes.
She smoothed the ribbon at my waist with her own hands and asked carefully.
“But about Uncle—I mean, Leo’s father—what happened with all that?”
In truth, Silvia and I had never been close during our Academy years.
Yet Silvia didn’t pretend to be overly friendly with me, nor was she awkward. She simply behaved naturally, as one might with an old classmate encountered by chance.
“It worked out well.”
That was all I could manage to say in a relationship where I struggled to act naturally.
“But Leopold’s heart must be hurting quite a bit, so it’s probably best not to bring up that subject.”
“Right, I understand.”
Following Silvia downstairs, I found the others waiting.
My eyes widened—it was the first time I’d seen Leopold in such plain clothes.
‘This is unfair.’
Even in such simple attire, he shone.
‘If anything, it makes him look even more striking.’
He too seemed startled by my appearance, blinking several times.
And in that moment, Baron Forman, who stood between us, leaped up and cried out.
“Lady Sears!”
He rushed over frantically and seized my hand.
“Congratulations on reaching adulthood! I didn’t even realize today was your coming-of-age ceremony… Heavens, there was that difficult time when I ate plums borrowed from the Sears household…”
“I’m glad you’re well. That’s enough.”
“Why would an old man like me ever be anything but well?”
“Well, for instance, something like the flu.”
Baron Forman shrugged with complete ease.
“Aha-ha-ha, there’s no flu going around in the Western Region these days, I assure you.”
Leopold cleared his throat awkwardly.
That gift the Baron had supposedly sent must have been something he’d arranged privately.
I raised my eyebrows and shot Leopold a pointed look.
“Is that so? Then I suppose I’ll have to impose severe penalties on whoever spread such a false rumor. I won’t let it slide, not at all.”
The Baron agreed with my ominous words.
“An epidemic during festival season would be disastrous. I don’t know who told you such a thing, but they certainly deserve a thorough thrashing!”
Meanwhile, Leopold was desperately playing dumb.
Baron Forman, oblivious to Leopold’s misdeeds, continued smoothly.
“In any case, I heard you were planning to visit the Shopping District.”
He smiled gently and went on.
“In our territory, we don’t find it particularly remarkable even when nobles mingle freely among commoners. Silvia has always flitted about so recklessly through our lands… So please, enjoy yourselves. Many events are still in full swing. And don’t worry about the flu.”
He must have known that something grave had befallen the Nogen Family, yet he too was acting as though nothing had happened.
Alpheus asked eagerly.
“Then is there an arm-wrestling tournament? There’s usually always one at festivals where beer is served!”
The Marquis with the metal arm had his sights set on commoner slaughter.
I whispered quietly.
“No obvious tricks.”
* * *
The Cardipol Guild in the Eastern Region.
“This is absolutely unacceptable.”
Audrey gnawed at her fingernails beside her sleeping son.
The seaweed farming labor had ended this morning. Jerdian dismissed them with a disagreeable expression.
“Go on, well… Lady Sears said we shouldn’t assign anything more demanding than this.”
“Who do you think you are, ordering us around?”
When Audrey snapped angrily with wide eyes, Jerdian smirked and spoke.
“I’m a candidate for Lady Brisa’s adjutant, so it’d do you good to stay in my favor. I seem to have caught a disease where I want to expand the seaweed farm whenever I’m stressed.”
Not even an actual adjutant, but a mere candidate acting so pompous. Audrey felt her heart crumbling as never before.
Her son, raised without a drop of water touching his hands, had submerged his body in seawater and done labor!
Upon investigation, it seemed the Russell Count Territory would continue seaweed farming, so wouldn’t Marcel have to rush there each time…?
This was absolutely unacceptable.
Her mind raced quickly. Despite losing her composure before her son, she was fundamentally an extremely clever woman.
“My son must take orders from Lady Brisa Sears? Then I simply need to create a situation where that lady cannot give orders.”
Audrey wrote a letter. Then she commanded her subordinate.
“You will deliver this to His Highness the Second Prince in secret.”
The subordinate’s eyes rolled before speaking hesitantly.
“But didn’t you swear up and down last time that you would never take hands with His Highness the Second Prince?”
“That’s no way to run a business.”
Audrey snorted.
“And it’s no way to do politics either. But the Second Prince understands politics very well.”
Her eyes gleamed with cunning light.
“Do you know what business and politics have in common? You must always choose the latter between personal feelings and necessity. And I know well what the Second Prince needs.”
It was obvious at a glance that the Second Prince needed a well-connected bride of good bloodline and high status. Once Marcel’s standing was factored into the calculation, the answer came quickly.
“Now that Lady Sears has come of age as of today, under Imperial Law, an engagement or marriage with the Second Prince can proceed.”
She smiled darkly.
“Because of Brisa Sears, the marriage proposal between Marcel and Lady Jonston fell through. So shouldn’t she be prepared for her own engagement to be broken as well?”
For now, since they belonged to the same noble house, Brisa’s freedom of action was considerable. But if Brisa became Empress…?
It would be difficult to use Marcel freely for the Russell Territory’s benefit. Because that would be royal tyranny and favoritism toward a particular territory.
“The Empress position is quite nice, isn’t it? It’s not a bad bargain for Lady Sears either. I have no intention of taking revenge on the lady who returned Marcel to me or anything like that.”
Audrey raised her eyebrows and spoke.
“Only to say that there is no obligation of loyalty to keep. The same applies to them.”
“Hmm, but the Second Prince I met directly… didn’t seem like the type who would use Sears…”
“What naive talk. People who climbed from the bottom to the top by their own strength are usually all quite similar.”
Like recognizes like. Audrey was someone who had built the Cardipol Guild from nothing to what it was now, and precisely because of this, she could see through Maximus’s most defining trait.
“I can tell plainly. The Second Prince is born as someone who cannot help but calculate, try as he might not to. And since the calculation he’s caught in this time is so enormous, it will be difficult for him to insert any other emotion into it.”
Had honor, friendship, sincerity, or conscience been his highest values from the start, he would never have risen this far.
Audrey was certain that while Alpheus had not noticed, Maximus must have used him quite considerably.
“Of course, there might be exceptions.”
Audrey smiled wickedly.
“If he truly harbored romantic affection for Lady Sears as a woman? Then he couldn’t possibly ignore this proposal.”

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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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