The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 41

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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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In Search of the Duke’s Husband – Episode 41

I was smaller in stature than Catherine.
Yet the ominous aura emanating from me was so overwhelming that Catherine trembled with fear.
Watching Catherine bite her lip with a contorted expression, I reflected silently.
‘Since Shylock von Rushian became the head of the family, the Rushan Family’s enterprises have achieved tremendous growth.’
He lent money to nobles who needed immediate funds.
At exorbitantly high interest rates.
There was no possibility that such a man would lend money to Catherine out of pure goodwill.
I asked in a subdued voice.
“How much interest did you agree to pay?”
Twenty percent? Thirty percent?
Catherine’s absurd answer came as if mocking my expectations.
“I’m not sure.”
“Pardon?”
“There are documents, but I haven’t read through them carefully…”
“….”
My pink eyes grew colder than ice.

* * *

House of Rushian.
A servant approached Shylock von Rushian, who was counting a towering pile of gold coins atop an enormous desk, and whispered something in his ear.
The door opened, and Artia stepped into the chamber.
Shylock adjusted his spectacles and lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile.
“When my sister begged, you ignored her. But the moment money is involved, you come crawling on your own two feet.”
He added his words with a contemptuous tone.
“Money is truly the most terrifying thing, isn’t it?”
Rather than respond to Shylock’s provocation, Artia got straight to the point.
“You lent my mother a considerable sum of money. At an absurd interest rate of 200%, no less.”
Indeed, according to the documents Artia had examined, Catherine had borrowed money at an astronomical interest rate of 200% over three months.
When she confirmed this, Artia’s mind went completely blank from the shock.
Yet Shylock responded as though it were of no consequence.
“The Duchess of Edenberg happened to need funds, and fortunately I was nearby to offer my assistance.”
“Assistance?”
“Yes. The Duchess initially requested a modest sum, but gradually increased the amount each time. Without me, she would never have managed. Still, the Duchess is quite forthright—she borrowed money without even bothering to confirm the interest rate.”
His shamelessness was utterly brazen.
Artia felt a savage urge to tear Shylock’s mouth apart.
Barely maintaining her composure, Artia opened her mouth to speak.
“Did you set a trap for my mother to avenge your sister’s suffering?”
Shylock’s narrow eyes widened slightly before curving softly in amusement.
“How charming your words are, Duchess of Edenberg.”
“….”
“Of course, I would never let those who hurt my beloved sister go unpunished. However, what I sought in return for lending money to the Duchess was not some emotional revenge.”
Shylock always gave and received with absolute clarity.
The point was that I extracted at least ten times more than what I had given.
“If you marry Simon, I will forgive all of the Duchess’s debts in full.”
“…!”
Shylock continued speaking to Artia, whose eyes had widened in shock.
“Since you rejected Simon, he has not left his chamber. With a gaunt face from barely eating, he does nothing but murmur your name all day long. Having so thoroughly tormented an innocent man’s heart, shouldn’t you take responsibility, Duchess of Edenberg?”
Standing from his seat with his gaze lowered, he cut a threatening figure like an angry serpent.
Artia, whose position was far below his line of sight, answered with an unwavering voice.
“Your threats are remarkably despicable.”
“…!”
“It’s unfortunate that Sir Simon is suffering, but I bear no responsibility for that whatsoever.”
“….”
“And since you appear to possess no intelligence beyond deceiving and exploiting others, I’ll state this clearly once more: I have no intention of marrying Simon.”
One of Shylock’s eyebrows rose menacingly.
Simon was an unremarkable suitor in every respect—age, appearance, temperament, and lineage all adequate.
Above all, he had offered to forgive a staggering debt of 1.5 billion gold.
In every way, it was not an unfavorable proposal for Artia.
Yet I found myself irritated by this woman with pink eyes who spoke with such haughty resolve, declaring she would never marry.
“I thought you’d come scurrying here out of fear for your money, but it seems I was mistaken. You’re still too naive.”
Shylock von Rushian thrust a single sheet of paper before Artia.
As Artia read the document, her face drained of color in an instant.
Witnessing her reaction, Shylock von Rushian spoke with evident satisfaction.
“It appears the Duchess failed to mention this. I didn’t merely lend money to the Duchess and agree to receive only 200% interest. Should she fail to repay the debt by the designated deadline, the House of Edenberg must surrender ownership of Ansi Lake.”
Ansi Lake was a small plot of land situated far from the Convent.
In terms of monetary value, it fell far short of the 1.5 billion gold that Catherine had borrowed. However….
‘It’s where Mother spent her final days.’
My mother, whose body had always been frail, spent much of her time at a small villa by the shores of Ansi Lake.
Young as I was, I often visited that place to spend time with her.
The azure waters, the verdant trees encircling the lake, my mother’s gaunt face smiling tenderly.
The gentle touch of her hands as she caressed her young daughter, unable to receive her full care.
That place was my most precious treasure.
And Shylock von Rushian intended to seize it from me.
This was surely no coincidence.
“You investigated me?”
“Thorough preparation and effort are the foundation for obtaining what one desires.”
Artia looked up at Shylock von Rushian with fierce eyes.
At the raw, intense hostility burning in those pink eyes, a bead of cold sweat trickled down Shylock von Rushian’s temple.
Yet his lips soon curved upward.
‘Taking Ansi Lake as collateral was an excellent move.’
Shylock von Rushian was now certain he held in his grasp a treasure Artia could never abandon.
His expression turned contemptible as he opened his mouth.
“I shall await the deadline. Whether the borrowed funds return to me, or Ansi Lake comes into my possession.”
“….”
“Or perhaps, a bride with pink eyes will arrive instead. I find myself quite looking forward to it.”

* * *

On the way back to the Edenberg Mansion, I gripped my skirts with trembling hands.
Shylock von Rushian had orchestrated a scheme to have Simon marry me.
As a result, Catherine had incurred an astronomical debt.
But what infuriated me more than anything was the fact that Catherine had mortgaged Ansi Lake as collateral.
‘I thought we at least shared some affection, even if we weren’t particularly close….’
Bibi, seated across from me, spoke in a low voice.
“If you wish for Baron Rushian never to appear before you again, you need only give the command.”
My eyes widened, and then a small laugh escaped me.
“Bibi, every time you say things like that, I wonder if my maid is truly the daughter of an ordinary hunter, or perhaps an assassin.”
“Whether it’s a beast or a human, the method of severing breath differs little.”
Bibi’s face remained expressionless as she uttered those chilling words.
Yet I understood.
This was the greatest comfort Bibi could offer.
My surging emotions began to subside.
‘I cannot turn my precious maid into a criminal.’
What I needed now was not anger, but to calmly resolve this situation.
Upon arriving at the mansion, I made my way swiftly to Catherine’s chamber.
“From today onward, you cannot leave the mansion. Should you absolutely must go out, you will seek my permission and take a servant with you.”
Catherine’s beautiful face contorted.
“Are you confining me?!”
“Yes, because I cannot predict what further disaster you might cause if left unsupervised.”
“Even if I made a mistake, this is too much!”
“You are the one who went too far. Mortgaging Ansi Lake to borrow money.”
“…!”
At my cold words, Catherine’s eyes wavered violently.
When Shylock had demanded Ansi Lake as collateral in exchange for lending 1.5 billion gold, she had been unable to refuse.
That land was the only property my late husband had given her, and it held special meaning for me as well.
Though I had never told her directly, I knew she was aware that it was the place where I had spent time with my biological mother in childhood before her death.
As she hesitated, Shylock whispered in her ear.
“No one in this world would pay 3 billion gold for Ansi Lake. Even if the Duchess cannot repay the debt, it is I who would suffer the loss. And….”
Catherine, as if bewitched by a demon, repeated Shylock’s words verbatim.
“If you don’t want Ansi Lake taken from you, you could simply marry Simon.”

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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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