Chapter 222: Tpcp 222

“You go to the countryside for a while and do what I tell you to do. Cool your head. Carola has a lot of assets tied to her, so it will take time to prepare for the divorce.”

“Patriarch, what did I do wrong? Why are you holding me responsible, my lord?”

Jacob looked like he couldn’t believe the Head’s orders. Gaju was furious.

“Fool! I told you over and over again. Your spouse is a reflection of you! It’s your fault for not being able to take care of your wife. And, what if Carola had harmed Elisha by using someone like Zain? Can you really say you were ignorant of it?”

“… … Well, I wasn’t even at the mansion the day before.”

“You must have been wrapped in the skirts of the courtesans. Are you going to courtesans the night before your grandmother’s memorial service? Either way, you’ve lost your mind and have no sense. Leave the mansion for a while and self-reflect.”

Jacob reluctantly agreed and left the room in a huff. When he saw Lucerne and Elisha walking across from him, he muttered something and cursed.

However, when he met Lucerne’s gaze he quickly left the scene.

“Do you want me to hit that guy again?”

he asked languidly as he watched his back scurry away. Elisha shook her head.

“But you like seeing that.”

“That’s enough. Do you really need to harass the loser?”

You wouldn’t know when to stop trampling him into the ground even if he became dust— Elisha swallowed those words. Now was not a good time. A separate hand of cards was prepared for Jacob.

Lucerne lightly nodded.

***

“Elisha. Lucerne. Come here.”

The head of the house looked quite tired. He gestured to the two.

“I have no luck with either children or even grandchildren. How fortunate I am to have you two, at least.”

Elisha thought that the Head was a truly incredible person. Did he remember how he had treated young Lucerne when he said that just now? It was a shameless sentiment he wouldn’t even be able to fathom unless he was completely self-centered. But she hid her thoughts and incredulity, and Lucerne didn’t seem to care.

“How about staying here for the summer? Lucerne hasn’t been able to spend a long time at the duke’s house since he was young. That would be fine too.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

It wasn’t up to Elisha to decide. She looked to Lucerne. But it was evident that there was a lot of profit to be made if they stayed here.

When the head of the Cartier family retained someone by his side, it clearly meant one thing. ‘I will give this person money or equivalent gains and benefits.’ That was it. She had no reason to refuse.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Lucerne asked. Elisha winked and nodded.

As a result, none of the family head’s beloved grandchildren were left in the mansion.

The only people left by the head of the family were Lucerne and Elisha.

For the first time, the Cartier family fell into the hands of an illegitimate son and his wife.

***

The duke’s library, which boasts a long history, was spacious and beautiful. The ceiling was very long and high in a round shape, and each lattice decoration was decorated with gold and silver roses.

It was only the day before yesterday that Jewel and Carola were imprisoned. Even after Jewel was repatriated to the imperial palace, the imperial family did not immediately leave the duchy.

On a lazy afternoon, Elisha and Ilione met at the duke’s library under the pretext of reading books.

“Thank you for dismissing the escorts. Princess,”

Elisha uttered softly.

Several tall bookshelves formed a barrier next to the bookshelf where Elisha stood. This space was created several generations ago by a very anxious head of the family.

The library was always quiet, but if you had a conversation in this space, you couldn’t hear much of what was being said, even if you were only a few steps away. Elisha knew the secret of this location from her past life experiences.

“Elisha, I wanted to talk to you alone. What on earth was the note you handed me? How did you know the secret of the monument hidden in the empress’ palace?”

She stared at Ilione blankly.

“Do you know me well, Princess?”

“… … I don’t know anything other than that you are a noble from the fallen Old Kingdom Union.”

“I used to work for this Cartier family. Because of a large amount of debt.”

For a moment, Ilione couldn’t comprehend the sense of disconnect that came from those words.

“How can a noble end up in such a situation?”

Elisha wanted to smile.

“There is an answer to the princess’ question. The Old Kingdom Union collapsed. Instead of paying off my debt, Lucerne bought my status. That’s how we met.”

To be precise, he had purchased her ‘debt.’ And Elisha still owed Lucerne a large amount of money. But she couldn’t say that. When Ilione tried to ask something but she dissuaded her and countered:

“I don’t come from a good background. I am a nobleman in name only. But do you still consider me a friend?”

Ilione paused. Elisha calmly waited for her answer.

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