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LC2Vn29cPvM4MoGmNYmJfzG2Ng5
JIWQj0zXDzB8z02YaLshX8kl
Chapter 96
Iona thought he would at least try to confirm what she said, but she never thought he would believe it so quickly.
Iona marveled inwardly at their seemingly indestructible friendship.
After all, how strong could a bond formed over drinks and gambling be?
Feeling sympathetic, Iona stepped in to defend Nils’ friends.
“Of course, they didn’t mean to belittle you by bringing up such stories.”
Nils’ face reddened, but he couldn’t bring himself to openly criticize his friends in front of Iona.
Struggling to compose himself, Nils asked in a forcibly calm voice, “…Did you go to that gathering with Duke Leroy?”
“Yes, I did.”
Nils took a deep breath to calm his excitement at Iona’s straightforward answer.
“The ownership of the mine is currently in his hands. We need to return it to its rightful place soon.”
Iona, pondering the appropriate response, soon wore a look of confusion. “Why are you telling me this?”
Nils, at a loss for words, closed his mouth.
He realized it was only natural for her to be perplexed, as he had abruptly brought up a topic about land in which she had no interest.
He felt his pride wounded at the thought of revealing the tangled story.
While Nils hesitated, Iona leisurely continued, “I don’t quite understand why he would purchase such a worthless piece of land... It doesn’t seem like my concern. Although we are seeing each other with marriage in mind, he hasn’t formally proposed yet.”
After saying this, Iona looked at Nils, as if asking if there was anything more to add.
For the first time, Nils found himself in a position where he had to plead with Iona and struggled to speak.
He knew that he should approach the situation humbly, but applying this logic with Iona was a different matter.
Nils had never bowed his head to Iona before.
After a moment of hesitation, Nils spoke, “…Duke Leroy said he would return the land to me if you asked him.”
“Aha... So, you want me to clean up the mess you’ve made,” Iona muttered with an understanding tone. Nils’ face turned beet red.
Iona, observing Nils, leaned casually against the side of the table.
Crossing her arms leisurely, she muttered as if to herself, “Isn’t that a bit insincere?”
Nils clenched his fists, recalling the warning his butler had given him.
If he backed down now, his first achievement as the successor would be creating conflict with the royal family.
Worse, if the royal family ignored their past relations and demanded compensation, it could lead to bankruptcy.
If humbling himself now could solve the problem, it was a profitable deal.
Convincing himself, Nils said shortly, “Please.”
Receiving no response from Iona, Nils cautiously looked up to gauge her reaction.
Iona maintained the same posture, simply holding her place.
After a lengthy silence, Iona asked, “Is that all?”
“...If there’s anything else you want as compensation, tell me. I’ll listen.”
“The things I want are beyond your ability to provide. What exactly can you do for me?”
With a voice tinged with mockery, Iona asked.
Nils was inwardly infuriated but dared not openly confront Iona here.
Mocking his restraint, Iona slowly walked towards him with her arms crossed.
She scanned him from head to toe and said, “You’re neither more successful than me, nor well-regarded among people. All you have is a strange heirship that you couldn’t even secure properly, and even that is a mediocre position compared to the real head of the family. It would be cleaner to contact the Count directly than to rely on your inadequate capabilities.”
“...”
“Nils, enlighten me. I’m genuinely curious. What exactly can someone as incompetent as you do for me?”
“You…, watch your words. There’s a limit to tolerating your insolence…”
“Even patience isn’t your strong suit,” Iona swiftly added, cutting off Nils.
Nils’ expression darkened naturally, but no more complaints came forth. That was enough.
Whether he harbored any resentment internally, the fact that he couldn’t voice it was the essence of power.
Iona was quite pleased to have the upper hand in this situation.
“Or, why not try kneeling for once, as a grand gesture?”
Iona suggested, as if offering a favor.
Nils’ eyes shook with shock, his lips tightly sealed. He had never imagined he would be brought to kneel before Iona.
After a lengthy hesitation, Nils closed his eyes tightly and slowly bowed before Iona.
Finally, his knees touched the ground.
“…I ask you this. Please convey my request well to the Duke. It shouldn’t be too hard for you.”
Iona, who had expected Nils to dodge the issue with his pride, wore a surprised expression. Until now, she had only been planning to aggravate him enough to drive him out of the room.
Initially, Iona had no intention of resolving the problem for Nils, regardless of his approach.
To think that such a trivial matter would settle all past grievances was laughable.
Iona, gazing intently at Nils marked with humiliation, finally spoke after a moment of contemplation, “Alright, let’s do it this way.”
Hayden was grateful to Iona for uncovering the corruption within the territory and was now frantically searching for non-existent slush funds.
She thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take similar measures with his son.
The illusion of being within the same family would blind them until the decisive moment, with no extra effort from her.
“The Duke is busy, and I have many pending tasks, so arranging a meeting will be difficult for a while. However, we’re bound to meet again at the royal palace ball, and if you behave discreetly until then, I’ll consider your request.”
“There’s almost ten days until the royal palace ball, what if the problem escalates...!”
“That’s your concern.”
Iona cut off Nils firmly.
Despite his frustration, Nils considered various possibilities aligning with the date she mentioned.
Even if the royal family became aware of the issue immediately, they wouldn’t demand contract fulfillment before the palace ball.
Despite his growing impatience with the delayed resolution, from his perspective, it wasn’t a bad deal.
Yet, Nils bit his lip, feeling an inexplicable unease.
It felt like the solution he thought was right before him kept shifting its position, luring him somewhere else.
The problem was, he had no clue what awaited him at this elusive destination.
However, before Nils could voice his uncertainties, Iona coldly issued a dismissal.
“If you understand, then leave now.”
Nils silently complied, eager to escape the humiliation of kneeling before Iona.
Perhaps it was because he had never been in such a humiliating position before.
His calves were already aching, though he hadn’t been sitting for long.
As he limped out of the room, he turned to throw a parting shot, but ultimately, no sharp words came out.
Iona silently watched Nils’ powerless departure.
‘Being on the receiving end isn’t exactly pleasant, so why did he insist on this all the time?’
Every time Nils had a reason to reprimand Iona in the past, he always tried to make her kneel.
It was an unreasonable method that diminished the dignity of a superior, merely a crude display of power. Although it wasn’t completely incomprehensible if it was just about wielding power.
With a short click of her tongue, Iona pulled out a hidden letter and pointed to a particular section.
It detailed the amount of silver mined from the Siam mines to date.
She had received an advance copy of the press release that would soon officially announce the reopening of the mine.
This information alone would likely enable the royal family to easily estimate the compensation they could demand from the Modrov family.
‘Even if Nils swung a pickaxe in the mines all his life, he’d never be able to raise this much money.’
Lost in thought, Iona was startled by a knock from outside and lifted her head.
It seemed Marsha had returned to the room after confirming the guest had left.
With a somewhat displeased expression, she approached Iona and said, “Miss, I just spoke with Cornelia.”
She was referring to the maid who had been relaying messages from under Yvonne.
“Recently, Lady Yvonne visited Miss Florence. It wasn’t just a one-time meeting; they’ve been in contact continuously since then.”
“They must be plotting something unpleasant,” Iona concluded nonchalantly upon hearing Marsha’s words.
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