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