Please Support My Revenge - Chapter 39

Joachim spent the entire week preparing meals for Lobelia, possibly fueled by the excitement of cooking after such a long time. Most of his dishes consisted of meat, a welcome change for Lobelia, who had grown tired of the seafood constantly served at the Marquis de Ferrado’s estate.

Joachim’s culinary skills were as impressive as he had promised. He particularly excelled at grilling lamb, and thanks to his talents, Lobelia developed a newfound appreciation for the taste of lamb, something she had never experienced before.

While Joachim spent the week cooking, Lobelia immersed herself in a book she had managed to borrow from the hotel staff. Merdaneon had a limited selection of available books due to the scarcity of people who owned them, but for Lobelia, who was always thirsty for knowledge, each and every book was precious.

As Lobelia neared the end of the book she had obtained from the staff, the week Silveston had mentioned finally came to an end. On the day Silveston was set to visit, Lobelia set up a tea in the reception room early in the morning and sat there, watching the clock anxiously.

“He’ll come, won’t he? He said he would come today. When will he arrive? He must have good news.”

Despite being certain that everything would go as planned, her heart raced as the crucial moment approached. It wasn’t anxiety about things going wrong; it was more akin to the excitement of a young child awaiting a grand gift.

Suppressing her excitement, Lobelia continued to stare at the clock. Just as the hour hand reached the appointed time, a knock resounded. Joachim opened the door, revealing a visibly excited Silveston, his face flushed with excitement, and Joel right behind him.

“Goldmine!”

Silveston shouted, forgetting formal greetings.

“Goldmine! Kruk…!”

Silveston’s emotions seemed to overwhelm him, rendering him speechless.

“Silveston?”

As Lobelia tried to soothe him and coax words from his mouth, Joel pushed past his frustrated father and stepped forward.

“We’ve found the gold vein! Given its thickness, there’s undoubtedly a vast amount of gold hidden within!”

Joel rushed to speak in his excitement.

“This is incredible luck. Truly incredible! There have been only two instances of this much gold being found in all of Merdaneon’s history, and they were both discovered by the Earl of Evenlentia!”

Joel seemed so thrilled that he looked ready to break into a dance at any moment.

“Did you arrange for the processing to be done in Cokwell?”

Lobelia finally asked, her voice calm amid the jubilation in the room.

Joel asked, and Lobelia nodded in agreement.

“Cokwell is also in a festive mood right now. The entire Merdaneon is abuzz with talk of the gold vein discovered at mine number 9!”

Joel took out a document from his pocket and provided them with precise information about the amount and purity of the gold they would be mining.

“With this…”

As Joel explained the details of the gold vein, Silveston, who had managed to calm his emotions, finally spoke.

“With this, I can repay those who lost their jobs following me. Truly, truly…”

Silveston slowly walked forward and knelt before Lobelia, his eyes brimming with tears.

“Silveston?”

Lobelia called out in surprise. However, he didn’t stand up but instead lowered his head further.

“I’m truly thankful. All of this is thanks to you, Miss Lobelia.”

Tears glistened in the creases of his weathered eyes.

“Please, get up. I was only…”

Lobelia’s words faltered in her bewilderment.

“I just wanted to reclaim my property.”

She wanted to say that, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Was it because Silveston was thanking her? Because he was moved?

Whatever the reason, she couldn’t deny the gratitude he felt, standing before this large, weeping old man.

“But I shouldn’t let myself get swayed by these emotions.”

Lobelia clasped her hands together.

Silveston seemed genuinely sincere. It seemed unlikely that he would betray her.

But what if I trust him and then get betrayed? There’s no such thing as ‘never’ in this world. What if something unexpected happens, and Silveston turns his back on me?

She couldn’t imagine handling the shock of that moment.

Lobelia was aware of her own distrust when it came to gods and loyalty. However, her mother’s death had been just as shocking.

Mom, I’m sorry.

The sound of Julia’s ragged breathing, unable to answer that it was okay. And the cold temperature that lingered in her hand.

Julia had been Lobelia’s sole family and the last layer of protection when she endured a painful life under Josephine’s abuse in Evenlentia.

While she didn’t have much practical to offer, Julia’s presence alone had given Lobelia the strength to endure the abuse.

Alone, Lobelia might have collapsed, but because they had each other, even the smallest strength allowed them to lean on one another and endure.

But Julia, who had been like that, was gone.

Lobelia knew very well that her sole driving force now was her desire for revenge. When she had been on the brink of collapsing after losing Julia, she had filled the void left by her with the burning desire for revenge. And every day, she lived only for that revenge. Revenge was the only spark that could ignite the extinguished furnace within Lobelia.

But what if someone came in and disrupted that space? What if they made her forget her desire for revenge, weakened her, and then vanished like Julia did, leaving her transiently?

Lobelia didn’t want to experience something like that again. If such a thing were to happen, she would shatter because she wouldn’t be able to endure it any longer.

So Lobelia gathered herself once again.

“I’m just doing my best to find the best path.”

With a mask-like smile on her face, she addressed Silveston.

“Lobelia, my dear…”

Silveston seemed like he wanted to say more, but Lobelia shook her head to decline whatever he had in mind.

“Well then, both of you, please continue to contribute to gold mining in the future.”

With a gentle, host-like tone, she ushered the two wealthy men out of the reception room.

“Whew.”

Though she had been briefly disconcerted, seeing the report that Joel had left behind lifted her spirits again.

As Lobelia read and reread the projected gold mining figures, trying to keep her rising excitement in check…

*****

While Lobelia was reading Joel’s report, Marlon, overcome with anger, was in his office, throwing various objects against the wall.

“Does this make any sense? Is this really something that makes sense?”

Marlon struggled to catch his breath. His face was flushed with rage, and the hand holding the next item to be thrown was trembling.

“Why is gold coming out of a mine we thought was dead?”

“C-Calm down, Your Lordship!”

Upon Marlon’s outburst, Rohan, who had been watching his rampage with fearful eyes from a corner of the office, cowered even further.

Marlon glared at Rohan for a while, then put down the object he was about to throw.

As Rohan let out a relieved sigh, Marlon asked, “So, what’s the estimated quantity?”

“What?”

With eyes filled with a new fear, Rohan, the estate manager, looked at Marlon.

“The estimated quantity. How much did they extract?”

Marlon anxiously tapped his desk while asking the question.

“It probably won’t be much. Since gold is coming out of a mine we thought was dead, everyone’s making a fuss, but the actual amount extracted won’t be significant. Isn’t that right?”

Marlon kept piling on unnecessary words, trying to calm himself. As he mentioned that the estimated quantity from mine number 9 was decreasing, Rohan’s face turned pale.

“Well…”

“Yeah, hurry up and answer.”

“According to our investigators, the estimated quantity is roughly…”

Upon hearing the estimated quantity, Marlon widened his eyes. They glowed with furious intensity. An overwhelming emotion surged through him, stronger than a moment ago.

“Heh…”

Marlon slumped into his chair. He covered his head with both hands, muttering the estimated quantity mentioned by Rohan.

“Ha, hahaha…”

The office was filled with hollow laughter for a while. Rohan remained on edge, not knowing when Marlon might snap and throw something again.

However, Marlon didn’t hurl any objects or shout again.

He ceased his hollow laughter and removed his hands from his head. His expression, now visible, was eerily calm.

“Immediately, acquire mine number 9 again, by any means necessary.”

Marlon’s genuine calmness added a deeper layer of despair to Rohan’s face, who had momentarily thought Marlon had truly calmed down.

“But will it really be possible to buy it back?”

Rohan cautiously asked, and Marlon responded irritably by leaning back in his chair.

Marlon recalled Catherine Hayard, a woman he had seen at the party. He remembered her nervousness and awkward greetings in front of a noble like him.

According to Rohan’s report, the Hayard family had fallen into poverty and barely managed to rise up again by using the national debt of the neighboring kingdom. Moreover, they weren’t even nobles, so they had little knowledge about business.

“What does that peasant know? She said she’d give 2 billion, no, 2.5 billion Meni for it. We can leave 1.8 billion Meni for expenses and pocket the rest.”

Impulsively, Marlon wrote a check and handed it over to Rohan as if tossing it.

“Go now! The longer we wait, the higher the chance that that peasant will realize the true value of mine number 9.”

“Understood!”

Rohan, the estate manager, quickly left the office. Marlon was wiping his forehead and trying to cool down when he heard a knock.

“Why is he back… Aina?”

Marlon, who had assumed Rohan had returned, was taken aback, his eyes widening. At the open door stood Aina, with a fearful expression.

“Daddy, what’s happening? Everyone I met today asked if I knew about mine number 9. Is there a problem with our mine?”

Aina asked in her soft voice. Marlon forced a smile and called Aina closer.

“It’s okay. There’s no problem at all.”

“Really? But…”

“Your dad will take care of everything.”

Marlon cut her off firmly.

But Aina couldn’t be calmed so easily. She looked down at the floor, hesitated, then managed to speak.

“Does it have something to do with that woman we met at the party?”

“That woman?”

“Catherine Hayard.”

Marlon’s face twisted in surprise.

“Who’s that? Who told you about my business?”

He grabbed Aina’s shoulders, pulling her closer to him and questioning her.

While Marlon was raising Aina as his heir, he hadn’t revealed the specifics of his business to her yet.

“Aina is still a sensitive child. It’s too early for her to dip her feet into this cruel world. For now, it’s enough for her to show her face here and there.”

That was Marlon’s thinking.

Aina stared back at Marlon, her lips sealed tightly. After a moment, she finally spoke, shaking her head.

“No. No one told me anything about your business. That woman’s name just came to my mind suddenly.”

Her words sounded hesitant. While her tone raised suspicion, Marlon, preoccupied with the issues regarding Mine number 9, failed to notice anything unusual in his daughter’s demeanor.

“Right. There’s really nothing to worry about. You can go now. Maybe do some flower arranging, something you enjoy.”

Aina nodded and left Marlon’s office.

“Aina, my lady?”

One of the maids waiting for Aina outside called her with a worried tone.

“Are you okay? Shall I prepare some warm milk in the kitchen?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Aina shook her head. Her pupils were deeply reflective, but Marlon, consumed by the Mine Number 9 situation, failed to notice her peculiar behavior.