Please Support My Revenge - Chapter 43

After sending her letter to Rohan, Lobelia indulged in a leisurely life of reading and gourmet dining, eagerly awaiting news of Marlon’s return. She didn’t have to wait long—within just two days, word came in that Marlon had made contact with the members of the organization.

Joel’s train also arrived, bringing with it the person Lobelia had been waiting for. She dressed in her finest attire alongside Joel, preparing to greet “that man.”

“It seems the wig isn’t returning to its original state,” Lobelia remarked, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

She had intentionally slightly damaged the wig to create a fearful impression when meeting Rohan. However, contrary to her hopes that it would return to normal after combing, the wig remained a mess.

“Perhaps I can claim that my hair hasn’t been the same since that incident,” Lobelia thought, absentmindedly gathering her red, tousled locks into a single bundle.

“The carriage has been summoned,” Joachim informed her, entering the room.

Lobelia stood up promptly, draped her cloak over her shoulders, and joined the waiting carriage outside the hotel.

The carriage sped cheerfully along the main road leading through the heart of Merdanion, eventually arriving at the train station.

Lobelia ascended to the second floor of the station, gazing in wonder at the steam billowing in the distance as a robust train approached, accompanied by a thunderous noise.

The crew began unloading luggage from the train’s baggage cars. As they started placing the luggage at the far end of the platform, the first-class compartment door swung open.

Lobelia scrutinized each passenger disembarking from the first-class car. Among them was a gentleman in a top hat, an elderly businessman with a cloak and cane, and an elegant lady who appeared to be a friend of the Viscountess Evion.

Finally, after they had passed by on the platform, the person Lobelia had been waiting for revealed themselves. A neat black hairdo, chiseled facial features, and sharp crimson eyes.

It was Jade Ferrado.

Next to him stood Joel, wearing an expression that seemed to convey disbelief that he had shared a compartment with Jade.

“Shall we go down?” Joachim asked.

“No, let’s wait as planned for Joel to come up,” Lobelia replied.

She observed as Joel bowed and greeted Jade before they both started walking in the opposite direction. Jade continued past the entrance to the second floor, seemingly unaware that Lobelia was there.

Lobelia didn’t feel slighted. It had been her idea to meet discreetly. As Catherine Hayard, she had no connection to Jade Ferrado, so there was no way for them to meet openly.

Lobelia silently watched Jade disappear from the station’s vicinity. After a short while, Joel came up to the second floor.

“We succeeded!” Joel exclaimed, brimming with excitement. “We managed to bring Duke Ferrado with us. He’s truly remarkable. As soon as I handed him Miss Catherine’s letter, he stood up and said, ‘I must go to Merdanion immediately.’ He’s really—”

Joel’s words were filled with admiration for Jade’s noble and dignified demeanor.

Listening with one ear, Lobelia nodded and replied, “I’m sure you conveyed to the Viscount that we should meet at the White Whale Tavern, correct?”

“Uh, yes,” Joel replied, snapping back to reality. “Duke Ferrado heard my message and immediately said he would head to the White Whale Tavern as soon as he arrived in Merdanion. The innkeeper and our family have been good friends for years, so you don’t need to worry about outsiders prying into our affairs.”

The plan was in motion, and Lobelia couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope and excitement for what lay ahead in her clandestine meeting with Jade Ferrado.

“Indeed.” Lobelia nodded, her voice steady. “The Earl of Evelentia has also made a move from this end.”

“Is that so? Then I should go and find my father right away,” Joel replied.

“Yes, and until I give you further instructions, don’t make a move,” Lobelia cautioned.

“Understood.”

Joel adjusted his hat and left the lounge. Lobelia waited a few more minutes before rising from her seat.

Exiting the station, Lobelia walked through the streets of Merdanion with Joachim, finally arriving at the White Whale Tavern.

The White Whale Tavern was still worn and shabby, but it no longer exuded the same disreputable atmosphere as when she had first visited. The mismatched and raucous patrons who had once detracted from the establishment’s character were conspicuously absent.

Inside the tavern, there was only one person. And that person, with his mere presence, elevated the dignity of the White Whale Tavern—a graceful and robust man.

The man, Jade, turned his head and raised an eyebrow when he opened the door and saw Lobelia enter.

Lobelia realized that Jade had seen through her disguise.

“Lobelia,” he called out her name confidently, unlike the countless others who, with their red wigs, lenses, and freckles, had failed to recognize her in the past.

Jade gestured, and the innkeeper closed the tavern’s door and retreated to the kitchen. Joachim remained outside, standing guard to deter any uninvited guests.

So, in the dimly lit hall, only the two of them remained.

Lobelia approached Jade slowly.

Jade said nothing, simply gazing at her as she drew nearer. His gaze was oddly discomforting.

But Lobelia couldn’t look away.

Why?

Was it because she was genuinely glad to see Jade after such a long time?

That couldn’t be the reason, she thought. There must be some other absurd explanation.

Perhaps it was because Jade, sitting here in the White Whale Tavern in front of a worn beer mug, looked so impossibly immaculate.

In Merdanion, the men she had encountered had all been either drunkards, miners, or unscrupulous businessmen. Of course, Joachim had been by her side, but, well, even in his presence, there was no sense of tension.

Lobelia and Jade stood there, in the quietude of the White Whale Tavern, their eyes locked in a moment that was both familiar and strange.

Perhaps it was too tame to describe him as harmless? His chivalry, wrapped in the guise of a knight, felt so pure that it seemed to have a fleeting presence, like lukewarm water.

But Jade Ferrado was different.

Jade Ferrado was not the type of man you’d find guzzling alcohol every day in a dingy tavern like the White Whale, nor was he a rough-faced miner worn out from labor, nor a money-blinded, unscrupulous businessman, nor an idealistic knight who worshipped chivalry.

He was the kind of person who involuntarily put anyone in his presence on edge. Anyone standing before him would invent words they didn’t need to and pay unnecessary attention to their appearance.

Jade’s power, looks, and sheer presence made him into that kind of person. He was a man who could give anyone anything they desired.

Including Lobelia.

Lobelia arrived at the table and pulled out a chair to sit down.

“Have you considered my proposal?” she asked.

In response, Jade burst into laughter.

Lobelia couldn’t fathom why he found her words amusing. She reviewed her words, but she hadn’t said anything particularly funny since entering the tavern.

“Why are you laughing?” Lobelia asked with annoyance when Jade’s laughter subsided. She didn’t appreciate the fact that he had suddenly burst into laughter.

“I didn’t expect you to bring up business matters right after we met,” Jade said.

“Is that funny?” Lobelia countered.

“Aren’t you amused? Bringing up business with a lover you haven’t seen in weeks?”

“We’re not really lovers.”

“That’s true.”

Jade lowered his hand from his forehead, and his crimson eyes focused on Lobelia.

“But we are friends, aren’t we?”

…Friends?

Lobelia wore a puzzled expression, as if she had heard an incomprehensible foreign language.

“No,” she firmly denied. “We’re not friends, Your Grace. We’re just bound by a contract.”

“If that’s how you see it,” Jade replied, unperturbed.

Ever since the second dream treatment, something about this man has changed. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was different, but there was no doubt that he was no longer the same as before.

“Then go ahead and discuss business as you wish,” he continued.

Lobelia pulled the contract from her bag and placed it on the table. Jade cleared away his beer mug and examined the contract.

“So, you intend to deal with the Earl of Evelentia,” Jade muttered as he read through the contents of the contract. “And while you’re at it, you want to secure the safety of Mine Number 9.”

Lobelia added, “I’ve been curious since I received a letter from a person named Joel in the capital. Why the sudden change of heart? Even if it’s a ‘leasing’ contract, using the Ferrado name involves a significant risk and unnecessary expenses.”

Lobelia and Jade had decided to enter into a dual contract. Officially, “Catherine Hayard” would pretend to sell the mine to Jade Ferrado. In reality, it was just a leasing contract, where Jade would take charge of the mine and pay Lobelia a commission until she had built up enough power.

“As Catherine Hayard, there are limits to what I can do,” Lobelia said in a subdued voice.

“Why? Did something happen?” Jade asked, finally realizing that Lobelia hadn’t informed him of the attack by the assailants. It was only natural that he would find it puzzling since he didn’t know the story. So Lobelia nonchalantly continued in an indifferent tone.

“Marlon sent some people.”

“People?”

“Well, you know how there are hired thugs you use when you want to threaten someone? He sent them to my office to make threats, demanding I hand over the mine.”

Lobelia had been busy organizing the contract and hadn’t seen how Jade’s expression changed. So, she continued with her explanation as if it were of no consequence.

“I thought if I let it go on like that, it would cause even bigger trouble later. So, I figured I couldn’t protect the mine under the name of ‘Catherine Hayard.'”

Lobelia placed the contract neatly into a leather case and looked up.

Then she locked eyes with Jade, whose expression had turned as cold as ice.

“The Earl of Evelentia threatened you?” Jade asked in a chilling, bottomless voice.