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The next morning.
I woke up to an unwelcome letter.
"Miss, it's a letter from the Baron."
It had been a few days since he threatened to come to the capital and told me to wait for him.
'What's coming is coming...'
Still, I'd put a down payment on the mansion yesterday, so that's a relief, I suppose.
I let out a sigh of resignation and opened the letter.
But...
[My dear daughter, Leticia.
On my way down to the capital, I heard more about you from Duke Farnese.
It breaks my heart to think how much you've suffered alone.
I came all the way down to the capital to see your face after all this time, but after hearing the story, I don't think I deserve it, so I've decided to go back.
Thank you for growing up so well despite your father's indifference.
You don't have to worry about me anymore.
We will live our lives, so you just think about yourself. And if you ever feel like it, come visit home.
It's late, but please forgive your father's indifference.]
...Huh?
I wondered if I had misread the letter, so I rubbed my eyes and read it again.
Even then, I couldn't believe it, so I checked the seal on the envelope again.
But no matter how many times I checked, it was the Cloel baronial family's seal, and it was my father's familiar handwriting.
'…Did he perhaps get a terminal illness without me knowing?'
But even when I recalled the time before the regression, my father, who had kicked me out of the house after the divorce, was overly healthy.
'It's a relief that he says he won't come, but...'
Something was suspicious.
I looked at Erin, who was watching my expression with great tension from the side.
As if she guessed what I was thinking, Erin asked immediately.
"Shall I burn the letter?!"
She seemed even angrier than I was.
At that sight, I burst out laughing.
Erin tilted her head with a bewildered look at my unexpected reaction.
"Miss?"
"Forget about this, can you send someone to tell Weig what I said?"
"To the aide? What is it?"
"To check if my father really left the capital."
"Yes, Miss."
Erin, who received my request, hurried out of the room.
Anyway, with the news that my father had left the capital, I put down my anxious heart and leisurely went down to the dining room.
As always, Idris was waiting in the dining room.
"Good morning, Idris."
"You look good today."
"My face?"
"Yeah. Just, something... it seems like something good happened?"
Was I so happy that my father wasn't coming?
Idris's smile, which he gave with a grin, felt somehow meaningful, but I didn't think much of it and brushed it off.
It wasn't the first or second time that man had given such an unknowable smile.
"By the way, how was the meeting you said you were going to have yesterday?"
"Ah, the meeting."
Yesterday, while having breakfast with him, I talked about the meeting at the boutique.
The hunting season was approaching, when the hunting festival would be held.
During this period, not only the hunting festival hosted by the imperial family, but also noble families held many hunting gatherings for friendship.
Unlike events with separate superficial purposes such as founding festivals or charity bazaars, hunting gatherings were openly social gatherings, so the attire was more free.
Therefore, many unique summer clothes were sold during this period.
'In other words, this is the boutique's peak season.'
As the owner of the boutique, I couldn't miss, no, I couldn't afford to miss this time.
So yesterday, I had a meeting with Amon and other boutique staff.
"Since there's still some time, we decided to give each other more time to think and come up with ideas."
"Then how about clearing your head and changing your mind today? For example... a date or something."
"Aren't you busy these days?"
"I'm fine today."
I hesitated, unable to answer readily.
'I was thinking of going back to the real estate agency today to ask if the homeowner had decided to sell.'
I haven't told Idris about this yet.
He came home late last night, so we couldn't have dinner together.
'Since my father said he wouldn't come, there's no rush...'
He's a person who's thought of his daughter as a place to rely on his entire life.
I don't know what wind suddenly blew him to say he wouldn't come, but I can't believe it completely until I check properly.
So there was nothing wrong with buying the mansion at this opportunity.
'Anyway, I was going to leave here even if it wasn't because of my father.'
I decided to tell Idris about it this time.
"Actually, I have other plans today."
"What plans?"
"I went to the real estate agency yesterday and put down a down payment. I'm going to go check on that."
"Aha... I was going to find you a better property. Did you hate living with me that much?"
"...Why is the story jumping like that?"
"Otherwise, there's no reason to rush, right? I'm starting to feel a little sad."
Idris's face showed a bitter look as he said that.
'There it is again, that expression!'
When he makes a dejected expression with that handsome face, I feel guilty even though I'm not guilty...
Just as I was about to try to appease him with a sense of unwarranted guilt.
"Lady Leticia, there's news."
The butler handed over a note that had just arrived.
The sender was the broker.
[I'm so sorry that I can't give you the news you've been waiting for, but the homeowner has refused to sell. I'm contacting you so that you don't make a pointless trip.]
I frowned at the unwelcome news, but strangely, I felt relieved.
'Well, honestly, I didn't even like it, but I bought it in a hurry.'
I was thinking of looking into more properties this time, when Idris, who was watching my expression, asked.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah... the property I was going to buy yesterday was cancelled."
"Really?"
At that moment, I felt like a different light was shining in Idris's eyes.
"Then we can go now, right? Date."
...For some reason, that smile felt strangely seductive today, but that must be my imagination, right?
Quite a long time had passed since the charity bazaar ended.
But there was someone who hadn't yet gotten over the aftermath.
"What? Restorn decided to withdraw its investment?!
Paydan was suffering from the departure of investors.
"Why suddenly?"
"They said they wanted to invest in other businesses..."
That's what they said, but it was clear that they had essentially switched to Leticia's side.
They must have thought that the imperial family was clearly supporting Leticia after seeing this bazaar.
'And since I have a bad relationship with Leticia, they must have judged that I'm on bad terms with the imperial family.'
For that reason, investors were leaving in droves.
'If that bastard from the collateral line hadn't burned the painting!'
If he had, the relationship between Leticia and the imperial family would have been broken, and we wouldn't have been in this situation now...
While grinding his teeth and stifling his seething stomach, Rockheard, who was watching him, cautiously opened his mouth.
"Sir, and..."
"What, is there more?"
Rockheard hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"That's... the payment date is approaching. We should start preparing."
"Ha... Why are there so many guys asking for money when I don't have any? Damn it."
Since he had only put down a deposit and received the raw materials, it was now time to pay the remaining balance.
But as it was, there wasn't much liquid capital, so it was precarious.
'If I hadn't bought that damn painting, the situation would be a little better than it is now...'
But he couldn't sell the painting again.
If he sold it, everyone would realize that he had sold the painting.
'Then they'd guess all sorts of reasons why I was selling the painting I had so much trouble buying so quickly.'
If he had the solid capital he used to have, he could have ignored such rumors, but he couldn't now.
What if investors were already leaving, and rumors spread that he was selling the painting right away because he didn't have enough funds?
The business he ran, no, the entire Farnese ducal family might be in danger.
'But if I stay like this, the situation will only continue to deteriorate.'
Instead of staying still, he needed a breakthrough to overcome this situation.
Just as Paydan was struggling to find a solution while swallowing his moans.
Today's newspaper, which he had roughly thrown on one side of his desk, caught his eye.
To be exact, Leticia's face.
[Mariposa, a new wind in the fashion industry.
What new products will they be showing for the upcoming hunting season?]
As soon as he saw that article, a breakthrough idea came to mind.
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