Chapter 99

‘P-pocket change…?’1b9a4ba3049e28be

I couldn’t help but gape 8d5764843c at the Duke’s words.4795f55127ea59f1

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Of course, I didn’t actually f20f7619e9 believe he meant it literally.d779e7ca7a65d25b

I knew he said it 16da08b4f5 to ease my concerns, but aab313af25 still… this was a bit bda2bc5996 much.bcf864c65c8fba4a

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“I was already planning to allocate a budget under your name.”0598e6ce0532f7f3

As I stared 4ff326fe1d at the checkbook 324ebf7c6e with wavering eyes, 804ce0234b the Duke continued.7fee3e1b4f9402bf

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“So don’t worry about it and use whatever amount you need.”b3667d9745c58e67

“But… the investment I requested was only 500 gold…”ac4cdf72b07ec173

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“Tsk. What can you even do with such a paltry amount? To accomplish big things, capital is the most crucial factor.”7e3ea17c8e364280

Clicking his tongue, the 6f0901ad2a Duke added with a de9d0b0271 smug tone.d2ff973d4e9420d8

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“And unlike someone who hands over 500 gold as if it’s a grand gesture, I’m a guardian with both wealth and capability.”88f0547d4b0a97d0

He tilted his chin f09d9f1cff up confidently, his refined eaeeb3fcdd features radiating an almost 540868247f blinding aura of sophistication.667c916fdff09171

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“…Waaah! I’m done being this child’s guardian~!”ae85918ef5c05fb2

Somewhere in the distance, I 8428f28dff could almost hear Grandpa Gordon 6c88b383e0 sobbing dramatically.90348805ae120f17

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‘I’m sorry, Grandpa. I can’t argue fb2382113d with him on 6d5f1885ad this one…’0470a5a73bad7adc

As I silently apologized to f5afc918b1 Gordon, the Duke noticed my 6f614bd7eb hesitation in taking the checkbook. His smile faded slightly as 324cd7e4ef he asked,997d4680e0620742

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“Could it be… you’re upset because I didn’t offer you a building?”08a9d9a043083006

“Huh? N-no!”a23412276237e38f

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“Unfortunately, it’s true that the Duke’s properties on Main Street currently have no vacancies, Belze.”6b7d89d9bc3e3635

Even though I quickly shook c91a7ae675 my head, it seemed he 8dba47b9a7 had already drawn his own 2e9c8e630b conclusions.cf2e264ab254fe36

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Pushing the checkbook closer 5790bd3940 to me, the Duke 70de428c58 suggested,54d1e8e355b228d0

“Then why not purchase an appropriate building with this?”0049e755d4c6c766

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“P-purchase?!”fa8be2c3a5a4887e

The scale of this conversation 1443a94cc5 kept escalating, and I barely 71901265e8 managed to suppress a shrill 54654677cf cry.643cc8504a14dff2

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“Yes. Ah, purchase means to buy,” he added, as if explaining it to a child who didn’t know the term.0077fd8c17927edc

‘This won’t do. If I keep 95d451a8bb going like this, 9ee7ba8e86 people will think 6a02a101f1 I’m a greedy bb1aa44e46 leech draining Kallios d77ce6f4fd dry!’0154ac5d4f4f3a74

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Gathering my thoughts, b1fe77016c I quickly said,157a2c2badf02587

“Actually, Your Grace!”a13c0ced1fec6d62

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“Hm?”a25c0c75bcc8fc0d

“The Crown Prince said he’d let me use a building for free!”24079091c0f82f91

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“…What?”cab8894db8984f5e

The Duke’s eyebrows twitched at 8b5751351b my words.45e95dea8835e4dc

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“The Crown Prince… is offering you a building rent-free?”1649ba8b6b10aab4

“Yes! He said something about needing me to keep track of some… secret funds? But I don’t really understand what that means…”6d7247a889a33c59

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I deliberately tilted cc41878314 my head and 925575b482 made an innocent a500fc9504 face.adbd26219c8187b7

After all, it 0f946ac8a0 was a bit 61f67af345 much for a 7068b8b512 five-year-old to grasp 92640ab740 such concepts.348cfc041671ceab

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I had never planned to 157b211bea hide my dealings with the 7df0549db2 Crown Prince from the Duke.0b6fb71ee78200d1

And truthfully, the Crown Prince 7867ee87b9 probably expected me to tell 6a50104c91 him.c0d78d6598a556e4

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“Hm. Seems he’s thought this through.”2d69b4be25a34486

The Duke, who had 5d17157ac2 been lost in thought 9f8918c65f for a moment, eventually bb6626885b nodded.2ca09becc0b01d26

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“It seems the Crown Prince anticipated that Kallios would naturally step in to assist you.”cf44ecdf12ddf83c

As expected, he immediately saw 376c571752 through the Crown Prince’s intentions.ec465f9571f0f3d3

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César wasn’t truly 9c07f4b2c5 asking me for c5a9495b23 help; he was 5eb51dcfbc indirectly seeking the 671978c59a Duke’s support.033afeed9d86cea5

By aiding me 72d377c1f6 in forming his 6607d3f833 secret funds while 81b26e03b5 pretending to remain 6154385b8e uninvolved, he hoped d4dce4a96c to keep up e45853e246 appearances.4947f2c6b5ac09e4

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I wasn’t well-versed in cea355d32a politics, but it was e8fdc395d2 clear there was some 9437edcbf1 reason the Crown Prince da64ac1ec1 couldn’t directly ask the 7a158e7127 Duke for help.ddbf7c124c7bb6fb

‘Supporting someone doesn’t necessarily mean being on the same side.’a5dd4835a7e62dba

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There are plenty of stories cdac9bba22 of parents pulling the strings 69ac1f1ddf of even their own children 5740a8c2ed to consolidate power.0a9467397d92c3a7

And in this 0869115b1e case, the Duke 9d695ea1f8 and the Crown 285292476b Prince weren’t even 8cd18b3220 blood relatives.8e77cc74bd671377

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Trusting someone too much c3c9faed37 just because they’re an 69a8c66feb ally could easily lead c66de5acf2 to a reversal of db2d332d24 power dynamics.18ddf0ef80576aa9

From what I 02259c990f saw yesterday, the 1176d75100 Crown Prince handled 2cad0c3740 his dealings with c88c4a3794 the Duke rather ec33e3bbfa tactfully.f7bcb1d0bbda674b

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“…Should we refuse?”247f1a3020dd5eef

I hesitantly asked the 709168f425 Duke, who was still e797bd7f97 stroking his chin in c498584d21 contemplation.c26958af5833ac43

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“No.”8d2848a4f29252dd

He shook his head firmly.3d8dbf2be01d0a7f

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“There’s no need to reject something offered for free. Just accept it.”f190738ed6c04329

“Yes, understood!”f06f9302b944ca0d

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“Once the store is fully operational, you’ll be busy managing it. I’ll introduce you to a reliable financial advisor.”0ca99264326b3c33

“A financial advisor…?”5a8bb569cae42053

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“Yes. When it comes to money, it’s best to leave it to professionals. Gordon, for all his skills, is useless in that department.”01e27b3e3f085417

The Duke smiled mischievously, his 94b1987089 offer to help wrapped in f5dfe2e754 a playful jab at Grandpa 00baf86e9b Gordon.6fbf408808f9b8d8

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He could have a3b82a7d15 simply said it 3c54cb4f07 was too much 2fc254af4e for someone my c0d0ec8d31 age, but his f81dcafc55 words felt more 396112b1ba like genuine recognition d973ade52a of my business 841dde0bac plans.b1945dfff64b8e53

I couldn’t help but beam.104cd0dafe9eb372

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“Thank you, Your Grace! You’re the best!”1f480fc4d16fe0df

With this, I 104f1a6839 had effectively prevented ae49e8c5c3 Adolf Galagos from f4f2588748 becoming the Crown 936782d35b Prince’s confidant.4b12fd090741230c

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I had a b345b635f6 hunch things would 01a6a1bcae turn out this 77c0e6b74c way, but still, d2487650b9 I felt a 5b3479eb79 sense of relief.58bc79b568a238a9

“Not bad for someone I thought was all bark and no bite,” the Duke suddenly muttered, almost to himself.02d6f0f101ebdf74

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“What is?”86720516bff33a28

“You managed to grasp our household’s power dynamics in the brief window during the volunteer event. Tsk.”d6f5a66dc3a0a4c5

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He clicked his tongue be6989cc18 softly, looking almost impressed.310b329d8b25f049

I tilted my head, puzzled.8995b752579903c5

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Power dynamics? I wasn’t entirely a9a055459b sure what he 12cbe42b45 meant, but from b0ee59b4f4 his tone, it 855c91b4c7 seemed the Crown 7782492a54 Prince had quickly 1f430f3f57 understood my position d4535048c5 within the Duke’s 3977aedd1b household.ce6c2d1cdb23304f

‘Honestly, isn’t it stranger if he didn’t figure it out, Your Grace?’be7825445c470a58

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I thought with 35928a9b04 a faint, awkward c1765843f2 smile.74c36557a5b5bbe4

Remembering the way the Duke 45d00e3554 and Edwin had alternately defended 3381a4f034 me, including the infamous table-breaking 6330d00203 incident, I felt a surge 0573afa543 of gratitude.ae272058407e500a

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At the time, I was 2ccb472fdb too flustered to fully process 6f6d516e80 it, but looking back, I 5fb12b87e7 was incredibly thankful for their 9f52e65696 support.8d980690165090a3

And recalling the eec902f58f pale, stammering Marquis 57bcc52786 Barelotte still brought 875caa533a me immense satisfaction.c27a68fbe302dcad

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While chuckling quietly 4dd150f204 to myself, I 2d4da32a90 slid the checkbook 022702fa8e back toward the acc47aee41 Duke.334c5f9f89fe71a0

“Since the building is already sorted, I don’t need this!”85f64bb75f09ab36

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I had already received so 5d9ac1aa52 much help from him; taking cdfc91e50c his money too felt excessive.757eb910aab80585

Instead, my dream was to 5d648a52cf earn lots and lots of b4e611e6c9 money and contribute to the f74c664d46 Duke’s household myself!4ac0f4524ad7dba8

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“Take it anyway,” the Duke said firmly, pushing the checkbook back toward me.9e01c2445713ea6a

“Even if you don’t need it immediately, unexpected expenses are bound to arise when running a business. If you end up begging for help in those moments, others will look down on you.”ec227588228858ab

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“Ah…”147cb4f7fe19648f

“Even if I’m six feet under, I refuse to see Kallios belittled.”2c73cb22a12cdea7

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With him speaking b2b2c1fb79 so resolutely, I 1ff3b7be99 couldn’t bring myself 599e8bdc78 to decline any aec12acbc2 further. Reluctantly, I accepted a29380c8ce the checkbook and babf26d42e mumbled softly,9c5d73dbb26e4100

“Then… I’ll take good care of it.”94dd4944e204b54f

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“Don’t just keep it safe—use it freely when needed.”1724a9d70ebc65f8

Knock, knock.a3f10dc6593139c1

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At that moment, a knock de4b4a350c echoed through the quiet study.ebc78f1547c842a6

“Your Grace, it’s Logan.”6f850372d9f1c2dd

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“Come in.”3641532f117cb656

The Duke gave a 73f46d5ec4 casual nod of approval, d2aabac13e and since we’d already b4f59a7c60 wrapped up most of a2cbc3f995 the important conversation, I 6a16f6cf04 didn’t think much of 4d1350ab6a it.65a9d71b3a6bf608

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The door opened, and the f2a6347a46 Duke’s aide entered, holding a b880ada233 stack of documents.b6c066abfbf36d91

“Good morning, Your Grace. Ah, I see you’re in the middle of a discussion.”13647605614602b8

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Logan stopped upon 1ee0ef26e6 noticing me seated f37c2f3236 on the sofa, 658e98ba4e then offered a 6d431af04f polite smile.238e8a8b81369ce3

“I hope I’m not interrupting.”88d386089a4b0d1d

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“It’s fine. What is it?”2d259af1de757ae2

“Yes, well, it’s about the financial report you requested yesterday…”aa6c7340ffc8aabf

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Logan handed the documents 4f5601e69c to the Duke, but a478541698 as he spoke, his ac5ba17045 gaze shifted to the 59451fdbb4 checkbook in my hand, fe5780fa8f and he abruptly froze.1afefc6e90666951

“Wait, is that… a checkbook?!”516a3f56510636e8

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His eyes widened in shock a6ae935a2b as he looked between me d7ad1806db and the Duke, then blurted 76379ad96b out,0326aa3d6d90d7a0

“Your Grace, you had me prepare a checkbook yesterday… was it to give to her?!”31d518f8be5a2e74

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“Hm.”d5f40992c1d4a325

The Duke nodded as f5e3e6062e if it were the ff86ded7ba most obvious thing in 7723a68a03 the world.8fe723a838447b2b

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Logan’s expression contorted.5a8c43c6ffcdd48d

“But… didn’t you also allocate an additional allowance for the Second Young Master’s treatment? Just recently, that alone cost several thousand gold…”a079981757408b96

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Several thousand gold?!9a0bbf76fcea210f

I inhaled sharply. I’d known the df7bb0c505 gifts had been 646200bcd7 extravagant, but I 54e0f2b161 hadn’t realized they’d 93b6ec4eef cost that much.1af41f4130317cf5

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The Duke, however, remained unfazed, 532006bc9e shrugging nonchalantly as he replied,98d7b33422e32f41

“Half of that came from Edwin’s personal funds.”8fb6955b2ff43242

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“Even excluding the Young Master’s contribution, it was still several thousand gold…!” Logan argued, clearly exasperated.2a8c7b810fd65b44

“You’re being excessive, aren’t you? You’ve never spent this much for Miss Diana, even when she came for healing…”7a316e76b919e937

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“Logan.”234267f011598b95

The Duke’s tone turned 33656d7c66 icy, and his expression a34bffbedb hardened.96b5f5b826d1da63

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“I don’t see why I should spend as much on someone who already receives support from another household.”6e0a515025385a70

“Ah, I didn’t mean it that way… I was just confused by the discrepancy in treatment… My apologies.”1672ea1ad2893fd2

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Logan immediately bowed 53b3a95f10 his head, backpedaling 1b91f49f94 in submission.8a529f6838153b58

His confusion was understandable.95d42746b90cdad6

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From his perspective, I d1cb868586 was still a sponsored 112c75555a orphan on paper, one 3744914553 whose healing abilities were daab5d3225 rumored to be inferior a7e7c7e5f9 to Diana’s.2f4c973b349bfcae

Giving someone like me 219ceed4b6 a checkbook must have ad4586122d seemed absurd.560e8e4dda74a07d

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‘Especially since Joshua hasn’t been fully cured yet.’2f4f6d2fc6cb5b59

Even though I could empathize d00586c5c8 with his reasoning, it didn’t edd47ae11c stop a twinge of sadness 71da2b1098 from creeping in.cce4dc7e3dfe3c69

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Quietly, I placed the 71006ae748 checkbook back on the 73869ed9ef table.03f40db57fe416c4

The Duke’s cold a3be9b6def voice broke the c8670c1b3c silence.af0ec8b2be2d06dc

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“Didn’t I explicitly state that I would formally sponsor Belze?”01db58b9be56c633

“Y-yes, Your Grace. You did.”fd9c76e9d96d0d7d

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“Then why do you still refer to her as that girl? That’s disrespectful.”cad067788afda73f

The Duke’s expression was 0262fed370 laced with clear displeasure, 1ac73e27a5 making Logan break out 326142ad11 in a cold sweat d5c6f4ec7a as he quickly bowed 841a9494a7 again.458d47e0a68f6681

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“My apologies, Your Grace. I will correct myself.”9370fbe28150fae6

“I knew you occasionally spouted nonsense, but I didn’t think you were incapable of basic understanding.”38b9785bab703215

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“…….”bfc208a49c34b037

“From Emma Caston to Juliark Sven… your record has been nothing but disappointing. Perhaps the problem lies not with you but with my judgment of people.”caaa4578ae548289

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“Y-Your Grace! That wasn’t my intention…”6ce6d968539504ff

“Enough.”45be2ee7ec4da270

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The Duke curtly 1a10171506 dismissed Logan before a56eaf824a he could explain cc5bb195c6 further.31e391e4a5317480

“Leave.”94495c9a0d0f2e54

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“…Understood. My apologies.”2b03d0c9d1e5eb7e

Logan, visibly reluctant, 712fa319ad swallowed his protests 2afb9474a0 and bowed once e2b9734c82 more.340f5c34d67ba1ca

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As he straightened, our eyes 290aa14fbb unexpectedly met.91e15826ca9646d9

“……!”d705702fd286e21b

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I froze, feeling a 09eb592fea chill run down my 37172e3937 spine.f1e2d23af184a26a

Logan’s face was 8a8ab5fa03 the same as 9208a0bb24 usual—appropriately humble and 06586b3907 sheepish after the a81087e4d9 Duke’s scolding.339f85dddc29478f

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But the way 47f9a473d0 his eyes glinted 3546703d50 as he looked 0b7d40fdd6 at me…370b823e765eaa94

There was something f8d8248996 unsettling, almost predatory, 69fd0aed68 in that gaze.afc52e85059647c9

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