A Butterfly Through the Mist - Chapter 27

“Tilia, you’re getting prettier by the day. You’ve become quite the young lady now.”

At Reiner’s words, Judy’s eyes narrowed as she spooned some garnish onto her plate. “Brother, if you try any tricks on my friend, you’ll regret it!”

“Tricks? I’m speaking from the heart.”

Tilia chuckled at Reiner’s teasing words and met his gaze.

“How was Ontaroa?”

“Oh, well, it was good.”

Grace watched her third son as he spoke, taking a sip of her aperitif.

Though his smooth demeanor might fool others, he couldn’t fool his mother’s eyes.

Maybe it started as just a joke, but the moment Tilia met his eyes, it was no longer a joke for Reiner.

It was obvious that he was taken aback by Tilia’s beauty, which had only grown in their time apart. The subtle tension was evident in the way he fiddled with the handle of his fork.

“I’m glad to hear you’ve been well. Judy may pretend not to, but she was really worried.”

In contrast, Tilia’s voice was calm and measured.

With her serene tone, she asked Reiner, “What did you think of Ontaroa?”

“It was great. Even though it’s just next door, it feels quite different from Arkansis. It was fun.”

Grace sighed softly as she watched her son finally relax at the familiar topic.

Who did he take after to be like this?

Unlike his older brothers, who followed their father’s path as knights, Reiner had chosen not to become a soldier.

‘A trade business, really.’

Grace struggled not to sigh too heavily at the dinner table in front of their guest.

But it wasn’t easy, especially when thinking of her son who had pretended to enter the knight academy, only to flee to Ontaroa and enroll in a business school there.

“Ontaroa is a land of art and freedom. It’s so much more open than Arkansis that it was a bit shocking at first, but once I adapted, it was fun. Oh, come to think of it, there was this one time…”

Completely oblivious to his worried mother’s feelings, Reiner began sharing amusing stories from his time in Ontaroa—like the time he nearly came across as flirting with a married woman due to a misunderstanding of a phrase.

Seeing Judy and Tilia listening attentively, their innocent faces filled with curiosity, Grace felt a sudden surge of irritation.

“Reiner, do you really think it’s funny to talk about getting slapped by a woman like that?”

“Well, I can’t cry about it, can I, Mother?”

Grace looked at Reiner, who joked casually, her face exasperated as she unintentionally tightened her grip on her knife.

Seeing this, Reiner made an exaggerated movement to lean away, startled. “Mother, even if I’m going to die, I’d like to at least get my diploma first.”

“I’d rather see you buried without an education.”

Judy and Tilia laughed like kids their age at the heated exchange.

But even while she was joking, Grace’s heart was burning with worry.

As if noticing Grace’s subtle change in expression, Tilia quickly shifted the topic.

“Is Ontaroan that difficult to learn? Its grammar structure is similar to that of Arkansis.”

“Hmm, it’s easy at first, but it gets harder as you go. Speaking naturally is the real challenge.”

Grace gratefully watched Tilia, who was patiently listening to Reiner’s useless chatter.

Then, she suddenly realized that there was a genuine sparkle in Tilia’s eyes.

A curiosity and interest, which hadn’t been there at the beginning, were now evident on Tilia’s face.

Grace alternated her gaze between her son, who was enthusiastically explaining how to study Ontaroan, and Tilia, who was listening intently, her expression turning rigid.

Could it be?

Already feeling uneasy, a new worry piled up in Grace’s mind.

Could there be an unfortunate event where the two of them end up together?

Grace observed Tilia with an anxious face.

In fact, there was nothing wrong with Tilia herself. She was such an outstanding child that one would be hard-pressed to find her equal anywhere in the world.

But…

But the problem wasn’t Tilia herself; it was her family.

The thought of the abandoned mine, the real reason she had called Tilia today, made her head throb.

Grace liked Tilia but wanted to avoid, at all costs, becoming in-laws with that crude Baron Ambrose.

If they were tied as family, just how much would that man exploit and torment the count’s family? The mere thought of it was suffocating.

“Tilia, you seem quite interested in Ontaroa.”

In the midst of all this, Reiner slyly tried to sound Tilia out.

“Why don’t you come visit later? Once I become a senior, I’m thinking of getting my own place, so there’ll be plenty of empty rooms.”

This brat. Grace shot a glare at her son for his blatant advances.

“Thank you.”

But just before Grace could kick Reiner under the table, Tilia’s appropriately dismissive response came.

“I’ll visit later with Judy after graduation.”

“Oh. Will you?”

Seeing Reiner’s nonchalant acceptance of Tilia’s rejection, Grace quietly put her foot down.

Tilia maintained her calm and composed demeanor.

Seeing her poised attitude, Grace felt both relieved and a faint sense of self-reproach weighing on her heart.

***

The Wells family carriage was comfortable and quiet, unlike that of the Ambrose family.

Leaning back against the clean seat of the carriage that Grace had lent her, Tilia gazed out the window.

Thanks to the lengthened daylight, it wasn’t yet even dusk outside.

But, as she looked out, Tilia’s heart was heavy, overshadowed by dark clouds.

With a dark expression, she thought of what she had heard just earlier at the Wells’ mansion.

“Tilia. I’ve been wondering if I should tell you this, whether it’s right to, but I decided that you, at least, should know…”

The story Grace had told her, calling her out into the hallway under the guise of gifting her some dessert, had been shocking.

“The gold mining operation Baron Ambrose is so eager about is practically a scam. For us, it’s just an unprofitable abandoned mine, so we don’t mind selling it cheaply, but I heard that among those who have been taken in by that broker’s story, Baron Ambrose has promised the highest investment…

That broker has a record of pulling the same stunt—taking investment money and then immediately shutting down. The claim that a gold vein was found in a long-abandoned mine doesn’t make sense. I wanted to warn you before it’s too late.”

If you lack talent, at least have no greed. Or at the very least, don’t even think about pushing ahead.

Tilia sighed deeply from her diaphragm as she stared at the streets bathed in sunset.

***

Phew. Tilia took a deep breath and looked at the office door, which was about to open.

Her father, Baron Ambrose, had rejected her request to meet, but when she said she wanted to discuss business, he immediately told her to come up.

“Alright. Come in.”

As soon as the door opened, Bradley spoke expectantly, getting straight to the point, “You said you wanted to talk about business. Did you hear something from the Wells family?”

Tilia tried to keep the look of disdain off her face as she slowly opened her mouth to speak.

“Yes. The count asked if you were planning to invest in a gold mine.”

“Tsk. Has word spread that far already? That’s not good—people must not flock to it!”

Bradley clicked his tongue, his face souring as though the news had ruined his mood.

“It was information I bought for a high price from a renowned intelligence guild. Everyone has such an uncanny nose for the smell of money.”

Bradley leaned back in his large chair, his head resting against it as he looked at Tilia.

“Just wait and see. This time, your father is going to make a big win. Everyone thinks that abandoned mine is just a barren pit, right? Heh, they don’t know there’s a gold vein running through it!”

Tilia looked at her father, who was laughing vulgarly, with a calm gaze.

“Wait. Did Count Wells know about it? No, that can’t be! Did the count ask you about potential profits? If he realizes there’s gold there and decides not to sell, that would be a huge problem!”

“…No. He said it was determined to be an unprofitable mine, so they were willing to sell it cheaply.”

“Well, that’s great! Yeah, yeah. Those who don’t take risks can’t become wealthy! It’s perfect; the count won’t get involved!”

Tilia lowered her gaze as she looked at Bradley, who was chuckling to himself, calculating how much money would fall into his lap.

Should she just leave things as they were and pretend she didn’t know?

She felt a deep desire to escape, but she couldn’t.

The family had to collapse after she had safely secured a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At least until she graduated and moved abroad, her family couldn’t be something that dragged her down.

Suppressing her irritation and reluctance, Tilia slowly forced herself to speak.

“Father, are you sure it’s true that there’s a hidden gold vein there?”

“Of course it’s true! Do you know how much money I spent to get this information?”

“Just because it was expensive doesn’t make it true.”

Bradley still wore a smile, but his eyes were growing cold.