Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 11

“Then, our publishing house is…?” the editor muttered in a daze. Are we ruined?

Brianna handed him an envelope. “And she wants to renegotiate the contracts for her existing works.”

“What? Is she planning to terminate all the contracts for her other books?” No! If that happens, our publishing house will be finished!

Seeing the editor’s desperate reaction, Brianna quickly waved her hand. “That’s not it. She just wants to make some changes to the contract terms. There’s a letter inside. Please read it.”

The editor calmed down and opened the envelope to read its contents. He then looked up at Brianna with wide eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

“Because your name is mentioned here, Miss Everett.”

“My name?”

The editor handed the letter to Brianna. As she read through it slowly, she took a deep breath in disbelief.

“This… this can’t be real. She’s transferring all her copyrights to me? There must be some mistake!”

To her astonishment, the letter stated that Dowager Countess Linares was transferring the copyrights of all her published works to Brianna Everett. The letter was accompanied by a contract signed by the Dowager Countess herself.

“There’s also a personal letter from the author to you,” the editor added.

Brianna quickly unfolded the next sheet. Indeed, it was a letter from Dowager Countess Linares addressed to her.

[Brianna,

I must confess that I didn’t tell you this beforehand because I knew you would stubbornly refuse to come to the capital if you knew. I’m sure you’re quite shocked by the sudden turn of events, but please follow my wishes. I do not want my identity to be revealed to the world, even after my death. To ensure this, I need to dispose of my assets ahead of time.

Although I could not control my own life, I want to pass on the accomplishments to which I have dedicated my entire life, on my own terms, to someone of my choosing. This is my true desire.

We can discuss this further when you return to Harzen.

Leona Linares]

Brianna gripped the letter tightly. Dowager Countess Linares had never wanted to marry. As a young girl who devoured books and loved writing, she did not wish to live a life defined solely by being someone’s wife and producing heirs for a noble family.

She had deliberately stayed out of the marriage market. By the time she had passed the socially acceptable age for marriage, she seemed to have gained the freedom she had longed for. But the proposal from the Count of Linares came later, forcing her to accept her fate.

Being wise, she did not entirely surrender her life to marriage. Through negotiations with both her natal family and her husband, she was able to write to her heart’s content under the pseudonym Grisha Astrid for the past fifty years.

Grisha Astrid was not just her life’s work; it was her everything. And now, she wanted to give it all to Brianna.

“I can’t accept this,” Brianna said.

The large sum of the royalties was a problem, but more importantly, Brianna felt she did not deserve to accept it as she was not family.

“I’ll go back and persuade the Dowager Countess. The inheritance should go to her family, not to me. At the very least, Florian should have it…”

“If the inheritance goes to the Viscount Robert family, Florian will end up with nothing,” Lucius interjected suddenly. Brianna looked at him in surprise. He was watching her with a calm expression.

“The Robert family is deeply in debt. Despite this, they haven’t stopped gambling and indulging in luxury. They hoped to clear their debts with investments in Sierra, but as you know, that didn’t work out. If they learn about this money, they’ll squander it on further investments in Sierra or waste it on pleasures.”

“So the money would disappear before it even reaches Florian,” Brianna concluded.

“If you truly want to give it to Florian, it’s better for you to hold onto it until he inherits the title. Then you can give it to him,” Lucius suggested.

Brianna thought over his words. There wasn’t a better plan than what Lucius proposed.

“Alright, I’ll do that,” she agreed.

She signed the contract, making the ownership of all books written by Grisha Astrid officially hers. The editor, seeing this, also added his signature, finalizing the transfer.

“Are you heading to Harzen now?” the editor asked as he handed her the documents.

“Yes, I’m going straight to the train station,” Brianna nodded.

“You arrived in the capital just yesterday, right? Why don’t you take some time to look around? There’s a festival happening,” the editor suggested.

“Festival?” Brianna echoed.

“You didn’t know? Tomorrow is Saint Riccio’s feast day. There will be fireworks tonight.”

“Fireworks…” Brianna’s face lit up briefly but then dimmed. “Thank you, but I don’t think I can make it because of the train schedule.”

“What time is your train?”

“Eight o’clock”

The editor glanced at the clock on the wall and made a regretful face. “The fireworks are at Marco Square, but you won’t have time to get there. It takes an hour to go back and forth because of the crowd. It’s a pity.”

“Yes, it is,” she agreed.

Lucius quietly observed her expression. It was the same look she had when she lost her watch the day before—a look of resigned hopelessness.

“I’ll take you to the train station,” he offered.

They got back into the carriage. As they rode in silence, Lucius suddenly spoke up. “Do you want to see the fireworks?”

Brianna smiled and shook her head. “I’m curious because I’ve never seen them, but there’s no time.”

“Then, let’s go see them,” he said decisively.

“Sorry?” Brianna was taken aback.

Lucius knocked on the carriage wall and gave an order to the coachman. Soon, the carriage veered away from the train station and headed in a different direction.

“……”

Brianna stared at Lucius in bewilderment. Once again, he was taking her somewhere other than her intended destination.

Is he always this impulsive? This doesn’t match the personality Florian described at all.

She worried about missing her train but couldn’t bring herself to tell Lucius to turn the carriage around immediately.

“There is a hill nearby where you can see the fireworks clearly. It’s not far from the station, so you won’t miss your train,” Lucius said, as if sensing her worry. His words reassured Brianna, and she nodded.

A few moments later, the carriage came to a stop. They had arrived at a high hill overlooking the entire city of Bastogne. Lucius stepped out first and offered his hand to her.

“…Thank you,” Brianna said, taking his hand cautiously. Despite wearing gloves, she felt a warmth at her fingertips.

The hill was completely deserted. Brianna found it strange that there were no people in such a prime viewing spot for the fireworks. She glanced around curiously when Lucius spoke. “This is Carlisle estate property. It’s off-limits to the public.”

The Carlisle estate she had seen yesterday was vast enough to resemble a royal palace, and now it turned out they owned more land, even here in the heart of the capital.

“It used to be a hunting ground long ago, but we’ve kept it as it is. There were proposals to sell it as the surrounding area developed, but our family opposed it. It holds memories of my father,” Lucius explained.

“Memories of your father?” Brianna echoed.

The city below was now glowing with the red hues of the sunset. A cool breeze carried a note of melancholy in Lucius’s voice.

“When I was a child, my father and I often came here to watch the fireworks.”

“Ah…” Brianna quickly covered her mouth with her hand, feeling a rush of emotion. She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for her to be in such a meaningful place.

The late Duke of Carlisle seemed to have been a very family-oriented man. Bringing his young son here often to watch fireworks indicated a deep affection for his family. From the harmonious scene she had witnessed at the Carlisle household yesterday, it was clear that during his life, he had been a loving husband and a doting father.