Fresa gazed at Elias without saying a word.
‘I didn’t expect him to come so quickly.’
It was surprising that Elias was willing to humble himself so soon.
Of course, he still held his head high, stiffly lifted, but the situation was likely quite urgent now.
So, it was probably Fresa who came directly rather than an underling like Jerome.
Fresa stood calmly, completely unfazed.
“This is the first time we’re having a direct conversation, Your Grace, the Grand Duke Granadine.”
Elias’s gaze shifted from Fresa to Lycaon.
But Lycaon did not answer.
As if he wouldn’t speak unless Fresa gave permission, he simply waited in silence.
Seeing Lycaon openly ignore him, Elias’s expression flickered slightly.
But he quickly composed himself and strode purposefully toward Fresa, speaking.
“I came because I thought it would be better to meet in person than to exchange a letter.”
Jade, who had been observing the situation, stepped forward to keep Elias in check.
As Jade’s large shadow fell toward Elias, Elias flinched and came to a stop.
“I want to talk inside, just you and me, my sibling.”
“Huh. Siblings?”
Finally, Fresa broke her silence.
She reacted to the unfamiliar term Elias used for her.
To Elias Thorpe, Fresa was less a sister and more a useless, worthless pebble rolling around on the ground.
His siblings should have been Jerome and Amy—so why suddenly treat her like a sister?
Fresa chuckled softly and continued.
“Well, I didn’t realize we were that close. I thought maybe you picked me up somewhere, given how dismissive you’ve been.”
“…Do you still hold onto past grudges? That was then, this is now.”
Why do perpetrators always say their evil deeds are just in the past?
For Fresa, it felt as vivid as yesterday.
It was a constant thought: humans are truly selfish.
She wasn’t expecting an apology to begin with, but Elias was worse than Jerome.
Jerome was simply foolish, but Elias was arrogant and even mean.
‘He’s clearly come to ask for something, yet his pride remains intact.’
Fresa wasn’t even angry.
Even wasting emotion on that was a loss.
As Fresa remained silent, Elias raised one eyebrow and spoke again.
“Are you going to keep standing on this dirt floor?”
“Ah. Should I get you a drink?”
“Of course…”
“You thought I’d say that? I have nothing to say to you. You came because your family is about to go bankrupt. Why would I take the time to meet with you and gain something?”
Fresa smiled quietly and cut Elias off firmly.
Elias frowned.
“What?”
“Please go back now. It’s dinner time.”
“What…?”
Elias’s face twisted as he glared at Fresa.
He bore a remarkable resemblance to Count Thorpe.
Thinking that way, she no longer even wanted to face him for a moment.
“Go back. I have no intention of helping the Thorpe family at all.”
Fresa no longer even pretended to smile.
She only stared at Elias with a cold, barren gaze, devoid of any emotion.
Elias trembled from the cold treatment he hadn’t even imagined.
If he was so easily offended, then why had he come all this way?
Could he still be afraid of Fresa’s family?
Fresa clicked her tongue softly.
It was amusing that he still thought Fresa would be afraid of her family.
Lycaon spoke in a cold voice, perhaps interpreting this signal.
“Sir, as you said, the Count of Thorpe has no more to say, correct?”
“…”
“I don’t want to use force. And you look so shabby without a single escort.”
“Be careful with your words.”
Elias quietly retorted, stung by the point.
He was pretending to be noble, but Elias had come alone aboard the ship without proper escort.
Count Guilespie had refused support, so her only choice was Fresa, but he didn’t seem very desperate.
Honestly, this wasn’t the outcome Fresa wanted.
But, well, it didn’t really matter much anyway.
Seeing Elias Thorpe kneel and beg was something unlikely to happen.
But experiencing the humiliation of his pride being shattered—that was something she would learn about in the future.
“You’ll regret this, Fresa.”
“Yes, I will regret it a lot. I won’t go far.”
Fresa cheerfully waved her hand in farewell.
Elias, noticing her light gesture, clenched his jaw tightly.
His sharp jawline trembled from the force.
“You will really regret it.”
“You might not know, but I dislike repeating myself.”
“Your sister Amy is still just a kid. If our family falls apart…”
“Oh, how is Amy doing?”
When Fresa showed interest in Amy, Elias’s eyes suddenly brightened.
As expected. That’s how he felt.
“If you want to see Amy, come back to the Thorpe family, Fresa. Everyone will forgive you.”
“Hey. Who wants to meet? I just imagine how much that arrogant brat is crying and causing a fuss, and it’s making me happy.”
“…What?”
Elias blinked stupidly, as if his mind had crashed.
It was truly strange.
Fresa had no reason to miss her family, so why did everyone seem to not realize that?
Fresa was starting to get tired.
She already had many things to think about regarding the interview, and listening to Elias’s nonsense was giving her a headache.
She raised her right hand as if to dismiss a meddlesome merchant.
“Unless you’re going to kneel and beg, go back.”
“Kneel… You mean right now, kneel…”
“Your Grace says so. Goodbye, Count Thorpe.”
Elias clenched his fists and trembled, but Lycaon immediately blocked Fresa’s path.
Thanks to Jade standing beside her, she felt like a solid wall was protecting her.
Once Elias’s red hair disappeared from her sight, she finally felt a bit relieved.
Unable to confront Lycaon and Jade, Elias turned his back and got on the carriage.
Soon, the carriage disappeared into the distance amid swirling dust.
“Check if Count Thorpe is leaving Pallo village, Jade.”
“Yes, understood.”
Jade quickly disappeared at Lycaon’s command.
Lycaon turned to Fresa and asked.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m surprised you still have your pride. Do you value pride more than your precious family?”
Fresa shook her head and muttered.
She felt a twinge of regret for not seeing Elias kneel and beg.
Lycaon gently brushed a fallen leaf off Fresa’s hair and said.
“I don’t know how long that will last.”
“When was the auction supposed to be?”
Lycaon handed her the leaf and answered.
“In two weeks.”
“Unless Count Guilespie helps, the Thorpe estate will go to auction.”
Fresa looked down at the blue leaf in her palm and murmured softly, lost in thought.
She had planned a slightly different approach, but it seemed better to change it.
If the Thorpe family still dared to show up so confidently, she couldn’t just stand by.
Lycaon waited silently until Fresa finished her thoughts, without saying a word.
Soon, Fresa looked at Lycaon, full of determination in her bright blue eyes, and spoke.
“Lycaon, I think I should attend that auction.”
“I figured so, so I prepared tickets in advance.”
Her nonchalant reply made Fresa blink in surprise, then she asked after a moment.
“You knew I’d say yes?”
“Of course. I’ve watched you from up close all this time.”
“Just a few months.”
“To me, that’s a long time. I even wondered if you’d still be alive now.”
Lycaon whispered softly, tapping the leaf in Fresa’s palm with his fingertip.
At the same time, the leaf turned a pale blue, like her eyes.
“My remaining time is almost entirely what you’ve given me, Resa.”
“…That’s not quite true.”
Fresa felt a little embarrassed and averted her gaze.
She thought he had only ever detoxed a single poison, yet he kept saying such excessive things.
Lycaon chuckled softly at her reaction.
“Anyway, you probably have quite a lot to prepare. You want a grand, perfect ending, don’t you?”
He smiled as if he already knew her deepest thoughts.
Fresa immediately understood what he meant by his words.
“Since I’ve hired a new employee, I should have enough time.”
“Who did you decide on?”
“It’s still a secret. It’ll be more fun to find out on the first day of work.”
Fresa playfully waved the leaf Lycaon gave her and smiled.
Though her plans weren’t completely settled, she had reached a rough decision.
And a few days later, the new employee arrived at work.
~·~·* . *^.^* . *·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
