Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 141

Revenge Bears Interest 141

141. Believing in Terun (141/200)

2023.12.19.

Emily looked at the promissory note in her hand with satisfaction.

‘I knew it.’

She had expected Allen wouldn’t marry an ordinary woman. It would have to be at least a princess.

It wasn’t exactly news. His face alone screamed ambition.

But she wondered how his face had become so ruined.

His once radiant face was now unsightly, like shattered glass.

‘Serves him right. His pride in that handsome face must be gone.’

Emily realized it clearly this time.

Allen was a man with no charm other than money and looks.

Losing just one of those made him significantly less marketable.

‘And his company is about to go bankrupt.’

She stared at the McDowell Trading Company sign, smiled, and turned away.

She had been struggling to remember who the person she met at the boutique was for days, but she remembered quite by chance.

‘I saw her at the Royal Equestrian Competition banquet. She called herself Salame Roberto, I think.’

She had squeezed an awful lot of money out of Allen, but it was well worth it.

It could have been even more.

Because the world didn’t even know the princess existed.

‘The person I saw in the boutique dressing room was definitely a woman.’

The faint outline of breasts seen above the compression bandages and the unusually slender, curvy body were evidence that she was a woman disguised as a man.

Only then did the creaking gears feel like they were meshing properly.

A stature and build too underdeveloped to be an adult male. Even the voice mixed with a girlish tone….

It was undoubtedly the princess’s dangerous game to deceive the world.

‘I’m glad my fortune isn’t all bad this year.’

In the end, breaking up with Allen was the right thing to do.

As soon as she entered Allen’s company, she was surprised by the changed atmosphere.

Hardly anyone visited the company, and the number of employees seemed to have decreased.

Above all, rumors were rife in the capital that McDowell Company was on the verge of bankruptcy due to the Bertan Railroad project.

‘Whether she’s a princess or not, it’s none of my business.’

Emily smiled broadly and carefully put the promissory note he had given her into her bag.

Since it was just a guess anyway, the judgment was up to Allen.

* * *

Leia held a meeting with all the staff. The dress Empress Theresa would wear was not something she could decide alone.

They needed to gather opinions from various people to create the design.

“How about making it bright and cheerful by combining sky-blue linen and silk?”

Sonya suggested showing the beauty of a woman rather than the authority of the empress.

Indeed, with makeup, Theresa looked so young that it was hard to believe she was middle-aged.

“I also think a lighthearted atmosphere would be good, fitting for the season of spring.”

Pauline agreed with Sonya.

“Chenel, what do you think?”

Leia was very curious about Chenel’s opinion, as she was good at understanding people’s tendencies.

“I think a plain dress with a purple silk collar would be nice.”

As soon as Chenel gave her opinion, Sonya and Pauline nodded.

It would be too much for the empress, who only wore uniforms, to suddenly wear a dress made of layers of lace.

“Then how about something that is somewhat dignified yet sophisticated, befitting the emperor’s position?”

Sonya responded to Leia’s words.

“What you say is right, miss. It’s important to look like an emperor to anyone who sees her.”

After repeated meetings, a concrete plan for the fabric, design, and accessories was developed.

This time, Sonya and Adolf decided to take charge rather than Chenel.

They had made many clothes for the imperial family in Sainte-Bourg, so they would know what they wanted.

“Chenel, is Luke treating you well?”

During tea time after the meeting, Pauline asked Chenel.

“He’s amazing every night.”

“What?”

Everyone burst into laughter at Chenel’s words.

No matter what she meant by amazing, Chenel’s tone was so cute.

“He gives me a pillow for my arm, strokes my hair, and sings me a lullaby.”

“Ah! That’s how he’s amazing.”

Pauline’s disappointment was immense.

A married life didn’t need to be so wholesome; it wasn’t like raising a child.

Everyone was gathered for tea, but one person was missing.

“Where did Sarah go?”

“I don’t know. Isn’t she in your room, miss? Shall I bring her?”

“No, I’ll go. Everyone, please think about it some more while drinking tea.”

Leia left the drawing room and headed to Terun’s bedroom.

But before turning onto the hallway leading to the bedroom after climbing the stairs, she saw Terun and Sarah talking.

Terun handed Sarah a bottle of medicine.

Leia moved closer. She would greet them when their conversation was over.

“Grace must never know about this medicine.”

“Don’t worry. Miss doesn’t know.”

“Don’t skip it for even a day.”

“I understand.”

Why were they making such serious faces while giving a single nutritional supplement…? Anyone would mistake them for trading poison.

‘But I shouldn’t know? What does that mean?’

It was just a nutritional supplement, but was there a special reason why she shouldn’t know?

She knew it wasn’t a big deal, but she was overwhelmed by a feeling of being left out—no, even worse.

It was like all her friends knew she had a test tomorrow, but she was the only one who firmly believed in the wrong date.

At the same time, the medicine she had been taking every day looked different.

Leia quietly went down the stairs.

She felt like she shouldn’t appear in front of them now.

‘I’m being too sensitive. There’s no way Terun would give me bad medicine.’

He said it was a nutritional supplement, so it must be.

Leia decided not to unnecessarily inflate her suspicions. It was like stirring up trouble for no reason.

‘I trust Terun.’

Leia was surprised that she had developed a habit of suspecting everything at some point. She didn’t used to be like this.

Terun was no different at dinner either.

He looked at Leia affectionately and took care of her, prioritizing her needs when delicious food came out.

“My lawyer sent me news that he will buy all the freighters owned by McDowell.”

“Did President McDowell say he would sell them willingly?”

“He didn’t realize at all that I was the one trying to buy the freighters.”

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“He didn’t seem to trust people easily, President McDowell, I mean.”

Leia wondered if something had happened to Allen.

The Allen she knew was meticulous and thorough.

Moreover, he was patient, so he would put in years of effort if there was something he wanted.

“He lost almost all of the railroad construction costs, so his composure must have been shattered.”

“Ah…! That must be it.”

Indeed, he couldn’t be in his right mind after losing so much capital.

‘Allen, did you mistakenly think the world was only lenient to you? Don’t you know that a businessman should be suspicious until the day he dies?’

What an arrogant man.

Just because he had been watching the Hamilton Merchant for a long time didn’t mean that a wealth of experience and knowledge would automatically become his own.

There is a very big difference between watching and actually experiencing.

Leia put her thoughts about Allen aside for the moment. Because she still had something to confirm with Terun.

“Terun, about the nutritional supplement I take every day.”

“Hmm?”

“What is it good for?”

“It makes your body healthy… It’s an all-around good medicine.”

“Ah, I see.”

It was strange that Terun avoided her gaze and gave a vague answer.

‘No, it’s nothing, why are you like this?’

Leia was confused. She trusted Terun, but an unsettling feeling kept scratching at one side of her heart.

* * *

‘This damn temper. I have to check to be satisfied.’

Leia couldn’t sleep a wink last night.

So, as soon as it dawned, she asked Terun for his understanding and headed to Chenel’s workshop.

In fact, that wasn’t her destination, so she deliberately left Sarah behind.

“Sister, where are you going?”

“I’m going to the general store. To see Grandpa Rapa.”

“Reawwy [Really]?”

“Chenel, can you keep today a secret? Only you, me, and Grandpa know.”

“I pwomise [Promise].”

Chenel hooked her pinky with Leia.

Finally, the carriage stopped in front of Hamilton General Store No. 1. A recently released cosmetics advertisement was attached to the window.

“Aunt Alicia is pwetty [pretty].”

“The picture came out well, right?”

They don’t sell all the cosmetics yet, but they plan to set up a laboratory soon to mass-produce them.

When Leia and Chenel opened the door and entered, the general store was crowded with customers from the morning.

Rapa and the clerks were busy serving customers, so they didn’t realize Leia and Chenel had arrived until later.

Leia looked around the general store until the customers were done with their business.

However, she froze like a statue in front of the jewelry display case.

‘That’s…?’

Shimmering pearl earrings. It was definitely the same thing she had seen before.

‘It’s exactly the same as what Grace gave me in my dream.’

She wondered how such a thing was possible. The pearl and platinum decorations were exactly the same without an inch of error.

Before she knew it, Leia was paying the clerk and putting the pearl earrings on her ears.

“They look good on you.”

The clerk showed her a mirror, and Leia happily looked at the pearl earrings dangling from her earlobes.

Even she thought they suited her as if they were originally hers.

Every time Leia moved, the pearls reflected light, making them very beautiful.

The crowded general store had become quiet. Only then could Leia greet Rapa.

“I finally have some free time.”

“It’s good that business is doing well anyway.”

“These days, we have a lot more customers looking for cosmetics.”

“Only sell moisturizing cream for now. We haven’t established a mass production system yet.”

As Leia’s words grew longer, Rapa only nodded and opened his mouth.

“What’s going on?”

As expected, his intuition was the best. Well, he would have guessed since she came without Terun.

“I need someone who knows medicine well. There’s something I want to check.”

It would be faster to check with Dr. Wilson or Sarah, but that would be difficult because Terun would find out.

“Medicine? I have some, but most of them deal with opium or strong painkillers… Anyway, I’ll bring him.”

“Don’t tell Terun.”

“You worry about everything. I have that much sense.”

Rapa sent a boy working at the general store on an errand.

Leia’s heart was pounding as she was about to check the medicine.

She had a vague worry about what if this medicine wasn’t a nutritional supplement.