Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 90

Revenge Has Interest 90

90. Ill-Fated Relationship

October 29, 2023

While the two were heatedly discussing Emilie, Pauline went to find Allen.

Allen greeted her warmly as she appeared.

“Sir, the young lady asked me to give you the bill.”

Pauline held out the dressmaking bill to Allen.

“She said that the dress involved a lot of labor and used the best materials, so please understand that the bill is a bit high.”

“Viscount Vizac is very meticulous. She even added an explanation to a single bill.”

“The young lady put a lot of care into Miss Rivet’s dress. She said she hoped Miss Rivet would be chosen…”

“Is that so?”

Allen smiled contentedly at Pauline’s words.

‘Grace doesn’t seem to know about the riding habit. Well, Anna, the employee, gave a different statement, so she wouldn’t know,’ he thought.

If she had known that he was behind the damage to the riding habit, Grace would have stopped making the dress halfway through.

“Sir, the young lady has another message for you.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“She said that she did her best to make the dress according to Miss Rivet’s request.”

“I know. That’s why I’m grateful.”

Allen gave Pauline the payment and handed over a prepared item.

“Please give this to Viscount Vizac. It’s a small token of my appreciation.”

“I understand. Then we’ll be on our way since we’ve finished our work. I hope Miss Rivet has good luck.”

Pauline bowed politely and left the office.

“My goodness!”

The amount she received for the dress made by Chenel far exceeded the value of a thoroughbred stallion from Turkey.

‘Mr. McDowell must have a lot of money. He’s handing out such large sums so easily,’ Pauline mused, newly impressed by Allen’s wealth.

“By now, Marie must have finished talking with Miss Rivet, right?”

Pauline smiled contentedly and headed to the dressing room. Once she and Marie left the mansion, a storm would break out.

Allen admired the lace dress hanging in the dressing room. It was worth the huge sum he had paid.

‘I’ve won,’ he thought.

As soon as Allen saw the dress, he was sure that Rivet would be chosen as the Crown Princess.

He closed his eyes for a moment and imagined Grace in that white wedding dress, smiling brightly as she approached him.

His life would be perfect if he only had her. To do that, Terrence had to disappear.

‘Should I kill him?’

Someday, an opportunity will come. No matter how great Terrence Courtois is, he only has one life. He’ll have no choice but to die if he’s attacked defenselessly.

‘I’ll repay you more cruelly than you terrorized me,’ Allen thought, clenching his fist. At that moment, the door burst open, and Allen turned around in surprise.

“Rivet?”

His sister was standing there with a very angry face.

“Brother, get that woman, Emilie Lant, out of the house right now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you know what I heard earlier?”

Rivet told him that Emilie had ruined someone else’s family. She also told him that one of the women who brought the dress was the Countess Armand.

“You don’t have to get married. What’s the big deal?”

Allen believed Emilie’s words.

A man crazy about a woman can do anything. Count Armand must have been one of those types.

“Brother, that’s not all. The problem is that Emilie has been sending letters to Duke Terrence Courtois for years. She said she would be happy to be by his side, even as his mistress.”

“What?”

“Don’t you have any pride? You’re just a second choice for the Courtois, since he wouldn’t even look at her.”

“Ha! She’s very sly, isn’t she?”

‘She told me she only gave letters to me… Was I also fooled by such a cunning woman?’ Allen wondered.

Allen left the room.

* * *

Leah was greatly surprised to see Adele, who had been completely transformed by Sonia.

‘As expected, there was a gem hidden away,’ Leah thought.

“I knew Sonia would do it. You’re amazing.”

Adele Wellington, who had previously worn thick glasses and had a rustic impression, was now almost unrecognizable, a true Carmen [referencing the opera character known for her beauty and allure].

Of course, she was quite different from the Carmen in the novel. More luxurious, perhaps. In particular, her black hair contrasted with her white skin, highlighting her features. But…

‘Something’s slightly missing,’ Leah thought.

Leah scrutinized Adele from head to toe.

She was much better than before, but she needed something more to catch people’s eyes.

“It feels like an unfinished work.”

Sonia seemed to feel the same way as Leah and was very disappointed.

A red top and a full black skirt. She was sure that no one among the ladies participating in the selection would be wearing such clothes.

Yet, the feeling that something was missing did not disappear.

‘Makeup, hair, dress, everything is perfect. But there has to be one more thing,’ Leah mused.

Leah looked at Adele again and again.

She had to find out what was missing in her appearance. Then her gaze stopped at Adele’s hands.

“It’s the hands.”

Sonia tilted her head at Leah’s words. After all, the hands wouldn’t be very visible. But Leah thought differently from Sonia.

“A woman’s beautiful hands captivate people’s attention. A single fingernail can make a woman look sensual.”

“Yes?”

“Try attaching small jewels to Adele’s nails. If you use wax to attach red and transparent diamonds, it will look completely different.”

In the end, the one thing Adele lacked was light.

Leah found someone among the maids who was good at nail care and entrusted Adele’s nails to her.

She brought various jewels that had been embedded in Rivet’s dress and instructed her to decorate her nails elaborately.

Two hours later, the nails were finished, and Leah and Sonia were once again impressed.

“Just attaching jewels to her nails has changed the overall atmosphere.”

“The Crown Princess must be beautiful to her fingertips. People expect the women of the imperial family to be different from ordinary people.”

Sonia saw Adele differently. Every time she moved her hands, they shone and even looked sensual.

“It’s so pretty. I have a galaxy on my nails.”

Adele was very happy with her nails.

‘Now it’s worth a try,’ Leah thought.

It depended on who answered Empress Theresa’s questions better.

* * *

Leah enjoyed tea with Terrence and Count Arthur Wellington. Arthur seemed quite pleased with Adele’s transformation.

“I’m worried that Adele will make a mistake. She lives buried in books, so she sometimes says strange things.”

Arthur didn’t seem to expect Adele to be chosen as the Crown Princess.

“It might be better than the predictable, cookie-cutter answers that everyone expects.”

Arthur blushed at Leah’s words.

“Trust Grace’s judgment, Arthur.”

Terrence also encouraged Arthur.

“How should I repay you two?”

“Repay? Between friends…”

While Terrence dismissed it as nonsense, Leah said to Arthur.

“If Adele is chosen as the Crown Princess, please repay us, Count.”

“Yes?”

Not only Arthur but also Terrence looked surprised. Arthur was neither a wealthy nobleman nor someone with significant financial means, so they wondered how he would repay them.

“If Adele becomes the Crown Princess, the Wellington family will gain wealth and power. If there comes a day when Terrence and I ask for your help in the future, please don’t turn a blind eye.”

“Ah… That’s what you meant. Of course. But I’m not very interested in wealth and power.”

Leah was puzzled by Arthur’s reaction. It was a position everyone wanted, but he wasn’t attached to wealth and power.

“Arthur, you’ve studied political sociology enough. Isn’t theory different from reality?”

“I’ve been constantly worrying about the limitations of theory. I’m thinking of applying for the National Police Agency recruitment exam.”

Terrence didn’t know that Arthur, who was only focused on his studies, was interested in the National Police Agency.

He was a friend who didn’t reveal his inner thoughts.

“I’m going to take the exam even if Rivet becomes the Crown Princess.”

“You’re amazing, Count Wellington.”

Leah replied on behalf of Terrence. As Terrence said, the two siblings were definitely not greedy people.

Still, you have to be financially stable to do anything.

“I hope you become the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency.”

“Thank you for your kind words, young lady.”

“Arthur will be a clean public official.”

Terrence was sure of that.

At his words, Arthur’s eyes flashed.

“In fact, the National Police Agency in Brasel has too much corruption. The officers take money from drug addicts and gangsters and even turn a blind eye to smuggling. The National Police Agency, which protects the capital, has become a group that commits crimes. I want to reform it. That way, people can live safely.”

Arthur told Terrence his thoughts.

“That’s a great idea. But His Majesty doesn’t seem to suspect Commissioner General Tuazo at all.”

“Commissioner General Tuazo is a person His Majesty personally selected, so his trust is deep.”

Leah felt suffocated. Commissioner General Tuazo had more than one or two instances of corruption.

It would be nice if she could dismiss him. Furthermore, it would be even better if his crimes were exposed and he rotted in prison forever. That was the revenge Leah wanted.

Leah had a firm reason why Adele had to be chosen.

Allen would know all of Tuazo’s corruption. But since they were in cahoots, it wouldn’t be easy to get information.

“In the past, Allen McDowell was terrorized by gangsters.”

Arthur brought up a very interesting story to Terrence.

It was something Terrence had ordered. Of course, Terrence was not at all shaken by Arthur’s words.

“Mr. McDowell asked Commissioner General Tuazo to find the culprit, and he seems to have found him.”

‘He found him. So he retaliated?’ Leah wondered.

“Who was it?”

“He caught a gypsy and interrogated him, and he confessed who ordered the terror.”

“Who did he say it was?”

Terrence asked Arthur in a relaxed tone.

“I don’t know that much. I heard it from an acquaintance. But I heard rumors that Mr. McDowell would take revenge in some way.”