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Felix finished his explanation calmly.
Ayla felt even more sorry for him, seeing him trying so hard to act like it was nothing.
She had also heard rumors that the Duchess had fallen ill and eventually passed away after her son went missing.
But at the time, she was young herself, and she didn’t have any special connection to the Argenta Noble house, so it didn’t really resonate with her.
However, now that it was Felix’s story, her heart ached.
‘I finally found his parents, but his mother is already gone… What if I had remembered the original story a little earlier?’
Just as she was able to return him to his family sooner than in the original story, perhaps she could have saved the Duchess.
Just knowing that Felix was safe might have given her a reason to live again.
Ayla’s face darkened with regret. Seeing her like that, Felix smiled gently and said.
“But everything has worked out well now. I might have lived my whole life without ever knowing who my real family was, but at least I found them like this.”
“……”
“It’s okay. I’m happy now. It’s all thanks to Ayla.”
Ayla pursed her lips and nodded silently.
She couldn’t bear to show tears in front of Felix, who was saying ‘I’m okay’ and ‘I’m happy’.
Come to think of it, Felix had always been a strong and upright person like this.
She wondered how he could be so calm, having been ignored by everyone his whole life.
Perhaps he had been hurt countless times, but he had endured, pretending to be okay to avoid collapsing.
Thinking that, she felt even more affectionate towards him. She wanted to embrace his fragile inner self and comfort him.
She didn’t want to leave him alone anymore.
And that feeling wasn’t out of clumsy pity or responsibility, but from a genuine affection for him.
At that moment, Ayla made a decision about the problem she had been hesitating about for so long.
As the Duke said, life is short, and time cannot be turned back. So, she wanted to be honest about her feelings now, so she wouldn’t regret it later.
“You seem so amazing. Even though I have the status of a Princess Consort, I was always just busy shrinking away from people’s gazes……”
Felix’s eyes flickered slightly at her sincere words.
“Unlike me, Felix, you’re always confident. Maybe I’ve been getting courage from watching you since then.”
“Ayla……”
“You didn’t give in, even when you were despised by those around you, and you silently walked the path you thought was right. I always thought that was amazing.”
“……”
“It was the same when I was going through a hard time. Even when others pointed fingers at me, you were always there to help me.”
It was the first time. It was the first time she had received such unconditional love from someone.
She realized through Felix that there was someone who needed ‘Ayla’ as a person, not just Ayla Blanche.
Now it was her turn to give him the answer she had been hesitating about for so long.
Ayla carefully parted her lips.
“So, I… I like you too.”
Felix’s eyes widened, and his light green eyes sparkled more beautifully than ever before.
He couldn’t hide the smile spreading across his face as he slowly reached out his hand. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he embraced Ayla.
In his arms, Ayla quietly caught her breath. She finally felt like she was in her place.
“You may come in now.”
A maid with a blank face appeared before Count Arman, who was anxiously stroking his mustache.
She was the closest of Empress Eliza’s many close maids.
As the Count flinched and stood up, the maid silently moved to guide him to the drawing room.
“You can go inside and wait.”
It was a short and cold response, but Count Arman entered the drawing room without complaint and carefully sat on the sofa.
Just sitting still made him break out in a cold sweat, and he desperately wanted to light a cigar.
However, he tried to suppress his nervousness as he thought about the situation he would soon face.
After a while, the door opened and the Empress entered the drawing room.
The Count raised his head, and as the Empress’s gaze immediately fixed on him, he instinctively swallowed hard.
The Empress was known to be benevolent, but Count Arman knew better than anyone that a sharp nature lurked beneath the surface.
The Count, unable to hide his nervousness, carefully placed the gold ingot box he had prepared on the table.
‘I almost messed up big time. I’m so glad I was able to sell the land safely within the repayment period.’
Recently, he had expanded several branches of Sharon Atelier with investment from the Marquess of Rothaeng Noble house, the Empress’s family.
However, unexpectedly, Flor Cosmetics rose rapidly, and he was caught up in unexpected competition. Some branches, where it became difficult to recover the investment, eventually closed.
As the investment repayment date approached, the Count hastily sold land in the Falun region and barely managed to raise the funds.
“You’ve managed to come see my face, Count.”
“Y-Your Majesty, Empress.”
“I’ve heard the rumors. Sharon Atelier’s financial situation has gotten quite bad. But how did you raise the money?”
The Empress’s suspicious gaze reached the box on the table. With just that small gesture, it felt as if her entire inner thoughts had been completely seen through.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, Empress. I never expected a competitor to appear so suddenly……”
The Count tried to continue his explanation, wetting his lips with his tongue, but the Empress cut him off firmly.
“Unlike what you said last time, it seems that it is difficult to even preserve the principal, let alone make a profit. What are you going to do with the remaining funds invested by the Marquess Family?”
The Count suppressed his fear and met the Empress’s gaze directly. It would not be good to get on her bad side right now.
“Please don’t worry too much. As you said, some branches have closed, but the remaining stores will soon be able to generate profits. I will definitely make it happen.”
“Really? How? Do you have any specific plans?”
“I-It’s a trade secret, so I can’t tell you the specifics, but if we make the competitor unable to recover… I think that might solve it.”
“Hmm.”
The Empress tapped the armrest with her finger without saying a word.
A rather long silence passed, and the Count silently sweated.
Finally, the Empress opened her mouth, cutting through the heavy air.
“But you know, Count. You said you have a plan to make a profit soon, so why did you sell the land in the Falun region?”
At the unexpected question, the Count blinked and stammered. He never thought the Empress would know that he had hastily sold the land.
“T-That’s…… That is……”
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Tell me. Has the situation gotten that bad?”
The Count rolled his lips inward, took out a handkerchief, and wiped away the sweat. Then, in a slightly calmer voice, he opened his mouth.
“There were some problems with raising funds. There is no major disruption to the business operation itself. We have already cleared out branches with large deficits.”
If the Marquess of Rothaeng Noble house were to recover its investment funds at this moment, it would be nothing short of bankruptcy.
The Count did his best to emphasize the possibility and stability of the business in order to prevent the crisis.
“So please don’t worry too much. We will soon be able to get the business back on track. We are also preparing a new product, which will allow us to leave a high margin at a lower cost.”
After saying that, Count Arman lowered his head without properly meeting the Empress’s eyes and added.
“Please wait until the new product is released.”
The air in the room became colder and heavier.
After a long silence, the Empress spoke again.
“I’ll see how it goes. But don’t forget that if you fail to meet expectations this time, you will be held accountable accordingly.”
As soon as the Empress finished speaking, the Count breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I have to bring down the creator of Flor Cosmetics somehow. If this continues, it’s really over.’
If he couldn’t overcome the current situation, not only his trust with the Empress but also his life could be in danger.
‘If that happens, I’ll lose everything.’
The assets of the Marquess of Rothaeng Noble house were funds to support Darian’s accession to the throne in the future. That was why the Empress invested in him.
If he were to lose even a little of those funds, she would never leave him alone.
‘She’s the kind of person who wouldn’t hesitate to do anything for Prince Darian.’
His fist trembled helplessly with fear.
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