Chapter 11

Demian had a reason for coveting Briseyes’ property.

Demian’s family, the Grand Duke Mays household, was deeply in debt. He had married Briseyes on the condition that the Marquis Philia family would forgive those debts, and also because the Marquis Philia family had provided a massive dowry to demonstrate how much they cherished Briseyes.

However, until Demian went to the battlefield, the debts had only continued to grow. Apart from what the Marquis Philia family had forgiven, Demian’s business acumen was terrible, causing him to fail in business after business.

Briseyes had turned those businesses profitable using ventures she had seen in the original work.

All of this was accomplished by investing and nurturing her personal assets.

Despite this, Briseyes had also handled the Grand Duke’s official duties in place of her husband who had gone to war. Even while reducing her social activities as the Grand Duchess, she actively participated in the family’s business activities and increased their wealth.

In reality, the fact that the Mays Grand Duke family was now debt-free wasn’t due to the Grand Duke’s military achievements, but rather due to Briseyes’ business acumen and her growing her seed money to pay off the debts.

That was why he was doing this.

The rewards for war contributions, though acknowledged, took some time as they passed through the Emperor’s hands before being redistributed.

Moreover, the current greedy Emperor was the type who would offer plenty of praise for contributions but would be stingy with actual rewards, using loyalty as an excuse.

“Since you used your money in place of me at the Mays Grand Duke household, you should pay it back.”

“You’re the one who should pay it back, Demian. Don’t you know that I paid off all the Grand Duke family’s debts?”

Briseyes hated having to mention this matter. She had paid off their debts twice out of love.

Initially, the Philia Marquis family had intended to pay off only half of the enormous debt incurred by the Mays Grand Duke’s failed policies.

‘Trust me, Father. I will lead the Grand Duke’s household so you won’t be disappointed.’

Briseyes had persuaded her father to pay off all of the Mays Grand Duke family’s debts. Yet he had accumulated more debt even after having his debts cleared at their engagement, and Briseyes had paid all of it off while he was away at war.

“I don’t know about that. All I know is that you used the Grand Duke family’s assets as you pleased. So, return it all.”

“Then the debts should be returned too. Is that what you want?”

“When your husband speaks, don’t talk back and answer submissively. That’s a wife’s virtue.”

Briseyes had never felt Demian’s large body as threatening as she did today.

“Are you really the Demian I know?”

She found it strange that his golden eyes seemed unusually cloudy today. As if he were dreaming.

“Who else would I be?”

“You feel like someone else now. Not the Demian I knew.”

“Your lover must have seduced you in that way.”

Briseyes found his words amusing. After all, it was Demian who had actually taken lovers.

“I don’t care how many lovers you have, but a woman who isn’t a virgin will show signs in bed. Then you’ll know what compensation I’ll demand from the Philia Marquis family.”

“I’ve already told you it’s not true, yet you keep saying the same thing. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Move aside.”

Briseyes walked past him and down the corridor, as Demian had seemed to lose his will to fight from the moment Callisten was mentioned.

As she walked away without looking back, Demian spoke.

“Don’t forget your place. Even if you graduate from the Academy, a woman ultimately can do nothing.”

Briseyes ignored his words and headed toward the Academy.

⁕⁕⁕

“Bri! Sit here!”

Briseyes almost closed the door as soon as she opened it. The first thing she saw was Callisten calling out loudly, gesturing for her to sit beside him.

“Who told you to wear your uniform like that? Can’t you wear it properly?”

Callisten had unbuttoned two more buttons than necessary at the top, revealing the upper part of his chest.

“Why? Can you see inside when I do this?”

“Yes.”

“Then look carefully. I unbuttoned it to show you.”

“You’re crazy.”

Briseyes unconsciously hardened her expression and tried to sit elsewhere. However, Callisten was sitting in the front row seat that she usually claimed as her own.

Though not all seats were taken yet as other students hadn’t arrived…

“Bri, good morning.”

“Ah, you too, Kaz.”

“What? You two know each other?”

When Casius greeted her, Callisten looked at him with a strange expression.

“She’s my friend’s sister.”

“Ah, right? That’s true.”

Callisten softened his expression as he remembered that Casius was also Gael’s friend.

“How did you two meet?”

“We met at the cemetery yesterday. And will you sit properly?”

Briseyes frowned as she watched Callisten sitting crookedly, as if ready to stand up at any moment.

“I’ll behave. Just sit here.”

Callisten patted the seat next to him, indicating she should sit there.

She tried to look for another place to sit, then sighed.

Briseyes deliberately moved to sit by the window in the back. Callisten followed her. Briseyes moved to a middle seat to avoid him. Again, Callisten followed.

“I’m not going to sit with you.”

“Why? Sitting with me would be very helpful. I’ve already learned everything they teach at the Academy anyway.”

“Did you take the entrance exam?”

“I got perfect scores on all of them. They were easy. The tests covered things I learned before I was ten.”

When Callisten answered with a bright smile, Briseyes sighed again. While some people studied desperately, others casually claimed subjects were easy because they’d already learned them.

“Kaz, may I sit next to you?”

“Yes.”

“Casius, move.”

“Ah, yes, Your Highness.”

The middle seat where Casius had been sitting was now empty.

Briseyes silently glared at Callisten.

“Let’s sit in the front together. Or if you prefer the middle, we can sit there.”

She shook her head, thinking that Callisten would follow her wherever she sat.

“Don’t say a single word until I say you can.”

Callisten nodded in agreement to Briseyes’ demand. Then he pretended to zip his mouth shut and smiled.

She sighed even more deeply as she put her bag down at the central front seat where she had first sat. Then she unpacked her things and opened her notebook to study what she hadn’t been able to at home.

—Screech.

She tried to ignore the tearing sound coming from beside her and kept her eyes fixed on her notebook.

Briseyes, with her excellent concentration, quickly focused on what she was reading since he wasn’t speaking to her.

The problem was when a piece of paper slid toward her.

Briseyes was ready to get truly angry if Callisten was going to say nonsense about being sick again.

However, what was written wasn’t that at all.

「 Can I look with you? I missed class since I came in the middle. 」

At his words, Briseyes nodded and moved her notebook to the center. Callisten came closer to her side, sat properly, and looked at the notebook. Briseyes was also slowly reviewing her notes.

While she was looking at the notebook, Callisten’s eyes slid from the notebook to Briseyes.

He absently stared at her slightly disheveled red hair that curled only at the ends, perhaps because she had left in a hurry. Then he gazed admiringly at her pink lips and sky-blue eyes that were as beautiful as the cross-section of a glacier.

Callisten gently let his shoulder touch hers while pretending to focus on the notebook. Briseyes pulled her arm away at his pathetic behavior.

However, he didn’t press further, thinking that if he received another warning, she might never sit with him again. He pretended nothing happened and continued looking at the notebook.

Briseyes, thinking she had been oversensitive to his actions, turned her body back to its original position, and soon their arms began to touch slightly again.

“Could you show me your notes as well?”

Casius interjected.

“Ah, yes. I’m currently looking at the Punishment course. Would you like to see the Administration course first?”

“That would be appreciated.”

Callisten glared at Casius, who had broken the mood just as their shoulders were brushing. However, Casius spoke with an innocent expression.

“I heard you two have been close since childhood.”

“That’s right.”

“Come to think of it, did you two meet on the battlefield?”

“Yeah.”

As Callisten answered, he tucked a strand of hair behind Briseyes’ ear.

“You used to tie it up all the time.”

She couldn’t help but respond when he mentioned it.

“Isn’t it better down?”

“You’re pretty no matter what you do. Pretty with it down, pretty with it up.”

Briseyes didn’t attach much significance to his words. After all, he was a madman who lost interest once he got what he wanted.

It had always been that way. He would work insanely hard to get what he wanted.

And after getting it, he would discard it without looking back.

Perhaps that’s why she found it merely amusing that he was habitually complimenting her to win her heart.

It didn’t feel sincere at all.

“By the way, Bri. I heard you fell down the stairs.”

“They say someone pushed her.”

Saturn, who had just arrived, tactlessly interrupted.

“What? Who?”

At Saturn’s tactless comment, a glint of madness flickered in Callisten’s eyes.