Chapter 104

Where Tara keeps her cool and The Countess loses it.

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Episode 104. About a Year (31)

I wanted to laugh, but held it in. A young nobleman, who introduced himself as a member of House Philippe, stepped forward.

"That's enough, Uncle. Let's hear what she heard in the Palace, if there is anything that can be useful or whether it was all for nothing."

Another dismissive voice said.

I turned my head toward the Countess and slowly opened my mouth.

"Before I say anything, although I wasn't inclined to offer you this opportunity again, I'll give you one last chance, Countess. Do you truly have no intention of apologizing to my mother and I?"

The hall filled with noise again as the eyes in the room alternated between my mother and me.

"That…That...Bitch. Uncle, look at her, that little bitch. How can she act so dignified while disrespecting me, the Mistress of House Elias? Jason, my precious eldest son, must also be suffering because of her. Oh....sob...sob."!

As I watched the Countess ostensibly wiping away invisible tears with her pink handkerchief, I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

"Well, they say opportunity comes to those who ask for it. All right, Head Butler. Would you please come and take a look at this for me?"

"Yes. My Lady."

The Head Butler, Dixon, quickly approached from amidst the crowd at my sudden call. But I didn't stop there.

"Since I’m sure everyone is apprehensive, I'd like you to check this alongside Sir Dylan, the branch leaders, and the elders and representatives of House Philippe. Beth?"

When she heard her name, Beth, who had been standing off to the side, slightly bowed her head like the world’s most deferential maid,and stood holding up the deed with both hands.

"This.... is....!"

The reactions of those who saw the document were roughly similar.

"No. How can this be!"

That reaction was from one of the Elders of House Philippe.

"I'm positive it's the Head's handwriting, but why would he leave such a big decision to his daughter who just returned?"

That was from one of the branch leaders.

"My Lady, did you receive any special instructions from your father? Did he really give you full authority?"

That came from Dylan and Dixon.

"This... This is a complete fabrication! A fake! It's ridiculous! How could he leave full authority on a big case like this to the likes of her? I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

After listening to all of it, I turned to the lawyer standing quietly behind me and asked.

"You had a meeting with the Count last night, did you not?"

The lawyer was a thin man with dark swept back hair, and wore a suit with a black bow tie.

"The Lord himself confirmed this to me. He wrote this deed for his Fifth child, Tara, stipulating that she has full control over this incident, as specified in the document."

His face was stiff with nervousness, but his voice was clear, his pronunciation precise and his words oozing with confidence.

The hall was in turmoil once more. But it was too early for the true surprise.

"Therefore....."

When the lawyer continued, as if to indicate he had not yet finished speaking, all eyes turned back to him.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed loudly.

"It also grants her the right to deal with those responsible."

"Oh, that's ridiculous."

"How could he make such a decision..."

"Oh my god..."

The crowd stared at me in disbelief as they began to discuss the situation.

Their expressions were all serious, as if they had just encountered a very difficult challenge. I decided to give them some time to process.

On the face of it, it was absurd, an eighteen-year-old noble daughter had suddenly been given the power to decide the entire family's fate.

If I were them, it would have taken me time to come to terms with the situation. Hadn’t Tara been rumored to be insane in the past?

I waited for the hall to quiet down.

Meanwhile, there were two pairs of eyes watching the hall, one planted by Andrei, the other by the Second Prince.

Not wanting to miss any of it, they moved around the hall carrying trays full of refreshments.

At one point, they ran into each other at the corner of the hall.

".......!"

"......!"

‘He's part of the Second Prince's staff, I should report this.'

‘He's from the Black Society. I must report this.'

These kinds of encounters often happened when working undercover for a long time. You couldn’t be called an expert operative if you acted surprised every time it happened.

Now, they had an unspoken agreement. Pretend not to recognize each other and stay out of each other's business unless it was harmful to their interests.

After the two recognized each other as undercover agents, they turned around and went their separate ways again, as if nothing had happened.

The noise faded away, and a clear, deep voice rang through the hall. It was Logan.

"Does this mean House Elias will be cleared of the charges?"

An obvious question.

Logan's eyes bored into mine.

"Yes. It is expected that both of them will be released soon."

"Expected... So it’s not a certainty."

This line of questioning spread from Logan to House Philippe to the rest of the crowd. It was as if they meant to ask, ‘Why should we listen to you if you're not sure?’

"I'm not asking you to listen to me. I'm telling you to listen to the decision my father made by entrusting me with his authority."

The first elder to speak up raised his voice, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

"If that's what he's decided, then I'll abide by it. However, if this causes further disrepute to the Family, you will not be able to escape that responsibility, do you understand?"

Understandable, except for the yelling...

I supressed the urge to scowl and replied, trying to appear as calm as ever.

“Shirking responsibility is not my specialty, so I want to make it clear that I'm responsible for handling this incident. I want you, Dylan, to find out which of Jason Elias's assets can be turned into cash, and, if you can, immediately proceed with liquidating them."

***

Meanwhile, Victoria was trying to ignore her racing heartbeat.

"How dare you liquidate his assets! Whose money do you think you are messing with?"

Victoria scrambled to her feet and stalked over to Tara, pointing her finger at her.

"You... You crazy bitch!"

"Stop! Can't you see that I'm acting on behalf of the Count? I expect you'll treat me appropriately! If not, I will issue a confinement order."

Victoria’s gaze naturally turned toward House Philippe, but they all averted their gazes.

Her heart sank, but she knew that there was no way out of this when there was a legally certified deed involved.

Fortunately, her cousin sensed her gaze and spoke.

"Is it truly okay to liquidate Jason's assets without his consent?"

"You'd better hope that Jason has enough equity to convert to cash."

"What do you mean by this?"

"Even if the family is cleared of charges, it will be obvious we failed to properly manage the special product we obtained the rights for. So, we need to make amends by any means necessary. We should pray that there's enough to liquidate."

Victoria couldn’t stand listening to her anymore, it was grating to see that bitch so in her element.She couldn't bear it any longer and screamed.

“W… WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING WITH MY SON’S MONEY!!?”

A stunned silence fell over the hall as Victoria screamed. Tara just stared at her.

Then, unfazed, as if she'd been expecting it, Tara continued to speak slowly and clearly.

"In addition to that, Jason will be held sole responsible for this case. In order to show that he is taking an active role in resolving it, he will leave for the eastern country of Gaion under his own initiative."

"You... You crazy bitch...!"

‘Wow... Oh my God.'

‘I heard that most people who go to Gaion have to spend at least three years there.'

‘But why there?'

The crowd whispered among themselves, but no one came forward.

Victoria looked around the hall, wondering why everyone was quietly staring at her.

Regardless, Tara continued to speak.

"And for that reason, Jason will need to ask the Treasury Department to suspend his contract for three years. And, of course, he will do so himself!"

"Stop! Do you really think Jason will let this slide? If you're right and the charges are dropped, Jason will be released, and he won't let you get away with this. My son isn't a marionette who will do your bidding. These are all lies anyway. That deed, the lawyer, everything! You're making it all up to deceive us!"

Her whole body was shaking with rage. Victoria couldn't believe this was happening, but no one came forth to support her accusations. She began to tremble in fear.

Chloe walked over to her mother to comfort her. But she was shaking so much that Chloe wasn't sure whether Victoria realized her daughter was even there.

When Chloe lifted her gaze to look at Tara, she realised her sister was looking back at her. Or, more accurately, she was looking at Victoria, her expression completely emotionless.

‘She’s really changed....'

"My brother doesn't have a choice. If he doesn't leave for Gaion, he'll have to completely withdraw from his position in the Elias Merchant Group and go to the sheep ranch as he was supposed to, and spend the next ten years managing it. Or he will have to leave the family all together. It's up to him. Also, he will not be returning to the mansion, he will be leaving directly from the Imperial Palace once the investigation is over."

"Do you know when they will be released?"

"I don't know that much as I wasn't entrusted with this information. I do know that Jason will be released one day after Father.”

***

My choice to ask for Jason's release one day later, even at the cost of a personal favor, had two advantages.

First, it would show those in the family who doubted me, including House Philippe, that I had the wherewithal to make a deal with the Second Prince.

It was an attempt to establish my own authority.

Second, it would allow me to pre-emptively cut off any retaliation.

Even a mouse would bite a cat when cornered.

If he found out about this, he would try to attack me somehow.

Even with my training and Bernard or another bodyguard it wouldn't be easy to stop an attacker if I was blindsided.

I didn't want to die before I had a chance to save this damned family.

If Jason was dragged straight from the Palace, he would be burning with the desire for revenge in the middle of the ocean.

"Also, this must be done quickly. Please have the business wing make the arrangements for the expedition to Gaion. Of course, my brother may choose the sheep ranch. Whichever choice he makes, he will join the expedition to Gaion or leave for the sheep ranch from the Palace gates. Therefore, Jason's personnel must prepare his luggage immediately."

Among the maids standing at the back of the hall, Jason's former maids bowed in agreement, “Yes, my Lady.”

I slowly turned my gaze towards the Mistress of the House, who was still shaking with anger.

"And as for you, Countess!"

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