The Price Is Everything To You - Chapter 256
Only Ranovel
perfect ending, perfect beginning
The Duchess of Elandria’s life was perfect until recently.
Brothers who love her, a husband who lets her do what she wants, and beautiful, healthy children. Her family, whom she commanded as her mistress, was the second greatest family in the world, so she never bowed her head to anyone except the royal family.
It collapsed one day. Her mother’s family is accused, her husband kills her brother, and the family falls apart… … It was an instant. It was as if he was now asking me to pay the price for all the happiness I had brought him so far.
And the final wedge of that misfortune was struck in her heart when she visited her son for the first time in a long time.
“mother.”
The last time the Duchess saw Nelysion was last winter. When her family was harmonious and everyone lived together.
After learning that her older brother, Lord Wells, had died at the hands of her husband – there was no confirmation yet, but she had come to believe it strongly as time passed – ever since she left the Imperial Duke’s residence, she had not even tried to see her husband or even her son.
This was because she hated her husband, and her son was very similar to him. I also suspected that my son might be involved in Lord Wells’ death. Anyway, haven’t the Duke of Elandria and his wife always gotten along well?
However, unlike her husband, who was okay with breaking up with her, she could not hate her son coldly. It broke his heart to hear the rumor that his poor son was supporting the collapsed family. She couldn’t help but feel the love she had for her child.
So, this is how I found my son again. Aside from the truth of the scary news that her son had tried to kill her husband, she was curious about the safety of her son, who had lost all trust in the dukedom and aristocratic society.
The small house where Nelysion stayed as the duke’s residence was, as Valentin always used the expression, shabby. In fact, it was a fairly sturdy house built with good materials, but in the eyes of the Duchess, who had been wealthy all her life, it did not seem much better than a lowly servant’s attic.
To my surprise, my son was sitting alone in the living room of that house. And when he saw his mother, he pulled up the corners of his mouth and smiled awkwardly.
“Nell! “My son!”
That smile destroyed all doubts.
Ah, why couldn’t I come and hug you sooner! The Duchess felt her heartache as much as she could, doubting her own qualities as a mother. Nelysion looked pitiful enough to make me forget all my suspicions.
And Nelysion, who easily sensed the change in her mother’s emotions, deliberately pretended to hide her tired face. He pointed to the seat across from him.
“It’s been a while since I saw you, Mother. I’m glad to see you like this. Sorry for not being able to come see you for a while… … .”
“Sorry for what! This mother was wrong, baby. What’s up with that tired face? What is this house like? Come with me to your mother’s house right now. “Even if your mother’s family is a mess, it’s better than here!”
“How can I look at the faces of my maternal grandparents? My father said that to my uncle… … .”
Nelysion lowered her eyes as if unable to continue speaking. You knew it! The Duchess wasn’t even surprised. He was already so sure that he would have denied it if someone else had killed Lord Wells.
“How is it your fault? My son, just tell me you didn’t help. This mother has been afraid that you might have something to do with it… … !”
“No, mother. No way. How good has my uncle been to me since long ago? “I haven’t known you in a while.”
Those words were decisive. As soon as her doubts were lifted, the Duchess, with her love and guilt rushing towards her son, rushed to Nellie Sion and embraced him tightly. And he sobbed and repeated that he was sorry for not believing him.
In that embrace, Nelysion faltered for a moment. The hug with his mother was different than he remembered. He was weak, thin, and overcome by evil somewhere… … ‘That’ Duchess of Elandria.
The most confident and elegant lady in the world.
Nelysion’s hands trembled slightly in place. But after a while he made up his mind and hugged his mother. The corners of her mouth slowly rose.
‘It’s just as I thought.’
Nelysion did not know by whose hand Lord Wells, who had been arrested at Tropur, died. However, the probability that the Duke of Elandria was the culprit was low. Because there was no long-term benefit for him by doing so. If Valentin had not spoken carelessly, she would not have known that her mother had such a misunderstanding.
‘The real culprit is probably the Grand Duke of Mainland or Princess Kaymil.’
However, he was not going to clear up his mother’s misunderstanding. Now that his father had returned alive and was finally hostile to him, he had to eliminate the possibility that his mother would take his father’s side or try to force his father and son to reconcile.
He spoke in as pitiful a voice as possible.
“Mother, it’s so hard. It’s scary. I have no idea how this happened. “My father said something so absurd that I tried to harm him, and I have no place in the palace.”
The Duchess was furious. Yes, good Nelly Sion would never have tried to harm his father! After all, it was all a lie!
I had no idea why my cunning and evil husband had pretended to be dead and then returned to frame my son. Because she didn’t benefit him that way. But the only thing that mattered to her was that she had to protect her child. From her husband, who had already killed her brother-in-law!
“Don’t worry, baby! I wonder if a mother can’t protect even her child. I know not only the slush fund that man hid in his territory, but also the many secrets he hid from the imperial family! Among the lords under you, there are many people who live in your maternal family! “Mother will fight for you!”
“Thank you, mother. I feel reassured to hear my mother say that. Valentin… … It looks like she misunderstood. Because he was an innocent child from an early age. He told me that if I just wait a little longer, he will make me a proud princess, but he didn’t believe me… … .”
“Princess?”
The Duchess was completely unaware of Valentin’s marriage talks between the imperial family and the Elandria family. This was because she was already at her parents’ house when her story was being told.
Her ears perked up and she looked back at Nelysion.
“Can our Valen enter the imperial family yet? There are a lot of rumors that the imperial family has decided to suppress the Elandrian family. Oh, by the way, Valen is the only lady from a great noble family now. Is that it?”
“Yes, mother.”
Nelysion burst out laughing. The Duchess was so happy that she didn’t know what to do.
“I knew this day would come one day! How pretty and cute is Valen? As noble as she is, there is no other girl so lovely! my angel! So, when can I become the Crown Prince’s mother-in-law?”
“It is not very easy, Mother. As you know, our family has many weaknesses against the imperial family, so we need to show a little sincerity.”
“sex? … … But I don’t have enough money to make a great dowry… … .”
The Duchess had a dark look on her face as she thought about the Wells family’s mansion, which was almost empty as all the servants had been sent out. Nelysion whispered slowly.
“You don’t need a big dowry. What His Majesty the Crown Prince needs now is balls. Now that the front line is being pushed back, you need results to present in front of the nobles. I just happened to have some good information that will catch the enemy off guard, but I’m just a little short of money to carry out the operation. “I know your mother doesn’t have a lot of money, but if you could give me a little bit, I think I could get the job done quickly.”
The duchess was captivated by her hatred for her husband and the sweetness of the word crown princess, but when it came time to count the money she had, she came to her senses for a moment. The Wells family was shaken by the Tropur Incident, and out of concern for her crown prince, she gave away all of her remaining money. She had lost a lot of business to other merchants in the meantime, so now only weak roots remained.
But when I saw my son’s handsome face, my heart weakened. After thinking very briefly, she nodded her head and her eyes filled with determination.
“Okay, I’ll give everything left to my mother. Do whatever you want. “Anyway, if Valen becomes crown prince, won’t you repay us in full?”
Nelysion laughed happily. Joy welled up inside her.
His words about making Valentin his princess were not lies. Now he didn’t care who Valentin married or what he became. It was none of my business whether the Elandria family remained in name or not. Abellus doesn’t know much about the old secret, and the emperor who knows the secret has collapsed, so Nelysion’s life will not be in danger.
He just really wanted to make this a success. I felt like I was dying to find that tantalizing secret passage and wreak havoc on Mainland.
He knew it too. He realizes that the Wells family has no more money than the Elandria family. Perhaps her mother will have to sell everything from her personal possessions, from the small cottage she had to the trivial jewelry she received as a baby. Whether Nelly Sion succeeds or not, the rest of her mother’s life will be miserable. Will Valentin be able to keep paying her tuition?
But what can you do?
A family that got along well ended completely.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Make sure all villages learn how to use straw boxes before fall comes. The central government will provide as much support as possible, but there will definitely be villages that do not have enough firewood. “Listen more thoroughly to the voices of the people than ever before so that the lack of labor does not lead to a disaster.”
“yes.”
Rex Bronson, who was again treated as the head of the management after Neris became Grand Duchess, answered resolutely. The other officials in the conference room also had the same determined look in their eyes.
Because of the war, soldiers left and the elderly and infirm worked in the fields, so neither farming nor ranching could be the same as in peacetime. Because of this, officials came up with brain-crunching ideas and education on how to solve the tasks that the people had originally done to make a living with less resources and effort.
The straw box was something Neris found in an old record. The simple principle was to put food in a cast iron pan, boil it normally at first, remove it from the heat, place it in a box full of straw, cover it, and the remaining heat would cook the food completely overnight.
Cooking foods frequently eaten by commoners, such as stew or flour porridge, in this way had the advantage of saving a lot of firewood and allowing one to do other things while the food was being prepared.
In addition to the straw box, White Swan Castle devised and experimented with lifestyles that could be of some help to the people’s lives, and created and distributed educational materials. However, since the war was going on at a time when farming was busy, it was inevitable that there would be people whose lives were harder than before.
Although they were carrying a heavy burden on their shoulders, none of the officials at White Swan Castle showed any signs of distress. The news of victory heard from the front lines every day was enough to maintain everyone’s morale, and the presence of the Grand Duchess who took the initiative and worked hard to ensure that no one of her people suffered an unnecessary death became a role model.
“Then let’s go out now.”
After giving instructions, the officials quickly left the conference room when Neris gave a congratulatory call. Neris also got up to go to her next task.
“… … ah.”
My vision wavered.
When Neris stumbled, Dora was startled and helped her.
“Are you okay, ma’am? Are you feeling unwell? “I’ll call a doctor right away!”
“no… … are you okay. “No need to make a fuss.”
It was the traditional duty of a lord’s wife to stand firm and protect the castle in place of her husband who left for war. Neris wanted to do the job well. She didn’t want to scare the people of the castle and demoralize her.
Dora didn’t know what to do. Neris smiled when she saw that pitiful expression.
“It’s really okay. “You look a little tired.”
“You must be very tired. “Didn’t you take a nap earlier?”
“Yeah, I’ve been falling asleep a lot lately. It’s hard to even smell food, it’s because I’m so sensitive… … .”
Neris stopped speaking. After a while, he silenced Dorado as well.
Neris calculated in her head. Come to think of it, did she menstruate last month? Normally, when there are a lot of things to worry about, the cycle tends to change easily, so I guess I overlooked it… … But.
Before Neris could say anything, Dora raised her hand.
“I’ll get a doctor. Secretly. right now.”
I felt like my heart was going to explode. Normally, Neris would have said, “Let’s finish our work.” But she nodded without saying a word.