Chapter 44

Among the houses once known as the Five Great Noble Families, the only ones still boasting immense influence were the House of Gazard and the House of Eldred.

Had an order come from a prestigious house of that magnitude, there was no way Diana would not have known about it.

A contract of which she had no recollection, yet the Eldred side claimed they had transacted directly with Diana.

The one who had barged into the Fides Trading Company was Count Doris Coulson, a heavyweight and relative of the House of Eldred.

Escorting him to the drawing room, Diana, as the head of the trading company, faced the discussion herself.

“We placed our trust in you because of your recent reputation, but just what is the meaning of this?”

“As much as you ask what it means, there is no record within this trading company indicating that any such contract was ever concluded.”

Count Coulson’s sharp gaze glared straight at Diana.

He was the youngest brother of the bedridden current Duke of Eldred, and the paternal uncle of Clyde, the next duke, and Kayley, the fiancée of Crown Prince Lawrence.

“Does Gazard realize just how important this upcoming ceremony is to our House of Eldred?!”

“I am well aware.”

The birth of a new duke; that held momentous significance not only for the House of Eldred itself, but for the entire nation as well.

The two surviving great ducal houses: Gazard and Eldred.

A new head was about to reign over one of them.

“Then why try to throw a wrench into it like this?!”

“I am merely stating the truth regarding a matter of which I have no recollection.”

Facing Count Coulson, who was raising his voice, Diana maintained an unyielding and resolute attitude to the end.

It was a fact that there was no trace of any transaction between the Fides Trading Company and the House of Eldred or the Coulson family.

No matter how aggressive the other party’s attitude became, she had no choice but to explain that reality.

“Hmph, so because our House of Eldred was chosen to provide the Crown Prince’s fiancée, Gazard has resorted to petty sabotage…”

At the words spat out by Count Coulson, Diana’s neat brows twitched faintly.

(Our House of Eldred? Does he, a mere relative, fancy himself in a position to speak for the entire house?)

Hiding her inner scathing remarks completely, she voiced only a single phrase aloud.

“That is a most uncalled-for accusation.”

“Ha! It is common gossip that the young lady of the House of Gazard is pining after the Crown Prince, who is already betrothed!”

…As for that particular matter, she had no words to retort.

It was common knowledge that Cordelia held a tender affection for Crown Prince Lawrence.

“What possible relation does that have to the matter at hand?”

Without affirming or denying it, Diana calmly demanded an explanation.

At her absolute composure, Count Coulson’s temple throbbed.

“To resort to such petty sabotage simply because your family was robbed of its ties to the royal house! Have you no shame?!”

Following his roar, a brief silence filled the drawing room.

Perhaps realizing he had gone a bit too far in speaking to a ducal lady, Count Coulson briefly averted his gaze before clearing his throat softly.

“Regardless… we will get nowhere if you keep claiming total ignorance.”

“Even so, I cannot acknowledge something of which I have no recollection. If you harbor doubts, please return with all the documents exchanged at the time the contract was supposedly made.”

The two sides remained at an absolute impasse, neither willing to yield.

An unbridgeable gap lay between them across the luxurious table in the Fides Trading Company’s drawing room.

“If you persist with such an attitude, we shall be forced to take countermeasures.”

Spitting those words out, Count Coulson stood up.

“Trust is everything for both a trading company and a noble house. It seems a sheltered young lady fails to understand that.”

Glancing down at Diana, who remained seated on the sofa, the Count strode out of the drawing room.

After the door slammed shut with a harsh thud, Diana finally let out a deep breath.

(Honestly… what a troublesome ordeal.)

The other party claimed they had concluded a direct contract with Diana.

Yet, she knew better than anyone that no such contract had ever been made.

If that was the case, only one possibility came to mind.

(Are they finally resorting to moves that cast aside all pretense…?)

She did not even want to entertain the thought of her twin sister operating in secret to drag her down.

However, recalling the sensation of Cordelia’s blade ripping through her stomach… even now, it made her breath catch in her throat.

A knock echoed, and the drawing room door clicked open.

“I could hear raised voices all the way out there.”

“Lord Alan…”

Alan, Diana’s husband and co-owner listed under the trading company, gazed intently at Diana as she still slumped against the sofa.

“I am sorry for causing a disturbance.”

“There is no need to worry yourself over such a thing.”

To Count Coulson, even though Diana belonged to a ducal house of higher standing, she was still a woman much younger than him.

When it came to matters of business, she was invariably looked down upon.

Knowing that full well, Diana had adamantly refused Alan’s presence during the meeting.

She did not want it to appear as though she was leaning on her husband’s status.

Gaze mixed with curiosity and jealousy were constantly cast her way, mocking her for starting a trading company as a mere woman.

She could not afford to be swallowed by malice here.

She had to prove that she could resolve things on her own.

“…Don’t push yourself quite so hard.”

Sinking heavily onto the sofa beside her, Alan caressed Diana’s cheek.

The expression that had been tense until just a moment ago suddenly softened.

“Yes.”

The cold, peerless beauty for which she was known as “Diana the Moon” was worlds away from the smile of a girl her own age that now graced her face.

From that day onward, dark rumors began to cling to the Fides Trading Company like a shadow.

Goods from the Kingdom of Fieran, still a rarity in the Kingdom of Rutledge, could only be purchased at the Fides Trading Company.

Because of that, customers never stopped coming, yet the whispered murmurings among the patrons coming and going never ceased.