The Tamed Heiress

Count Marvin Coast rolled his eyes, sipping steam milk from a mug.
He couldn’t even drink alcohol, yet he went in and out of Spielplatz, a noble social space, almost daily.

Employees who initially thought Marvin was strange now automatically offered non-alcoholic drinks when they saw him.

“You’re not funny today.”

“Right? The weather is bad today, and there aren’t many girls.”

When he turned his head to the grumbling voice from the side, an unexpected greeting came his way.

It was Count Rian Felice, a hot topic figure in society these days.
The “topic” never meant only good things.

You said you went to the capital, but you must have come down for a while.

Marvin looked up and down at Rian without notice.
He was simply wrapped in expensive things from head to toe.

The sight of such a fashion even bothered Marvin who had a high aesthetic sense.

“What’s wrong with your feet?”

Perhaps he injured his ankle, and a bandage was wrapped around one leg.
Even after the previous incident, he finally came out here today.

“It’s my first time greeting you Count Felice.”

’

Surprised by Marvin, who recognized him at once, Rian was a little embarrassed and gave a humble expression.

“Oh, hello.
Excuse me, but may I ask who you are?”

“My name is Marvin Coast.
The title is too much to remain a count.”

“Oh, Marvin… Count Cost.”

Rian quickly thought about who Marvin Coast was.
He thought he had heard of it, but he couldn’t remember.
In his judgment, it was obvious that such a vague greeting would not matter much.

Rian called in an employee to order a drink with a uniquely arrogant and mean look.
The menu he ordered was also very expensive in Spielplatz.

Marvin was a little annoyed by his attitude.
The Count of Coast was certainly a family that was basically on equal terms with the Duke of Hamilton.

However, Marvin Coast was a celebrity in society with his attractive appearance and speech.
Rian on the other hand was not interested in men, and because the duties of the Coast family were special, there was no public encounter.

Still, Marvin thought it was regrettable that the conversation was abruptly cut off, so he tried to continue somehow.
In the end, he sold his old friend and the only name in the country that didn’t need an introduction.

“Yes, I have a special relationship with His Highness Leon Tertius.”

There was also a reaction to the words.
Rian looked a little surprised at Marvin.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a reaction of “Why do you say things that I don’t even ask?” or “So what?”.

It was a reaction that said, “How could that be?” Marvin again held back his anger and spoke a little higher as if he were pleasantly speaking.

’

“Not long ago, he even gave me counseling on my concerns.
These days, a woman stays inside Tertius Castle…”

“Does His Grace really say that she’s going to become the Grand Duchess?”

Marvin paused for a moment at the unexpected and heavy question that was suddenly asked.
It was the first time he heard it.
He thought only he knew that there was a woman in the Grand Duchy because it was private and secret.

However, he wondered if it was something that everyone knew so much about from romors.
Maybe Leon had actually taken the woman he liked.

Of course, it wasn’t rumored, it was just a story he knew of because of Rian.

For the previous words about having “a special relationship” with Leon to remain unshakable, he had to somehow play along.

“That’s… Of course, she’s a beautiful woman, but the marriage of a nation’s Grand Duke can’t be so easy.
There’s nothing I can’t do… Haha.”

“Right? As expected, it’s too much.
A woman who’s not even a noble… No matter how good the money is.”

Listening to Rian muttering, he seemed to know more about her than Marvin.
Marvin reduced his pretension a little and changed his mind to dig more into him.

“It’s good to have a lot of money, but it’s become more important as commercial sanctions are lifted.
These days, it has become an atmosphere that prioritizes authority and honor.”

Marvin could find out more about the woman easily, so he secretly set a bait to solve the questions about Rian.

As expected, Rian smiled brightly and agreed with him.

’

“You have a good eye for the world.
That’s right, money will become more and more important now, you’ll see.
Without knowing that, the old people are still talking about old-fashioned things of lineage or justification as the values of nobility.”

Marvin realized in his words that Rian had a complex about bloodline.
It was already a widely known secret that he was the illegitimate child of the former Count Felice.

“It seems to me that Count Rian Felice is one step ahead, and I’ve heard a lot of praise here.”

He did not necessarily mention that it was a compliment mainly given by employees who received tips from Rian at Spielplatz.

Rian agreed with someone for the first time in a long time and was very excited to meet someone who praised him.

He bragged about himself and began to spill information that could be a clue to the source of the funds without realizing it.

“I realized it very early.
The fact that all you can trust is money.
And I also knew that nothing would happen just by waiting.
So I’ve been preparing for it for a long time.”

The employee gave him a drink.

Even though he shook it a little, the drink was so strong that the thick scent of alcohol spread in the air.

Rian frowned and drank a few sips of it, looking into space as if recalling the past.
However, his expression seemed closer to malice than a recollection of the past.

Marvin was a person who was good at observing people, so he didn’t miss Rian’s point.

’

“Ah, you’ve been different since you were young.
May I ask what you’ve prepared?”

“I originally thought that money had no owner.
And wouldn’t it be nice if someone who can roll and inflate money has it?”

Marvin couldn’t pinpoint where, but Rian’s words seemed somewhat ambiguous and inconsistent.
Instead of agreeing, he closed his mouth and pretended to listen instead.

Then Rian straightened his back and said with his eyes shining as if proud of himself.

“A lot of money is just a burden to those who don’t have such abilities.
That’s why I help them let go of that burden and let them relax.”

Marvin’s expression, which had been controlled the whole time, became ambiguous.

What does that mean?

With such strange logic, Rian had mentioned that he had received a lot of money from someone.

When Marvin didn’t say much, Rian also shut up for a while.
And as if he remembered something, he brought up the previous topic.

“No way, that’s why His Grace would have chosen her.
For the same reason as me… But you’re trying to take a difficult path.
Lol, anyway, the nobility and the common people have different blood, and there is a much more comfortable way.
Of course, that’s all useless, but hahaha.”

Rian’s words didn’t make sense.
Although he said that bloodlines were unimportant, he was now talking and distinguishing the blood of the nobility from the common people.

Marvin did not bother to point out the contradiction.
Rian murmured like he was drunk, then he fell asleep lying down on the spot.