Chapter 61

"Are you alone again tonight?"

"Yes, I am."

Over the past few days, Eriq approached Opal, who had been attending evening gatherings alone, and spoke to her in a mocking tone. Despite this, Opal answered politely, but Eriq's rude attitude did not stop.

"Doesn't it feel futile? Attending all these evening gatherings alone every night. Claude can't keep up with you, can he?"

"…This evening gathering is held for charitable purposes. Baron Prado, why are you here? Our donations can help children who have lost their parents to epidemics and civil unrest. There are many such charitable evening gatherings held almost every night, are you aware of that?"

Smiling, Opal countered, and Eriq's face turned red. But he quickly sneered.

"Why isn't Claude with you? If you attended together, you could provide more support, right?"

Recently, some charitable evening gatherings have started collecting attendance fees from participants, which are then donated. Eriq was referring to this.

"Isn't your brother, Viscount Amedy, with you? If you both attended, you could provide even more support, couldn't you?"

"My brother is away on business in the capital…"

As Eriq began to answer, he seemed to realize the true meaning behind Opal's sarcastic question. In other words, Claude was also "away on business" in the capital.

Eriq hasn't changed at all. Even if it's difficult to grow in a short time, he should at least think before acting, Opal thought. It seemed he disliked her even more after the last incident, but his anger only clouded his judgment.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

Opal politely greeted him again and left, leaving Eriq speechless. She intended to leave early tonight, bid farewell to the host, and return home. Scanning the venue, she found the host and sighed in relief. To be honest, she didn't particularly enjoy evening gatherings or tea parties. However, thanks to that newspaper article, more charitable evening gatherings were being held, and Opal was often invited as a guest of honor, receiving many requests for advice.

Of course, this was a wonderful thing, and Opal intended to cooperate as much as possible. However, neglecting her duties to the people of her domain would be counterproductive. Plants don't wait for slow growth. Therefore, she planned to see the current state of her domain as soon as possible and implement necessary measures.

(If the preliminary investigation is correct, there are many improvements to be made.)

As Opal got into her carriage to return home, she sighed again. She should have already been heading to the duchy with Claude. She waited for a while, but received no word from Claude. She wasn't angry, but she was worried. When she returned to the mansion, the butler handed her a letter from Claude. She quickly opened it.

"Oh…"

Unfortunately, the letter stated that his business would take longer, and he wouldn't be able to return to the mansion for some time. Opal was quite disappointed, but she wasn't the type to blame Claude or wallow in self-pity.

"What should I do…?"

She didn't know how long "some time" would be. If she waited for Claude to return, the reforms in the duchy would be delayed.

"Well, it's fine. If that's the case, I'll go ahead on my own."

Once she made this decision, there was only one thing left to do. She planned to leave the day after tomorrow and informed Naja and the butler of her intentions. Since preparations were already underway, there wouldn't be much of a fuss. Opal sat at her writing desk and wrote a reply to Claude: "I can't believe I'm being left alone for so long. I can't stay in the capital alone anymore, so I'm heading to the duchy."

It was a bit of a playful gesture, and Claude would understand the joke.

She addressed the letter to a palace near the capital, where Claude was currently staying. She entrusted the letter to the butler and got ready for bed.

The following morning, Opal set out for the duchy, accompanied by Naja, the maids, the guard knights, and the servants.