Eleanor was dumbfounded.
Demanding money out of the blue—Renard was the first person who had ever dared to make such an outrageous request of her.
And "between us"? He had completely misunderstood his position in their relationship.
She didn’t bother hiding her anger.
"You speak so freely, my lord. Then I should be allowed to speak my mind as well. House Grace already provides more than enough support to that struggling Taira Castle, and yet you co here begging for more?"
"Begging? Isn’t that a bit harsh?" Renard replied with a slight smile. "My mother would be quite hurt if she heard you calling your future mother-in-law’s domain ’struggling.’"
"If suddenly showing up and demanding money isn’t begging, then what is? Or is this shaless request also coming from the Lady of Taira herself?"
At Eleanor’s sharp words, Renard crossed his legs and responded with a completely relaxed expression.
"If we don’t keep the Great Green Forest under control, House Grace will have quite a hard ti, don’t you think? We’re doing a job that soone has to do—protecting the region for everyone’s benefit. You’re simply supporting us in that effort. That’s a partnership, not begging, isn’t it?"
What he said was annoyingly logical.
The border of the Great Green Forest didn’t end at the Grim family’s territory. It stretched far beyond into the mountain regions, forming a defensive line against the forest’s threats. Yet there were always cases where beasts managed to slip through, and these incidents were being dealt with by the people of Taira Castle.
Soone had to keep the beasts of the Great Green Forest in check. That was why Taira had been fighting wars in those desolate borderlands for so long.
Since Taira was fighting on behalf of the broader region, it was only natural that neighboring territories shared the costs of maintaining their defensive forces. House Grim’s support was a given, and even House Grace had decided to provide assistance since it would be troubleso for them if more beasts slipped past from the forest.
However, Eleanor simply gave him a mocking smile.
"So, my lord, are you the one fighting the forest beasts? I hear it’s the commander of Taira Castle who’s holding the line, and House Grace is already more than generous in our support to him."
She wasn’t wrong. House Grace had already sent substantial aid to Taira. There was no legitimate reason for Renard to demand additional money under these circumstances.
"Hmm, I’m not the one fighting them right now, but if you think about the future, it’s not wrong for you to give the money."
"What future?" Eleanor furrowed her brow in confusion.
Renard responded with a faint smirk, though there was no trace of humor in his eyes.
"In the future, I’ll inherit Taira. When that happens, it would be natural for soone in your position to support , right? I’m just asking to receive it a bit early."
"...!"
Eleanor’s expression darkened slightly.
He was clearly indicating that she would be in a position to lead House Grace in the future—a dangerous assumption to voice aloud.
It was the kind of statent that, if overheard by the wrong people, could get soone killed. She couldn’t tell if he was deliberately making such outrageous remarks or was simply a madman spouting dangerous nonsense.
A cold silence hung between them for a long mont.
Eleanor took a small, deep breath before breaking the tension.
"My lord... no matter how much you claim to say it in jest, you shouldn’t make such comnts. I am the youngest daughter and not the heir to House Grace. The idea of having that kind of authority... stop saying such ridiculous things."
"Ah, you’re not interested in such authority?" he asked with obvious sarcasm.
"Whether I’m interested or not, it’s impossible from the start. I’m soone who’s destined to marry into Taira. Anyone who heard this would laugh at the very suggestion."
"You’re not actually going to marry though, are you?"
"..."
Eleanor bit her lip, unable to find the right words to respond to his blunt question.
’Who would ever marry a scoundrel like you!’
If not for the promises made by the previous generation, soone like Renard wouldn’t have even dared to look her in the eye, let alone be engaged to her.
She was soone who had awakened a Royal Blood Crest, possessed imnse affinity with spirits, and had already broken though to the master zone—despite it being only three years since her awakening. She was soone who was far beyond Renard’s level, at least in her own estimation.
Seeing Eleanor’s conflicted expression, Renard smirked knowingly.
"I don’t want to stay here for long either, so I’ll get straight to the point. Whether you care about gaining authority or not, I honestly don’t care. I just want the money."
"There’s no reason to give you money, and even if I want to, I don’t even have any money to begin with. What makes you think that I’d have any wealth to give you?"
"Is that so? That doesn’t seem right to ." Renard’s smile grew more predatory. "The New Dawn rchant Union is thriving quite nicely, isn’t it? You’ve got plenty of money flowing through those channels."
Eleanor’s face imdiately went rigid when the na "New Dawn" left his lips. There was a dangerous flash of killing intent in her eyes as she glared at Renard.
But although she managed to conceal her rage behind a mask of composure, inside she was filled with confusion and growing alarm.
’How does he know about that?’
She had harbored suspicions about his changed behavior, but now his words confird her worst fears. Renard sohow knew about her carefully hidden weaknesses and secret ambitions.
On the surface, Eleanor had absolutely no visible connection to the New Dawn rchant Union. The organization was currently operating under soone else’s na entirely, and she had gone to extraordinary lengths to maintain complete distance from it in any official capacity.
And yet, Renard had explicitly brought up New Dawn with confident precision. How he had discovered this closely guarded truth was completely beyond her understanding.
Renard, maintaining his calm and relaxed deanor, continued with casual nace,
"I’ll keep this simple and straightforward. Hand over 10,000 gold, and I won’t spread any interesting rumors around the noble circles. That’s really quite a cheap price for such valuable silence, don’t you think? If you don’t trust my word, then trust the weight of the money to keep my mouth shut."
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