Why are you obsessed with your fake wife? - Chapter 19-2

The Duke provided Nadia with a generous amount of dowry, but it was not enough to fix the problem of the vast estate.

First, they need to secure more funds.

Nadia’s head began to work as she came up with a few plans.

* * * *

After completing his escorting duty, Fabian went straight back to the knight’s quarters.

His escorting duty was just a playact, but in reality, his role was to put an eye on their new Madam.

He had to report to his lord what he had seen and heard today.

During the report, Glenn tilted his head when he knew attaching an escort was a good decision.

But when the dowry was mentioned, he nodded as if he had expected it beforehand.

“…. So, in the end, she couldn’t take a single penny from her dowry. I knew it.”

A married couple was supposed to be financially united.

Conversely, this meant that Nadia didn’t consider Glenn and herself as a married couple.

She didn’t consider them as allies on the same ship, thus she didn’t have any intention of helping.

If one took a hundred of passing by young ladies and asked them if they were willing to use their dowry for their family’s financial crisis, ninety five out of a hundred would answer that it was normal.

The young lady Balazit fell in love at first sight so passionately that she chased him all the way to the North, yet she didn’t help the poor Winterfell.

What a contradiction.

‘It was a blatant lie from the start.’

Glenn couldn’t help but to confirm his expectation.

Then he burst out laughing as he couldn’t stand it anymore.

Hesitating, Fabian continued.

“No, she didn’t say that…”

“What, then?”

“She said that instead of paying off the debt right away,  it would be better to raise funds.”

Right after, a fellow knight who had been listening interrupted.

“That’s just an excuse! Did you really buy that, you naive?”

“Uh… Do you think so?”

“Of course! Anyway, doesn’t that mean she doesn’t want to use her money unless she is guaranteed that her money will increase?”

In Fabian’s mind, Nadia, who was furiously upset about the Winterfell financial condition, came to mind.

The image of Nadia voicing out that the first lod had been deceived seemed too real to be called acting.

“It didn’t look like she was lying though…”

“Boy, how could you be so naive?”

“My lord, is it really okay for me to be entrusted with escort and surveillance duty?”

“Hm…”

Everyone around him had the same concern, Glenn started to wonder if he had misjudged his decision.

Glenn beckoned everyone to calm down.

“It would be even weirder if someone from Balazit helps. Let’s not jump into conclusion. I will try to avoid the financial problem somehow.”

“Now that we talk about it, why did the debt suddenly increase? Is it because we spent too much on the Karla’ai expedition?”

“The Duke must have controlled His Majesty. He did mention that it is a vassal’s duty to make a contribution in the expedition.”

“It’s not enough for them to doubt us, so they forced Marquis to get married…”

The room filled with the knights murmuring.

Let’s say that Glenn went on the expedition because there was a rumour that the North was trying to secure their own border. It was understandable if the prize earned from winning the war was insignificant.

But Winterfell fought with their lives while they were drowning in debt, shouldn’t the King pay them accordingly? And yet, the King still didn’t trust the Northerners.

The evidence was that the North lord, Marquis Winterfell, was forcibly married to Balazit’s daughter.

And he couldn’t even use a single penny from the dowry Nadia brought in.

If Glenn didn’t feel upset with this situation, he should have just returned his knightship and walked the path of a priest.

“Of course, I know it wasn’t something that the lady Balazit did. But…I’m angry. This is sickening.”

“Why do we always have to endure it?”

It was then.

Crack.

“……!”

“Who is it?”

The knights’ heads turned to where the presence they could feel from afar.

It was the entrance to the garden.

They could see a woman half-hidden behind a large tree.

It was a woman with a shy look as if she was embarrassed being caught because she accidentally stepped on a branch.

A small figure covered in a luxurious dress and long hair.

They had only seen the woman from afar a few times, but there was no way they didn’t know who the woman was.

It was Nadia Winterfell, the new Marchioness from the south.

“Ma, Madam?”

“Why is she here…”

The sight of them gossiping was caught by the person they were talking about.

They couldn’t help but panic.

Nadia spoke to the perplexed knights.