Chapter 30

"......Rosa. Be quiet for a moment."

"Huh!? Big sister, you're such a pain."

"Rosa. Be quiet."

Reprimanded by their father, Rosa turned her head away with a huff.

"I'm sorry, but we just held the ceremony, so the marriage is already valid. I have no intention of returning my wife."

While being embraced by the shoulder, Luchretzia trembled slightly.

-- Well, I know it's inappropriate... but I'm happy.

I find myself enjoying this little drama.

"Nothing is valid. I haven't signed any contract with you, nor have I attended the wedding. The guardianship of my daughter still belongs to me, and I will not hand it over to you."

"You sent a letter saying you would marry her off."

"That's invalid. If you were serious about marrying her off, you would have made a formal engagement. It was just a temporary arrangement. I have never, even once, agreed to any engagement."

Lamirio gently pulled Luchretzia's body and said, "Let's go."

"Wait a moment," Kōko ignored Lamirio's attempt to leave and grabbed Luchretzia's shoulder.

"Luchretzia. We need to talk. If not, I'll take you back by force and make sure you never see him again."

"There's no need to talk."

Lamirio said gently.

Luchretzia was at a loss.

Honestly, she wanted to marry Lamirio and forget about her father and sister.

"Luchretzia, come here. Or do you want to tell him something you don't want him to hear?"

-- What is he talking about?

"I have nothing to hide."

"Really? For example, the jewels you stole from the Duke's family are hard to explain, aren't they?"

Luchretzia was shocked and wide-eyed.

"Those were originally mine. Stop making false accusations."

"Yes, they are yours... but as your father, I have the right to dispose of them freely!"

-- What a nuisance. Where did he get this wisdom?

Until recently, her father knew nothing about money. This allowed Luchretzia to do as she pleased, but technically, he was right.

According to the holy scriptures, women lack reason.

Legally, women must obtain the consent of their blood relatives when disposing of family assets.

In essence, all a woman's assets belong to the family.

The concept of personal assets does not exist, so everything Luchretzia owns is considered an inheritance from her mother's dowry.

The dowry is often given certain rights to prevent women from being exploited and falling into poverty.

However, even the dowry cannot be freely used without the father's consent. Luchretzia's actions, such as shopping through the bank, are in a gray area.

Since her father's argument has some merit, Luchretzia needs to be cautious in her rebuttal.

"Legally, a mother's personal items can be directly inherited by her daughter."

"There are limits! If you sold everything, it would be worth at least 100 million gold coins! Those are the Duke's family assets, given to me as a condition for marrying your mother! I won't allow you to take them without permission!"

"Father, please stop making false accusations—"

While speaking, Luchretzia suddenly understood.

-- Ah, I see. Father is after my money.

Her father and Rosa look worn out.

According to the newspaper, her father has returned his title, leading to a drastic reduction in income and a difficult life.

No matter how extravagant, selling those jewels would allow one to live a life of leisure.

-- Is he resentful because I suddenly cut off the employment of the servants and the aid to the Duke's family, and gave them fake items?

For Luchretzia, it was just a light-hearted way to teach them a lesson.

She didn't intend to make them destitute, so if they are truly in trouble, she might consider helping them a bit.

"Fine—then let's talk for a moment."

"There's no need to talk!"

Lamirio firmly interjected.

"Regarding my wife, I would like to handle it. Since we can't have a conversation here, please come to the house."

-- Is it really okay to let them into the house?

Once they're in, they might stay indefinitely.

She was a bit worried, but the onlookers' gazes were also painful.

If this continues, the newspapers might write all sorts of things.

Luchretzia thought that if she could persuade them at the house, it would be for the best.

***

Thus, a meeting was held at Lamirio's house with a notary present.

"Regarding my assets, I have entrusted everything to him."

Luchretzia called her asset manager to explain on her behalf.

"... In summary, Luchretzia's maternal grandfather from the Sostegno family and her paternal grandfather from the Serralvalle family have both agreed to recognize her freedom. You have no rights over her."

He presented several bank management documents and patiently explained.

At first, her father stubbornly raised objections, but as he gradually grew tired,

"... Then I will not recognize Luchretzia's marriage. If you want me to recognize it, hand over all the jewels."

He began to make direct demands.

Lamirio listened silently but, seeing the right moment, raised his hand to draw attention.

"... That's enough, Prince Kōko. Your demands are excessive. In exchange, I will pay a reasonable amount. Will you accept that?"

-- This is a reasonable compromise.

Luchretzia thought.

It's common for the husband's side to pay a certain amount to the wife's family during a marriage.

"Are you kidding? I won't hand over a daughter worth 100 million gold coins for such a paltry sum."

However, her father refused to accept it.

"What about Rosa? She is a descendant of the royal family, yet you can't even provide a proper dowry or a place for her to go! You have an obligation to help the royal family."

"That's your obligation as a father, not hers."

"Luchretzia is my daughter and is under my management, including her assets."

"... I've already explained this multiple times."

Eventually, her father continued to make the same claims, so the meeting was temporarily adjourned.

"He might be trying to drag this out."

After they were alone, Lamirio sighed.

"Even if he drags it out, he won't get what he wants."

"There might be other motives besides the jewels."

They couldn't just throw out the visitors who had come from afar.

Lamirio and the others decided to provide them with rooms and meals.

Perhaps their travel food had been terrible, as they ate a lot and complained that it wasn't enough.

"From tomorrow, we'll make a bit more."

"I'm sorry, Lord Lamirio."

"No, it's fine. It's not a big deal to have a bit more food."

Lamirio said kindly, but Luchretzia felt guilty.

Her father seemed determined to stay, and he ordered Rosa:

"Make sure they don't do anything inappropriate. You'll be watching them."

"Got it. Big sister, from today, we'll be a trio. Just like with Lord Falco, right?"

A lady should never be alone with a man.

This was his way of preventing Luchretzia from getting close to Lamirio.

From that day on, Rosa began her approach.