Annette tried to cope with her angry feelings by keeping her body occupied.
Also, Ernest had arrived at the right time so she kept busy with him.
If they had been in another time, Annette would have been extremely happy with the joy of victory, but now her mind was so occupied that she could not even think of her accomplishment.
Anyway, since Ernest came, Annette has had something to do.
Annette pretended to be busy and worked all night under the pretext of organizing work for Ernest.
She had almost forgotten what had happened at the masquerade that way, but Ernest began to provoke her again.
In fact, what was the point of that kiss if that man was going to run away afterward?
That worthless bastard.
As long as there is the right atmosphere and appropriate excuses, what happened between them can happen between any man and woman very naturally.
Especially at a party like yesterday, what happened between them was just a simple incident that happens everywhere you turn your eyes.
And…
Honestly, the two of them enjoyed it together.
Their kiss was something that could simply be justified as just a way to prove that they were a real couple to others or they could simply say that they were attracted to each other at that moment.
So the kiss wasn't a problem at all.
The problem was her husband, who ran away after that.
A man kisses her on the lips for the first time and then shows strange confusion before disappearing alone into the darkness and then locking himself in his room...
It's the worst.
What did he leave women to do if he behaved like this?
A man who leaves his wife alone after kissing her at a party where all the high-ranking nobles are gathered is nothing but a woman who should wear a dress.
Damn him.
"Stop talking nonsense and let's get to work.
This is a list of the properties currently held under the name of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess."
Ernest accepted the papers Annette presented to him and asked her suspiciously.
“Can I know this information?”
No wonder Ernest found that strange.
No one could show off all his wealth just to a young, common man who had worked in the palace only a few hours ago.
It is a job that should be left only to elders and those whose loyalty has been verified among vassals.
However, Annette showed these documents to him so easily that he began to suspect that she had shown him a fake list.
Above all, Ernest was not qualified to entrust money to him even if Annette easily trusted others without the slightest level of caution.
Ernest was suspicious of Annette's petty actions, or in other words, he was rather wise to think about the reason for her actions, which is why Annette brought him.
The person Ernest suspected most in the book was his rival Hugo.
Ernest would make a good and reliable henchman if he could investigate Hugo, as she already trusted him.
“I get it.
These documents are fake.
You want to test me by giving me fake documents.”
“Don't ever mention the word 'test' in front of me again.
I'm tired of that word, so don't ever use it in front of me again.”
Annette's face, which had always been relaxed, became frowning.
Seeing Annette's anger, Ernest became frightened and stepped back for a moment.
'Why did she react like that?'
Ernest assumed he had made a big mistake, but he couldn't figure it out because he didn't know what the problem was.
Fortunately, Annette soon came to her senses and returned to her calm self.
Instead, she looked at the documents with clear eyes and explained them to Ernest one by one, as if what had just happened was just an illusion.
“These are the lands and mines we own.
There is a mine that produces a lot, but it is in the south, so it is difficult to manage it by ourselves.
We suspect that there are people involved in embezzlement or illegal activities in this mine, so I need you to investigate and get rid of anything that might be a problem for us in the future.
You should do a lot of research to find out who is responsible for the money there.”
Ernest was a little surprised by Annette's serious eyes as she leafed through the papers.
He didn't expect Annette to entrust him with something so serious since he was just an ordinary commoner, and moreover, Ernest considered himself just a worthless person after Yvonne abandoned him.
But if he thought about it, the skill of manipulating the lord's heart and making him willingly sell Ernest made Annette a particularly exceptional person.
"Focus on me.
I've explained everything to you and I have another schedule, so I can't explain this twice.
You have to finish all of this quickly."
“Do you want me to handle this all at once?”
“Can't you do that much?”
“Of course I can't do that much!!!”
As Annette continued her unreasonable demands, Ernest was deeply shocked.
But Annette continued to repeat her orders very naturally, as if they were easy tasks like a drink of water.
“In this circumstance you will find all the properties we own.
Leave only the useful ones, and get rid of everything that is not profitable.”
Ernest was startled and began to feel dizzy, but Annette's harsh orders continued to flow like a flood.
“Oh, and I'm also thinking about acquiring a hospital, so write down a specific and reasonable budget to win the deal.”
"hospital?"
“Do you know the famous hospital in Trester Street?”
“I know him for sure.
Even in our village, if there is someone sick, we go to that place with the last hope that his condition will not be dismissed and that the treatment expenses will be free.”
Favoritin was a hospital that took care of people living in poor places.
In order to seduce Lasisia, Annette hatched a plan to take over a hospital, and the best place she could think of was Favorite Hospital.
Favoritin Hospital used to receive support from the church, but it always suffered losses because it treated the common people without money.
In other words, this meant that their finances were weak.
Annette asked Ernest to purchase and budget for such a place.
It was as if she was asking him to engage in an economic war.
“To take over such a hospital, the initial budget is not the problem, but it is difficult to find a way to compensate for the ongoing shortage of medical staff and the losses resulting from treating the public for free.
What plan are you thinking of?
Do you have a specific budget that I can start from?”
"nothing."
"Sorry?"
“I only thought about buying the hospital but I never thought about how to raise money or economic matters.
That's why you're here, it's your job.
By the way, you should make a plan to expand the children's ward as well.”
“Do you want me to buy a hospital without giving me a penny?”
“I've shown you all the sources you can make money from.”
Annette raised her index finger and pointed to the papers rolling out on her desk.
“If I'm going to do it myself, why would I even hire you?”
Ernest was shocked by Annette's impudence and opened his eyes wide again.
“You are a very rude woman!”
Ernest jumped up from his chair and pointed his finger at her.
“I felt like that too.”
"What?"
“You now feel a little what I felt when that bastard assigned me all these difficult tasks.”
He was a real ****.
Annette added a little expletive.
(M.M.: Annette talks about when Theodore told her to make him emperor and did not give her the method.)
Ernest was surprised again, he didn't know what she was talking about, but he couldn't continue the interrogation.
“Other than that, everything is going well.
Since you have all the information about real estate and mines that you can make money from, I expect you to increase my wealth as quickly as possible.
Since we are going to start new overseas real estate investments, we need funds for construction.
Raise the necessary funds on time so that the workers’ wages will not be delayed.”
“You…even Satan wouldn’t entrust me with things like that.”
“We also already spent a lot of money to complete the cathedral.
Recoup that money as well.”
Ernest couldn't even get angry and scream anymore.
He sat down on the couch again, exhausted from the amount of work that was pouring over his head.
“How much money do you want?”
“Enough to destroy the foundations of this empire.”
“Huh?”
Ernest's unusual head began to spin faster than his life timer and he began to feel nauseous.
It seemed like this would be the end of his ridiculous life.
Annette's words could not be interpreted any other way than that she was planning betrayal.
“I want to go back to Dillberg now.”
All other expressions were erased from Ernest's face, leaving only fear.
Ernest stood stiffly and walked quickly to the door.
“Stop where you are.”
“You never told me I would join the treason!”
“I will make sure that history will never remember us as traitors.”
“Do you want me to become an enemy of Yvonne?”
“I want you to be by my side.”
“What's the difference between this and that!”
“You will be able to stay by Yvonne and meet her if you are by my side.”
Ernest quickly returned to the sofa and sat down on it again, but he was still looking at Annette with trembling eyes.
At that moment, a knock on the door ended the awkward atmosphere between them.
Hans opened the door hesitantly.
“Your Highness...you seem busy.
I heard you summoned me, but would you like me to come back to meet you later?”
“Come in, Mr.
Hans.
You're just in time.”
Hans closed the door and came in and stood next to Annette.
His gaze turned to the new face that appeared in the palace.
"You two haven't officially met each other yet, have you?
Let me introduce you to each other."
Hans nodded slightly.
Of course, Hans was aware of Ernst because he followed Annette's orders and investigated Ernst's background.
Ernst also roughly guessed Hans' identity by looking at his facial expressions and the way he was standing next to Annette.
What kind of person enters the room anonymously and stands next to the Grand Duchess so recklessly?
This man must be the Grand Duke's assistant or someone close enough to act freely in front of the Grand Duchess.
However, since it was supposed to feel like a first-time meeting, no one revealed their uncomfortable thoughts.
“This is Mr.
Hans.
He is a lawyer and is in charge of most of the work at the Flores Palace.
Mr.
Hans is your boss from now on.
From now on, you must report everything you do to Mr.
Hans first.”
“My boss?
I won’t respect him either and I won’t allow anyone to bully me.
You are already more than enough, and now you are appointing someone else as my boss?”
Ernest grumbled as he lightly read the papers in front of him.
But Hans's gaze was fixed only on Ernst's arrogant behavior while he was talking to Annette.
“Ernst Fegelein.
I too have limits to my patience.
Do not cross the red line with your impudence.”
Annette's mischievous voice gained great strength.
In an instant, a feeling of tension came over Ernest's heart.
“I didn’t bring you here to play.
Since you decided to join the Flores Palace, do your duty as stipulated by your position.”
Annette was more serious than the moment she spoke of betraying the Empire.
“There are no ranks in the Flores Palace, but there are people who are more experienced than others.
As long as you cannot use your abilities well, you will be given a lower rank than the servants here.
As long as you are not a nobleman or the highest status, you will carry out all my orders and behave with Master Hans with respect.”
Ernest came to his senses.
The woman in front of him was the Grand Duchess.
She was kind and patient enough to overlook his rudeness to her, but that didn't mean they really became friends.
Annette was never someone Ernest could get over.
He realized the obvious too late.
"I'm sorry…."
“I will know the sincerity of your regret when I see the results and not just when you say these words.”
Annette didn't even want to hear Ernest's apology.
Ernest, who was smart with numbers, realized that he was indebted to her because she had not punished him.
“Master Hans is currently the highest-ranking person in the entire Flores Palace after His Highness the Grand Duke.
You cannot even compare to me in terms of importance and experience.
So from now on, do as he asks of you and everything will be reported to me through Master Hans.”
“So what is my first mission… Your Highness… The Duchess?”
“Why did you suddenly start pretending to be polite?
Call me whatever you want.”
“Is that okay…really?”
“If you listen to what I say from now on, it doesn’t matter whether you are polite or not to me, right?”
Annette slowly stepped back and picked up the papers that had fallen to the ground.
The corners of her eyes, which had been sternly sharp, returned to their original gentle shape, and her voice lost the strength and firmness with which she spoke.
Those brief moments passed in the heavy atmosphere, and then Annette gave him instructions.
“Let's start with this.
I want you to write a report on the plan to take over Favoritin Hospital.”
“When should I turn in the report?”
“As quickly as possible.
The latest deadline is the end of this day.”
Annette took Ernest's soul with her and left the office.
Ernest's complicated feelings when he heard the difficult tasks assigned to him had disappeared to such an extent that he was unable to rebel any longer and set about completing the work at once.
Meanwhile, another man was constantly thinking about Annette with great concern.