[Constantine, Breathing New Life Into the Cruise Industry—Joins Hands With Graham Bank]
Baldwin stroked his chin as he looked over the headline with satisfaction.
Sometimes, the pen is sharper than the sword.
Lutheric had gathered every publication that covered Graham Bank and Constantine.
About six sources in total—including the morning dailies and yellow press.
By the end of the week, even more media outlets would be buzzing.
“Looks like Graham Bank pulled some strings.
Yesterday, their secretary went all over the capital of Estus with envelopes in hand.”
A wise move—
Sometimes money moves faster than words.
Anais, with her sharp mind, surely knew how to sway the media to her side.
“The press is leaning toward us now—or more accurately, toward Graham Bank.”
This much had been part of Baldwin’s expected scenario.
And he was already thinking one step beyond.
“Shall we release the article we prepared?”
But sometimes, patience was key—waiting until the water reached a full boil.
If Graham Bank had just doused the fire from yesterday’s article,
then it was Baldwin’s job to stoke the next flame at just the right time.
Baldwin shook his head and held up three fingers.
“In three days?”
Baldwin nodded.
That much time was all it would take for the business and political world of Estus to start boiling like a hot cauldron.
Three days would be the perfect window for investors to get involved.
And after Baldwin’s article went live, he was curious to see how Anais would respond.
With a slight smile, Baldwin thought of the woman who had lately taken up residence in his mind—Anais.
He had a feeling she would be quite pleased.
It started with the second son of Count Paras.
Early that morning, Ella came in with a pale face, holding something.
“…A bouquet?”
“I don’t know. I heard it was sent by Count Paras’ second son. But this isn’t the end, miss. There are flowerpots lined up outside.”
I frowned at Ella’s words.
“They didn’t even ask permission before dropping everything off, so we couldn’t send them back.
They’re blocking the walkway—we should probably remove them quickly.”
The house I shared with Ella was a cozy place, not one with a grand garden.
The distance between the front door and the main gate was only about 10 meters.
The flowerpots filled that space and even spilled out beyond the gate.
“Also, this letter was addressed to you. It was stuck inside the bouquet.”
Ella handed me a luxuriously thick envelope, the kind often used for marriage proposals.
I let out a sigh and bit my lip.
What I feared had come true.
The contents inside were exactly what I’d expected.
It was a cliché love letter, filled with endless praise for my appearance and for himself.
And even worse, it subtly implied that he saw me as beneath him.
[Of course, marrying you would be a significant decision for me.]
Or lines like:
[If we marry, Graham Bank will grow even stronger. I fully intend to give my best to its operations.]
I folded the proposal letter and slipped it back into the envelope.
Then I sealed it with my personal insignia.
It was a sign that I had read it—but would not accept it.
I tucked the letter back into the bouquet and turned to Ella.
“It’s blocking the path, right? We need to clear it.
Call as many porters as you need. Just get it done quickly.”
“Yes, miss.”
As Ella took the bouquet with a determined expression and left the room, I clicked my tongue in frustration.
Even as I rushed to get ready for work, anxiety hovered in my chest.
Would this really be the end of it?
As if on cue, just as I feared, Ella found herself overwhelmed by the constant ringing of the doorbell—delivered by endless errand boys.
Thanks to the servants I’d stationed outside, they couldn’t just drop things off and leave anymore.
But now they stayed and harassed Ella until she accepted their gifts.
That was just the beginning.
The start of a filthy, petty race to claim the “Gold Coin” Anais.
Freya Graham.
She was Egbert Graham’s only aunt—and the only daughter of Sederes Graham.
After Egbert’s parents passed away shortly after his birth,
Freya had helped raise him alongside her father, Sederes.
That’s why even Egbert couldn’t casually ignore what Aunt Freya said.
When their grandfather passed away, Aunt Freya left for an island in the far south.
She, too, had ended her marriage in divorce and was in a state of emotional exhaustion.
More recently, Aunt Freya had moved into a monastery in the capital.
Saint Grace Monastery.
Standing in front of the gates, a sigh escaped me.
I hadn’t dared to visit before—
Her arrival in the capital had overlapped too closely with my own divorce.
How would Aunt Freya see me?
As a thief who stole Graham Bank?
Or as the loyal heir who upheld Grandfather’s wishes?
Tension gripped my lips as I bit them.
“Huu…”
It had been a long time since meeting someone terrified me this much.
My heart pounded as if it were about to shatter my ribs.
As I waited in the reception room, a nun approached and relayed a message from my aunt.
“She says she’ll be out shortly.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Nervous, my palms were slick with sweat. I fidgeted with my handkerchief until, not long after, Aunt Freya entered.
“It’s been a while, Anais.”
Her voice was slightly lower than average for a woman, yet carried strength.
“…Aunt Freya.”
At that moment, her eyebrows arched sharply—and my heart dropped.
“I won’t ask if you’ve been well. Clearly, you haven’t.”
Aunt Freya sighed and added:
“I’ve heard everything about what happened between you two.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t have any excuse to offer you.”
I hadn’t committed any crime, yet I felt like I owed her an apology.
“Sorry? For what?”
“…You cared for me so much, Aunt. This was never what I wanted.”
The truth was—I had once wanted to live happily with Egbert.
When I first discovered his true nature, I had cried, begged, pleaded.
‘Egbert, please don’t do this. We were happy.
We promised to be happy.’
But my pleas were met with cold rejection, and over time I began to give up—
on the respect I should’ve received from Egbert,
and the future we were supposed to build together.
By the time I had completely let him go, my heart was torn beyond repair—too damaged to return to the past.
I did everything I could to maintain our marriage.
And yet, standing in front of Aunt Freya, I felt like a criminal.
She said nothing.
Her piercing gaze cut straight through me, deepening my guilt.
I lowered my head—and then, I heard a long sigh.
“Tsk. Your face is half its usual self.”
“…”
“You don’t need to lower your head.
The one who truly owes an apology hasn’t even shown his face.”
“Aunt Freya…!”
“Even if I lived on some remote southern island, do you think I wouldn’t hear a word of what happened here on the mainland?”
Tears welled in my eyes, and I bit my lip.
So she knew… she knew just how messed up everything had been.
How messed up it still is.
Shame burned through me.
It felt like my whole body was curling in on itself.
“I can imagine what happened.
And I suppose… there’s no longer any reason for you to call me Aunt.”
Her words struck like a cold dismissal, and a chill swept through me.
Being turned away by someone who once cherished me hurts more than any stranger’s rejection.
Maybe I shouldn’t have come… Maybe this was a mistake.
Freya had always resembled Grandfather more than anyone else—
even in her way of thinking.
That’s why I had believed she would stand by my side regarding the bank.
That was arrogance on my part.
I felt the wind escape my chest,
like air leaking from a balloon inflated with hope.
“Don’t call me Aunt anymore. Just… casually—”
Freya glanced to the side, as if pondering her words, then continued:
“Call me Sister Freya, if you’d like. Or simply Freya.”
“I… about Graham Bank…”
“I don’t desire what isn’t mine, Anais.
If my father left it to you, then it’s yours.”
Freya gave a faint smile and added:
“He made the right decision.
If Egbert had inherited it, the business would’ve collapsed by now.”
Then, she gently took my hand.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
That one warm sentence—
—felt like praise for the courage it had taken to come all the way here.
