Chapter 9 Not Much Money Either
Anne's annoyance faded when she returned to the Titan estate and saw Nina charging toward her.
His Majesty had ordered Lord Conor to personally deliver the royal decree to the Titan family. Even without rushing day and night as she had, he'd arrive within days.
Soon she'd leave the Titan family forever and reclaim all the dowry she'd brought to this marriage. Anne instructed Elisa to gather her people, then turned with a smile. "Nina, what do you need?"
Her gaze swept over Nina, pausing for a moment on the ruby necklace she was wearing, silently making another mental note.
This ruby necklace was one of the pieces of jewelry she had originally brought with her. Nina had loved it so much when she first saw it that she pestered Anne to borrow it, and never mentioned returning it. But soon it would be back where it belonged.
Nina stood in front of Anne, her pretty young face showing arrogance and pettiness beyond her years. "Where have you been these past two days? Don't you know Mother got so upset with you the night before last that she fell ill! And yesterday when I went to a nearby jewelry store wanting to buy another pearl bracelet, the shopkeeper said he couldn't let me take it and insisted I write an IOU using the Titan family's name. Tell me, did he do that on your orders to humiliate me!"
"I'm telling you, unless you give me two more, I'll tell Holden to send you straight to a countryside nursing home!"
The smile on Anne's face faded considerably. She said coolly, "If you can't pay on the spot when buying something, you do need to write an IOU. It's not just you—even if Mother went, it would be the same. These are the rules of business. What does it have to do with me?"
Nina's face turned red with anger. "I never had to before! Since you're back now, take the money right now and go get that IOU back!"
"You bought it, you used the Titan family's name—why should I pay to get the IOU back?"
Anne was also getting tired of Nina's bossy attitude, as if she had every right to order her around. In the past, because Nina was Holden's sister, she had been quite fond of her, always getting her some custom dresses and jewelry. But some people, once they get a taste of benefits, start thinking it's their due.
"I'm not the one managing the household now. You should go find your sister-in-law and see if she's willing to cover this expense for you."
Hearing that Anne was no longer managing the household, Nina immediately scoffed, rolled her eyes, and turned to leave. "Trion won't be as stingy as you. Hmph, enjoy being smug while you can. Once Candy marries in, I'll make sure Holden sends you to a nursing home! You can die alone in that kind of place!"
Just then, a maid in the distance seemed to finally spot Anne. Her eyes lit up as she ran over. "Mrs. Titan, the old lady is looking for you!"
Nina hadn't gone far yet. Hearing this, she sneered, "Mother definitely won't let you off easy this time. How dare you offend me—just wait for your punishment!"
Anne said nothing, simply following the maid to the main hall. Inside wasn't just the Titan Old Lady—Mephist and his wife and Mrs. Merry were standing beside her, while Holden sat carelessly on the sofa in a daze, one hand rubbing the ring on his finger, his face full of anticipation.
Noticing Anne's arrival, the Titan Old Lady wasn't full of anger as Nina had suggested. Instead, she walked over with a smile plastered across her face, reaching to take Anne's hand. "Anne, you're here."
Anne stepped back, avoiding her hand. "What's going on, Mother? I go out for a bit and come back to find everyone here?"
She looked around. Mephist showed no expression, but Trion looked somewhat embarrassed. Anne raised an eyebrow, pretty much understanding it was about money.
The laws of the Soth Empire clearly stated that dowries could only be used with the wife's consent. So during the three years she'd been married into the Titan family, this group had been eyeing it but didn't dare openly grab it. Now they probably had no choice but to use money, so they were lowering themselves to ask her.
Sure enough, seeing Anne step back to avoid her gesture, a flash of anger crossed the Titan Old Lady's eyes, though her face still smiled. "It's good news, but we need your help."
"Yes, we're all family—we still hope Holden's wedding goes smoothly!"
"As Holden's wife, helping him is only right!"
Everyone chimed in one after another, and Anne finally understood they were preparing to hold a wedding for Holden and Candy.
Even with the King's blessing, they couldn't skip preparing the bride price. And while Candy's family wasn't some famous noble household, they had at least produced a female Knight Commander, so the bride price they demanded wasn't small.
Trion's head pounded just looking at that list. Never mind the farms and tea plantations—they couldn't even afford the jewelry and furniture, not with the family finances in shambles.
But suggesting they call off the wedding? The Old Lady would be the first to shut that down. She'd already done the math—her son and Candy were both Knight Commanders, which meant the wedding would draw nobles and military brass from all over. The gifts alone would overflow the courtyard. And with two Knight Commanders in the family, every noble looking to get their people into the military would come knocking, ready to pay handsomely for the favor...
Thinking of this, she smiled so hard another wrinkle appeared on her face.
But where would the money come from?
Of course, it could only come from the richest person in the house.
Anne took the bride price list and glanced at it, raising an eyebrow. While it wasn't much to her, did she really look like such an easy mark? They wanted her to pull out her own dowry to help her husband marry a new wife—did they really think she was a pushover?
Anne snorted with laughter and didn't respond. Meanwhile, Holden, sitting on the other side, saw everyone crowding around Anne and felt annoyed.
He had heard from his mother yesterday that the household management rights and storeroom keys had been sent to his sister-in-law. Now these people were circling around her, asking his wife to pay for his new wife's bride price—if word of this got out, who knows how people would talk behind his back!
Holden stood up irritably, strode over, and snatched the list from Anne's hand. He had only heard Candy mention it briefly before. Now, looking it over roughly, aside from some common jewelry, it was just a few extra farms and tea plantations. His brow smoothed out and he sneered somewhat disdainfully, "That's it? It's not even that much money, is it?"