Chapter 54 Trion's Visit
When the carriage arrived at Virlet Manor with Trion, Anne had already returned earlier and was now in the study thinking about countermeasures.
There was a guardian knight stationed outside the door and another at the manor's main gate, while the other two had been assigned rooms to rest so they could take shifts when the time came.
Trion stepped down from the carriage and saw the grand and magnificent manor. A barely noticeable flash of envy crossed her eyes. Turning her head, she spotted among the guards a knight in full silver armor, noble and cold. She paused for a moment, then walked up to the guards and said, "Hello, I'd like to see Anne... no, Duke Virlet. Could you please announce me?"
The guard hesitated, "And you are?"
Although the woman before him was beautiful, judging from her clothing and the carriage behind her, she didn't seem to be from any noble or wealthy family.
Trion paused, realizing that if she mentioned she was from the Titan family now, she'd probably be thrown out of the territory before even seeing Anne. So she said softly, "Just say Trion is here to see her."
The guard glanced at Kyle, who nodded, then turned and ran toward the manor.
Following his gaze, Trion saw Kyle. Though she found him somewhat familiar, she usually didn't pay much attention to the lower-ranking people, so her eyes only lingered for a moment before moving away.
Kyle, however, asked her with interest, "Ms. Titan, what are you here to see the young lady about?"
"If it's about Holden or that Titan family, I'd advise you to just go back now."
He recognized the woman before him and knew she had treated Anne relatively well, not making things difficult for her like others had, so he wasn't planning to forcibly send her away.
Trion frowned, "No, it's not about them."
Kyle said "Oh," then added, "I thought maybe after that dirty business at the wedding the other day, they wanted you to come ask the young lady for help."
"...I am here to ask Anne for help, but not for them." Trion stared straight at the manor's interior, "I'm here for myself."
In the study, when Anne heard that Trion was asking to see her, she recalled that gentle and timid woman and fell silent for a moment. Finally, Elisa, seeing what was on her mind, waved her hand and had the guard bring her in.
The great doors of the Virlet family slowly opened, and as Trion walked through, she marveled inwardly.
Everyone knew what had happened here before. That it could now be restored to such a magnificent state showed just how staggering the wealth spent on reconstruction must have been.
She followed the guard deeper inside. At the study door stood a silver-armored knight just like the one at the manor gate. Though Trion had her suspicions, she still didn't say anything.
When she finally saw the dignified and beautiful Anne behind the desk, Trion's eyes reddened and tears rolled down her face.
"Anne... no, I greet Duke Virlet."
Seeing Trion's haggard face, Anne knew she had suffered quite a bit during this time. "It's fine. I haven't officially assumed the title of duke yet, so you can keep calling me Anne."
"Sit down first, then tell me what you need."
Since Elisa was the head maid and was helping Anne handle official business, she didn't get up. It was Dulcina beside her who brought over a stool and poured her a cup of hot tea. Only then did Trion calm down a bit and speak somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb you, but I don't know who else I can turn to now..."
She briefly explained what had happened with the Titan family during this time, and mentioned the old lady's attitude and the look in her eyes. "I always feel like she's plotting something. Her health is still terrible, and no doctor is willing to treat her, but the way she looks at me is like she's looking at a dead person... Anne, I'm really scared. You're a duke's daughter, and she dared to treat you that way back then, so what about me?"
As Trion spoke, her body began to tremble slightly. "I don't want to hand over my dowry. If I give it all to the Titan family, they'll drain every bit of value from it, and then I'll become worthless in their eyes—a waste without even a dowry. I..."
Seeing she was about to cry again, Anne let out a soft sigh.
She knew the old lady didn't like Trion, not only because she hadn't had children, but also because her family was just a baron's, completely unable to help the family. Now that this empty shell could collapse at any moment, that scheming old woman couldn't help but set her sights on Trion's dowry, even though it wasn't much.
"And because of that day, when Mother was so upset by Holden and the others that she fainted and wanted Dr. Pascal, they discovered he had left long ago. I just mentioned that you were the one who managed to get this famous doctor to stay, and now everyone in the family thinks I'm working with you, trying to bring the family to ruin."
"But I really didn't..."
Anne nodded knowingly, "Was it Candy who said that?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
Before Anne could speak, Elisa, who had been listening for a while, couldn't help but say angrily, "Of course it's because that woman came to the young lady multiple times, acting all high and mighty and pure, but in the end, she's the one who's really scheming and trying to please men, right!"
"Does your husband just let her talk about you like that?"
Trion pressed her lips together, "Mephist helps me, but he's not always around. And now that Mother has woken up, she often calls him away. I've heard the servants whispering that Mother seems to want to send me to a sanatorium and then find Mephist a new wife with money. She doesn't even have to be a noble, but she must bring a lot of money."
Yes, Trion hadn't even told Mephist about the sanatorium. She wasn't sure if her husband knew about it. If he did, bringing it up in front of him would alert them, and maybe the old lady and the others would panic and get rid of her early.
Though Trion was weak, she didn't want to die.
She said through tears, "Anne, those old people in the Titan family really don't see us as human at all. If they dare to plan to send me to a sanatorium, they'll really do it. I don't want to go to a place like that!"
Anne watched her cry breathlessly, knowing Trion was remembering when she had witnessed Holden and the old lady threatening her, which was why she was so terrified.
"Have you considered contacting your family?"
Trion shook her head desperately, "I can't contact them. I'm just a baron's daughter. The lower the noble rank, the less they care about their daughters. They're even raised as tools for marriage alliances. I was lucky to marry Mephist. He may not have many strengths, but he treats me well."
"But my family has long accepted that whether I live or die, I'll only ever be a member of the Titan family. They won't care about me. Even if I'm sent to a sanatorium, they'll probably just rush to remove me from the family registry so I don't embarrass them."