A few days later, Jeanette was in Roussel Corporation’s office, busy dealing with the cleanup of the tulip incident. Everything was still chaotic following the sudden crash, and she had a ton of work to do. One such task involved dealing with one of the farming families who’d refused to trade with her following the tulip price increases. The farmers had contracted with another company who offered a higher price, but the company went bankrupt and they never received a single krandell, so they had once again turned to Roussel Corporation for help. Because of their desperation, she’d be able to obtain the goods at a lower price than before.
Usually, Jeanette would’ve cheerfully set about finalizing the deal, but today her pen kept stopping on the page over and over. She sighed deeply, finding it hard to finish the work.
Kyuriakris was nearby sorting out some documents, and he cast her a confused glance. “You’re not usually the type to sigh like that. What’s got you so troubled? Is someone trying to make you a bad deal?”
“No, it’s nothing major like that,” Jeanette replied hurriedly. In reality, she wasn’t thinking about the tulips or the farmers, but Ariel.
It’s not even been a week since Ariel’s marriage, so I know there’s no way a letter would come this soon, but... Jeanette couldn’t stop herself from constantly asking if any letters had arrived regardless. She had been keeping an eye on the situation after consulting with Claus, but she couldn’t help wondering if she’d made the right choice.
I agree that it’s a good thing for her to get some distance from mother, but was it really fine to leave her with that man? Maybe there was a better person out there...
The new marquis, using the debt repayment as a pretext, was happy to take Ariel in because it was convenient for him. Jeanette didn’t know him personally, and the more she heard about him, the more worried she was about his character.
Ahh, I wish Ariel would write me a letter already! Or maybe I should send one first? But if I do, I bet she’ll say I’m gross...!
“—ey. Hey, Jeanette!”
No, but Ariel’s gotten kinder lately. She only acts that way because she’s embarrassed, so she might actually be happy to hear from me...
“Jeanette!”
“Ah?!” The startled Jeanette looked up at the sound of her name being shouted into her ear. Realizing that Kyuriakris was incredibly close to her, she became even more panicked. At some point, he had wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Y-You’re too close, Lord Kyuriakris!” she exclaimed, trying to push him away.
Kyuriakris didn’t even budge. Rather, he was daring enough to pull her even closer. “You shouldn’t let your guard down around me. Do you even know how many times I tried calling for you?”
“I’m sorry! I was lost in thought!” Jeanette responded, putting all her strength into her hands to push him away.
But Kyuriakris just clasped those hands. “No, I’m not letting this chance pass me by. Maybe you’ve already forgotten, but I haven’t given up on you at all just yet,” he whispered with a glint in his irises. His black eyes narrowed like those of a ferocious predator who was toying with his prey.
Oh no! He’s serious about this...!
“If you want someone to blame, you can blame Claus for leaving me alone with your defenseless little self,” Kyuriakris told her.
“That’s absurd!” Jeanette squeaked.
Right at that moment, someone announced, “Unfortunately, I am here.”
“Ow, ow, ow!” Kyuriakris exclaimed while suddenly letting Jeanette go.
She quickly checked to see what was going on, only to see a smiling Claus mercilessly pulling Kyuriakris by the ear.
“Good grief... You really let down your guard, huh?” Claus said with a sigh, still not letting up.
“Ow! Stop it! My ear!”
“I only did this because you wouldn’t have let her go otherwise. You forced my hand,” Claus asserted nonchalantly, and only after dragging Kyuriakris a good distance away from Jeanette did he finally let go. Then, he turned to Jeanette with a serious look on his face. “Anyway, Jeanette. We need to go home right now.”
“Huh? Right now?” Jeanette asked. It was rare for Claus to say such a thing. He did stick by her side often, watching her with a smile, and aligned his breaks with hers. But he’d never tried to stop her from working.
That means this must be really important!
“All right!” she agreed, getting up and leaving Roussel Corporation, hand in hand with Claus.
They arrived at the Guivarch estate. When the door swung open, the first thing Jeanette saw was...
“Father?!”
...a pair of gray-greenish eyes just like hers and a balding head. Indeed, sitting in the living room was Jeanette’s father, whom she hadn’t seen in months.
“Ah, Jeanette! It’s been a while!” he exclaimed. His tone of voice was so lighthearted and casual, it was as if he hadn’t been missing for nearly a year. The man’s tanned face had a sharper look to it than before, and his body was in shape. His once chubby stomach had noticeably flattened.
The baron’s appearance was a testament to how rough his long journey had been. Jeanette’s eyes brimmed with tears at the sight. “Father!!!” she cried, leaping into his arms.
“Oof! I see you’re the same as ever, Jeanette—as sprightly as a boar!” he responded with a hearty laugh.
The scent and warmth enveloping her were exactly the same as she remembered, and Jeanette felt more of her tears welling up. “Father...! Father...!”
I always believed that he was alive.
I’m so glad to see him again.
I’m relieved he’s back safe and sound.
But Jeanette couldn’t put her feelings into words, and only kept sobbing and crying out for him.
The baron’s large hands softly patted her head. “I see you were really worried for me. But as you can see, I’m doing just fine.”
Her father’s low, kind, familiar voice rang in her ears soothingly.
“Right...!” Overwhelmed with joy, she could only nod. Right! After all, he’s the man who got hit by lightning thrice and survived!
Although Claus had informed her that her father was fine, seeing him with her own eyes brought an entirely different level of relief. She pulled away from him and glanced at Claus, who was watching them with a truly happy smile.
Noticing this, the baron spoke up. “Thank you, Claus. Because of how things had gone, I had given up hope of ever returning to my homeland, but you found me and made it possible for me to come back. You helped me out a lot.”
“What are you saying, Sir Roussel? You’re the one who’s helped me so much in my life. What I did pales in comparison,” Claus said, and the two men shared a firm hug.
Jeanette’s heart was filled with joy as she witnessed their reunion.
After much rejoicing, her father broke the ice. “Now, Claus has informed me about the recent goings-on, but I see that Roussel Corporation has changed a lot while I’ve been gone.”
Jeanette nodded silently. Since her father had first gone missing, Jeanette had left the house and obtained Roussel Corporation’s title deed, Leila had fallen into debt, and Ariel had been married off. Even as his daughter, Jeanette couldn’t tell what the baron thought of all these incidents.
“First of all, Jeanette...” he began.
“Y-Yes?”
His large hand once again patted her head. “I heard you’ve been working hard while I’ve been away. Thank you for protecting the company from Leila. It happened a bit sooner than I planned, but Roussel Corporation belongs to you now. From here on out, you, together with Claus and everyone at the firm, can walk down whichever path you choose.”
“All right!” Jeanette said with a vigorous nod. She had been working as the company’s acting president, but from now she’d be the official chairwoman. But then a thought occurred to her. “Father, if I take over the firm, what will you do?”
“What, isn’t it obvious? I’m going to retire and take it easy. Anyway, the emperor has already been bugging me about coming back to spend time with him, even though I only just returned home... What a slave driver.”
Indeed, it seemed Voltaire’s emperor had truly taken a liking to the baron.
“Just what did you do for him to like you so much, father?” Jeanette asked him.
“I didn’t do anything special. I just happened to save him in the nick of time when he was attacked by a bear.”
“A bear?!”
Jeanette and Claus exchanged a wide-eyed look.
“Well, it’s not like I was alone,” the baron went on. “It was just a stroke of good luck. But it’s a long story, so I’ll tell you another time!”
Nooo! I want to hear about it now, father! Jeanette protested inwardly. She wanted to say it out loud, but decided not to bother her father too much when he’d only just returned, so she swallowed her words.
Once the baron had ensured that Jeanette, Claus, and Roussel Corporation were all fine, he left for the Roussel estate, where Leila resided.