After I, a Penniless Noble, Entered a Fake Engagement with the Most Elegant Duke’s Daughter at the Academy, For Some Reason She Started Showering Me with Love - Chapter 11.3: The Source of the Mining Survey Funds

Chapter 11.3: The Source of the Mining Survey Funds

After getting thoroughly scolded by Mom,

I collapsed onto the office sofa, completely drained.

She sat across from me at her desk,

Looking at my slouched posture with clear disapproval—

But maybe because the lecture had just ended, she didn’t follow it up with more nagging.

“You looked like a circus monkey doing tricks.”

“I’m not some sideshow act…”

Yuri, sitting on the opposite sofa, of course had to get her jab in.

I didn’t even have the energy to snap back.

But when I stayed quiet, she just tilted her head playfully—

And Mom lightly scolded me.

“Don’t be rude to a noble lady of the ducal house.”

Yeah, fair enough.

I probably shouldn’t have been making jokes in front of Mom.

The problem was, the more time I spent with Yuri,

The easier it was to forget she was a duke’s daughter at all.

Straightening up, I was about to apologize—

But Yuri gently pressed a finger to her lips and smiled.

“It’s quite alright. I’m the one who told your son to treat me casually. More importantly, he is my husband, after all.”

“…Sure.”

Mom gave a small pause, like she was swallowing a retort,

Then gave a slow nod in response to Yuri’s smile.

She didn’t show it on her face,

But I could tell she was conflicted.

Still… if this was what Yuri wanted, she was willing to accept it.

I’d already explained that our engagement was fake—

But who knew what she really thought about it.

Maybe because Yuri was present, she only gave a light warning:

“Don’t act carelessly with things like this.”

But what was she really thinking inside?

I didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like once we were alone.

Just thinking about it made my whole body feel heavier.

I slumped even more into the sofa.

…Still, I couldn’t keep lying there forever.

“Mom, could you tell me what’s going on with the new gold vein? Especially where the funding for the survey came from.”

“…You haven’t heard from Lulu yet?”

“She ran off before I could ask.”

I let out a tired sigh, remembering all that chasing around earlier.

Mom seemed to understand and nodded gently. 

“I see.”

So I thought she’d explain right away—

But instead, she lifted her hand to her cheek and fell silent, like she was unsure.

…Even Mom?

Why did it feel like she was hesitating to talk about it now too?

I narrowed my eyes, focusing on her as she frowned and fell deep into thought

“Mom?”

“…I’ll explain the current state of the Ryule territory. That much, you deserve to know. But as for the survey funding… I’d prefer not to be the one to tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s something Lulu made happen—through her own decision.”

“…!”

Lulu covered the survey costs…?

No matter how I tried to wrap my head around it, I couldn’t figure out how.

While on the way home, the only possibility I could come up with was debt.

I mean, there’s really no other way we could’ve gotten the money.

The idea of some hidden stash of gold? That wasn’t realistic.

Besides, if it was debt, that wouldn’t have anything to do with Lulu.

The one managing the Ryule house right now is Mom.

If anyone were to take a final gamble and borrow money, it would be her—not Lulu.

So then how?

No matter how hard I tried to think, my brain just couldn’t find the answer.

It got to the point where my head felt hot from overthinking.

Seeing me like that, Mom let out a quiet sigh, like she had no choice left.

“…There wasn’t supposed to be any need. But if Lulu refuses to talk, then I’ll have to explain it to you myself. Only…”

She turned her gaze toward Yuri, who was calmly lounging on the sofa.

“Hmm, should I step out for this part?”

“This concerns internal matters of the Ryule family, so I’m terribly sorry, but…”

“In that case—”

“It’s fine. She can stay.”

I stopped Yuri just as she was about to leave the room.

She slowly lowered herself back onto the sofa,

Then looked at me curiously.

“Are you sure?”

“Probably not. But after coming all this way with me, kicking her out now feels kind of pointless.”

“I never intended to meddle in my dear husband’s family affairs, you know?”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

“It’s true,” she said with a wry smile,

Though who knew what she was really thinking deep down.

Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if she had thought,

‘If it looks interesting, I’ll poke my nose in.’

Still, Yuri might have that typical noble arrogance,

But she’s not the kind of person who enjoys other people’s misfortune.

Besides—

“If something happens, you’d help out, right?”

“…My dear husband.”

Yuri’s blue eyes went wide for a second, surprised.

But yeah, I trusted her at least that much.

Trusted… maybe even a bit more than that.

If it were something personal, just about me,

I probably would’ve asked her to step out.

But this involved Lulu and our whole family.

Having someone on our side couldn’t hurt.

“…Though owing you a favor sounds like a terrifying future.”

I added that last part half-jokingly, trying to cover up my own embarrassment.

But Yuri, completely ignoring my sarcasm, lit up with pure joy.

“Fufu—haha! That’s right, of course! It’s a wife’s duty to support her husband, after all! If you’re in trouble, I’ll be there to help!” 

“I wasn’t saying anything about husbands or wives…”

It was always just Yuri speaking for herself,

But she still kept throwing in those comments that made it sound like we were really together.

She was probably just teasing me as usual—

Still, I really wished she wouldn’t say that kind of stuff in front of Mom.

Her stare was starting to sting.

“Cru, you’re absolutely sure it’s a fake engagement?”

“It is, 100%.”

She pressed the question with suspicion all over her face,

And I nodded firmly.

There was no way someone like me could be truly engaged to a duke’s daughter.

I mean… honestly, even I wouldn’t want that.

It wasn’t about Yuri as a person—

A formal engagement with a noble like her would be a nightmare to deal with.

Sure, some people might dream about marrying into wealth and status…

But things never go that smoothly.

And yet Yuri, sitting there with a faint smile, just had to go and say,

“Well, who can really say?”

Which, of course, only deepened Mom’s doubts.

Even though we weren’t engaged at all. Really.

“Yuri’s teasing aside, she’s someone I trust. So if it’s okay to share this information, I’d like her to be here to hear it too.”

“…”

Mom closed her eyes for a moment.

“…Alright. But if Lady Yuliana is staying, then Cru—you take full responsibility for her. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I gave her a clear, confident nod.

Finally, Mom nodded back. “Very well.”

“We’ve strayed off-topic a bit, but let’s get back to the source of the survey funding for the gold vein.”

Mom’s amber eyes opened, locking onto mine.

“The funding came from a certain merchant. He approached us with a business proposal to ‘cover the cost of the survey.’”

“He approached you?”

That couldn’t be right.

“At that point, there was no proof that a new gold vein even existed, right?”

“Correct. And the merchant was fully aware of that.”

“Then why would he invest in an exhausted mine?”

From our side, it was a win either way.

If someone else offered to cover the costs, we took no risk.

And if they didn’t find anything, well, that was the end of it.

There was no loss on our part.

If we could leave the actual survey work to the townsfolk,

It even gave them some temporary employment.

If something turned up, we’d profit.

If not, at least there were small benefits.

It was a reasonable offer—on our side.

But for the merchant making the offer…

There didn’t seem to be anything in it for him.

“This isn’t a charity deal, right? There had to be more conditions on his end.”

“Exactly.”

Of course there were.

“I called it a business proposal earlier, but to be more accurate—it was a gamble. The ‘survey funding’ he offered was just his entry fee to play. Like a down payment.”

“A gamble…? On what, exactly?”

My mind instantly went back to what Mom had said earlier—

That this was something made possible by Lulu’s decision.

And just like that, a bad feeling started to settle in my chest.

Still, I couldn’t stop now.

I urged her to continue.

“The terms of the bet were simple—If a new gold vein was found, the survey costs wouldn’t need to be repaid. But if nothing was found…”

Mom hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering with unease.

Then, as if steeling herself, she slowly opened her tightly pressed lips.

“…Lulu would be given to him in marriage.”

“……………Ha?”

I could practically hear a blood vessel snapping in my head.

◆ End of Chapter 11 ◆

To be continued.