We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 167

Recently, Alex had been feeling an overwhelming fatigue. Ever since a certain day, Monica had locked herself away in her room, refusing to come out. He had gone to check on her several times, but all she did was tell him to leave and howl like a wild animal.

He was curious about what was happening with his sister, but he had a feeling he knew the answer. Duchy Bryant had begun their meddling again. Even if that wasn’t the case, the only person who could influence his sister was Ian.

“Hoo…”

Since their grandfather passed away, a string of misfortunes had begun. After their father was beaten by Ian and left bedridden, their mother fell ill as well. With two patients in the house, the atmosphere among the servants was far from cheerful.

And now with Monica in such a state, it seemed he was the only sane person left in County Rosewood.

“What the hell is going on?”

Since inheriting the title, Alex had tried to avoid using harsh language, but he couldn’t hold back his curses as he looked at the papers handed to him by his aide.

“Damn it, you could at least tell me why! F**k!”

Kicking the desk sent a jolt through the office, and the tension instantly thickened. Unable to calm his anger, Alex paced around before barking an order at his aide.

“Go fetch Monica’s personal maid yourself. Don’t send a servant.”

“Yes, understood.”

The aide hurried out of the office.

“I need to find out what kind of mess is going on.”

After picking up the papers he had thrown earlier, Alex examined them closely. This time, it wasn’t just a simple interference. It looked like a setup designed to bring him down.

“How dare these nobodies mock me with money?”

After the pressure from Duchy Bryant had vanished, former business partners began to tighten their grip on the Rosewood family, pushing for investments again. To make matters worse, they claimed that shipments of goods had stopped due to various incidents, effectively cutting off transactions. Even the bank had started pressing him to repay loans more quickly.

Since taking over the title of Count and leaving the knight order, Alex found that there was nowhere else to get money but from the family business. Even though it was brief, he had flaunted the rumor of Monica becoming a Duchess to those who had latched onto him, making it impossible to cut back on expenses.

Alex, determined to live comfortably no matter what, resolved to reconcile with Ian, even if it meant abandoning his sister.

“If she marries off elsewhere, I won’t lose out.”

After all, if he received a dowry, it wouldn’t matter. Many noble families would gladly take Monica off his hands, even if it wasn’t as lavish as the Duchy.

Grinding his teeth, Alex waited for Jesse to arrive. When his aide brought her in, he sent everyone else out of the office. Jesse stood awkwardly, unable to hide her fear.

“This way.”

Sitting in his chair, he waved her over. Jesse quickly tidied her messy hair and hurried to stand in front of the desk.

“You, you called for me?”

“What’s with your appearance?”

Having been Monica’s personal maid since childhood, Alex felt comfortable enough to speak casually. Frowning at her disheveled look, he watched as tears suddenly streamed down her face.

“Huuh, Young, Young Master… I’m really struggling.”

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

He had many questions to ask, but Jesse’s sudden outburst caught him off guard.

“Huh, Mi, Miss, she hits me every day and throws fits… This isn’t how people should act! I feel like I’m going crazy!”

Jesse had a lot to say. She didn’t know exactly what Monica was up to, but it was clearly something bad, and Melissa was probably involved.

For a while, Monica had seemed on top of the world, but then she locked herself away and returned from the Duchy looking like a wreck.

If she had just been sick, Jesse wouldn’t have been so troubled. Instead, Monica would lash out when she felt energetic and then wallow in misery when she was low. She was incredibly finicky, finding every little fault and tormenting Jesse in the process.

Although Jesse wanted to shift the blame, it seemed Monica had directed all her frustrations solely at her. Being yanked by her hair, pinched and slapped made Jesse feel resentment, even if she was serving someone she cared about.

“Young, Young Master. I want to quit. Please write me a recommendation letter.”

“No.”

“…What?”

“It’s not that simple. You have work to do.”

“What do you mean…?”

Alex wouldn’t let Jesse go so easily. She knew everything about the County, so he had no intention of letting her leave. He also wanted to know something

“Here, will this help?”

He quickly tossed some coins onto the desk. Seeing her wide eyes, he couldn’t help but smirk inside.

“I want to know what Monica did at the Duchy. Specifically, what she did to the now-missing Melissa.”

“…She never told me anything about that.”

“But you’re the one who could figure it out. Find out who Monica has been in contact with the most.”

A name came to Jesse’s mind. Monica might have thought she was being clever by hiding things, but she had been receiving letters without return addresses and often met with the Duke’s head maid afterward.

Nervously, Jesse slipped the coins into her pocket and said.

“She often received letters without a sender. Just in case, I kept a few, but there wasn’t much of interest. After getting those letters, she would sometimes visit the Duke’s head maid.”

“Good. If you can find out more, I’ll give you not only a recommendation but more coins as well.”