Chapter 28

Chapter 28

No!

The door rattled noisily as I pushed it open.

“Lady Firentia?” Doctor O’Malley asked, looking at me curiously. “Is there something troubling you?”

Of course there is!

Right now, the recommendation letter that should have gone to Estira is being handed over to some other person like a blank check!

I wanted to grab Doctor O’Malley by the collar and shake him, but I forced a smile and innocently asked, “Is... there some good news?”

The oily man, who had been buzzing with excitement beside Doctor O’Malley, approached and introduced himself.

“Hello, miss! I’m Jason. I just received a recommendation letter from Doctor O’Malley, and I’ll be going to the Imperial Academy!”

His overwhelming politeness actually annoyed me more than anything else. I was still displeased that he had snatched away the recommendation letter that should have gone to Estira.

“Hmm. Is this your student, Doctor O’Malley? I haven’t seen him around before...”

In all the times I had visited the lab, I hadn’t seen his face once.

“I taught Jason for a short period many years ago.”

“A short period many years ago”? Not even now?

“He mentioned he’d like to go to the Imperial Academy, so I decided to write him a letter of recommendation.”

“I am so thankful. A letter of recommendation from Doctor O’Malley! Even the academy research lab will have their eye on me!”

Jason grinned from ear to ear at the mere thought of it.

In contrast, Estira’s face was shadowed with gloom. She forced a smile, but she was clearly quite disappointed.

Jason glanced at me before turning to Doctor O’Malley and saying, “Well then, I should probably...”

“Miss Firentia, you’re not here because you’re unwell, are you?” he asked.

Doctor O’Malley and Jason seemed to have plans to go somewhere else. Jason probably was about to repay Doctor O’Malley for writing his recommendation letter.

I shook my head reluctantly.

“Don’t worry, go ahead. I came to see Estira.”

“Okay then. I’ll see you next time.”

Doctor O’Malley left the lab with Jason, who was still beaming.

Estira continued to work diligently in the now-quiet space. She cleared some teacups that remained on the table and tidied up the snack plates.

I approached her cautiously and asked, “Estira, are you okay?”

She gave a faint smile in response.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m fine, I... I just feel very sorry.”

“To me? You feel sorry about me?”

I could not understand what Estira was trying to say.

“What is there to be sorry about? Sure, Jason managed to get ahead of you this time. But if I talk to Doctor O’Malley, I’m sure he’ll write a letter of recommendation for you too, Estira.”

Her bitter smile only deepend.

Something’s wrong.

I couldn’t figure out what had made her so disheartened.

“Estira?”

“The letter of recommendation...” Estira began with some difficulty. “Only one letter of recommendation is valid per year.”

“One... ‘only one’?”

“Yes...”

I looked at Estira in shock.

She, in turn, smiled back as if to console me.

“Next year... I’m sure next year he’ll write one for me.”

Though she was smiling, it clearly wasn’t genuine. I felt a deep sense of responsibility.

It was my fault for being complacent. I had promised to help her get into the Imperial Academy, but I hadn’t followed through adequately. Because I had started so close to the application deadline, I had missed out on Doctor O’Malley’s recommendation letter.

“Don’t worry, Estira,” I said, seeing her shoulders slump.

I will do everything possible to get her into the Academy.

If we couldn’t get Doctor O’Malley’s recommendation, we would just have to get someone else’s.

***

“Hmm...”

I was having my first breakfast with Father in a long time. I carefully chewed on some fruit, but the third sigh that escaped his mouth drew my attention.

“Hmm...”

Deep wrinkles in his brow marred the sunny smile he wore whenever he was with me.

“Daddy, what’s wrong?”

I tugged at his sleeve, and he finally snapped out of his thoughts to look at me.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just thinking about something,” he said.

It seemed more like he was worrying.

“If something’s troubling you, it’s good to talk to someone about it!” I replied.

My father patted my head affectionately.

“I’m sorry I worried you, Tia. It’s really not a big deal.”

Why is he sighing so deeply if it’s nothing?

I fixed my wide, curious eyes on my father. He sighed softly and smiled.

“I’m about to start a new venture, like the textile business we did before. But I have no experience in the field, and I’m hesitant.”

“A business venture?”

Come to think of it, he did mention something about that at the empress’s banquet.

He had said that he planned to step back from the textile business and pursue another personal venture. At the time, I thought he was just saying it to defy the empress, but he was apparently serious.

At least he seemed serious enough to be deeply worried about it. I wanted to help him in any way I could.

“Daddy, that’s spectacular! What kind of work is it? Can you explain it to me?” I asked, scooting closer to him. “I’m so curious!”

As expected, my father was always soft-hearted when it came to me. He hesitated for a moment before he began explaining his business idea in simple terms that a child could understand.

To be honest, the explanation was still long and complicated. My father himself didn’t seem to have a fully formed concept yet. His explanations were sometimes verbose and confusing.

But as I listened, I silently exclaimed, “This is amazing!” I could feel my face flushing with joy and excitement.

My father’s business idea was a new concept, but it was very familiar to me. If the business were to take off, my father would achieve a tremendous level of success.

In fact, I was confident that the entire empire’s approach to commerce would evolve in a completely different way.

“Daddy, you’re the best!” I exclaimed as I hugged him tightly.

My father didn’t seem to expect that I would fully grasp everything he had just explained. He laughed heartily and hugged me in return.

“Seeing you so excited gives me strength!”

However, it was my father who did not fully understand the immense impact his business idea could have. It was truly a game changer.

Then, a brilliant idea struck me—someone who could form a fantastic partnership with my father.

“Daddy, daddy!”

“What is it, Tia?”

“When you have questions, talk to Teacher Clerivan!”

“Clerivan?”

“Yeah!”

My father had worked closely with Clerivan during his last business venture, so my suggestion shouldn’t have come as a surprise. My father knew how knowledgeable Clerivan was about the trading industry, despite his being relatively young.

However, for some reason, my father seemed hesitant.

“Clerivan. Hmm...”

His ambiguous reaction made me even more anxious.

“If there’s something you don’t know, Teacher is always great at explaining it!” I exclaimed.

He might seem a bit cold at first, but he’s harmless!

“Alright. I’ll think about it.”

My father responded reluctantly, giving into my persistence, but he still didn’t seem very enthusiastic.

One would think he’s afraid of Clerivan...

***

After encouraging my father to go to work, I walked through the mansion to attend to my own business.

My grandfather’s schedule never changed, unless something extraordinary happened. The weekly routine had been the same for decades, even when I used to assist him with his work in my past life.

On Tuesdays, he had no meetings in the morning and worked alone in his office. That meant he had a relatively light schedule, so I was heading to his office with a relatively light heart.

That was, until I heard a particularly grating laugh below me.

“Haha! Estira, you want to go to the Academy?”

I stopped and looked down the stairs. There was Estira, looking somewhat angry, standing with the man named Jason.

“Estira, do you even know what the Imperial Academy is like?”

“Of course, I know it’s difficult to get into it, but I am determined to go someday. Even if it’s too late this year. Someday...”

“Wait. Wait a minute. You’re not seriously thinking that, because I got the recommendation letter from the doctor, I took your spot or something, are you?”

This Jason guy.

He had been so polite in front of me, but the way he treated Estira was the exact opposite.

I knew it was all an act.

I sat down on the stairs to listen to their conversation more closely.

“Do you know what my family does?” Jason asked Estira. Before she could respond, he puffed up his chest and answered himself. “It’s the Flan Trading Company, specializing in pharmaceuticals.”

Ah, now I realize why his oily face seems familiar.

He was the second-born son of the Flan family, and he had initially coaxed Astaliu Lombardi into gambling in my past life. Astaliu, who was much younger than Jason, started to follow him around.

Eventually, Astaliu’s gambling debts forced the Lombardi family to transfer some of their prime real estate to the Flan Trading Company.

Jason Flan had infuriated me at the time with his smug attitude, acting as if buying our property for practically nothing was some kind of goodwill. Thinking about it made me angry all over again.

“The connections I’ll make at the Imperial Academy will provide wings for my future. Don’t you dare think about taking my recommendation letter.”

Jason glared dismissively at Estira, who had kept her head lowered the entire time, as he scoffed and looked her up and down.

“Know your place, Estira.”

His mocking words felt like a dagger to my heart.

“Still… still you don’t understand your place.”

What exactly did he mean by that?

Seeing Estira standing there silently, unable to retort to Jason, reminded me of my past self.

Despite having exceptional abilities within the family, I had always been dismissed with the phrase, “Know your place.”

Those memories felt as fresh as yesterday, which fuelled my anger. What had Estira done wrong to deserve such scorn just for expressing her desire to attend the academy?

I stood up and headed decisively towards my grandfather’s office.

Originally, I had planned to ask my grandfather to write a recommendation letter for Estira. I figured I could cover any shortfall in research funds with my allowance, so I hadn’t worried too much about that. But now, the plan had changed.

Jason Flan expects to garner attention at the academy with Doctor O’Malley’s recommendation?

The thought of that slick-haired brat flaunting the Lombardi name in front of everyone made my blood boil all over again.

“I need to change my strategy.”

I marched toward the office with my fists tightly clenched.