Chapter 19 - Documents
A momentary silence fell over the room at Opal’s shocking words. But soon, Hubert scoffed.
"Do not be ridiculous. What I signed yesterday was a document from Omar..."
"That was not a document prepared by Omar. You are free to trust Omar as you wish, my lord, but why did you not thoroughly read what you were signing? I cannot help but wonder what exactly you do in your study all day."
"I, I study... You would not understand, but I learned a great deal at university. There are many fascinating subjects among the courses I took then."
Hubert had now completely lost his momentum. Challenged by Opal, he must have been growing anxious about not having checked the contents of the document he signed. He was trying to postpone facing reality by talking about his studies.
"Indeed, deepening one’s knowledge is a wonderful thing. But the era when a nobleman could live elegantly without working is coming to an end. You, my lord, had people to support and land to manage. Was your scholarship so valuable that you cast all that aside? Did you think those studies would generate money?"
"What a vulgar woman you are! To immediately reduce everything to money!"
"Of course, money is not everything in this world. But to live, everyone needs money, regardless of their station. Your marriage to me allowed you to pay off your debts. The wedding gift from my father will cover your immediate living expenses. But what then? Did you think money would magically appear from that vast fief you never once bothered to look at?"
"E, everyone said that all regions would have a bountiful harvest this year."
"Everyone?"
"My friends. My irreplaceable friends with whom I spent my university days."
"Then those gentlemen must either manage their own fiefs properly or have hired truly competent administrators. And I am sure they read their administrators’ reports thoroughly."
Opal could not care less what subjects Hubert was interested in. What mattered was the future. Even as he was being backed into a corner by the reality Opal presented, Hubert was still trying to find a way to escape. Suppressing another wave of disappointment, Opal placed the definitive proof, the evidence, before him.
"This is a copy of the document you signed yesterday afternoon, my lord. The one you actually signed is kept safely in a vault, so as long as no one here lets it slip, the world need not know. ...Unless we divorce, of course."
Hearing Opal’s words, Hubert started to say something, but in the end, his gaze fell upon the document, which he picked up with trembling hands. It was as if he was afraid to face reality. He slowly read through it, his face growing paler and paler.
"This... this is a lie!"
"It is the truth."
"E, even if it is, this is a sham. This sort of thing... taking all my property... His Majesty the King would never allow it!"
It seemed that everyone, those who had been watching the exchange between Opal and Hubert with bated breath and those who had assumed Opal was bluffing, finally understood the reality of the situation. Everyone turned pale at Hubert’s words, and some looked so faint they had to be supported by others. As for Lady Northem, she was trembling violently.
"Unfortunately for you, that is not a possibility. Upon investigation, I found that the regulations of the McLeod ducal house have no conditions regarding the transfer of houses and lands, other than the ducal title itself. That is likely why you were able to use them as collateral for your debts until now. The document was prepared by an official Royal Palace legal officer, and you signed it right before their eyes."
"A, a Royal Palace legal officer...?"
"Jonathan Kenjit is a legal officer renowned for being deeply trusted by His Majesty. He has been abroad for the past year on His Majesty’s orders... Given your position, my lord, it would not be strange for you to be acquainted with him by face, not just by name. And yet, you did not know him."
"Th, that’s because... Omar said in his letter..."
By now, Hubert’s face was as white as a sheet. His handsome features were contorted in anguish. Opal felt a strange sensation, realizing she had once thought this man was charming, as she continued.
"Omar’s letter simply stated that there would be two visitors. I believe he never once wrote that it was for his own business, did he?"
"How do you know that? So it was you who orchestrated this!"
"But of course."
"What!?"
Hubert was rendered speechless by Opal’s casual admission. Among the servants, some glared at Opal with hatred.
"As I have said repeatedly, Omar was engaged in misconduct. I hold the proof, and I have also paid off his debts. Therefore, it was I who ordered Omar to write that letter."
"How despicable!"
"Despicable? That is quite a misplaced accusation. You dismissed my claims about Omar out of hand, my lord. If you had lent me even a small ear at that time, might you not have been suspicious of this letter? At the very least, would you not have scrutinized the document’s contents? It is true that the document began with a list of the fief’s territories, each with detailed notations of expected revenues, so at a glance it might have looked like a simple report. But if you had read it through to the end, you would have seen my name and realized something was amiss."
"I, I said I trusted Omar. You took advantage of that!"
"Yes, I did. But did I not ask you for confirmation multiple times, my lord? I asked if you were certain the visitors had nothing to do with me."
"That’s... one wouldn't think they were connected!"
Opal gave a sad smile to Hubert, who was shouting in desperation. Then her expression turned blank, and she let out a deep sigh.
"You truly had no interest in me at all, did you, my lord. All you needed was my dowry."
"What are you saying now..."
"Jonathan Kenjit is my maternal uncle. To think you did not even know that..."
"Th, then you and your family conspired to deceive me! I knew it, something was strange. Giving such a large wedding gift just for marrying you... I will sue you!"
"As I have said, that would be futile. There are no flaws in the document. It was not strictly necessary, but because my uncle, Jonathan Kenjit, and I are blood relatives, we had a third party, a colleague of my uncle’s, witness the signing to ensure fairness. His signature is also on the official document, so please, give up."
Hubert, now completely lost for words, received a look from Opal that was akin to pity. Hubert was simply foolish. The cause was likely that after inheriting the ducal title at such a young age, no one had taught him the duties and responsibilities that came with it.
"I am sure my uncle asked about me when he visited as well."
At those words, it was the butler, Romit, who gasped. He had been there yesterday when the two visitors were shown to the study, and he had seen one of them ask Hubert, "Is your wife at home?" Furthermore, although the two had introduced themselves at the entrance, Romit, believing them to be mere messengers from Omar, had paid them little heed. And yet, one of them was the sender of the letter that had arrived for Opal just the other day.
"My uncle and I did not intentionally announce our connection, but had you met with me, the relationship would have been obvious. ...Even if you didn't think we were related by marriage, you would have suspected something and been more cautious with the document."
After speaking of herself and her uncle, Opal remembered the rumors about her and added.
"My uncle was also against this plan at first. But that was because he believed you would surely notice something so obvious if you just read it properly. He was worried about the anger that would be directed at me at that time."
Talk of Kenjit shamed Hubert. He, a duke, did not even know the name of a Royal Palace legal officer and had signed a document in front of two of them without so much as reading it. It was as if he had exposed his own incompetence for all to see.
"As you suggested earlier, my lord, if you wish it, I will agree to a divorce. What will you do? You now have nothing but your ducal title. Will you divorce me? And then find a new, wealthy woman to remarry? Even now, a ducal title is an attractive thing that money cannot buy, so I am sure she would overlook the associated debts. I cannot say, however, if such a person would be tolerant of rebellious servants or relatives to whom she has no obligation of support. Or perhaps you will work for a living? If you rely on your friends, I am sure they could introduce you to some kind of work."
Opal’s words finally brought everyone in the room to their senses. They realized they had been intoxicated by a story of their own making, starring the "poor Duke and Lady Stella." Even when the coachman, Cayve, had insisted that "the Duchess should be treated with proper respect," they had all pitied him, thinking he had been seduced by a wicked woman, and tried to reason with him. But it was Cayve who had been right all along. Their future was now in the hands of the woman who had implicitly called her husband, the duke, a liability. The Duchess. The room was now completely silent, and everyone looked at Opal in terror, as if she were a demon.
"I, I..."
"One more thing. I have just had my last will and testament drawn up, with my uncle as a witness. Should I die, all my assets will be donated to several charities."
"Wh..."
It was not the destination of Opal’s inheritance that made the stunned Hubert react, but rather the fact that she had stated it so clearly. He was shocked by her words, which were as good as saying that even killing her would be pointless. But it was all the same to Opal. Devoid of all emotion, she asked again.
"Well, my lord, what will you do? Will you divorce me and leave this place? Or will you stay?"