Isekai: Princess Marquess Becomes Entrepreneur of Tempe

Chapter 22. Letterbox

"Mrs Iris, there's another letter."

"Geez, who else, anyway?" Iris was riled up as a waiter drove a letter back and forth to the workspace of Locke's residence in the capital.

At the moment, Iris Locke the hostess is sitting working on the family's financial statements in a chair usually occupied by Ryndall, her husband's secretary. As long as the secretary was at Armelin to help Elona, Iris was the one who took her place to help her husband, Stefan, work.

"From who?" ask Stefan who is at his desk, opposite Iris' desk. His wife received a letter from the servant and unsealed it.

"Letter letter to Elona. From the... Count Ruanda." replied Iris while reading the contents of the letter. Stefan sounded annoyed.

"What is playboy's son? Just refuse!"

"Yes, yes, for a minute, I'll read the other letters." Iris said, then picked up the pile of letters at the end of her desk. All the cover letters for Elona that have not been opened.

Ever since news of Elona's breakup of the engagement spread in the newspapers, flocked cover letters came to Stefan and Iris. This made Stefan look upset lately. Various applications for his sister came precisely from people who he thought were not as reliable as Elona.

Some came from an old baron who had already turned twice the age of Elona. There is also a coming from a one-child widower. There is also a coming from a spoiled young man mama's son who did not also marry. Now even from a playboy.

None of the proposals came from someone like Louis Vandyke who was handsome, intelligent, had a good history, had a good family background and was not married. And this is what makes Stefan so angry.

"How dare such people propose to my sister!!" Stefan shouted furiously. Iris can only cover her ears.

"Well how else? Everyone knows that Elona is, as you know yourself: fat, not pretty, and not hanging out. They don't know the changed Elona." Iris tried to calm her husband. Stefan kicked his desk.

"If only they all knew Elona's brain was intelligent, surely all kinds of proposals would come to her!"

Iris could only smile. The woman did not expect that it turned out Stefan could be this dear to his sister, something that had never been shown before.

Iris took another letter from the pile. This letter is a little different. Impressed more luxurious and thick. The seal stamped on her as Iris knew it, but she forgot. The woman opened the letter slowly.

From the... Arthur Eckart...?

What do you want Arthur to send a letter here?

"From who?" Stefan asked when his wife opened another letter.

"Umm. from Arthur."

"Thur's your distant cousin? That naughty one?" Stefan scrunched his forehead. Iris just nodded.

Arthur Eckart is Iris's maternal cousin. As Stefan said, Arthur is notoriously mischievous among their extended family. Since childhood his cousin likes to prank people around. Stefan was no exception when he and Iris were still engaged.

Stefan's skin was itching because his suit was sprinkled with itchy powder by Arthur, when Stefan visited Iris' house and Arthur happened to be there too. It will never be forgotten by Stefan, for he must go to the king after him and endure the shame of scratching his body along the way.

"Do you want that brat to send a letter here?! Don't tell me he's gonna propose to Elona too!" Stefan was angry again. Iris quickly calmed him down.

"No, this is a letter to me, asking about a brother." replied Iris.

Stefan glared at his wife, then sighed loudly. "Bahh! Good though. I'd rather match Elona with the young boy than with him!"

"Hehe." Iris answered briefly. Then he quickly read the letter from his cousin, Arthur.

It says that Arthur did not intend to propose to Elona. So Iris can't be said to be lying to Stefan. Iris just didn't tell the truth that Arthur wasn't proposing, but asked a lot about Elona on the paper.

In his letter, Arthur did not say clearly where he knew Elona from. The young man mostly asked about what Elona liked, the girl's favorite food, what Elona often did in her house if she was free, what color dress does Elona like and all the things about what Elona does.

What happened to Arthur?

Iris asked in her heart curious. But the question was answered immediately, when at the end of the letter, Arthur asked the certainty of the relationship between Elona and Louis Vandyke.

"Is it true that Elona and Vandyke's engagement is over?"

Why did Arthur ask this...

Oho! Yes yes yes. hihi I understand. Fuck up!

Iris is very sensitive about these kinds of things. Stefan saw his wife smiling to herself.

"Why you?"

"Ah, there's nothing. This Arthur said something funny."

"Oh.." said Stefan briefly not so concerned.

Iris immediately took out a quill pen on the right side of the table and a scrap of linen paper. The woman prepared to write a reply for her mischievous cousin.

*****

And this invites boredom in Arthur Eckart for the last three weeks.

Arthur returned to his previous activities. He slept until noon, then helped to do his father's work as a duke, and in the afternoon hunted into the forest. Yes, it should be like that, except for the afternoon activities.

Arthur did go hunting, but none of the animals he caught. His mind was mostly floating and just taking a walk on his horse in the middle of the forest. It's like losing something he doesn't know what it is.

But something paid off when in the afternoon he visited a small lake across the forest, and saw Elona running around in her afternoon sport on the edge of the lake. There was a feeling of urgency from within his body that required him to look at the girl even if it was only for a short while. Even when he met, he didn't know what to say.

And all the servants and soldiers of Eckart's residence knew what kind of feeling the young master had, except himself. They only laugh amusedly and moved when they have talked about the behavior of the employer while working.

And this is the boss who was rumored, was bowing his head on the desk with one hand, while the other hand was holding a quill. He should have signed some documents given by his secretary, but instead he just doodled the paper in front of him.

"Mr Arthur," his secretary named David called. Arthur raised his head.

"What?"

"Your name is Arthur Eckart, right?"

Arthur scrunched his forehead in wonder, "What do you mean? You think I forgot what my name is?!"

"It seems so," David answered flatly, "Because what you wrote in the signature section of the document is not the name of Mr. Arthur himself, but 'Elona'"

"Well?!!"

Arthur quickly sees the signature part of an important document, and not the name he wrote there, but instead the name Elona.

David let out a long sigh as soon as his master realized his mistake. He reached out, "Let me replace it with a new paper."

Arthur handed over the document quickly, then he went back to daydreaming. David could only shake his head to see it. He thought about how his work could be finished quickly, if the mind of his employer was not even on his work.

"If you miss Miss Elona, why don't you just meet her later in the afternoon at the lake?" ask David.

Arthur shook his head and dodged. "Hindu? I don't miss you!!"

"Yes yes." said David did not care. He did not care whether his young master would be angry with his cold attitude or not, because the one who hired him was the great master Ron Eckart, not his son.

Arthur is upset to see David respond, but he can't just fire him, or his father will get angry and his job is neglected.

Arthur sighed loudly, "After all, Elona only exercised for fifteen minutes by the lake, and that wasn't enough!!"

Geck! Geck!

The door of the study was knocked on by the waiter, and Arthur let him in.

"There's a letter, sir. From Mrs Iris Locke."

"From Iris? Quickly get!"

Arthur opens a hasty letter from his distant cousin. Slowly he read sentences by sentence, hoping Iris would answer all the questions he wrote in his previous letter.

And indeed Iris answered all her questions briefly. Then his cousin wrote him questions again.

"You want to ask about Elona? Know where you're from about him? Don't fuck around, Stefan won't let you near his sister. My husband's still grudging by your mischievous behavior about that itchy powder."

Arthur read the letter in his heart and clicked his tongue, "I don't care about Stefan!"

Then at the end of the letter Arthur read it again in his heart.

"On Elona's relationship with Louis Vandyke, don't you read the papers? It's clear there about the news."

"What's? The papers?" Arthur was astonished, then turned to David. "Did you keep the last newspaper?"

David took the newspaper out of his desk drawer and gave it to his master. Arthur grabbed him quickly and read it.

"Elona Locke and Louis Vandyke have ended their engagement!! David! How come you never told me about this news?!!"

"Because you are never interested in reading the newspaper" replied David melengos. Arthur was never interested in reading newspapers that contained mostly about gossip and rumors between nobles. But this time, it was of course an exception for him.

"Other times if there's any news about Locke's family, especially Elona, let me know quickly!" arthur's orders to his secretary. David just sighed.

"He did not miss, but sought."

"Whispering!!"

*****