Chapter 6

Lennox had died once before.

Because of that woman—Vera Bellonsa.

Crunch.

Even now, merely recalling it made him grind his teeth.

“Your Grace, I’ve known for a long time that you love me. But I’m sorry. I simply cannot return your feelings.”

“What?”

“No matter how you look at me, my heart won’t change!”

The moment he heard those words, Lennox had only one thought.

This woman has completely lost her mind.

She had convinced herself that he was in love with her, rejected feelings he had never possessed, and in the end, pushed him toward his death.

After dying, Lennox opened his eyes once more.

When he realized he had returned to the past, confusion overtook him.

“…Was it all a dream?”

But it wasn't.

Day after day passed, and exactly as before, he rescued a child during the western campaign.

When he declared his intention to register the child as his heir, the Emperor vehemently objected and instead held a grand banquet to celebrate his military victory.

Every conversation with those around him unfolded exactly as he remembered—not a single word different.

Only then did Lennox become certain.

He had truly gone back in time.

This must be a revelation.

A divine warning to crush those who would one day stab him in the back before they ever had the chance.

And above all else—

Vera Bellonsa.

He could never allow her to continue unchecked.

Once he understood that he had returned to the past, Lennox swore not only to destroy Vera but to utterly ruin her entire family.

Yet there was one unexpected exception.

“Estelle. My name is Estelle Bellonsa.”

That woman had appeared before him.

“Did I arrive in the capital earlier than before and change the future?”

The woman who had fled after seeing him speaking with Estelle was the very person who had become his wife in his previous life.

If history was repeating itself exactly, then Estelle alone stood out as an anomaly.

“Though I certainly didn’t expect her to mention the mandrake…”

Lennox knew the value of the mandrake all too well.

He had once desperately sought one for the sake of his elder sister—the only family he could truly call his own.

It had been said to be the sole cure for her illness, so when one finally appeared at auction, he had not hesitated to bid an astronomical sum.

Even so, it had never become his.

Just my luck that the Temple’s lapdog interfered and snatched it away.

It remained one of the most bitter memories of his previous life.

And now, the very mandrake he couldn’t obtain even after wagering five years’ worth of his duchy’s budget had practically fallen into his lap.

“So even among the Bellonsas, she’s at least smarter than Vera.”

Simply because Estelle belonged to the same family, Lennox found it difficult to like her.

She claimed she had come to him to escape a marriage to an old man, but for all he knew, she might secretly be weaving rosy fantasies just like Vera had.

“Haven’t you heard of marrying first and falling in love later? We could start with a contract marriage and end up falling for each other!”

Vera had once said those exact words.

“Hah. What a ridiculous notion.”

Merely remembering her gave him a headache.

The reason he accepted Estelle despite despising the Bellonsa family was simple.

If I marry that woman, the Bellonsas lose their source of money.

The current Bellonsa household survived by feeding off Estelle’s immense fortune.

Maintaining a marriage with her alone would cut off their financial lifeline.

And by keeping her close, I can uncover the family’s weaknesses as well.

It was the perfect arrangement.

His blood-red eyes, brimming with hatred, reflected clearly in the polished blade now scrubbed free of blood.

Shing.

Lennox sheathed the sword.

“Come to think of it…”

Why did he have no memory of ever meeting Estelle Bellonsa before? If she was Vera’s sister, surely their paths should have crossed at least once.

“Oh… that’s right. She died.”

Was it an accident?

He didn’t know.

Nor did he care. As long as the terms of their contract were fulfilled, it would no longer concern him.

With that indifferent thought, Lennox cast Estelle from his mind and tossed aside the bloodstained handkerchief without a second glance.

* * *

The next morning—

“Estelle Bellonsa!”

Count Bellonsa’s furious roar echoed throughout the mansion.

“What exactly have you done?!”

“…I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

“You don’t? You dare say you don’t? Matthias…”

Only that morning had the Count learned what had happened to Matthias, and his face cycled through shades of red and blue with rage.

“He was found unconscious inside a carriage! And according to everyone at the banquet, no one even saw him there yesterday!”

“…”

“This was your doing, wasn’t it?”

“When Matthias wakes up, ask him yourself. You wouldn’t believe anything I say anyway.”

“Answer the question! What did you do to my son?!”

Matthias wasn’t dead.

He had merely fainted.

He collapsed the moment he sensed demonic energy. It’s hard to say I actually did anything to him.

Explaining the entire sequence of events would only drag matters out, so Estelle simply feigned ignorance.

Knock. Knock.

“My lord, a visitor has arrived.”

“At this hour without notice? Tell them to come back another time—I’m busy!”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“What, has the Emperor himself come?”

“No. The Duke of Winterren has come to propose marriage to Lady Estelle.”

“What?”

The Count’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Lady Estelle, you should go at once. His Grace mentioned that he is not known for his patience…”

“Very well. We can’t keep the Duke waiting.”

Draping a shawl lightly over her shoulders, Estelle followed the butler.

With no opportunity left to continue his outburst, Count Bellonsa hurried after them.

But the butler did not lead them to the drawing room.

Instead, they stopped at the entrance hall, where an imposing figure dressed in black stood waiting.

The Count immediately turned on the butler.

“Why in the world didn’t you escort His Grace to the reception room?”

“I told him I would wait here.”

The answer came from Lennox himself.

“I-Is that so?”

The Count’s voice instantly dropped into a servile tone.

It was painfully obvious where Matthias had inherited his tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong.

“Estelle Bellonsa.”

Ignoring the Count entirely, Lennox strode straight toward her.

“Marry me.”

His voice was blunt and expressionless, but with his striking appearance, it almost seemed as though nervousness had made him stiff.

He presented her with a velvet case.

Inside lay a dazzling diamond necklace.

And that wasn’t all.

“I didn’t know what you liked, so I brought everything that caught my eye. You may keep it all.”

As if waiting for that cue, the doors swung open and servants filed in, arranging flowers and jewels in neat rows.

There’s no ring.

Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hairpins—countless ornaments were placed into Estelle’s hands.

Only one thing was missing.

A ring.

The absence drove home once more that this proposal was all appearance and no sincerity.

She was about to answer when—

“W-Wait just a moment, Your Grace! Marriage negotiations were already underway between Estelle and Count Blim!”

Count Bellonsa blurted out in a panic.

“My daughter may be beautiful, but breaking off the arrangement would require paying a substantial penalty. We would need time to reconsider…”

“I’ll pay it.”

Lennox answered as though it were nothing.

“It’s an enormous sum.”

“Are you suggesting I can’t afford it?”

“N-No! I meant no such thing!”

“Then all that remains is to hear Lady Estelle’s decision.”

It felt like a play whose script had already been written.

Her answer had been decided from the start.

“I accept your proposal.”

“What?”

“Then we’ll depart for the Winterren territory immediately.”

“…Pardon?”

Caught in the middle, the Count looked from Estelle to Lennox and back again, utterly bewildered.

“W-Wait. You mean my daughter is leaving as well?”

“Yes. Do you object?”

“Of course I—”

“I don’t.”

Estelle cut him off in an even voice.

“There’s nothing I need to pack. I can leave just as I am.”

The ignored Count looked ready to explode, but suddenly suspicion crossed his face.

Could it be…

Had these two already settled everything between themselves?

He might mistreat Estelle whenever he pleased, but offending Lennox was another matter entirely.

Instantly changing tactics, the Count bowed his head.

“Your Grace, though we share no blood, I have cherished and raised her as my own daughter. Please allow us a brief moment to speak before she leaves.”

Rather than shouting, he pleaded meekly.

Lennox regarded him with open disdain before shifting his gaze to Estelle.

“You’re asking the wrong person. What do you wish to do?”

“I’d like to say one final farewell. It won’t take long.”

“Very well. I’ll wait outside. Call for me if anything happens.”

For a man who had only just proposed, his tone remained remarkably detached.

Then he turned and walked out.

The instant he disappeared, Count Bellonsa seized Estelle roughly by the shoulders.

“What in the world is going on?”

His grip hurt.

For a moment she almost frowned, but instead she concealed every trace of hostility beneath a gentle smile.

“Count, I’m going to bring back a fortune that makes Count Blim’s wealth look insignificant.”

“Is this some kind of joke? The Duke of Winterren can’t even be killed with demonic energy!”

Keeping his voice low enough that no one else could hear, the Count hissed at her.

“You don’t have to kill someone to get money.”

She smiled calmly.

“His Grace promised me a huge settlement when we divorce.”

“What?”

“If you investigate, you’ll find I’m telling the truth. He’s been discreetly spreading word that he’s looking for a temporary wife.”

“How would you know that…? No, more importantly—if it’s temporary, when does the divorce happen?”

“In about a year.”

“A whole year?”

The Count’s face immediately drained of color.

“Only a year.”

“No… no, this won’t do.”

On the day Estelle awoke after surviving her attempted poisoning, the Count had been informed that she was terminally ill.

The reason he had concealed that truth from her ever since was simple.

If Estelle learned she had little time left to live, she might refuse to marry.

And if she refused to marry, she would never bring home her husband’s fortune.

That was the only reason.