Being aware of my feelings, sitting alone with Yuri in a confined space made my heart start pounding again.

‘Ugh… don’t get ahead of yourself, heart.’

This wasn’t the time for it to be racing.

If it were Yuri, who was quick to notice things, he would surely pick up on my change soon. Feeling anxious, I glanced at Yuri nervously.

Then, it happened.

Thud!

“Ah!”

The carriage shook violently as if it were about to topple over. Yuri grabbed my arm as I stumbled.

“Careful.”

“No, the pots are more important than me!”

I appreciated Yuri’s concern for me, but the tulips I had painstakingly acquired spilling everywhere was a bigger issue for me.

Either way, the carriage came to a halt after that jolt. I ran my hand through my hair and opened the carriage window.

“How can you stop so suddenly!”

“Th-there’s a person in front of the carriage.”

“What?”

What did they mean by a person?

I tilted my head in confusion and got off. There, narrowly missing the carriage, lay a man sprawled on the ground.

“Oh?”

Could he have been hit by the carriage?

While I stood there in shock, unsure of what to do, Yuri approached and turned the man over. His face was very familiar.

“…Asel?”

He was none other than my husband from my first life.

Asel was the eldest son of a baronial family that was as poor as ours.

He worked hard to pay for his sick sibling’s medicine.

‘He was a diligent person. Hardworking, and although he was rarely home due to work, he helped with housework when he was.’

In truth, I had hurriedly married Asel at that time to avoid a terrible marriage arranged by my father. Still, I valued Asel’s diligence.

‘But Asel was too kind-hearted.’

Even after working himself to the bone, he would give away his earnings to any poor soul he encountered on the street.

Then one day.

[Someone has finally come forward to invest in my mine.]

Diamonds were found in the only asset he inherited—a mine.

[We’re rich now. We won’t have to struggle anymore.]

He comforted me like that, but then…

[I’m sorry. Madam, your husband has taken his own life.]

He was swindled and ended up hanging himself in despair.

He was always out working, never home, claiming to be looking for investors for the mine on his days off.

He said the hard times were over…

‘Looking back, we were more comrades than a married couple.’

Two unfortunate lives meeting and struggling to survive together, like comrades in arms.

Of course, life wasn’t that easy, and we both ended up defeated.

‘But why is Asel lying here now?’

At any rate, he was alive much later than this and even married me, so he couldn’t be dead. He never mentioned anything about a carriage accident.

‘Or did he? My memory should be correct, right? Surely Asel wouldn’t forget and not tell me?’

Of course, my memory wasn’t infallible, which made me uneasy. I hesitantly approached and cautiously asked Yuri, “He’s not dead, is he?”

Yuri calmly checked Asel’s condition, much more composed than I was. After thoroughly examining him, Yuri nodded.

“He just seems to have fainted. There’s no sign of him being hit by the carriage.”

“Phew.”

Of course, fainting wasn’t exactly good news either, but it was better than being hit by a carriage.

Most people die when hit by a carriage.

“But Titi, do you know him? You called out his name earlier.”

“Ah…”

I must have called Asel’s name in shock.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly. I could pretend I had mistaken him for someone else, but I didn’t want to lie to Yuri.

“I’ll explain later. Should we take him to a hospital first?”

Yuri looked at me intently for a moment, then slowly nodded. Just then, it happened.

“Ugh.”

Asel, who had been unconscious, groaned and stirred.

‘Ah, why is he waking up now?’

It was a truly complex feeling. I was glad to see him again, like meeting an old friend, but I also felt a strong urge to pretend I didn’t know him and walk away.

While I was torn, Asel opened his eyes.

“Uh, um…”

“Yes, please speak.”

Yuri remained calm even in this situation. Everyone, including me, Yuri, the coachman, and the onlookers, focused on Asel’s lips.

Asel pleaded with Yuri in a pitiful voice.

“Please, some food… I’m so hungry…”

He had fainted from hunger.

***

“Thank you. I really appreciate it, but…”

Asel looked down at the oatmeal porridge in front of him with a grim expression.

Sure, he probably wanted to eat something delicious, like freshly baked warm bread or meat.

But that wasn’t possible.

“You’ve gone without food for a long time, so eating rich food would only upset your stomach. If you finish this first, I’ll make sure you get more food later, so please start with the oatmeal.”

“…It’s painful, but thank you.”

Someone might get angry, thinking he was complaining about the food when he was starving. But I knew why Asel disliked oatmeal, so I didn’t say anything.

‘He lived eating only oatmeal with his sibling.’

Asel’s sibling was sick and could only swallow oatmeal. After years of eating just oatmeal, it was no wonder he was sick of it.

Yuri looked at me curiously since I wasn’t nagging, then asked Asel, who was eating the oatmeal.

“What happened that you ended up collapsing there?”

Despite his earlier complaints, Asel was eagerly devouring the oatmeal porridge. It was impressive that he could answer Yuri’s question while doing so.

“Oh, my name is Asel Birdwood. I’m a fallen noble living on the outskirts of the capital. Originally, my family’s estate was in a region far from the capital…”

He explained that the estate originally owned by his ancestors was near my hometown.

I already knew this, so I wasn’t particularly interested.

After his lengthy introduction, Asel finally got to the main point.

“…There’s a mine that has been passed down through my family. I came to the capital because I wanted to develop it.”

“Ah, so you were looking for investors for the mine.”

“That’s right.”

Yuri listened attentively to the rather dull story, maintaining a kind demeanor throughout. Then he tilted his head.

“That seems a bit strange. Didn’t you say the mine inspection was conducted by an investigator sent by the imperial palace?”

“Yes. I have the certification with me.”

Yuri examined it and looked even more puzzled.

“Of course, the expected minerals and estimated reserves aren’t exceptionally promising, but it’s odd that not a single investor has shown interest.”

“Really?”

Without realizing it, I interjected into their conversation.

‘That mine is a jackpot. The deposits were diamonds, and the quantity was substantial.’

This was already a confirmed fact from the past. The problem was that Asel had signed a contract with a con artist.

But why was it strange that no investors were interested?

Yuri stroked his chin and said, “Titi, you know too, right? These days, people with money are desperate to find good investment opportunities. It’s strange that not a single person has come forward to invest, even in a small mine.”

“That’s true.”

In the current empire, not only nobles but even commoners were buying flowers to decorate their homes. As Yuri said, people had so much money that they couldn’t find ways to invest it, leading to frequent business investment solicitations along with gambling at clubhouses.

‘Now that I think about it, it really is strange. I didn’t notice anything odd back then.’

Was someone preventing investors from getting involved with Asel’s mine?

I seriously tried to recall the past, but nothing came to mind. Meanwhile, Asel, who had finished the oatmeal porridge, casually peeled and ate a banana from the table.

“Well, what can I do? No one is willing to invest in me. I guess some people just aren’t meant to succeed.”

Could you just focus on eating or being gloomy, not both?

I was debating whether to scold or comfort him when Yuri handed Asel a small pouch. It contained coins.

“Take this and buy some bread to take home today. Can you come back tomorrow?”

“I-I can’t repay this money right away, but someday I will…”

“No, I’m not asking you to come back tomorrow to repay the money. I want to discuss the business again.”

“…What?”

Asel blinked as if he had been struck, then broke into a bright smile.

“Re-really? Great! What time should I come tomorrow?”

“Around noon? It would be nice to talk over lunch.”

“I’m really grateful! Thank you! I’ll definitely repay this kindness!”

Asel bowed several times and then quickly ran out with the coin pouch.

Seeing his suspicious-looking retreating figure, I couldn’t help but click my tongue.

‘Maybe everyone thought Asel was a con artist because of that demeanor?’

You need to inspire trust to secure investments.