And he also took the ‘Hill of Stones.’

It was a place destined to become the most valuable land in the Empire soon.

The only place where the Empire obtained salt was from the southern sea. But soon, a major earthquake would occur, and black lava would leak from the cracks in the seabed.

People called it ‘black lava’ because it was black and sticky, and would burst into flames when ignited.

Seafood like fish could be caught from the deep sea, but salt was different. Water had to be drawn from the coast, but due to the black lava, the nearby sea would be polluted, making salt production impossible for a while.

‘When salt becomes more expensive than diamonds, salt was discovered at the Hill of Stones.’

It was rock salt.

Because of this, House Mücke had amassed enormous wealth in her previous life.

That’s why she had specifically pointed to it as compensation for breaking the engagement, but she never expected Kartun would beat her to it.

Since he also had memories of his previous life, purchasing that land was an extremely sensible decision. Daphne had missed it because she had regressed later than him.

‘But what if…’

She became curious about what expression he would make if she asked for the Hill of Stones as a wedding gift.

Even if not, she would soon thrust the mining rights of that land right under Kartun’s nose. Judging by his absence today, he seemed unaware that this bill had passed earlier than in her previous life.

Daphne would have missed this opportunity too if Zenos hadn’t told her.

‘Will he be angry that I didn’t tell him in advance? Anyway, I no longer need to ask for it as a wedding gift.’

Whether she liked it or not, she would have to see his expression soon.

Daphne fiddled with the mining rights certificate she had purchased today. She had given Gabriel so much that it hardly made a dent in her holdings.

She had invested three times the amount of Werner’s unpaid dignity maintenance fees and all of Zenos’s entire fortune.

For a moment, she wondered what expression he would make if he knew about this.

Daphne imagined his reaction.

‘Will he raise his hand again?’

She smiled bitterly.

Looking at the mining rights, she recalled Gabriel’s kindness and Zenos’s rapid transformation from a bad person to someone somewhat useful.

Next was Kartun. He was too difficult to summarize in a single line. He was the person who had changed the most throughout her two lifetimes.

In contrast, the mining rights would not change.

Just like Leonhardt and Ludwig, and Christine who always put her daughter on the back burner while serving her daughter-in-law.

Daphne clutched the mining rights certificate to her chest, reining in her heart that had dared to hope in people.

After giving up on people, she felt light as if she could fly.

When Daphne arrived home, it was already lunchtime. And Margo was there.

Werner, Christine, Margo, Stephanie, and Fabian were seated in the dining room.

“Sister, hurry! We’ve just started!”

Fabian welcomed her warmly, while Christine wore a slightly displeased expression. Daphne deliberately greeted Margo affectionately.

“I didn’t hear you were coming. If I had known, I would have hurried back. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry. I was also invited suddenly today. Have you been well?”

Werner seemed relieved, perhaps seeing hope that Daphne would get along well with Margo. Fabian looked proud that his sister was friendly with the Empire’s hero.

On the other hand, Stephanie and Christine didn’t look comfortable at all. Especially Stephanie, who apparently hadn’t anticipated their friendship, narrowed her eyes sharply.

‘How dare she, it’s so annoying…’

Unlike her usual self, Stephanie’s emotions were blatantly revealed in her gaze.

After the meal ended—uncomfortable for two people and pleasant for the rest—dessert was served.

Christine proudly announced, “This is a dessert Stephanie came up with.”

It was impressive enough to make even Daphne nod in approval.

A boat-shaped cut melon topped with melon sherbet mixed with rum and sprinkled with gold dust was ordinary enough. But what made it special was the delicate sail made of thinly piped whipped cream woven together.

It looked like a green boat with white sails.

“Mmm, the flavor is excellent.”

“Something that looks good tastes good too.”

As compliments poured in from all around, Stephanie smiled brightly.

Then she addressed Margo.

“Dame Margrit, does it suit your taste?”

“Yes, it’s wonderful. The shape is pretty too.”

“I just had a good idea. If you like this dessert, how about trying the real thing?”

Everyone looked at Stephanie, wondering what she meant. She continued with growing excitement.

“There’s a large lake not far from the mansion. It’s perfect for boating. Summer is almost over—how about one last water outing?”

Boating and a final water outing. Stephanie confirmed Daphne’s suspicions with her next words.

“Young Master Fabian, you must come too. Your mother has missed you so much. So you absolutely cannot miss it.”

Christine became excited at Stephanie’s suggestion and started planning the schedule. Others also began offering their opinions with smiles.

But Daphne couldn’t join in.

She recalled the warning she had given Zenos when she first met him after her regression.

“Don’t go near water… Beware of those who suddenly call you out.”

Even though she wanted to believe it wasn’t true, too many things matched up.

Daphne glared coldly at Stephanie.

‘It was you!’

Zenos had no friends. So there weren’t many people who could have called him out.

They say enemies aren’t far away, but she hadn’t realized they were this close. Looking at the smiling Stephanie made her skin crawl even more.

For the first time since her regression, words Daphne hadn’t calculated spilled from her mouth.

“Father, I just had a good idea too.”

“Oh, yes. Tell me.”

“You mentioned that the Hill of Stones was sold, right?”

“Huh?”

Werner was quite flustered by this sudden change of topic, especially in front of Margo.

“…Yes, it was. Daphne, let’s discuss this later.”

As Werner visibly panicked at Daphne’s unexpected question, the people who had been planning the boat outing fell silent one by one and looked at them.

Yet Daphne continued deliberately, paying no mind to their reactions.

“No. This is very important. We might miss the opportunity if we don’t negotiate at the right time.”

Stephanie quickly interjected.

“By negotiation, do you mean compensation? I’m also curious how much Leonhardt will pay.”

She spoke in an especially loud voice, as if wanting Margo to hear.

‘Look, your daughter-in-law is a woman who sees everything in terms of money, even the man she was engaged to for years.’

Stephanie’s face seemed to convey this message.

The atmosphere became even more rigid than when Daphne had mentioned the Hill of Stones.

But Daphne didn’t back down and countered.

“Yes, that’s right. So could you please be quiet?”

Stephanie’s lips trembled, and Christine was so dumbfounded she forgot to scold Daphne.

Daphne continued speaking to Werner, completely unconcerned.

“I recently heard some news.”

While addressing Werner, she gave Stephanie a meaningful look.

“I heard that the Duchess owns the Empire’s finest vineyard. But recently, she signed a power of attorney entrusting all her assets to the young duke of Mücke. While we can’t claim what belongs to the Duchess, we can certainly demand anything entrusted to the party who caused the breakup.”

Stephanie couldn’t believe her ears. How could Daphne know about the conversation that should have been between just Leonhardt and Ludwig?

They had agreed to trade Daphne for it. Could she possibly know about this? Stephanie felt a chill run down her spine.

Daphne smiled, glancing at her as she spoke.

“So contact him right away. The cash-strapped young duke of Mücke might sell it to someone else.”

And that buyer would be you.

Daphne’s gaze seemed to convey those words.

Stephanie muttered to herself:

‘Stay calm, stay calm. Even if she knows, what can she do?’

Even if Ludwig said he was selling her, who would believe it? And they couldn’t touch him either.

Then Stephanie’s eyes met Margo’s sharp gaze. This time, her palms broke out in cold sweat.

‘Why is she looking at me? Did I show too much panic?’

Stephanie tried hard to remain calm, but her body wouldn’t cooperate.

Werner was equally surprised.

He had heard that Barbara and Gustav’s relationship had deteriorated beyond repair. It happened while he was at sea, so he didn’t know the exact details.

But the rumors he heard were quite bad. Gustav had supposedly imprisoned Barbara, though he thought this must be an exaggeration.

‘But a power of attorney?’

If a wife became unable to manage her assets, she couldn’t bypass her husband to transfer them to her son. Perhaps for small matters it might be overlooked, but the vineyard was invaluable.

If what Daphne said was true, this was clearly illegal.