Chapter 6

In truth, when Rowena asked whether he had lost his way, she was asking why he was still at this mansion.

Marquis Winderbane had been a part of this mansion since he was an infant.

Just as Rowena had grown up as the young lady of Libroth, Edric Bernhardt had grown up as the boy of Libroth.

He used to cross the very path they were walking along now while running errands for Mrs. Beaumont, so there was no way he could have lost his way.

But for some reason, his words about having found his way sounded sincere.

Rowena could not detect any falsehood in those beautiful eyes that held the light of the setting sun.

“Shall we walk for a while?”

“All right.”

The two walked in silence for some time.

The waves of purple flowers rippling over the flower beds flowed slowly past them.

When the rapidly darkening sky stretched their shadows a little thinner and longer, the marquis suddenly spoke.

“Actually, I was waiting because there’s something I’d like to ask your permission for.”

“What is it?”

“I’m thinking of ruining your husband a little. Would that be all right?”

Rowena could hardly believe her ears.

The completely opposite meaning contained in such a gentle and polite tone did not immediately register with her.

And so, she could only blankly repeat his words.

“You’re going to ruin my husband a little……”

The marquis raised one corner of his mouth.

“Ah, let me correct that. I’m not thinking of ruining him a little. I’m thinking of ruining him completely.”

“……Are you joking?”

“No.”

“You’re serious?”

Startled, Rowena looked up at the marquis.

“Completely.”

He shrugged as though confirming it.

Ruin Gerard?

It was not an entirely absurd statement.

In fact, even if Marquis Winderbane harbored a grudge against Gerard, no one would find it suspicious.

When Gerard had been one of her grandfather’s pupils during his childhood, he had joined forces with the other boys studying under him to torment Edric Bernhardt terribly.

Humiliating errands were commonplace, and they occasionally even resorted to using their fists.

Considering that distant past, it would not be unreasonable for the marquis to want revenge against Gerard.

However, it was rather strange that he would now seek revenge for something he had buried for so long.

Then something recent must have triggered it……

If it was something recent, could it be related to the wool export business or perfume business that Gerard had been forced to abandon with tears in his eyes?

“Well, those thoughts of yours are quite noisy.”

It was only when she heard the voice suddenly falling beside her left cheek that Rowena realized she had remained silent for a long time.

Her round cheeks reddened slightly.

However, the marquis laughed heartily as though he did not mind her rudeness in the slightest.

“I can practically hear you thinking.”

“It’s difficult to guess why you would want to do such a thing.”

“There are countless reasons. But I suppose the biggest reason is a personal grudge.”

“……”

“Of course, there’s also a more noble and impressive reason.”

“Could you tell me?”

“I’m going to try to crush the Baltan forces that will threaten the imperial family.”

“The Baltan forces…… that will threaten the imperial family?”

Baltan was a powerful nation in the northwest.

Forty-six years ago, that beast-like country had swung its sharp claws and destroyed the Kingdom of Vormios in the west.

As though that were not enough, it had continued to exert its might to the north and south, and she had heard that wars were currently raging in several countries.

Its conduct was so aggressive that people frequently spoke of the possibility that this neighboring country might also become a threat to the Ronest Empire.

But what did the Baltan forces have to do with Gerard?

“If you’re referring to the Baltan forces connected to Gerard…… Do you mean his spice business? But he only trades with Baltan’s merchant companies. He has no connections with Baltan’s upper class.”

“What if he’s being used by a powerful faction?”

“……”

Rowena’s eyes widened at the unexpected information.

In her previous life, Gerard’s spice business had grown rapidly within a short period and generated enormous profits.

Gerard had believed that success was due to his own “outstanding business sense.”

But to think that it had actually been the intended result of a powerful force working behind the scenes.

“Surprisingly, fate has entrusted even such an ordinary bastard with a grand mission. That spice business will become a source of funding for the Baltan forces within the imperial capital.”

“……If things go wrong, Libroth could end up being disgraced.”

“That will happen if we don’t take action in time.”

Rowena nodded deeply.

So that’s why the marquis returned instead of going to Marsen.

Did His Majesty the Emperor secretly issue him an imperial decree?

In any case, Rowena had no reason to interfere with such a noble and impressive plan.

While Rowena was thinking this, the two reached the end of the darkening walking path.

Stopping in front of the outer wall covered in ivy, Rowena looked directly up at the marquis.

“Please include me in that plan.”

The marquis’s lips curved into a relaxed arc.

It was an extraordinarily beautiful smile.

He crossed his arms with an interested expression.

“And what would be your reason, my lady?”

Just then, a bright star appeared in the sky, its light sparkling on the surface of Rowena’s eyes.

She spoke firmly.

“Because I’ve discovered that my marriage to Gerard is a fraud.”

Lying in bed, Rowena reflected on the marquis’s words.

“I’ll be hosting a banquet soon that married couples are expected to attend. I’ll send Sebas Charlton to you. Make sure you greet my invitation with a smile.”

Edric Bernhardt had then beautifully presented some rather harsh words in his exceptionally pleasant voice.

To summarize, this was what he had said.

Apparently, to swindle a vain fool who was both stupid and wicked, one must first blind him.

And he added that doing so was very easy.

“Anyway, I’m glad we have the same goal.”

Rowena’s murmur echoed through the empty bedroom.

Her husband had ultimately not returned home that day.

In the past, she would have suffered inwardly over his misconduct, but now she actually felt fortunate.

Not having Gerard in sight made her feel remarkably at ease.

I wish I could go on without seeing him forever.

Rowena pulled the blanket up to her neck and looked out the window.

The rapidly drifting clouds gently embraced the waist of the brilliantly shining full moon.

As the faint sound of a night bird crying somewhere in the distance reached her ears, Rowena’s tired eyelids slowly closed.

As for Gerard, yes. I’ve decided to attack him together with the marquis.

The problem was Camillia.

“I have to deal with Camillia on my own.”

Thinking about it, she had always allowed Camillia to manipulate her.

And so, when she actually considered standing up to Camillia, fear came first.

Someone might ask Rowena whether there were not elders in her family who could help her.

The answer to that was simple.

There were none.

Her grandfather had originally come from the Kingdom of Vormios, which had disappeared into the pages of history, and was a nobleman who had become a naturalized citizen of this empire.

She had heard that all his close relatives had died in the war.

Although distant relatives were scattered here and there among the royal families and noble houses of other countries, they had been connected to her grandfather only by ties as thin as spiderwebs.

Rowena, who was merely a countess from the countryside, did not know them personally.

Of course, the Libroth family had not always been so small.

There had once been a time when the family showed signs of flourishing.

However, that hope had been tragically shattered when Rowena was five years old.

Her parents and younger brother had all lost their lives in an accident.

That was precisely why young Rowena had relied on Camillia and Gerard.

Because she was sad and lonely.

Having grown up together, they were practically family to Rowena.

But unfortunately, Rowena was the only one who considered them family.

In her previous life, they had placed a rope around Rowena’s neck.

Then they had shamelessly pulled on that rope to control her.

Like a puppet in a puppet show, like an obedient young horse.

But the innocent Rowena had died.

The collar had come loose, and the rope had been severed.

Now, with freedom right before her eyes, Rowena gathered the fragments of her courage and made a vow.

“I can do this.”

In the early dawn, before the darkness had fully lifted, Edric climbed the marble stairs of his mansion.

Entering the corridor bathed in blue light, he strode into the brightly illuminated bathroom.

As he had instructed in advance, a bathtub filled with steaming water was waiting for him.

Edric pulled his sweat-soaked shirt over his head and stopped in front of the enormous mirror.

“Well, would you look at that……”

Having just finished his physical training, his n*ked body was covered in prominently bulging muscles.

Thick pectoral muscles, arms as hard as iron, clearly defined abdominal muscles, and thick thighs beneath them.

He carefully examined every part of his body.

Faced with such an unbelievably perfect physique, Edric once again felt the reality of having returned to the past.

In his previous life, Edric had died at the age of ninety.

Even on the final dawn of his previous life, he had trained his body without fail.

In other words, he had departed this world with an exceptionally fine physique.

The imperial physicians and cardinals who had attended to his remains must have felt awe before they even felt sorrow.

And perhaps Edric Bernhardt had been laid to rest in a luxurious coffin, buried in a sunlit patch of earth with a smile full of pride on his face.

Thus, throughout his two lives, Edric had consistently loved his own appearance.

And yet, the moment his eyes met his reflection in the mirror, he could not help being astonished once again.

“Ha! Ah, youth.”