“Libby…”

Her thoughts were filled with worry for her daughter.

Where was she now? What was she doing?

[Ten years of living as you pleased is enough. It’s time to repay the family’s kindness. I plan to arrange your marriage.]

Those were the words of Marquis Diarmuid when he had visited Gretel a few days ago, after she had been forcibly washed and dressed by the maids.

Gretel had doubted her ears.

[…What did you just say?]

[What, are your ears damaged from living outside?]

[What nonsense are you spouting!]

Unable to contain her rage, Gretel had lunged at the Marquis.

Despite being restrained by the maids, she had struggled and screamed.

[Living as I pleased? Don’t make me laugh! Your words are no different from calling a caged animal free! You devil!]

But the Marquis had paid no attention to her outburst.

Whenever she attempted to escape or caused a commotion, he would gag her and throw her into an empty room until she calmed down, only to repeat the process.

It was no different from taming a beast, but it was effective.

Having lost all will, Gretel now lived meaninglessly, confined in a room with barred windows.

However, to keep her promise to Laviela—to return to her side—Gretel forced herself to live, mechanically moving the spoon.

Seeing her eat without much resistance, the maid chattered away in relief.

“Since today requires extra preparation, should I bring out that navy dress we saw last time? It suited you so well.”

“Why… does it require extra preparation?”

Gretel turned her head, catching on to something in the maid’s words.

The maid hesitated, flustered, before reluctantly confessing.

“Well, the Marquis said your most likely suitor is visiting today. He’s coming to see you.”

“…What?”

—

Inside the rattling carriage of the Esperanza family, Jack Esperanza’s aide, Serpen, asked,

“My lord, are you truly planning to marry Gretel Diarmuid?”

Hearing this, Jack, who had been leaning back against the seat and flipping through documents, lifted his gaze.

That simple action made Serpen flinch, his shoulders stiffening under the weight of Jack’s crimson gaze.

No matter how much time passed, Serpen could never get used to those sharp red eyes that seemed ready to cut him down at any moment.

But Serpen was not someone who would cower and fall silent just because of a single glance. If he were, he wouldn’t have stayed by Jack’s side for nearly ten years.

“Frankly, this marriage offers no benefit. It’s more likely to give that snake Diarmuid an opportunity to meddle in the affairs of Esperanza. It’s a doomed investment.”

Suppressing his fear, Serpen firmly voiced his advice. It was his duty, after all.

And Jack didn’t dislike Serpen’s straightforwardness. In fact, he appreciated it.

‘He’s got guts, I’ll give him that.’

Few people dared to speak their minds so openly in front of Jack, trembling though they might.

That was precisely why Jack had chosen Serpen, a commoner, to be his aide.

A talent like his was rare.

‘…Though another one did show up recently.’

The moment Jack recalled Laviela, who had met his gaze but reflexively flinched her shoulders while keeping her expression unwavering, he let out a faint laugh.

“Serpen.”

“…Yes, my lord.”

“You’re right. Marrying Diarmuid will definitely be poison rather than medicine.”

As the image of Marquis Diarmuid’s face came to mind, the faint smile on Jack’s lips turned colder.

[So please, propose to my mother, Your Grace.]

[If you protect my mother, I will protect Lucian in return.]

In truth, Laviela’s proposal offered little benefit to Jack.

He had long since grown weary of the squabbles of retainers and nobles.

No matter how loudly they barked, they were nothing more than beasts that tucked their tails and bowed before those stronger than them.

Even if they barked at his side, it would be noisy but not threatening.

Jack’s marriage, Lucian’s succession to his title—everything could be crushed under his strength.

Even if rebellion arose as a result, Jack had more than enough power to wipe it out entirely.

Until Laviela appeared, Jack had indeed intended to act that way. Serpen knew this as well.

“Then why…”

Serpen’s face twisted further.

Yes, Jack Esperanza wasn’t foolish enough to be unable to distinguish between what harmed him and what benefited him.

‘If he were that stupid, I would’ve quit being his aide from the start. There’s no way I could work for such an empty-headed fool.’

So why?

Jack soon gave a calm answer to Serpen’s unspoken question.

“Even so. Could you ignore a child who risked death to escape hell and reached out for help?”

“…”

Serpen closed his mouth at those words.

Though he hadn’t been able to directly ask Laviela about her past, knowing it might reopen her wounds, there were plenty of other ways to uncover the truth.

[…Are you referring to Lady Laviela?]

For instance, through a knight named Paul.

Jack had visited Paul the night he regained consciousness.

At first, Paul had remained silent, staring at the wall. But Jack had persuaded him, explaining that it was necessary to rescue Laviela and Gretel from the Marquis’s grasp.

Eventually, Paul reluctantly opened his mouth and revealed what he knew.

Gretel Diarmuid had once had a lover, who later became her husband.

When she became pregnant, the Marquis discovered this and killed her husband, even attempting to kill the child. Gretel had resisted and was exiled to the north, where she had to live her life as if her child didn’t exist.

He also shared the story of Laviela, who had been forced to endure a life of nonexistence.

[The young lady forgave and embraced me, even though I committed a grave sin. Until the day I die, my only master will be Lady Laviela.]

Paul confessed everything without minimizing his faults, bowing his head.

Jack, who had experienced and heard much over the years, found himself at a loss for words after hearing Paul’s story.

How could one not feel awe for those who lived such fierce and desperate lives?

Jack lowered his gaze back to the documents in his hand and murmured,

“Once is enough for the experience of letting go of someone’s hand while weighing the benefits.”

“…”

Serpen didn’t respond to Jack’s murmuring, simply bowing his head.

He knew that the ‘experience’ Jack referred to was the death of Victor, his close friend and former aide.

Until they arrived at the Diarmuid estate, Jack and Serpen remained silent, focused on their documents as if by mutual agreement.

The silence was broken by the sound of horses’ hooves and the coachman’s voice.

“We’ve arrived, my lord.”

Serpen was the first to step out of the carriage, holding the door open.

Jack gathered the documents, placed them neatly in the carriage, and stepped onto the ground.

“Huff…”

As Jack straightened his body with an impassive expression, the knights and servants lined up at the Marquis’s front gate collectively held their breaths.

His overwhelming presence, combined with his godlike appearance, exuded an aura so intimidating it made those around him tremble.

Hands quivered, and heads instinctively lowered.

Yet amid the crowd bowing their heads, Marquis Diarmuid alone kept his neck stiffly upright.

He mechanically curled his lips into a smile and gave a slight bow.

“To think I’d one day welcome the Duke of Esperanza to the Diarmuid estate. It’s an unparalleled honor.”

Jack’s lips curled into a crooked smirk—not because he was pleased by the Marquis’s words.

‘What a snake of a man.’

On the surface, there was nothing wrong with Marquis Diarmuid’s words.

But if one delved deeper, they carried a note of wariness and suspicion, as if asking, “What wind blew to bring your precious face here?”

In some ways, Jack and Marquis Diarmuid were alike. Jack, too, was a master of hiding blades within his words.

However, after hearing about Laviela’s life, Jack found it unnecessary to go through the trouble of concealing his blades from someone like this.

Jack stared directly at the Marquis and spoke.

“Marquis Diarmuid.”

“…Yes, Your Grace?”

“I can hear the gears turning in your head from here.”

At those words, the Marquis’s brows twitched slightly.

Jack tapped his temple with his right index finger.

“I can hear you desperately scheming to climb above me.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean. I was merely…”

“Since when were you and I equals, able to exchange words on the same level?”

“…”

The Marquis silently clenched his fists behind his back.

His jaw tightened, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

Though Jack didn’t look, his sly smile and sharp gaze suggested he was fully aware of everything.

“If you’re a merchant, act like one.”

“…”

“I rarely feel inclined to offer you anything, so don’t make me take it back.”

Jack ended his words with a gentle tone, lightly patting the Marquis on the shoulder.

The Marquis forced a smile, gritting his teeth inwardly.

‘That bastard.’

This was why he could never let go of his greed and ambition for power.

Despite being younger and less experienced, Jack Esperanza could trample on his pride and act so arrogantly simply because he was a duke.

His clenched fists dug so deeply into his palms that his nails left marks.

The sharp pain was palpable, but the Marquis endured with a smile.

‘If this marriage goes through and Gretel bears a child…’

That would be the day Jack Esperanza’s life would end.

As he imagined tearing Jack limb from limb, the Marquis smiled faintly.

He extended an arm gracefully, gesturing toward the mansion.

“Please, come inside. My daughter is waiting in the drawing room. However, as she is frail, she occasionally says nonsensical things, so please don’t take her words too seriously.”