Chapter 2

Catherine, emerging from her recollections, let out a long breath. Just recalling the memories had drained her body of energy.

‘I should have made a more precise wish back then.’

It would have been better if she had returned to before meeting Hugo, but she had returned after they were already married and had even spent their first night together.

Still, having a second chance at life was something. Catherine accepted her return positively.

There was no time to be surprised or to waste time.

Upon her return, Catherine requested a divorce from Hugo to avoid repeating past mistakes.

It was on the third day of their marriage.

– Let’s get a divorce.

Divorce was the only way to save both Hugo and herself.

Despite the sudden demand for a divorce, Hugo was very calm. Catherine thought she saw his eyes waver for a moment, but she dismissed it as her own misperception.

Since then, Catherine had never regretted using the holy artifact or getting a divorce.

‘It seems the side effects Mother mentioned haven’t appeared either.’

After the divorce, Catherine promptly moved to the capital.

She used her returned dowry to buy a house in the capital and rented rooms to women debuting in society.

There was a reason Catherine hurriedly divorced and spent most of her dowry on buying a house.

It was obvious how Countess Bedwig would react once the divorce became known.

She would have tried to prevent the divorce or take all the dowry.

By not giving her the chance, Catherine was able to secure both the divorce and the house in the capital.

After settling in the capital, Catherine planned to collect holy water while fulfilling the mission of her clan.

She still had a wish she desperately wanted to make.

‘I will properly compensate for the life I ruined for Hugo.’

And four years after her return, Catherine’s business was thriving. Thanks to this, the completion of the holy artifact was imminent.

And now she meets Lillie.

Catherine hesitated.

She wondered if she could sincerely support and bring about Lillie’s love.

Even putting aside personal feelings, it was clear from Lillie’s past actions that it would be a challenging endeavor.

‘The more difficult the couple, the faster the essence gathers…….’

She wondered if she could make Lillie, who was deeply infatuated with Hugo, fall in love with someone else.

‘If it’s possible, there’s nothing better.’

In fact, she had once filled half of the Heart Pendant by arranging a marriage between families that were enemies.

Catherine paused her document review and thought of Hugo.

She had heard that Hugo, who had participated in the war, had recently returned to his territory. But he could be called to the battlefield again at any time.

His territory was poor, so he had to run a mercenary band to earn money.

Hugo didn’t initially own the mercenary band.

Initially, he was conscripted as a commander and led about fifty multinational mercenaries.

Leading a mercenary band composed of people from various countries was extremely difficult.

One had to be fluent in multiple foreign languages and possess the charisma to firmly command seasoned mercenaries.

Moreover, on the battlefield, loyalty was measured by skill, not title. Naturally, one had to be exceptionally skilled to lead a mercenary band.

Hugo quickly took control of them. The number of mercenaries following him grew from 50 to over 200 in no time.

Later, they moved with Hugo without contracting with any kingdom.

“The Raven Mercenary Band.”

Catherine’s lips moved.

Any country at war welcomed Hugo’s mercenary band with open arms. Though small in size, they never failed in any battle.

‘Thanks to that, I was left alone.’

Catherine rubbed her face with her dry hand. In the past, she thought he roamed because he loved war…….

‘Now I know otherwise.’

But no matter how skilled a commander he was, death on the battlefield was not something skill alone could avoid.

And no matter how much he liked the battlefield, it couldn’t be better than a warm bed.

Yes, for Hugo’s sake.

Catherine decided to take the risk.

She fiddled with the pendant containing the essence of love.

Catherine resented Lillie but didn’t want her to be unhappy.

She had experienced love herself. She couldn’t fully hate Lillie, even if she didn’t understand her actions.

So as long as it wasn’t with Hugo, she could help Lillie find love with someone else.

‘If I leave Lillie alone, she might trouble Hugo again.’

In the past, Lillie had caused Hugo a lot of trouble.

Lillie was practically a stalker. She would suddenly appear wherever Hugo was, and send bombarding letters to the battlefield.

‘Come to think of it, Hugo does have high standards.’

Lillie was very pretty. She had a universally appealing appearance. She came from a good family and was knowledgeable.

‘Yet he wasn’t swayed. Even though he didn’t love me.’

Catherine smiled bitterly.

At one point, she thought Hugo might like her.

But after learning the truth, she dismissed that thought.

‘Because of me, he made a slave-like contract with Countess Bedwig and struggled on the battlefield. There’s no way he liked me.’

Unless he was a saint, it was an unrealistic thought.

‘It must have been because of the promise. That’s why he pushed Lillie away.’

Marriage is a kind of promise.

Considering he endured ten years of harsh treatment and contributed money to the Bedwig family, Catherine’s thoughts seemed plausible.

‘What am I even thinking!’

Catherine was startled by her thoughts. She had been thinking about Hugo all day, something she hadn’t done in a long time.

It was all because of Lillie. Catherine shook her head to clear her thoughts.

Introducing Lillie to someone else was for the benefit of both Hugo and Lillie.

“Let’s reduce the two years of hardship to one.”

With a clink, Catherine shook the essence of love and confirmed Lillie as a resident of Catherine House.

***

Having decided on Lillie’s residency and feeling mentally exhausted, Catherine went out under the pretext of buying curtains for the residents’ rooms.

Butler Elbert promptly prepared the carriage.

Decorating the rooms and refurbishing the mansion whenever new residents arrived was Catherine’s pleasure.

From lunch until the afternoon, Catherine shopped continuously.

‘Should I call it a day?’

Yuri, the maid carrying a load of packages, didn’t look pleased.

She smiled as if to say she was fine whenever their eyes met, but the sweat running down her face was undeniable.

“Let’s go back home.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to see more?”

Catherine gave Yuri, who was saying things she didn’t mean, a light smile.

“Call the carriage.”

Yuri quickly went to call the carriage.

The carriage arrived promptly. As soon as Catherine boarded, it started moving smoothly.

Despite the carriage’s swaying, Catherine maintained a straight posture and fell into thought.

Playing the role of a love messenger required more attention than one might think.

“Madam.”

Yuri spoke to Catherine.

“The carriage has stopped.”

Catherine lifted her head. As Yuri said, the carriage had stopped.

“What happened?”

“I’ll go check!”

Instead of opening the window connected to the coachman, Yuri moved herself. She was always quick on her feet.

“Looks like someone’s moving. It’ll take a while for the carriage to get through.”

Yuri grumbled after returning from outside.

“Moving?”

Catherine craned her neck out the window to check. A carriage loaded with moving items was blocking the street.

“It’s near our house.”

“Yes. It looks like it’ll take a while.”

Yuri criticized the inconsiderate homeowner for blocking the main street without a second thought.

“They must have a lot of stuff. Let’s just walk.”

Catherine cheerfully got up and opened the carriage door. The coachman quickly approached and set up the step. Yuri held a parasol over Catherine’s head as she got out.

“They’re not entirely inconsiderate, Yuri.”

The carriage couldn’t pass, but there was enough space for two people to walk side by side.

Catherine glanced at the moving carriage. As she expected, there was a lot of stuff.

Most of the carriages belonged to a trading company. It seemed the homeowner had replaced all the furniture and fixtures.

‘They must be wealthy. The house prices during the social season are quite high, and they even bought furniture.’

During the social season, house prices in the capital skyrocketed.

Especially in the neighborhood where Catherine House was located, the house prices were famously high even within the capital.

“Oh! Mistress! Look at that emblem!”

Suddenly, Yuri exclaimed. The shadow above Catherine’s head wavered.

Catherine looked at the carriage Yuri pointed to. The emblem on the carriage was very familiar to Catherine.

A shield, a sword, and a lion with its front paw raised.

“Ah…….”

A faint sigh escaped Catherine’s lips.

“It’s the Edward family emblem.”

“……Yes, it’s the Edward family.”

Catherine’s heart wavered like a ship caught in a storm.

Yuri craned her neck and looked around. It was obvious who she was looking for.

Catherine quickened her pace and prayed.

That it wasn’t Hugo.

And if it was, that at least it wasn’t the house next door.

But unfortunately, her hopes were dashed in front of Catherine House.

She saw the belongings being moved into the house next door and a man nonchalantly watching the workers.

A man so noticeable, so striking that it was impossible not to see him.

Catherine’s steps halted. She couldn’t stop her gaze from drifting towards him, even though she knew she shouldn’t look.

Hugo, sensing her gaze, lifted his head.

For a moment, their eyes met.

Catherine held her breath.

His dark hair was almost blindingly bright, his golden eyes sparkled excessively, his long eyelashes and high nose, and his white skin that didn’t look fragile due to his sturdy build.

Hugo Edward.

The man she divorced because she loved him too much, had moved in next door.