That night, the maids put quite a bit of effort into my grooming. I silently soaked in the bathwater, worried it would seem strange if I said it wasn’t necessary, and it seemed to be a much higher quality product than what I usually used.

‘This is rose scented. I should have Tilla find out what product this is.’

After shooing away the maids who wanted to do more with a look and returning, Iophe was leaning against the bed looking at documents. Even knowing I’d entered, he didn’t take his eyes off the documents.

‘If you hate it, leave.’

With the somewhat childish thought that whoever left first would lose, I also pretended not to notice and went to the opposite side. Iophe opened his mouth.

“There’s a party at Sietan Gallery. Let’s go together.”

It seemed he intended to make full use of me during our contract period. I had nothing to say since I was the one who underestimated a contract with a businessman, but I didn’t expect him to come at me like this.

‘Even so, I didn’t think he’d find an opportunity this quickly.’

To be honest, I just wanted to leisurely play in my room, score some points with Duke Hertus, visit the territory, obtain medicine to cure my hereditary disease there, and return straight to Idebald’s townhouse.

‘Since he’s going to squeeze me dry anyway, he’ll squeeze everything……’

When I didn’t answer, he spoke again. His tone was leisurely, as if teasing.

“Accompanying me to official events and cooperating with business. Doesn’t this cover both clauses?”

“Who said otherwise? I got it.”

I covered myself with the blanket with feeling and said.

“Be careful. I have bad sleeping habits.”

❀ ❀ ❀

The next morning.

When a maid approached and asked about meals, I said I’d eat breakfast simply in my room.

‘I don’t have the confidence to eat three meals a day with Duke Hertus.’

I decided I’d only have dinner or so with the Duke and headed to the terrace. Iophe was sitting at the terrace table overlooking the garden.

“……”

Through the open window, sunlight poured in, and across from it was a view where the beautiful garden could be seen at a glance. Plus this silver-haired man sitting in front.

Like viewing a perfect still life painting, it was beautiful without exception in every single place. But my feelings watching it weren’t the same.

“I didn’t know we’d have breakfast together.”

Whether Iophe heard my words or not, he just nodded slightly and turned the newspaper page. I sat across from him with a resigned heart.

‘I just need to find that medicinal herb. Just find it…… Ah, come to think of it, my symptoms have calmed down a bit.’

Originally, this d*mn disease was a fickle illness that changed like boiling porridge. In my past life too, I repeatedly felt sick enough to die and then got better.

‘Especially around when I drank that poisoned tea, my symptoms had improved tremendously.’

Back then, even if I died, I only thought I’d die from the disease. Poisoned tea. Life really is unpredictable.

While I was immersed in sentiment, the maids busily carried food. Iophe looked at the tableware with turtle-shaped jewels being placed in front of him and frowned.

“What’s this?”

The maid who received his question stammered.

“Th-that is…… the young m-madam……”

“I changed it.”

“……Your taste is unique.”

Iophe seemed quite displeased with the new tableware.

‘Well, understandably so……’

Honestly speaking, it wasn’t a design I liked either.

‘I should probably reorder. It’s too flashy. Like a toy……’

I gestured to call Dana and had her taste each of the foods I would eat. Watching this, Iophe muttered like someone who’d seen something unseemly.

“I’m seeing all sorts of things.”

Probably anyone would make that expression if they had someone anxiously worried about being poisoned in their own house right in front of them.

But since he was also a suspect in the poisoning, I didn’t feel even a hair’s worth of guilt toward him. After lightly ignoring Iophe and confirming the food was fine, I scooped up soup with the silver spoon with the turtle-shaped jewel.

‘Delicious……! The flavors of meat and vegetables are properly alive. Is this mushroom……?’

I’d felt this since dinner yesterday evening, but the Hertus family’s head chef had tremendous cooking skills.

‘If I asked them to come to Idebald…… there’s no way they’d come.’

Instead, I decided to enjoy the Hertus head chef’s cuisine as much as possible while I was here. As I was diligently tasting the dishes, Iophe’s sharp words flew over my head.

“Are you scared you might eat poison?”

“Of course. It’s quite painful if you eat it.”

“You act just like someone who’s eaten it.”

Iophe had a suspicious face about why I was doing this.

“I must have done something deserving of poison?”

His question even had a faint conviction seeping through.

“……I suppose so.”

When I easily agreed, he closed his mouth. He seemed at a loss for words.

‘Then what…… were you expecting a fight?’

I finished my meal while avoiding looking at Iophe as much as possible. I was about to leisurely drink the tea the maid had poured when the maid pouring tea quietly asked.

“Um…… Madam. A jeweler has arrived, shall I have them set up in the drawing room?”

“A jeweler?”

Having heard the entire conversation between the maid and me, Iophe looked at me with eyes asking ‘did you call them?’

‘No, this is the first I’m hearing of it too.’

Feeling slightly wronged, I asked the maid again.

“A jeweler? I never called for such a thing.”

“His Grace the Duke summoned them.”

“Oh my, really?”

I smiled the brightest I had since coming here. The audience was Iophe. Ohohoho.

‘If I pick out jewels right in front of him to show off, he’ll be quite annoyed, won’t he?’

My pride wouldn’t allow me to miss this opportunity. I promptly told the maid.

“I should see them here. Tell them to come to my room.”

I got up from the terrace and headed straight to the living room sofa, and Iophe followed me.

‘What?’

Leaning back against the sofa, I glanced at him with my arms crossed and said.

“If you’re going to monitor me like that, leave.”

“Monitor? After seeing that bizarre knife earlier, you seem to have problems with aesthetic sense, so I’m trying to help.”

“No, that’s……!”

“Oh my, good day to you!”

My words were drowned out by the merchant’s greeting as he burst in right on cue. The merchant diligently began laying out the jewels he’d brought.

“I’ve selected the rarest ones.”

As I scanned the colorful jewels with my eyes, I was surprised to see a small necklace in the corner.

‘Wait, this is……! It sold for an incredibly high price two years later!’

This was an accessory designed anonymously by jewelry designer Aerdi, and after he died and it was revealed this necklace was his last work, it went to auction under the name ‘Aerdi’s Last Necklace.’

‘I participated in that auction but failed to win the bid……! I need to claim that first.’

“I’ll take that one!”

“Pardon……? You mean this one?”

The jeweler showed me the necklace with a bewildered voice.

It was because it hadn’t sold and was displayed in the farthest corner, being a design somewhat removed from the flashy style popular now.

“Yes. That one first. I absolutely must have it.”

“Yes!”

Watching the jeweler pack ‘Aerdi’s Last Necklace’ in a box made me smile naturally.

‘Should I buy up all the items I missed while I’m at it?’

Though I’d attended auction houses purely for fun, sitting there holding a numbered placard, you come to feel an intense possessiveness toward items you couldn’t obtain.

‘Plus that emptiness when you fail to win a bid……’

Especially when you’re left alone with your opponent in the final auction. After losing that item, I’d stay up all night in frustration.

‘Come to think of it, money seems to be something where the more you have, the better.’

I’d really been satisfied with Idebald’s completely ruined assets. But that was before entering the Hertus estate, and having learned of the existence of greater consumption than before, I felt I couldn’t go back.

‘I’ve come to want a bath product more luxurious than what I used, a better head chef, and about a Hugh Dos painting……’

It was the moment I realized the value of money anew.

“I’d like to see rings.”

At Iophe’s words, the jeweler quickly pulled out another box from below.

While he was looking at rings, I was browsing other jewels when Iophe suddenly held out a ring decorated with diamonds.

“This should be good enough.”

“For what?”

Until then, thinking Iophe was choosing his own ring, the word that came from his mouth was unexpected.

“A wedding ring.”

Wedding rings in the Empire generally meant rings exchanged during a proposal. That was why the ceremony of exchanging rings was omitted from the wedding ceremony conducted by priests in chapels.

Come to think of it, we naturally skipped the proposal or engagement process, so we didn’t have wedding rings either.

“Ah…… well, it’s fine.”

When I nodded, Iophe picked out jewels one after another that women would wear besides that.

“To attend official events, you’ll need at least this much.”

Come to think of it, I remembered I hadn’t brought any of my jewels from the Idebald estate.

‘I only have a few dresses too…… Should I call Tilla and have her bring them?’

“I’d like the ring fitted as soon as possible. I have a schedule, you see.”

While the jeweler was measuring my finger size, I clearly heard him call the butler and ask him to summon Madame Doudoua.

‘Even Madame Doudoua?’

Madame Doudoua was someone who ran the most famous boutique in the Empire. But since the dresses couldn’t be bought by just anyone, even in the past I’d only had a few made when Seian was alive.

‘But…… just how far is he planning to drag me around to be preparing like this……?’

When a bad premonition suddenly flashed through my mind. He finally stood up from his seat.

“I’ll leave the dresses entirely to you. Well then, I’m busy, so. Wife.”

……That ominous premonition from earlier seems to be correct.

Iophe clearly intends to drag me around until the Idebald name I possess is worn away to nothing.