Eliza smiled as she climbed into the carriage.

“Whether you believe me or not is up to you, my lord. But if it were me, I’d definitely place the bet. You’ll want to recover the ten thousand derk you lost today. Goodbye.”

Even after the carriage pulled away and the racetrack disappeared from view, her heart refused to settle.

To reunite with the man who had once loved her so quietly and painfully—right when she was trying to escape her husband…

Even if she had won at the racetrack, today was undeniably a terribly unlucky day.

Perhaps even more so for Deonar Goodwin than for herself.

Staring out the window, Eliza shouted inwardly.

‘I’m never coming back here again, so please—Viscount, let’s never meet again!’

***

The moment she returned home, Eliza dragged the bag upstairs with great effort and shoved it under her bed.

As soon as she did, all strength drained from her limbs.

Sweat gathered on her forehead, her body felt feverish, and a chill crept over her at the same time.

She was convinced that, aside from moving a corpse, there was no harder task than carrying two million derk.

“I think I’m coming down with something.”

She threw herself onto the bed, but the thought of her diamond necklace and ruby bracelet sitting in that musty pawnshop made it impossible to stay there.

Forcing herself up, Eliza headed back into the city, making sure to bring two hundred thirty thousand derk—including a day’s interest.

The pawnshop owner, who had never expected her to reclaim the jewelry after just one day, stared at her in shock until she left.

As soon as she returned home, Eliza placed the necklace back into her safe and collapsed onto the bed.

By then, the chills had grown so severe she could barely walk.

“Ugh… I made two million… but I definitely have a fever.”

The house itself was worth roughly three million.

The emergency fund she wanted—about two million.

At some point, she had already decided to secure her escape funds on her own.

If she wanted to run away around the time James would be busiest—during the announcement of the Silomon resource development deal—she would need to gather another three million within the limited time left, and sell off her jewelry as well.

And yet, she had already fallen ill.

Cursing her weak stamina, Eliza drifted off to sleep.

***

Around that time, Aedrin Phelin, the young marquis, was faithfully following the advice of a novice gambling addict.

After conducting a bit of investigation into Count Winclaire, he naturally arranged an opportunity to meet him.

Without mentioning Lorina at all, Aedrin sought the count’s advice regarding potential investments in Athern.

Count Winclaire, in turn, was more than willing to draw the heir of a wealthy marquis family onto his side—after all, the young marquis had yet to propose becoming true family.

The count and Aedrin spent their time cautiously sizing each other up—smoking cigars together and meeting at social clubs.

The same was true for Aedrin.

He needed to win over his future father-in-law while also protecting his own money.

Then one day, when Aedrin appeared at the count’s estate by invitation, Lorina was genuinely surprised.

“It’s good to see you again, Miss Winclaire.”

The way Aedrin greeted her was exactly how one would address a woman he had merely exchanged names with at a party. Watching him act so smoothly in front of her father, Lorina felt an unexpected thrill.

The pleasure of deceiving her father was something she hadn’t felt since her teenage years.

True to his serious nature, Aedrin carried out his act flawlessly—not once did he so much as glance at Lorina until he left the estate.

Even when the count stepped away on urgent business, Aedrin continued to pretend not to know her.

For the first time, Lorina found herself growing restless, waiting for him to speak to her.

Of course, even as she felt that impatience, she knew full well that the only reason Aedrin had come before her was her.

That knowledge only made the thrill stronger.

Aedrin’s plan progressed smoothly, and he gradually came to view the count as a favorable business partner.

Setting aside personal morality, Count Winclaire was meticulous and capable in business.

In some worlds, such traits—not morality—were what earned trust.

Aedrin proposed a business venture connected to Silomon, where he had spent most of his life.

But the count had already been warned by an executive from Weburn Bank about the instability of Silomon.

So instead, the count countered with a proposal to invest together in the grain industry in the eastern region of the kingdom, which had recently shown strong prospects.

With their combined capital, he said, they could establish a monopoly.

In response, Aedrin offered the suggestion he had been holding back.

“In that case, why don’t we consult an expert? We can all agree that the situation in Silomon is unstable at the moment.”

“A fine idea, young marquis. I’ll have my lawyers find a suitable candidate.”

The count agreed readily, and for good reason.

He was confident that once Aedrin heard the opinion of an investment expert from Weburn Bank, he would naturally be persuaded to move toward the grain venture.

But Aedrin said,

“Ah, I already have someone in mind.”

“It seems you’ve adapted to Athern faster than I have, young marquis.”

After a brief smile, Aedrin brought up Roycobs Bank.

“I’ve heard there’s a man named James Ashton at Roycobs Bank—an emerging star in Athern’s banking world.”

Aedrin hadn’t taken Eliza’s advice simply because she looked incapable of deceit.

True to his cautious nature as a businessman, he had investigated her beforehand to ensure she wasn’t suspicious—and in the process, he had learned about James as well.

He was enjoying the process of pursuing both business and love at once, so he decided to repay the person who had helped him.

That was why he mentioned James’s name.

But the count’s response was brief.

“Ah. Roycobs.”

The count was well aware of the hostile relationship between Roycobs and Weburn Bank, which treated him with particular favor.

He had heard of James Ashton before, but he was the type to believe that reputations were always exaggerated.

Deeply conservative, he dismissed Roycobs’ remarkable performance over the past few years as mere luck, placing his trust instead in Weburn Bank’s long-standing history.

Even so, the count decided to accept Aedrin’s proposal.

It was partly to draw Aedrin in—but also because he occasionally needed to keep Weburn Bank’s executives on edge.

If their nerves were stirred, they might even offer him something like a complimentary hunting trip.

In any case, the count had no doubt that he could persuade Aedrin to join Weburn later on.

So he said,

“Ashton. I’ve heard of the man as well. Thanks to you, young marquis, I’ll have the opportunity to look into him more closely. I’ll have my secretary arrange a meeting.”

“Thank you, Count.”

The two parted with polite smiles, and the count immediately instructed his secretary.

“Set up a meeting with James Ashton of Roycobs Bank. I’ll see for myself what kind of man he is.”

Lorina, who had been eavesdropping from outside the door, stepped in and blocked the secretary’s path as he exited the reception room.

With a cold expression, she snatched the memo from his hand.

“I’ll handle this. You may go.”

“…Yes, miss.”

To have such an opportunity fall into her lap, Lorina looked down at the memo, caught between joy and confusion.

She was genuinely pleased that Aedrin had begun forming a business connection with her father.

After all, she knew her father viewed marriage as nothing more than losing a daughter and a large dowry at the same time.

And with the Phelin marquisate being so wealthy, he might only see the expense growing larger.

So whenever Aedrin looked at her with that passionate gaze, she felt both happiness and unease.

She knew that if her father were forced to choose between her and his entire fortune, he would not hesitate for even a second—he would choose the money.

And she had never been disappointed by that. If she were in his position, she would have made the same choice.

That was why she was so glad Aedrin had chosen to build a business relationship with her father before confessing his feelings.

If her father began earning money alongside Aedrin, he would no longer see the marriage as simply losing a daughter, it would become a path toward becoming true family.

But the moment she heard her father instruct the secretary to arrange a meeting with James, her heart sank.

Her fingertips trembled, and her lips went dry.

When Aedrin looked at her with warmth, she felt light and happy, but when she thought of James, when she imagined him, it was entirely different.

Her heart raced, her palms grew damp, and countless uncontrollable emotions surged up from the depths of her chest.

It might have been desire, but she wanted to call it destiny.

She could not understand why, when she had such an excellent suitor as the young Marquis Phelin before her, she still couldn’t let go of James Ashton—a married man.

Was it because of James’s striking appearance—and that arrogant, overbearing attitude disguised as humility?

Because of the very fact that a man like an impregnable fortress existed—one who stirred her competitive spirit?

…Or because of the unbearable absurdity that such a man was tied down to nothing more than that kind of woman?

Lorina began to wonder if the reason she kept finding herself visiting that rabbit-hole of a house—the home of that small, rabbit-like woman—was, perhaps, out of sheer frustration.

‘Can this really be true? James… how could a man like that not belong to me?’

‘And the woman by his side… is only you?’

To confirm the truth for herself—Lorina had, on several occasions when she visited Eliza, secretly gone upstairs and peeked into their bedroom.