“May I join you for a moment?”

Duke Bermund opened the door and stepped onto the terrace, addressing Rachel.

“Does asking for permission have any meaning when you’ve already come out here?”

“Well, if you say no, I can leave immediately. Please speak freely.”

Duke Bermund maintained his relaxed demeanor.

Rachel didn’t particularly like his casual attitude, but since she had deliberately come here to speak with him privately, she had no intention of turning him away.

“Come in.”

“Gladly, then.”

Duke Bermund walked slowly and stood beside Rachel. She crossed her arms and directed her gaze toward the Hestein estate’s garden.

“Did you deliberately approach Viola?”

She asked him the question that had been on her mind since he appeared at the Hestein estate.

Duke Bermund looked in the same direction as Rachel, taking in the garden view.

“Let’s just say it served multiple purposes.”

After briefly pausing, Duke Bermund immediately continued.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never visited the Hestein estate before. I wanted to visit at least once, so I readily accepted Lady Hestein’s invitation.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Duke Bermund spoke somewhat defensively, but Rachel didn’t believe him.

“And your other purpose would be me, correct?”

“You understand well.”

“This is about the choice, isn’t it?”

He nodded in response. After briefly glancing at Duke Bermund, Rachel let out a small sigh before speaking.

“There should still be time for that.”

“When I visited you during your illness, you hadn’t decided yet. Are you still undecided now?”

“…Let’s call it careful deliberation.”

“Deliberation is good. The more deeply you think about it, the better you’ll understand how beneficial my proposal is for you, Lady Pluret. I hope you’ll consider that aspect as well.”

Duke Bermund immediately responded to Rachel’s question, seemingly having anticipated it.

“I truly don’t understand why you hesitate so much. As I mentioned before, this decision has no downsides for you, Lady Pluret.”

It was indeed a choice without downsides for Rachel, just as Duke Bermund said.

That was precisely what puzzled Rachel the most.

If this choice had no downsides for Rachel, it should benefit someone else. And that someone should be Duke Bermund, who proposed the regression.

However, there seemed to be no one who would benefit if Rachel accepted the proposal. Not even Duke Bermund himself.

“That’s exactly what puzzles me. It’s a proposal that harms no one and benefits no one. What exactly do you gain from this, Duke Bermund?”

Having pondered this without finding an answer, she asked Duke Bermund directly.

“You said you would gain something just from the regression itself, but I find that hard to believe. How would you gain anything when you won’t remember the regression?”

“…”

At the very least, Rachel needed to clearly understand Duke Bermund’s position before making her decision.

After she chose regression, she would no longer be able to ask him about his reasons.

Duke Bermund furrowed his brow and took a deep breath. Then he slowly turned to face Rachel.

“Is that… important?”

Duke Bermund tilted his head, seemingly unable to understand her concern.

“From my perspective, this is the most generous offer I can make. By accepting my proposal, Lady Pluret will get what she wants. Isn’t that enough?”

“…”

There was an impasse between Rachel and Duke Bermund that neither could overcome.

Rachel needed to hear why he would push for regression even at his own expense, while Duke Bermund couldn’t understand why Rachel demanded explanations despite his having made what he considered the most favorable offer for her.

“Do you find my intentions suspicious?”

Duke Bermund also asked Rachel directly. She hesitated briefly before nodding.

“Yes. No matter how I look at it, it’s strange. Turning back time wouldn’t benefit you at all.”

“Why do you think there would be no benefit?”

“So you’re saying there is a benefit?”

“Yes.”

Duke Bermund finally nodded in agreement.

“What is it?”

Rachel asked him out of genuine curiosity.

“That will be recorded in the memoir. If you want to know the reason, you should obtain the memoir.”

“…”

Rachel frowned at Duke Bermund’s vague response. They were back to square one.

‘It seems I’ll need to get the memoir and read it after all.’

The information Duke Bermund possessed must have come from what was recorded in the memoir and other documents.

However, as Rachel had discovered after searching through numerous documents, the information in them was limited and not particularly useful.

Therefore, what Duke Bermund knew about Creon must have been based entirely on the contents of the memoir.

Obtaining the memoir would reveal why Duke Bermund wanted Rachel to perform the regression.

Rachel needed to accept Duke Bermund’s proposal at least once to get the memoir and check its contents.

“I wonder how much information is actually in that memoir.”

“Just make your choice. Then I will give you the memoir.”

Duke Bermund shifted his gaze away from Rachel.

Rachel stood in place for a while, staring at him, before turning away.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes. It’s cold out here.”

“What about your decision?”

“There’s still time left, isn’t there? When the promised day comes, I’ll visit you.”

“…Very well. I hope you make a wise choice.”

Instead of answering, Rachel responded with a faint smile.

However, as she walked away from Duke Bermund, the smile disappeared from her face.

[Are you going to accept the memoir?]

Creon asked as soon as she entered the hall.

‘It’s not definite yet, but don’t I need it to solve all these questions? I wonder what information Duke Bermund has that makes him act this way.’

[That’s true. Even I can’t guess. What does he know that makes him so confident? Even if time is turned back, time will be on your side, Rachel, as my contractor.]

Even Creon seemed unaware of Duke Bermund’s intentions.

‘You don’t have any idea? That memoir was supposedly left by one of your former contractors.’

[The information I can access is limited to what my contractor sees and touches. So I have no way of knowing external information. I’m the one who wants to know what that Duke Bermund knows.]

Creon expressed his frustration.

‘I understand. I’m sorry.’

Rachel carefully comforted Creon, understanding that he must feel even more frustrated than she did.

[But there’s no guarantee that the information he has is completely accurate.]

‘And we have the power to travel back in time. If the memoir turns out to be fake, we can just consider it a wasted effort and move on. We have plenty of opportunities.’

Rachel decided to prepare soon and visit Duke Bermund.

“Rachel!”

As she came inside, Tervan was the first to approach her.

“Wasn’t it cold outside?”

“It was fine, thanks to Edward’s coat.”

“…”

At Rachel’s casual remark, Tervan glanced at her coat with a cold expression.

“By the way, where are Edward and Viola?”

Recalling that the three had been together until just a moment ago, Rachel asked Tervan.

“Viola is over there.”

Tervan pointed toward the dance hall. Rachel’s gaze followed his hand. At the end of it, Viola was dancing with another man.

“Edward had something to do, so he left early.”

Rachel nodded in understanding, and Tervan gave her a hesitant look.

“What? Are you disappointed Edward’s gone?”

At Tervan’s unexpected question, Rachel tilted her head.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. You just seemed that way.”

Tervan spoke evasively, afraid his ugly jealousy might show.

Rachel looked up at him with disbelief.

“I was just curious. I need to return his coat too.”

“Ah, of course, that’s it.”

Tervan’s expression immediately brightened upon hearing Rachel’s explanation.

“But couldn’t you just have a servant deliver the coat?”

“That’s true. But since he lent it to me directly, it doesn’t seem polite to return it that way.”

“What’s the big deal? Should I deliver it for you?”

“No, that’s not necessary. It wouldn’t be polite to return something someone lent me personally through someone else. I’ll just return it when I see him later. Don’t worry about it.”

Rachel said with a shrug.

“…Alright.”

Tervan swallowed his disappointment and forced a smile, pretending everything was fine.