Marquis Berto was directly connected to my death.
Right, I thought of him as a friend, but he just treated me like a fool. As I remembered my past self, pitifully writing a will line by line and then dying, the memory came back. Of course, even after my death, Marquis Berto didn’t regret it. He only felt a slight loss that a useful ‘tool’ who could cure his mysterious headaches had died.
To think there are people who praise that piece of trash, I should put all of them on a blacklist. I made sure to remember the faces of the ladies who smiled shyly as they talked about Marquis Berto.
I’d let myself get complacent, but now my resolve was clear. I need to get married as soon as possible. If I wanted to stand up to him, I needed to change the plot as much as possible.
Let’s meet again when I’ve become the very wife of Vientin Kalinos you were so jealous of, Marquis Berto. It would surely mark the beginning of our reversed fortunes.
* * *
“Here’s the list of people who badmouthed Giselle at the coffee house. Please take care of it!”
“Oh? Are you planning to trample them through slander and intrigue from behind the scenes?”
“Yes.”
“Count Sehera only used that tactic after turning thirty. Giselle, you’re even better than your father—how admirable.”
“Right? They say children always exceed their parents!”
Count Florette’s eyes grew moist. “Yes… I’ll take care of it all.”
He felt both proud of Giselle and pained, recalling all the things she’d endured. With a guilty heart, he visited Giselle at the coffee house, where she was waiting in a private room, wearing an apron.
“It’s fragrant hibiscus tea.”
“I see…”
Blaming himself for trusting his malicious younger sister and leaving Giselle alone for so long, his insides felt black and rotten.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to spend time relaxing like this together more often.”
There were ledgers to review to prove Mariposa’s embezzlement, and hundreds of documents to approve for the territory after his absence, but surely one hour wouldn’t hurt. But unexpectedly, Giselle shook her head.
“I don’t think that will be possible.”
“Oh, because you’re busy with work?” He asked casually, but Giselle smiled brightly.
“I’ve found someone I like. I think I’ll be spending more time with him from now on.”
“Re-Really?”
At that moment, Count Florette felt like a father at a kindergarten, meeting his daughter’s boyfriend for the first time. It’s fine. As long as it’s not Marquis Berto or Duke Reshaniel.
“Is he a good man?”
“He proposed to me.”
“…What?”
Giselle blushed and beamed. “So, I’m going to get married!”
“…W-What? Could it be… Marquis Berto or Duke Reshaniel…?”
Giselle answered seriously, “No. Why would I be with trash like them?”
Then who on earth was it?
At that moment, as if on cue, the private room door opened.
“Looks like I’m right on time. Hello, Darling.” Duke Vientin Kalinos greeted with his stiff posture. “And good to see you, father-in-law.”
* * *
That brat is the one! Count Florette clenched his teeth and glared at Duke Kalinos, sitting opposite him.
Duke Kalinos responded lightly, seemingly unfazed by the glare. “Ah. Nice to see you, father-in-law.”
Th-This guy… He just used informal speech! And such a stiff neck, too!
Unlike others, he had always held Duke Kalinos’s dignity and abilities in high regard. He looks scary, but he’s a hero who fights monsters. Yet now, even his usually refined face seemed unpleasant, and his blood-red eyes felt off. I don’t like a single thing about him.
Just then, Giselle said warmly, “We can trade our family’s spices with the Kalinos family’s potions! If you think about it, this marriage is a win-win for everyone. Right?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmph.” Count Florette muttered. “Marriage with Duke? Giselle is still young. I could allow an engagement, but not a marriage. And besides, the north is dangerous.”
“Now that’s a problem.”
As Giselle muttered to herself, Duke Kalinos replied with a cold expression, “Isn’t it still better than her staying with the Florette family? At least she won’t be bullied by strange people anymore. Haven’t you heard about all the rumors and suffering Giselle’s endured?”
Understanding dawned on him like a cold sunrise. Count Florette finally grasped the situation. “But the Kalinos family isn’t entirely trustworthy either.”
“Don’t worry. I intend to treat her as well as possible.”
Count Florette let out a sigh. “Well…”
On the other hand, Duke Kalinos also felt like sighing. He, too, didn’t quite understand why he was standing here trying to persuade Count Florette. It would have been more efficient to trust his staff and handle other matters himself.
Am I following that romance guidebook I finished last night too closely? But after referencing over 100 volumes, he couldn’t stop himself now.
“Besides, it’s Giselle who wants this marriage. Are you going to refuse?”
“That’s right! I want this! I want to marry the Duke, no matter what.”
Count Florette murmured with trembling lips, “I haven’t even spent that much time with you yet.”
“Hmm, it’s fine. Marriage doesn’t mean leaving your family forever, you know! Giselle will come visit the Florette family every weekend!”
Giselle must have been starved for family affection too.
That child wanted him this much… His heart ached. He decided to play his last card, something no ordinary parent would allow.
“Then, Your Grace. I have one request. Please send my daughter back to her family every week.” He thought this would prompt them to prolong the engagement instead of marrying soon. But unexpectedly, the answer came from Giselle.
“Great! Giselle will just do no~thing my mother-in-law tells me and laze around at my family’s every day!”
“Huh? W-well, maybe not every day…”
“Wouldn’t that make Giselle a total nuisance?”
“…What? No, that’s not… a nuisance…”
“Giselle is used to being called a nuisance! I love it!”
After hearing that, he couldn’t say another word. Looking into Giselle’s eyes, Count Florette could see the long years of solitude in the child he had neglected. The emotion that flooded him, as he saw those eyes empty of expectation, was regret.
Giselle was leaving for a simple reason. If my aide is right, Giselle must have found this family unbearable. She must be badly hurt, and that’s why she fell for Duke Kalinos…
Judging by her talk of being a nuisance and all, she seemed unconcerned about her bad reputation. He, as her useless stepfather who’d never done anything for her, couldn’t argue with her decision—but he had to say this one thing.
“Better a broken engagement than a divorce, Giselle.”
“Huh? Giselle isn’t even married yet, but you’re already talking about divorce?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. Divorce isn’t a stain.”
“Pardon me, but I’m here too, father-in-law.”
Count Florette’s gaze sharpened as he looked at Duke Kalinos. “I know.”
“…”
For the first time, Count Florette saw Duke Kalinos’s always-steady gaze waver, even if just a little.
