Chapter 7

Leonard’s proposal, persistent to the point of being unsettling, left Isabella with a deep sense of suspicion.

“I understand that Your Highness is trying to establish a foundation for entering Vilhoa. And I understand that you want authority over the Bruin Merchant Guild as a means of doing so. But wouldn’t there be easier ways? It doesn’t necessarily have to be Bruin. There are other merchant guilds as well.”

Their meeting when they were children had been extremely brief.

What did that have to do with anything?

What did it matter to him whether she had a headache or not?

Had she really been frowning that much in his eyes? Was that why he had become curious about her?

But that alone couldn’t possibly be the reason he had developed an interest in the Bruin Merchant Guild. Anyone would think the same.

Leonard quietly looked at Isabella before speaking in a low voice.

“…Let’s just say that I happened to be there that night, and what I happened to see and hear offended me.”

“What do you mean?”

His words made no sense to her.

But even when Isabella questioned him, there was nothing more he was willing to say.

Perhaps he noticed the slight tremble in her eyes.

Leonard tapped his fingers lightly against the tea table before adding quietly,

“This also includes repayment for helping Hailey. Alfonso told me. He said you helped her.”

Alfonso?

Ah, that knight?

Isabella remembered Hailey’s escort knight, who had been frowning intensely that day. So the man she had spoken with had apparently been named Alfonso.

She also remembered what she had said to him afterward.

“If you want me to keep my mouth shut, you’ll have to pay quite a considerable price. What are you going to give me in return, Sir?”

She had deliberately provoked him by mentioning compensation because she had been annoyed that he had merely stood by and watched while the child was in danger.

That little act of spite had unexpectedly produced a result.

I wonder if that knight named Alfonso is on the third floor with Shannon and the child by now?

Without realizing it, Isabella once again thought of the two people Leonard had brought with him to this meeting.

She hadn’t intended for it to happen, but because of something she had said jokingly, that knight had apparently ended up paying a very expensive bill.

“Of course, there’s a third reason as well.”

Isabella’s thoughts faded away.

Leonard had leaned forward and brought his eyes level with hers.

“I’ll tell you about that one if our contract is actually made.”

There’s a third reason? What could it be?

Isabella was about to open her mouth to ask, but Leonard spoke first.

“I sincerely hope you make a wise choice.”

“……”

“You only have one opportunity.”

Because he had moved closer, Isabella could tell that Leonard was being completely serious.

On the carriage ride back to the palace from Fairy Garden, Hailey, who had spent an exciting time surrounded by candy, chocolate, and every kind of sweet dessert imaginable, fell asleep the moment she climbed into the carriage.

The corners of the child’s lips were slightly curved upward in happiness.

Leonard stared at her innocent, angelic face for a while before tapping against the carriage wall and instructing the driver to go slowly.

His gaze then shifted toward the open window.

The peaceful, leisurely scenery of the noble district in the early evening overlapped with the image of Isabella, who had seen him off only moments ago.

Everything within his field of vision seemed tinged with reddish light.

Her brown hair, which gave off a rich, deep color even beneath the bright light, contrasted beautifully with her soft, water-colored eyes. Together, they blended naturally and harmoniously into the surrounding scenery.

Perhaps it was because of how vivid her colors were.

Like an afterimage, the sight of Isabella remained wherever Leonard looked.

“As expected, I suppose you really have to meet someone yourself to know what they’re like, Your Highness.”

Count Seymour, sitting across from Leonard, suddenly spoke.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean Lady Isabella Bruin. According to the rumors, she’s beautiful, aloof, and so proud that it’s difficult even to speak to her.”

“Was she not like that?”

“I think only one part of that description was accurate.”

Count Seymour’s words immediately caught Leonard’s interest.

He could already guess what was coming, but he wanted to hear what other people had recently been saying about Isabella.

“Which part was accurate?”

“That she’s beautiful, of course.”

Count Seymour answered immediately, as though it were too obvious to even consider.

Leonard raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow.

“And what about the part about her being aloof and too proud to approach?”

“Well…”

Count Seymour tilted his head with an awkward expression.

“She was very kind. And she seemed to like children, too. Honestly, I can’t understand how she ended up with such a bad reputation.”

Then it happened.

A laugh escaped.

“Your Highness?”

Count Seymour looked at him in surprise.

Leonard had thought she might have changed…

Yet the deep, resonant laughter continued for some time.

Leonard didn’t explain the reason to Count Seymour.

He had remembered the moment he first met Isabella, and that memory had been what made him laugh.

There was no reason to explain that to anyone.

“We’ll be doing business with Bruin soon, so make the necessary preparations.”

Instead, he simply gave a businesslike order.

Contrary to his expectations, Isabella hadn’t changed much compared to ten years ago.

That realization stirred something new within him.

“…I should have met her sooner.”

The quiet words made Count Seymour’s eyes widen in confusion.

“Do you mean Lady Isabella Bruin? Why? If there’s anything else you’d like to convey, I’ll send her a letter.”

Leonard shook his head.

“No. I’ve already said enough.”

All that remained was Isabella’s decision.

A strange light appeared in Leonard’s normally bored, emotionless blue eyes.

He was curious about what choice she would make.

Knowing that she hadn’t changed from the girl he remembered only made him more interested.

A day had passed since Leonard had made that completely unreasonable proposal under the name of a business deal.

“I sincerely hope you make a wise choice.”

When her uncle had said something similar, Isabella hadn’t even wanted to think about it.

But unlike then, Leonard’s low voice had been circling through her mind all day.

Along with those persistent blue eyes that seemed to follow her everywhere.

“Miss?”

Jeanne, who was selecting the dress and jewelry Isabella would wear to the Durand estate, looked at her.

Apparently, she was concerned because Isabella looked more serious than usual.

“Ah… You don’t need to worry about me.”

Isabella said that nothing was wrong, but a moment later, she had to look back at Jeanne.

She had only belatedly realized that Jeanne had stopped moving.

“Why? Is there something you want to say?”

“Ah. Well…”

Jeanne moved her lips hesitantly, unable to continue.

“Go ahead. You can speak freely.”

Seeing her hesitation, Isabella reassured her.

Jeanne touched her thumb and index finger together, rolled her eyes nervously, and cautiously opened her mouth.

“It’s about… Marquis Fitzroy…”

An unexpected name came from Jeanne’s lips.

What kind of development is this going to be now?

A strange light appeared in Isabella’s water-colored eyes as she looked at her.

“Yesterday, Lady Tyron told everyone that you were going to get married… and that the man was going to be Marquis Fitzroy…”

This is driving me crazy.

Just like father, just like daughter.

Isabella let out a hollow laugh at the thought of Tisha stirring up the entire ducal household already.

“That’s right.”

“Ah!”

“But it’s not certain yet.”

Jeanne let out a short gasp.

Her expression clearly suggested that she had much more to say.

“Why? Did you hear something else?”

“Well…”

Jeanne hesitated at the subtle question.

If she couldn’t bring herself to speak so easily, there had to be something.

Was it the same information Isabella had already learned through Shannon?

Or perhaps another secret piece of gossip being quietly passed around among the maids?

Or maybe it was something Isabella already knew.

Whatever it was, now that Viscount Tyron had singled out Marquis Fitzroy, anything related to him could potentially be useful to her.

Of course, if she accepted Leonard’s hand, that would be an entirely different matter.

“It’s all right. You can tell me.”

Isabella spoke calmly but firmly.

“No matter what you say, I’ll believe you before I believe Marquis Fitzroy.”

The trust Isabella offered her, transcending the difference in their social positions, gave the hesitant Jeanne tremendous courage.

It also strengthened her loyalty toward her mistress.

“There are… bad rumors about Marquis Fitzroy.”

“Rumors?”

“Yes…”

Surprisingly, the reason Jeanne had hesitated was completely different from what Isabella had expected.

“…A child?”

“Yes! Everyone says the same thing, so doesn’t that mean it’s probably true?”

Watching Jeanne become agitated and passionately insist that Isabella absolutely could not marry Marquis Fitzroy, Isabella realized that the original story had once again deviated.

“The rumor originally came from one of Countess Talbot’s personal maids, too!”

Countess Talbot had been one of the people who had supported Isabella’s death in all three of her previous lives.

So Isabella didn’t particularly care what happened to her.

But the setting given to Marquis Fitzroy was astonishing.

Even if he had arrived without a single flaw, Isabella would have been ready to kick him away.

And now this.

“I-I know I’m not really in a position to say something like this to you, Miss…”

Jeanne’s voice trembled.

“But for you to marry the Marquis who has those rumors surrounding him… It’s just… It’s really impossible. It shouldn’t happen…”

Jeanne practically looked as though she were about to cry as she passionately urged Isabella to consider someone else.

“…If only that Imperial Prince from yesterday didn’t have a child. He would be perfect…”

Jeanne’s voice dropped until it was barely audible.

But Isabella heard it.

Her gaze immediately turned toward Jeanne.

“Ah. I only said that because I was so frustrated… I’m sorry…”

Realizing that she had overstepped her position by commenting on her mistress’s affairs, Jeanne lowered her eyes and apologized.

“It’s all right. Now, go bring me the accessories.”

Isabella hurriedly suggested that they finish preparing for her outing and changed the subject.

She understood perfectly well what Jeanne had meant.

In fact, for a moment, Isabella had felt the same way—that perhaps she really should take Leonard’s hand.

Jeanne headed toward the dressing room to retrieve the jewelry, leaving Isabella alone.

Isabella’s eyes slowly darkened.

One week.

There wasn’t even a full week left until the ceremony where she would officially succeed as head of the family.

That day would mark the beginning of the main story.

Her uncle would undoubtedly appear that day with Marquis Fitzroy in tow.

And Isabella absolutely had to stop it.

Countess Talbot.

The scandal.

The hidden child…

The slender fingers that had been tapping against the dressing table suddenly stopped.

Was a setting that didn’t exist in the original story really something bad?

No.

Perhaps it wasn’t bad at all.

“…If I can make use of it.”

As those words slipped quietly between her crimson lips, the wrinkle between Isabella’s brows gradually smoothed out.

She had made her decision.