TLDWAE 70

Chapter 70

The guests attending the party wouldn’t be much different from previous years. That meant that to leave a memorable impression, the party needed devices that could display extreme grandeur and the pinnacle of luxury.

“If it’s the upcoming party, it will be the first one of the season at the palace. The head of the guild can meet you anytime, Lady, if you wish.”

“Good. Then, in the near future…”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

Noah smiled warmly. Karia, blinking a couple of times at him, quickly understood the meaning behind his words and widened her eyes.

She had thought his information-gathering speed was impressive, but to think he was the owner of such a massive guild! Even conservatively, his assets would easily surpass ten million gold. And yet, he had made such a fuss over merely three hundred thousand gold, calling it a fortune—how audacious.

“So that’s where your quick information comes from… you have quite a solid treasury.”

“I’m honored that you think well of my work.”

“But… didn’t we agree not to pry into each other’s secrets? Is it really okay to reveal this so easily?”

The fact that the leader of a small mercenary group was the head of a huge guild was quite high-level information. Why would he reveal it so easily?

Seeing Karia staring at him with a mix of suspicion and curiosity, Noah blushed and turned his head.

“I’m trying to make up for some points I may have lost by showing that I can be useful.”

“What?”

“To be honest, I also calculated that you might view me more favorably.”

Noah was trying, as Vix had advised, to act “honest and straightforward.” Vix hadn’t explicitly told him to bare everything, but Noah didn’t know his limits. Whatever the case, it seemed to have worked because Karia burst into laughter.

Her laughing face was delightful. Noah couldn’t help but smile, his lips twitching with amusement at having made her laugh.

“You’re beautiful every day, anyway.”

“Humph!”

But his pride vanished at her single response. Seeing Noah’s face turn crimson with embarrassment, Karia grinned mischievously. She had been wanting to see this expression for some time.

Feeling his presence again, Karia felt her tense heart from the past week relax, as if everything was returning to its proper place. She felt at ease.

“By the way, speaking of that… the results from the previous request haven’t come back yet. I asked you to find out when and at which party Duke Pandeon had contact with Princess Serivis. Should it really take this long?”

“Ah, that matter…”

Unlike her cheerful demeanor, a small crack appeared on Noah’s expression. He knew Karia no longer had any lingering feelings for Duke Pandeon, but the unresolved matters between her and that man were uncomfortable to him.

The Duke clearly hadn’t forgotten Karia. He was discreetly investigating the father of Karia’s children. Moreover, according to what Aquil had heard, the Duke still referred to her as “wife.” Even after all this time since the divorce!

If Noah ever saw him shamelessly calling her “wife” with such a pitifully desperate expression, he might not be able to control his fists.

“-I looked into the masquerade, and there were three parties held simultaneously. Among them, the one where the longest conversation took place was likely a ball themed ‘Night of the Fairies,’ hosted by Countess Raymon, about two months ago, on the eighteenth day of the Wind Month.”

“The eighteenth day of the Wind Month?”

“When bringing supplies from various regions to Pandeon, over 70% passed through the Marquis of Balta. The Duke requested several times that the toll rate be lowered. After that day, the toll rate dropped to an absurdly low figure.”

Karia didn’t hear Noah’s muttering to himself. Only the date, the eighteenth day of the Wind Month, lingered in her ears.

Yes, it was that very day. The day until which Karia, with her head bowed like a withered flower, had been able to survive in the Duke’s house.

The next day, the symptoms first appeared.

By day, strange marks appeared on her body, and by night, she suffered terrible pain. The Duke’s physician ignored the suffering, and it was more than a month later that she learned she had an incurable disease.

The royal curse activates when the bloodline of royalty grows. And that only happens in one situation: when a new life is conceived. All of this had started on the eighteenth day of the Wind Month.

“Ha! Ha-ha!”

“-Lady?”

Karia laughed. She couldn’t hold it in. Her husband had an affair with his cousin, resulting in a child, and she ended up with a deadly illness. Could anyone face such absurd truth without laughing?

If I hadn’t remembered my past life, I would have surely gone mad by now.

Karia felt sincerely relieved that she hadn’t died on that staircase that day. Otherwise, she would have missed this fantastic story.

I can’t keep such an amazing story to myself. Not at all.

She imagined how long people would enjoy this incredible gossip over drinks. It was a story she wanted the whole world to know, even if she had to deliver it herself.

Thinking of the world-famous lovers she would one day become part of, Karia laughed so hard she nearly gasped for breath. Before her, Noah knelt with a worried expression.

“Karia, what’s wrong? Look at me. Are you okay? Should I call the physician?”

“-You worry too much.”

Karia waved her hand as if it were nothing, but Noah’s expression remained tense.

He liked seeing Karia smile. But he disliked this kind of laughter. She didn’t seem happy at all. To him, her laugh sounded like crying.

When Noah’s large hands covered her cheeks, Karia slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze, smiling beautifully with crescent-shaped eyes.

“You worry too much. Even though I’m laughing like this, why can’t you erase that anxious expression?”

Indeed, compared to the man who couldn’t notice when his wife came back looking like she was dying, Noah was a thousand times better. Gilford had been like that too—always pretending not to notice, but quick to respond to her slightest gesture. She firmly believed that such attention was an expression of love.

Karia placed her hands over Noah’s. The warmth from his calloused palms felt comforting, not entirely unlike Gilford’s.

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Yes, please tell me.”

“At the palace party, I intend to attend alone to show my authority as the family head. Would you act as my escort that day?”

She asked with a satisfied smile, like a content cat. Although she called it a favor, it seemed she didn’t expect refusal. She rather expected that he would blush and be delighted.

However, Noah slowly withdrew his hands, his expression troubled, and shook his head.

“-That day will be difficult. You should take Aquil instead.”

Surprised by the unexpected refusal, Karia arched her brow lightly. As she quickly erased her smile, Noah let out a deep sigh and ran his hand through his hair.

“Of course, I’d love to accompany you personally…”

“But?”

“-I fear someone problematic would be present if I attend.”

Noah considered giving another excuse but decided against it. He couldn’t tell her everything yet, but he didn’t want to lie.

Karia, expressionless, tapped her chin and nodded lightly. She couldn’t force him if that was the case.

“Very well. It can’t be helped. Everyone has one or two awkward people around them. If I were free to choose, I wouldn’t even want to go to the party or indulge in frivolities there.”

“Hmph, for you, Lady, it’s always a place full of people you dislike.”

“Oh, speaking of which, a delegation from Bismarck is arriving soon. High-ranking nobles and the Chancellor of that country will visit, and his name is…”

“Demian.”

Hearing Noah’s answer, Karia sharply lifted her head. Whether it was her imagination or not, his voice sounded colder than usual when he said “Demian.” She had never heard him speak like that.

Yet, looking at his face, he seemed unchanged, smiling lightly while explaining casually.

“The Chancellor of Bismarck, currently holding the country in his grasp and controlling it, is Duke Demian Auloman. He is the one visiting.”

Noah said the purpose of the visit was unclear, but judging by the prestigious names in the delegation, it wasn’t just a simple friendly visit. His ordinarily calm tone had a sharp edge to it.

Does he know the Chancellor of Bismarck? Maybe he’s Bismarckian.

Karia felt suspicious but didn’t comment. They had an agreement not to pry into each other’s secrets. Intentionally frightening him or causing him to flee would be troublesome. Noah’s secret wasn’t crucial to her.

“I see. Alright then. That’s all I have to say. You may leave now.”