7.

You cast me into this mire and escaped alone—do you truly live in peace? How dare you.

In the first place, the reason I began to desire the throne… was all because of you, Estelle.

“When I ascend the throne, I’ll change that wretched inheritance law first. Women will be allowed to succeed their houses.”

I wanted to build the world you dreamed of as a child.

Never imagining that, because of you, I would collapse so miserably.
Never imagining you would leave me alone in these radiant ruins and disappear.

If that’s the case…

I would rather you had encountered one of the mind-type monsters swarming at the bottom of Oblia—the Valley of Oblivion where you fell.
That your memories were stolen and you could not return.

Then, even if you were no longer whole, I could find you somehow and bind you back into this h*ll.

The one who created this h*ll should not be the only one to escape it.

I know it makes no sense. They said your body was eventually found.

But I cannot trust you—or the Duke. And so I cannot believe in your death either.

Clink.

Kaian swallowed another glass of liquor, then recalled the last words of his mother, delivered by Christine nine years ago.

“The Consort’s final words were… to beware of Astria, no matter the circumstances.”

Yes. Among all the emotions he held toward Estelle, the only one he allowed himself was hatred.

Yet he had loved her too much to hate her freely, and the guilt he felt toward his mother would not permit him to long for her.

Such was love-and-hate—a cruel feeling that trapped him between conflicting emotions and slowly devoured him from within.

Kaian steadied his turbulent thoughts and resolved that this time he would sever the terrible chain of affection and resentment once and for all… and accept her death.

***

“Guild Master! You’re here?”

A little past ten in the morning, Estelle entered the Erme Trading Company.

The moment she opened the door to the guildmaster’s office on the third floor, she was greeted by a lively voice. It belonged to Peter, the youngest member of the company.

He was the very boy who had delivered the Hildern Mine documents to Estelle four years ago. Once small and timid, he had now passed through adolescence and was growing into a sturdy young man.

Though only seventeen, under Estelle’s guidance he had become a proper member of the company.

His younger siblings and sick mother had escaped poverty and hunger thanks to her, so his loyalty was only natural.

Of course, in the Erme Company, Peter was far from the only one who followed Estelle’s words as if they were divine.

“Seeing you came earlier than usual today, Aeir must have gone to school bravely, right?”

Fortunately, this world also had kindergartens. She could not hire a skilled private tutor like the nobility did, but commoners with some means still sent their children to such places.

Though Estelle possessed learning far beyond any tutor’s, she did not spend much time teaching her child personally. Her own childhood—shaped by excessively harsh education—held no fond memories. She wanted Aeir, at least, to grow up among children his age and build happy ones.

At first, even letting him out of my arms for a moment was difficult.

It was because she had lost him in her previous life.

But one day the child said,

“Mommy, kindergarten! I wanna play with my friends!”

It was the first request he had ever made of her since his birth.

She knew it would be selfish to keep him by her side forever. She had to learn to trust and watch over him instead.

“That’s right. He’s growing every day.”

In the beginning, she had been more anxious than Aeir himself, but she had gradually adapted. Now, while Aeir was at kindergarten, she could finally focus on the company’s affairs.

“More importantly, look at this, Guild Master! These are the items we purchased from Deutche. Their glass craftsmanship really surpasses the entire continent!”

An excited Peter held out a glass cup, his eyes sparkling.

Indeed… top quality. Rare not only in the Empire but even in Deutche itself. If the price is negotiable, this could give us leverage when dealing with southern nobles.

The island of Deutche, separated by a strait in the southwestern sea, currently belonged to the Lecanto Empire, yet its people did not feel kindly toward it.

It’s only been thirty years since the Deutche Kingdom was annexed during the previous emperor’s conquest.

They were fiercely proud of their culture. The glass artisans in particular were famous for refusing to produce their works if they did not wish to—even under threat from the emperor’s blade.

So the fever-reducing mana stones for children really are rare. The novel was right.

In the story she had read in her previous life, the heroine Diana had been treated as an honored guest on Deutche Island precisely because of those fever-reducing mana stones.

Estelle used that information to target craftsmen who had young children or grandchildren.

It bothers me a little that I can’t go myself while Aeir is still young.

Fortunately, Peter—who had grown up caring for much younger siblings—seemed to have won the craftsmen over perfectly.

He really does have a gift for dealing with people.

Estelle smiled with satisfaction.

“You worked hard traveling such a long way. Tomorrow is your mother’s birthday, right?”

“Ah! I’m honored you remembered! Yes! I wanted to return before then—thank goodness I made it in time!”

“She’ll like this. It’s my gift. Give it to her, and I’ll grant you a week’s leave. Spend some time with your family.”

Estelle selected a few particularly elegant trade items and handed them to Peter.

“Just remembering the date is already an honor, and now a gift and vacation too! Thank you, Guild Master! I’ll devote my life to Erme!”

“Your mother must be waiting. Go on.”

“Yes! I’ll see you next week!”

Peter left the office with light steps. Only after he was gone did the room fall quiet, and Estelle began carefully reviewing the ledgers and goods.

Immersed in organizing documents, six hours passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time to pick Aeir up from kindergarten.

“I should call it a day.”

As she tidied up and stepped out of the office—

Bang!

“Guild Master!”

Peter, who had already left earlier, came running up the stairs in a frantic voice.

“Why? What is it?”

“Rodalan! I found the Rodalan Guild!”

“Already?”

It had only been ten days since she ordered the company to search for them. She had sent members around the capital where the master was likely to be, but this was sooner than expected—so soon it almost sounded like an impostor.

“You’re certain? Where did you find them?”

“I took my mother to a seaside restaurant, and this man talking with the bartender introduced himself as a Rodalan guild member. So—”

Peter continued, nearly out of breath.

“I grabbed him and asked where the master was, and he said the master happened to be staying in Aren, so I went straight there.”

“And? Did you meet him?”

“Yes. I told him our Guild Master wished to meet him, and he asked if now was acceptable—so I brought him.”

“Now?”

“Yes. He’s in the reception room on the first floor.”

Many guild masters disliked meeting others face to face. For a guild like Rodalan—whose name had yet to surface publicly—their wariness would normally be even greater.

Yet the guild master had come in person. That was highly unusual.

As expected… just like him.

An intrigued smile curved on Estelle’s lips. She immediately returned to her office, took out a wig and mask, and put them on.

“Let’s go.”

As the head of a trading company, she often had to deal directly with nobles. There was always the chance someone might recognize her as the former consort, so she wore a mask whenever conducting external affairs as guild master.

Within the Erme Company, only a handful of close aides—including Peter—knew the face beneath her mask. To everyone else, “Libeta Marian” was merely the company’s accountant.

They simply thought of her as the staff member in charge of the ledgers.

Of course, there’s no guarantee he’d be fooled by something like this.

He was the kind of man who would recognize Estelle even if she changed her hair and eye color and wore a mask.

Still, if she chose not to reveal herself, he would likely respect her wishes.

But… if he tries to send me back to the palace again…

It was a gamble. That was why she had first tried to find Sordan alone, without Rodalan’s help.

Lost in complicated thoughts, Estelle hurried her steps and stopped before the reception room door on the first floor. She took a deep breath.

Calm down. Don’t waver.

She steadied her wildly pounding heart.

Click.

At last, the door opened.

Just then, the late afternoon sunlight streamed through the large window, filling the reception room. On a sofa near the window sat a man with olive-colored hair and teal eyes.

A bouquet of flowers rested in his hand.

Bathed in warm sunlight, the green-eyed man smiled brightly the moment he saw her.

It was a smile Estelle knew well.