WHSM 07

Hearing Viscountess Enisha say that, while Karcel and I sat across from her as affectionately as a married couple…

It was a scene I could never have even imagined before.

The next day, I was sitting there thinking over and over again about how things had ended up this way.

‘How did things turn out like this?’

The elegant woman sitting across from me finally smiled kindly.

“Yes. Since building a ranch is the madam’s wish, and since her husband has put it this way, I will sell it.”

“You won’t regret this deal.”

At that moment, Karcel turned to her and spoke gently.

“Madam, is everything done according to your wishes? If there’s anything else you need or anything that needs adjusting, please feel free to tell me.”

“Huh? Yes!”

“To be honest, the value of this land isn’t particularly high, yet purchasing it at this price and even paying 5% of the future profits from this land for the next ten years is somewhat…”

I looked away from Karcel, showing the whites of my eyes like a puppy that had secretly picked something up from the floor and eaten it.

“However, if this is the madam’s wish, we will proceed with these terms.”

“Yes!”

Then Viscountess Enisha, who was sitting across from us, laughed elegantly.

“Your husband really likes you. You two are a wonderful pair.”

“I chased after my wife and barely managed to marry her. I don’t want to lose her now.”

“You’re in the sweet stage of marriage. ……I know it may be rude to ask, but do you have children?”

“We have one daughter.”

A daughter? What daughter?!

I stared up at him from beside him in shock.

So the reason the situation had become this tangled…

was because of a series of coincidences.

The information I remembered that could make me a huge amount of money the fastest was, of course—

“Real estate!”

Land was the best.

No matter where you went, physical assets were always the most valuable.

I had absolutely no talent for business. And I didn’t have a rich husband I could divorce for money, nor a family who could lend me starting capital.

‘In short, all I have is a little bit of information, so the only thing I can do is invest in real estate.’

Among them, there was a villainous supporting character who was basically Linea’s rival.

Her name was Zenith.

Zenith’s parents were already wealthy for generations, but they rose even higher in status after accidentally buying this very “land.”

A baron family had even reached the point where they could dream of taking the position of empress.

And there was only one reason they could do that.

Magic stones.

A highly efficient energy source that contained enough magical power to be used for over a hundred years with just one stone.

There were countless numbers of them deep underground in the land they bought cheaply from Viscountess Enisha.

In this world, which was gradually moving toward a modern era, various magical tools were developing.

And the one thing absolutely required in these magical tools was magic stones!

However, compared to the enormous demand, mines producing magic stones were extremely rare, so their price was basically whatever the seller wanted.

Thanks to that, Zenith planned to marry the crown prince by offering magic stone ore as her dowry.

In reality, the imperial family considered Zenith more suitable as a future empress for this very reason.

Of course, since this was a fantasy novel, Linea’s loveliness and kind heart would win in the end.

But to me now, this world wasn’t a fantasy novel.

‘So now I have to become the owner of the magic stone mine and pave a smooth road ahead for Linea.’

Of course, if I succeeded, my own future would become a bed of flowers too.

So, after going to the bank near my house early in the morning, I walked out to the main road with my heart full of hope to catch a hired carriage.

That was when a black carriage stopped right beside me.

“……Again?”

As I thought that, the coachman opened the door of the carriage that had stopped beside me.

Inside was, as expected—

“An unexpected meeting, madam.”

“Unexpected……? Is it really?”

“As you said, it is a coincidence disguised as inevitability.”

Saying that, Karcel tilted his head with a bright smile that didn’t match his fierce-looking face.

Just that alone added a youthful charm to his seductive atmosphere, making my vision go hazy.

‘He really is ridiculously handsome.’

For a moment, I thought I might drool, so I quickly wiped the corner of my mouth.

“Actually, I happened to find something you left behind yesterday. I wanted to return it to you, but I thought you wouldn’t appreciate me sending a letter to the count’s residence.”

“Ah.”

At least he had some awareness.

He chuckled as if he also found himself ridiculous and continued.

“To be honest, I waited on purpose. ……Because I wanted to see your face even one more time.”

I desperately tried to hide how my face suddenly turned red.

‘This crazy man. Seriously, this crazy man.’

How could someone say something like that so casually?

When I saw his enchanting face smiling with his eyes curved, my heart fluttered and I took a deep breath.

‘That’s cheating. Smiling like that with a face like that is unfair.’

His face was incredibly persuasive.

“Today, I really only intended to give this to you and leave.”

“What is it?”

“You dropped your handkerchief that day.”

What he took out from his clothes was my handkerchief.

“Oh, I didn’t even realize it was missing.”

At my words, Karcel laughed softly.

“Actually…… when I saw the handkerchief you left behind, I was happy because it felt like I had gained a chance to speak with you again.”

“Ugh.”

I didn’t know what to do and my face turned bright red.

The marquis stepped down from the carriage and approached me. Then he held out the neatly folded handkerchief.

“Thank you.”

I took the handkerchief, but at that moment, his fingertips—almost twice the size of mine—brushed against my palm.

The strange, ticklish sensation that I couldn’t explain made my eyes widen.

My breath caught.

The marquis asked with a perfectly drawn smile, as if nothing had happened.

“Are you going somewhere? I’ll give you a ride.”

“No, it’s fine—”

“……Is it really not okay?”

Why was he looking at me like that again?

I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he smiled down at me with that faint expression.

In the end, I was captivated by that ridiculously convincing face and nodded once.

“Ah!”

I had nodded without thinking!

But that was enough for him to seize the opportunity. He quickly held out his hand to me.

“Thank you.”

I gently took his hand and climbed into the carriage.

His hand was larger and firmer than I expected, and today he wasn’t wearing gloves.

So the feeling of bare skin touching bare skin, lingering briefly before separating, felt strangely strange.

However, the marquis entered the carriage while smiling calmly, as if nothing had happened.

“Where shall I take you?”

“First, I need to go to the nearest imperial bank, then to Route 4 in Luton.”

“Understood.”

The marquis opened the small window connected to the coachman’s seat and told him the destination, then turned back toward me.

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

Because of yesterday’s incident, the kitchen staff at the count’s residence said my mother-in-law had ordered that from now on I should survive on money I earned myself, and they couldn’t even give me a single piece of bread.

I had already been planning to finish my urgent errands and eat outside anyway.

“I thought that might be the case, so I prepared something.”

“What?”

“You seem like a busy person. I wanted to at least share one meal with you this way.”

So that was where the delicious smell was coming from.

What he held out was a basket.

“Is that a lunch box?”

“Yes. It’s nothing special, but it should be enough to fill your stomach.”

Karcel opened the basket as he said that.

“Wow……”

Inside was a soup that looked so rich it made my mouth water, along with thick sandwiches packed with meat.

He even handed me plates and napkins from inside and calmly finished setting everything up.

Growl.

Since I hadn’t been able to eat properly at the count’s residence for a while, my stomach made an embarrassingly obvious sound.

My cheeks heated up because I felt like my secret had been exposed.

“I’m sorry. I had to leave in a hurry today.”

“I’m hungry too.”

Eating breakfast inside a carriage after setting up a small table…

‘This is basically like eating in a limousine.’

I couldn’t resist the temptation any longer and started with the soup.

As the warm, savory soup slid down my throat, I was overwhelmed by how good it tasted.

“It’s really delicious.”

“I’m glad. The chef working at my house is quite skilled. ……If you ever visit, madam, he will prepare an even better meal for you.”

His words subtly hinted that he wanted to invite me to his house, so I smiled awkwardly.

‘I need to find out about Marquis Rivandel through the information guild.’

Thinking about it, the timing of his appearance was suspiciously perfect, and it confused me. But if Marquis Rivandel truly had goodwill toward me…

‘Linea isn’t my biological daughter, and my husband is dead. So if I want to leave the count’s family with Linea, I need more than just money.’

According to imperial law, taking a child who isn’t your biological child after divorce or the death of your spouse required certain conditions.