"…N-name?"
After a short silence, Lennox slowly opened his mouth.
"Estelle. Estelle Bellonsa."
"Bellonsa?"
He furrowed his brow.
Was it because of the rumor that she was a temptress who devoured her husbands?
Estelle quickly spoke up.
"If it's the gossip going around that makes things awkward, don't worry. My ex-husbands all had preexisting illnesses."
"..."
"Even if they had married another woman, the same thing would have happened."
"Ex-husbands? Ah, I see."
Lennox responded with indifference.
'So it wasn't because of that ridiculous nickname about being a husband-eater?'
Her moment of musing was short-lived—Lennox suddenly began firing questions.
"Let me ask you a few things. How did you find me?"
"I happened to hear some news by chance."
"And your reason for deciding to become my wife?"
"Money."
"….."
"You offered a large sum if I endured for just one year, didn't you? I need that money."
Of course, it was a lie.
"Interesting. Even though you already have more money than you could ever spend, you claim you need it more than your life."
Lennox smirked, having seen through the lie at once. His reaction was that of someone who had just heard a rather amusing joke.
Considering the vast inheritance she had received from her ex-husbands, it was close to mockery.
"Do you even know what Winterlen Territory is like? I don't need someone who'll run away or die soon."
"..."
"I'm planning to choose someone as desperate as possible. But, Lady Bellonsa, you don't seem desperate at all."
Lennox made no effort to hide his displeasure toward Estelle.
She could sense instinctively that no matter what answer she gave, he would have rejected her.
'I thought he'd accept right away since he was urgently looking for a one-year wife…'
Lennox clearly didn't care if it was Estelle or someone else.
But for Estelle, it was different.
Aside from the ducal family, was there any other household that wouldn't be swayed when the Bellonsa family tried to buy them with money?
And if there was, was there any man who would treat her without a shred of contempt?
As far as Estelle knew, Lennox was the only one.
"I'll be honest. Right now, there are marriage talks between me and Count Blim."
"Count Blim, you say."
"He's similar to my ex-husbands."
A man with plenty of age and plenty of money—
someone for whom it wouldn't be strange to die on the wedding night.
"If I have to go through with it anyway, I'd rather marry a man who lives close to death than one whose age is already closer to death than life."
At that answer, Lennox strode toward Estelle in a single step.
Gulp.
The moment Estelle swallowed dryly—
"Little rat…"
A curse slipped out between Lennox's teeth.
"You were eavesdropping."
Lennox brushed right past Estelle.
Hurriedly turning her head, Estelle saw a man sprawled face-down on the floor.
It was Daniel Nultia—the man who had picked up Estelle's veil.
"D-Duke of Winterlen…"
Meeting Lennox's murderous gaze, Daniel turned pale.
"I-I was just passing by and didn't realize you were here…"
"How much did you hear?"
Lennox cut off the babbling man mid-sentence.
"H-hear? I swear on my life I never eavesdropped on your conversation!"
"Your life seems rather cheap."
He had truly picked the wrong moment.
Still half-kneeling, the man hastily reached out and grabbed Lennox's arm.
"P-please, I swear! I didn't—"
Thud!
It happened in an instant.
The moment Daniel's hand touched him, Lennox shoved him away. Daniel went tumbling to the floor with a loud crash.
Lennox looked down at him with an expression full of contempt and disgust.
"Ugh…"
Daniel's body went limp after his head hit the floor hard—he seemed to have lost consciousness.
Shrrng—
Lennox drew his sword.
The blade gleamed sharply under the reflection of the moonlight.
The moment Daniel had made contact, it was as if Lennox's reason had evaporated—
like a man who knew no other course but to kill and erase him on the spot.
Estelle stepped in front of him.
"What do you think you're doing right now?"
"Stay out of it, unless you want to see this."
"Why not?"
His tone was like he was biting down on each word, his intent to remove the irritation before him clear in his eyes.
"If you're worried he overheard our conversation, then silence him in another way."
"And why should I listen to you?"
The tip of the blade shifted to point directly at Estelle.
She could feel the cold edge of steel against the nape of her neck.
"Because you need to buy the Nultia family's land."
"…You're spouting nonsense in front of a sword."
"I just thought the mandrake would be a tempting prize for you as well, Your Grace."
Mandrake—a legendary herb said to cure any illness.
In the original story, Lennox had spent an astronomical sum to obtain it.
"Why do you think I'd want that?"
"Because I heard someone in your family is ill."
It was well-known that his only sister was bedridden and no longer left the castle.
To the highly wary Lennox, Estelle spoke only the truth.
"Baron Nultia will never sell anything to the man who killed my son."
Only Estelle knew that mandrake grew in the barren Nultia territory, where the land was too poor even for farming.
"If you don't need the mandrake, then kill him right now—he has nothing to do with me."
How could she persuade a man who already had wealth and honor?
The answer was simple.
"But if you do need the mandrake, it's better for both me and this man to keep our heads."
You just had to hand him what he wanted.
"Where did you hear this from?"
"My ex-husband. Even Baron Nultia doesn't know yet."
"If that information is true, it's even more suspicious. Buying the land myself would be more profitable, so why tell me?"
The sale of mandrake would bring in wealth on an astronomical scale.
Even if she didn't sell it to anyone, for Estelle—who had little time left—it was something she desperately needed.
And yet, she was deliberately handing this information to Lennox because—
"Financially, you're right. But if it means I can become your wife, I can give it up."
Mandrake is a tricky medicinal herb. If taken incorrectly, it can become a poison instead.
That was why Estelle had decided to borrow Lennox's hand for the task—naturally, without asking for his consent.
If I become his wife, it'll be easy to slip some mandrake away.
But what she said aloud was completely different from her real thoughts, and Lennox gave her a strange look.
Just then—
Rustle—
Sensing movement, she turned her head and saw a young woman standing there, her face pale.
Estelle quickly realized that this was the woman who, in the original course of things, would have married Lennox.
She must have come to propose marriage to him.
But since Estelle had stolen her place, the woman saw only Lennox pointing a sword at Estelle—and immediately turned to flee in the opposite direction.
Perhaps it was for the best.
At least this way, the woman wouldn't come into contact with magic and meet an early death.
Estelle spoke firmly.
"My presence will never be a burden to you, Your Grace."
"..."
"I will never run away."
"…Fine."
Lennox gave a small nod.
"We'll marry."
The sword that had been threatening her life was lowered.
Her nape stung slightly—perhaps it had been nicked—but Estelle felt relief wash over her.
"There will be no wedding ceremony."
"..."
"Tomorrow, we'll file the marriage registration and leave for the territory immediately. Pack only the bare essentials, and don't even think about returning to the capital for the next year."
"I don't mind leaving right now."
She would finally be rid of the Bellonsa family.
She would no longer have to watch her husbands die.
That thought alone brought a note of joy into her voice.
"Don't misunderstand."
But as if unwilling to let her feel happy even for a moment, he doused her with cold words.
"I don't need a woman I love—I need a woman who can endure."
Does he actually think I'm in love with him?
Was it because she had said she wanted to be his wife?
Estelle had to force herself to hide her bewilderment.
"If you want a gentle husband who will love you, give up now. I will never love you, and there will never be a child between us."
"…Become my wife and live as quiet as a dead mouse for a year."
His tone was steeped in deep disgust.
After Estelle left, Lennox—now alone—noticed the blood on his sword.
He took out a handkerchief and, with practiced ease, wiped the blade clean, wondering whose blood it was.
"Estelle. Estelle Bellonsa."
He murmured the unfamiliar name.
She was truly a strange woman.
If she had stepped in front of him to preach that killing was wrong and that one must not take a life, he might have removed her from his path without hesitation.
But she hadn't done that.
Even when he had deliberately insulted her by telling her to live like a dead mouse for a year, she had remained composed.
["I will. But you haven't forgotten my request for a proposal, have you?"]
["…I'll come to you tomorrow."]
She had made the request so casually that, for a brief moment, it was he who felt caught off guard.
But what was even stranger was—
"How did that woman manage to find me?"
Ordinarily, there was no reason she would have sought him out.
At least, not in his previous life.
"Has the future… changed?"