Lennox had died once.
Because of that woman, Vera Belonsa.
Grit.
Just remembering it made his teeth clench on their own.
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[Your Grace, I've known for a long time that you love me. But I'm sorry. I simply can't accept your feelings.]
[What?]
[Even if you look at me with that expression, my heart will not change!]
When he heard that, Lennox thought:
This woman is completely insane.
She deluded herself into thinking I loved her, rejected me on her own accord, and in the end drove me to my death.
After meeting his death, Lennox soon awoke once more.
And then he realized he had returned to the past—and confusion set in.
[... Was it all just a dream?]
But it wasn't a dream.
Day by day, time passed, and just as he had experienced once before, Lennox picked up a child during the subjugation campaign in the west.
When he said he would register the child as his own, the Emperor strongly opposed it, but held a banquet to celebrate the victory nonetheless.
He exchanged the exact same conversations with the people around him—word for word, without a single syllable out of place.
At last, Lennox was certain.
He had truly returned to the past.
[This must be a divine revelation.]
A revelation telling him to crush the people who would one day stab him in the back—while they were still mere sprouts.
Especially Vera Belonsa.
He could not allow her to go unchecked.
Having realized he had gone back, Lennox resolved to utterly destroy not only Vera but her entire family.
But then, an exception appeared.
[Estelle. Estelle Belonsa.]
That woman appeared before him.
"Did the future change because I arrived in the capital earlier than before?"
The woman who ran away after seeing him speak with Estelle was the very one he had married in his previous life.
In this repetition of the past, Estelle alone could be called an anomaly.
"Still, I didn't expect her to mention mandrakes…"
Lennox knew of the mandrake's existence as well.
He had once desperately sought one for the sake of the only person he could call family—his sister.
It had been said to be the only cure for her, so on the day a mandrake came up for auction, he hadn't hesitated to bid an astronomical amount.
Of course, despite all his efforts, it had never become his.
All because that dog of the temple interfered, costing me the winning bid.
It was one of the worst memories from his past life.
And now, the mandrake he couldn't obtain even by staking five years' worth of his domain's budget had rolled right into his lap.
"Seems that even among the Belonsas, she's got a better head on her shoulders than Vera Belonsa."
Lennox did not lower his guard toward Estelle simply because she was family to Vera.
She claimed she had come to him to escape an engagement with an old man, but for all he knew, she might secretly be envisioning a rosy future with him—just like Vera had.
[Don't you know about 'marriage first, romance later'? You could enter a contract marriage and then fall in love!]
Vera had once said those exact words.
"Ha. What a ridiculous thing to say."
Just remembering her was enough to make his head throb.
The reason he accepted Estelle despite his deep hatred for the Belonsas was simple.
If I marry that woman, the Belonsa family's funding will be cut off.
The current Belonsa family was surviving by leeching off Estelle's vast wealth.
Simply maintaining a marriage with her would be the same as draining the Belonsa coffers.
And while keeping her close, I can dig up the Belonsa family's weaknesses as well.
It was perfect.
Now, his scarlet eyes, brimming with hatred, were reflected clearly in the gleaming blade—spotless, without a single trace of blood.
Clink—
Lennox sheathed the sword.
"Come to think of it…"
Why had he never seen Estelle Belonsa before now? If she were Vera's sister, he should have crossed paths with her at least once.
"Oh, that's right. She was said to have died."
Was it an accident?
He didn't know, nor did he care. If they simply fulfilled the contract period, it wouldn't matter to him in the future.
Without a second thought, Lennox erased Estelle from his mind and tossed the bloodstained handkerchief away without hesitation.
The next morning.
"Estelle Belonsa!"
The Earl of Belonsa's furious voice thundered through the mansion.
"What on earth have you done?!"
"…I have no idea what you mean."
"What? No idea? Matthias…!"
It was only the next day that the Earl learned of Matthias's whereabouts, and his face turned red and blue in anger.
"He was found unconscious in a carriage! From what I hear, no one even saw Matthias at the banquet yesterday."
"..."
"This was your doing, wasn't it?"
"When Matthias wakes up, ask him yourself. You wouldn't believe me anyway."
"Just answer the question! What did you do to my son?!"
Matthias wasn't dead.
He had only fainted.
All he did was pass out the moment he saw demonic energy, so it's hardly fair to say I 'did' something to him.
She had been feigning ignorance, knowing that explaining the whole story would only drag the conversation out.
Knock, knock—
"My lord, you have a visitor."
"Without even sending word ahead? Tell them to come back later, I'm busy right now!"
"I'm afraid that won't be possible."
"What, did the Emperor come calling?!"
"The Duke of Winteren has come to propose marriage to Lady Estelle."
"What?"
The earl's face went blank with shock.
"Lady Estelle, you should go out at once. The duke mentioned he has little patience…"
"Yes. I can't possibly keep His Grace waiting."
Lightly draping a shawl over her shoulders, Estelle let the butler lead the way.
The Earl of Belonsa, now unable to keep scolding her, followed behind.
However, the butler did not lead them to the drawing room.
When the earl saw the massive, dark figure standing before the front door, he snapped irritably at the butler.
"Why didn't you receive His Grace in the drawing room?"
"I'm the one who said I would wait here."
"I… I see, Your Grace."
The earl lowered his voice in obsequious submission.
It was immediately clear where Matthias had inherited his bully-the-weak, bow-to-the-strong personality.
"Estelle Belonsa."
Ignoring the earl, Lennox strode straight toward Estelle.
"Marry me."
His tone was rather blunt, but thanks to his strikingly handsome features, it almost looked as though he was stiff from nervousness.
A velvet case was held out before her.
Inside, a diamond necklace gleamed brilliantly.
And that wasn't all.
"I didn't know what you might like, so I simply brought whatever caught my eye. You may take it all if you wish."
As if on cue, the door opened, and servants filed in, neatly arranging all manner of flowers and jewels.
No ring.
Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hairpins—various ornaments were pressed into Estelle's hands.
It was only then she noticed that a ring was the sole thing missing.
Realizing anew that this was a proposal all glitter on the outside and empty on the inside, she was about to answer—
"Wait, please, just a moment! Estelle is currently in marriage talks with the Earl of Blim!"
The Earl of Belonsa blurted out quickly, spittle flying.
"Though my daughter is indeed beautiful, breaking off the engagement with the Earl of Blim would require paying a penalty fee, so we must think this over a bit more…"
"I'll pay that money."
Lennox replied as if it were nothing.
"The sum is not insignificant."
"Are you trying to say I couldn't afford even that much?"
"N-no! That's not what I meant at all!"
"In that case, all we need is Miss Estelle's answer."
It was a scripted play.
Estelle's answer was already decided.
"I accept your proposal."
"What?"
"Then let's depart for Winteren Territory at once."
"Pardon?"
Caught in the middle, the earl glanced between Estelle and Lennox with a bewildered expression, making an odd noise.
"W-wait. You mean my daughter as well?"
"Yes. Any objections?"
"Well, of course—!"
"I have none."
Estelle calmly cut off the earl's words mid-sentence.
"I have no belongings to pack, so we can leave as is."
The earl, ignored yet again, was about to bark at Estelle when he sensed something odd.
No… could it be…
Had the two of them already settled everything between them?
Even if it was Estelle, he couldn't speak to Lennox carelessly. The earl quickly changed his approach.
"Your Grace, though she may not be of my blood, I have cherished her like my own daughter. Please allow us a chance to speak before she departs."
Instead of raising his voice, he made his request with pitiful humility.
Lennox looked down at him with open disdain before turning his gaze naturally to Estelle.
"You're asking the wrong person. What do you want to do?"
"I'd like to say my goodbyes one last time—it won't take long."
"Very well. I'll wait outside. Call me if anything happens."
With a blunt tone hardly fitting for someone who had just proposed, Lennox left.
The moment he disappeared, the earl seized Estelle's shoulders roughly.
"What on earth is going on here?"
Her shoulders hurt from the grip.
She nearly frowned in pain, but instead, Estelle masked her hostility with a gentle smile.
"My lord, I'm going to bring back a fortune that can't even be compared to the Earl of Blim's wealth."
"Are you joking right now? The Duke of Winteren can't be killed even with demonic energy!"
The earl lowered his voice so no one else could hear.
"You don't have to kill someone to get their money. His Grace promised to give me a fortune when we divorce."
"What?"
"If you look into it, you'll see I'm telling the truth. The duke secretly spread word that he was looking for a wife on a fixed-term basis."
"How would you know tha— No, wait. More importantly, if it's fixed-term, when's the divorce?"
"About a year from now."
"A whole year?"
The earl's face instantly turned pale.
"It's only a year."
"No, no, this won't do."
On the day Estelle awoke after attempting suicide by poison, the earl had been informed of her terminal diagnosis.
The reason he had kept the truth from her until now was simple.
If Estelle found out she was terminally ill, she might refuse to marry at all—meaning she wouldn't bring back her husband's wealth.
That was the only reason.