Chapter 9

“I’m back.”

Damia slowly opened the door of the mansion, where no one had come to greet her.

Since the Ponty family couldn’t properly pay their servants, this had become a normal situation.

“Damia, come here for a moment.”

Her father, Baron Ponty, spoke from the living room. Damia had thought no one was there.

She let out a small sigh and reluctantly walked toward him.

“You went to the Sarkis ducal residence?”

“Yes.”

The image of the young duke coughing up blood suddenly came to her mind, but Damia answered calmly.

She didn’t want her father to notice her confusion.

“It seems the young duke likes you quite a lot, considering he even sent a proposal.”

Baron Ponty had softened quite a bit after seeing the proposal letter stamped with the Sarkis family seal.

“I told you. We’re deeply in love.”

“I still can’t quite believe it… but you are very pretty.”

“Yes. I’m really glad I look like Mother.”

“Well, that’s certainly fortunate.”

It was an unusually gentle reaction from a father who normally became harsh whenever his late wife was mentioned.

Does he want to ask me for something?

As Damia frowned slightly, Baron Ponty cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Did you receive anything else besides gifts to celebrate the engagement?”

“…What?”

“Like land… or perhaps financial assistance.”

Damia’s eyes widened.

“I haven’t even had my debut yet. It’ll be a long time before we actually get married.”

“Tsk. Of course I know that.”

“Father, please… isn’t it a bit shameless to ask for things already?”

“You said the young duke insisted on this engagement because he cares about you so much.”

The baron glanced at her carefully and smacked his lips.

“You can tell how sincere he is by how much money he’s willing to spend.”

So it was about money again.

Her father was just as shameless as he had been in her previous life.

A dry laugh escaped Damia.

“Count Pavron promised enormous financial support even before marriage. The young duke should also show some sincerity—”

“Father!”

“Why are you raising your voice?”

“Isn’t that too much?”

“Damia, if the young duke changes his mind, do you realize how much you’ll lose? I’m just worried about you.”

“You’re not worried about me. You’re worried about missing the chance to sell me for a higher price.”

“Damia! Watch your mouth!”

Her father shouted angrily after being hit with the truth.

“I don’t want to hear any more. I trust the young duke.”

As long as the purple herb existed, Cassian—who was dying—could never betray her.

There was no point continuing this conversation.

Damia stood up and turned to leave the room.

Then she heard her father whisper.

“Do you think the Duchess of Sarkis will allow the marriage, even if she accepts the engagement?”

“If you’re asking my opinion… it will probably be difficult.”

“Tsk. There’s nothing we can gain right away. Pavron would have been the better choice.”

“The situation is a little difficult right now. There’s a limit to how much we can cover the debts…”

“Tsk. Is there really no hope left with Count Pavron?”

“Well, fortunately, Count Pavron—”

They lowered their voices because they were aware of Damia.

But the house was too small for their whispers to be hidden.

“I can hear everything, Father.”

Damia stopped and glared at them.

“I’d rather die than marry anyone except the young duke, so don’t even say such things.”

She was sick of everything.

If she truly wanted to cut off the terrible ties from her previous life and start over, the only option seemed to be fleeing to the kingdom.

***

Later

When she entered her small but cozy room, she noticed a letter on the desk.

Her tense expression softened immediately.

There was only one person who would send her letters at this time.

“Arsene?”

Damia quickly picked up the envelope.

Seeing the familiar name written on it made her smile.

“It’s been so long.”

Arsene was the eldest son of Mr. Cadis, a commoner businessman who had become successful.

He was also Damia’s only childhood friend.

As a noble girl who was almost as poor as a commoner, Damia had always been an awkward presence among other children.

Only kind Arsene would spend time with me.

But once the Cadis family business grew large, they moved to the neighboring Rodion Kingdom.

On the day Arsene left, Damia had been heartbroken.

Meanwhile, Baron Ponty had been delighted.

He hated that a mere commoner dared to associate with a noble lady.

Father was worried I might insist on marrying Arsene someday.

To her father, whose only pride was being a noble, having a commoner son-in-law would have been worse than starving to death.

Even though the Ponty family was nearly bankrupt and Mr. Cadis was wealthier than many nobles.

Anyway, it was a pointless worry. We were only friends.

Perhaps her father had been even more sensitive because Arsene had been an unusually handsome boy.

Damia had always had very high standards for beauty.

When did I lose contact with Arsene in my previous life?

Including her past life, it had been so long that she could barely remember.

“I’ll definitely come back to see you again, so wait for me. Don’t forget me!”

That boy who looked like a spring flower had worried about her until the very end as he left for Rodion with his father.

In her previous life, Arsene had taken over his father’s business and settled successfully in Rodion.

So Arsene kept his promise.

Because as an adult, he really did come to see Damia again.

The count wanted to start trade with Rodion and build a relationship with Mr. Cadis.

So he invited Arsene, who happened to be visiting the empire.

The count had no idea we were childhood friends.

In front of Arsene, the count pretended to be a kind husband.

But as soon as they were alone again, he turned violent.

Maybe those memories were too painful.

Even though she had promised never to forget Arsene, she had somehow forgotten him.

Wait.

Damia paused while opening the envelope with a knife.

Could Arsene help me escape?

If she wanted to move to the kingdom, there could be no better ally.

And perhaps Damia could help Arsene too.

She had always been interested in the herb business the Ponty family had abandoned long ago.

Her eyes began to sparkle.

***

A Few Days Later

A few days later, Cassian invited Damia to the ducal residence.

A boat ride on the lake… Has the young duke recovered a little?

While she wondered about it, the luxurious carriage arrived at the mansion.

“Young Duke! I didn’t expect you to be waiting outside.”

Cassian was standing alone at the entrance of the mansion, which looked almost like a castle.

“How are you feeling? I was really worried.”

“I’m fine.”

It didn’t seem like a lie.

His handsome face had regained its color and looked healthy again.

I couldn’t even sleep because I was worried…

But the boy in front of her looked perfectly fine.

She had been afraid there might be side effects from the medicine, but it seemed that worry was unnecessary.

“Young Duke, did you miss me these past few days too? Is that why you came out here?”

“No. I invited my fiancée, so I came to greet her. It’s basic courtesy.”

He was still drawing his usual boundaries.

Everything seemed the same as always.

Except…

Why does he keep avoiding my eyes?

Cassian kept glancing at her hands instead of looking at her face.

It was as if there was something difficult he wanted to say.