Chapter 7: Verification (1)
Cecilia finished speaking and lifted her teacup, taking a quiet sip.
Rainer’s sharp eyes studied her closely.
The stories she recounted were far too elaborate for a woman living in a minor noble household to have fabricated on her own.
“If you still find it hard to believe, you can start by confirming whether Duke Hayes is truly dead. That alone will tell you whether my words are fact or nonsense,” she said, issuing her instructions with calm confidence.
Rainer had no idea how to handle this woman.
“That is all I have to say,” Cecilia added, rising slowly with a composed smile—a smile that carried the certainty of someone holding all the cards.
“When you confirm that what I said is true, we can discuss our arrangement again. I’m staying at the Seymour Hotel, so if you wish to speak with me, you may come by anytime.”
A long breath escaped Cecilia only after leaving the duke’s mansion.
Her memory of her own words felt hazy.
To speak so boldly in front of Rainer… it was something her past self could never have imagined.
“By now, he must be deep in thought,” she mused.
Rainer had not moved even as she stepped through the doorway.
Whether his silence meant he would accept her proposal, she could not tell—yet.
“…It’ll work out. After all, this is a gamble I’ve already started. Trust my instincts,” she told herself, nodding resolutely and turning away without a trace of hesitation.
The next day, Rainer Hayes’s carriage made its way once again toward the Hayes estate.
“It’s degrading to see such a vulgar face so often,” Elise said coldly, greeting him upon his arrival.
She made no effort to conceal her displeasure at Rainer’s visit. Elise had always been like this. Though she had brought her husband’s illegitimate child into the household for appearances’ sake, she had never shown him an ounce of affection. On the contrary, she had revealed her cruelest self without restraint.
Just like your mother! The shameless, filthy blood!
The words she had spoken to him in the past had been nothing but insults and scorn.
Rainer pressed his hand to his eyes, recalling those memories. Everything about this moment irritated him—but he had to verify it.
If Cecilia Panning’s claims were true, they could hold the key to overturning the entire game.
“I’m here to see your brother,” he said.
“…What?”
For a fleeting moment, Elise’s eyes betrayed a flicker of unease—a detail Rainer noticed immediately.
“I’ve regretted not properly visiting my brother while I was still young. I’ll only see him briefly, so there’s no need for you, Grand Dame, to concern yourself—”
“T-There’s no need!”
As Rainer stood, Elise blocked his path. Though her face tried to remain composed, her tightly clenched hands trembled slightly.
“Gilbert must remain absolutely stable. Someone as vulgar as you won’t help at all.”
“Is that so?” Rainer said, letting out a brief, knowing laugh as he studied her.
Gilbert resembled his mother in every way. Jealous of a younger half-brother, he was always on edge, and whenever Elise abused Rainer, he would snicker beside her, egging her on.
As Rainer grew older, gaining prominence in the royal court and high society, Gilbert’s envy had flared further. So, Elise’s warning that Rainer could not help with Gilbert’s condition rang true—though only if Gilbert were truly alive.
“Who knows? Perhaps seeing me will make the dead rise in anger.”
“…W-What?”
Rainer’s taunt froze Elise’s expression.
“D-Dead? Watch your words. Gilbert is—”
“Yes, asleep from illness, presumably,” Rainer replied with a deliberately double-edged remark, rising deliberately from his seat.
There was no need to enter Gilbert’s room. Elise’s reaction had said everything.
If Gilbert were alive, she would have paraded him triumphantly, warning me not to expect anything foolish.
Even from his bed, Gilbert would have mocked him.
But now Elise could only gasp for breath, unable to respond. Watching the old fox fume, Rainer smiled in quiet triumph.
“Then, I shall be on my way.”
He bowed lightly to Elise and walked toward the door. At the threshold, he turned back, hand on the handle.
“By the way, Grand Dame…”
Elise ground her teeth, glaring at him.
“With your hands shaking like that, will you even be able to sip your tea properly?”
“You…!”
She lunged to rise, but Rainer merely smiled coldly and stepped out.
“Rainer.”
Outside the estate, Harry waited for him. He had just returned from the public medical center on Rainer’s orders.
“I’ve confirmed the birth records for a woman named Sela. As Miss Panning said, she gave birth to a son twenty-two years ago.”
“…I see.”
“Yes. The father was said to be a noble, but everyone thought it was idle gossip,” Harry handed over an envelope.
Rainer narrowed his eyes at the birth certificate labeled “Evan.”
“Does Elise know?”
“Apparently not. I ensured strict confidentiality at the medical center. The documents I provided are originals; all copies were incinerated.”
Rainer nodded at Harry’s meticulous handling. Without Cecilia Panning, all his patience and careful planning could have been in vain.
He mounted his carriage, watching the Hayes mansion fade in the distance, his thoughts consumed by one woman.
Cecilia Panning… what kind of woman is she, really?
Two days later, Rainer arrived at the Seymour Hotel.
Cecilia, seeing him in the lounge, felt a quiet thrill.
That was quicker than I expected.
His arrival in person meant he had verified everything. Her admiration for his efficiency was barely contained, though she hid it behind a composed smile.
“And what brings you here, Your Grace? I hope you haven’t come just for tea,” she asked lightly.
“…”
Though she knew the reason, Cecilia feigned indifference.
Rainer’s gaze was sharp and unyielding.
“How can you remain unafraid?”
“Pardon? Of what?”
“Of me, Elise Hayes, and Gilbert,” he said, studying her intently.
“I can’t fathom how you obtained such information. Grand Dame must have been strict with her secrecy.”
Ah, so that’s what he’s curious about.
Indeed, the information Cecilia held went far beyond mere rumor. She smiled faintly, shaking her head.
“That, I cannot reveal. You haven’t given me anything in return, have you?”
Cecilia picked up her teacup, a subtle gesture signaling her refusal to answer further.
Besides, how could I even explain it?
Who would believe her story that she had been killed by Rosena, only to awaken in the past? Mention such a thing, and they would call her insane and lock her in an asylum.
“Very well, then I’ll ask just this,” Rainer said, sighing, loosening his cravat slightly.
“Why did you give me that information? Had you ignored Evan March’s affair, you could have become the Duchess without interference.”
He wanted to understand her motives. Why choose such a difficult path when an easier one existed?
Cecilia had given up too much for it to be mere anger at her fiancé’s infidelity. In Brisen’s noble society, public scandal over a husband’s affair was rare—unless, like Elise, one indulged in private revenge.
“The Duchess title…”
Cecilia set her cup down with a bitter expression. Indeed, when she had first become the Duchess in her previous life, she had nothing to envy.
But reality had been different. Her husband’s growing coldness and Elise’s relentless pressure had worn her down. Over time, she had withered, until finally meeting death at Rosena’s hands. The duchess title had been nothing more than a gilded shell.
“That is not what I need,” she said firmly, straightening her posture.
