Chapter 70
Before we knew it, the lake near Cloud spread out before our eyes.
Aaron and Erica, who had gone ahead, seemed to have found a spot they liked and quickly pointed at it.
“Sister-in-law! Brother! Over here, over here!”
Martin and I answered with smiles.
We spread a mat on the ground, and the servants who had followed along began setting out the food.
They must have been hungry, coming straight here after training.
“Have you thought carefully about what we talked about last time?”
I thought it was hardly the kind of topic to bring up over a meal—you could choke—but since he kept asking, it seemed Martin truly hoped Aaron wouldn’t miss this good opportunity.
Even without saying it outright, he must have been worried.
Such a kind person.
Yes, Martin really was warm-hearted.
I already knew how Aaron would answer.
“I’ll participate.”
That’s right, that’s right. I nodded, but at what came next, I couldn’t help staring straight at Aaron.
“However, I have a request I’d like the Duke to grant.”
I had expected him to agree to participate, but I hadn’t expected him to ask Martin for something.
As if she sensed my curiosity, Erica couldn’t hold it in and asked,
“What are you going to ask for?”
Despite Erica’s persistent questioning, Aaron brushed it off with a smile.
Erica, more than I’d thought, didn’t pry when the other person clearly didn’t want to speak.
Since when was she like that? Or was she only especially like this with Aaron?
Instead of digging further, she naturally shifted the topic to herself.
She lightly thumped her chest with her fist and spoke proudly.
“While Aaron was training so hard, I didn’t waste my time either! Right, you two?”
She even sought our agreement.
Martin and I smiled helplessly and nodded.
“And how did you spend your time, Miss?”
“Well, there’s a book I’ve been reading lately. What was the title again? Ah! A-anyway!”
Erica searched her memory for the book’s title, then quickly wrapped up her words.
She’d been so focused while reading it that her brows nearly knitted together—there was no way she wouldn’t remember the title.
How to Become Lovers, probably…?
I shot Erica a look. Even though my sister-in-law pretended not to notice.
“If I’m going to establish a school later, reading is one of the essential courses.”
“I heard you also increased the number of sponsored children.”
“That’s right! Aaron, how did you know?”
Erica’s eyes went wide.
“Haha. You mentioned it last time, Miss.”
“Did I? Oh dear, look at me. I’ve just been so busy getting closer to my dream, you know?”
Erica’s topics flowed without pause.
When I finally came to my senses, Martin and Aaron’s seats were somehow empty.
Where did those two go?
I alone was listening to Erica’s story.
“Sister-in-law, you know…”
“Yes?”
Resting her chin on both hands, Erica continued in a very serious tone.
“No matter what, I want to marry someone I love.”
The marriage proposals Martin had mentioned must have been weighing on her mind.
Of everything Erica said that day, that single sentence lingered with me the most.
That was Erica’s wish.
The shimmering light scattered across the opposite lake sparkled softly, moving gently.
“The person I love…”
I know that’s the happiest thing of all.
I’m not worried about the young lady at all, but still…
That night, damn it—I was worried.
Unable to sleep, tossing and turning, I finally sat up again.
My thoughts were too tangled to let me rest.
Still, Erica at least knew her own heart clearly.
Not only did she know it, she expressed it without hesitation.
How wonderful.
In a harsh world where even loving someone feels like there isn’t enough time, Erica seemed to be doing her best to use every moment she was given.
That was what made her so lovely.
[My husband loves me.]
Why did I ever say something like that to Count Harold’s wife?
Because I cared so much about Martin’s feelings, I’d ended up overlooking something far more important.
[I’m not trying to blame you. Your thoughts matter to me.]
Even though I believed that nothing was more miserable than forcing oneself to maintain a marriage.
[If there were no contract, would you break off the engagement with me right now?]
Why was I asking Martin about breaking off the engagement?
The most important thing was my own heart.
Then—how did I feel?
If this hadn’t been a relationship formed by contract, would I have been the one to break off the engagement with Martin?
Gemma Cloud.
Breaking off the engagement would mean shedding the Cloud name.
And shedding the Cloud name would mean there was no longer any connection between me and Cloud.
That was what I had wanted when I first possessed this body.
The strongest shield to keep the Cloud family from destruction.
So do I want to break off the engagement?
I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting to focus only on my own heart.
And in the end, the answer I heard was—
“No.”
I didn’t want it.
Only after speaking it aloud did my feelings become even clearer.
I don’t want to break off the engagement.
Perhaps it wasn’t because I had already, even if only slightly, changed the original story.
But because—
I had come to love Martin.
Erica.
Gemma.
I might have gradually foreseen myself growing to love Martin and Erica.
Enough to want to stay with these people, no matter how things ended.
The closer we grew, the more Martin and Erica seeped into my life.
But loving Gemma—that was something I had never expected.
Who I was.
What I had done in the past—no, in another life—and what kind of life I had lived became vague, hard to remember.
The more I tried to recall it, the clearer only Gemma’s present self became.
If being the current Gemma felt not the least bit unnatural…
Then maybe—I really was Gemma.
Only then did I finally accept myself.
The next morning, I drew the curtains with Marie, who was already bustling about.
“Don’t look at me like that, Marie. If I stay still, I get stiff, so I’m helping.”
“I heard you left a lot of food yesterday?”
“Don’t even mention it. If I’d gone alone with the young lady, it would’ve been a disaster.”
Marie laughed softly. She said she’d even tried to stop Erica, asking if she wasn’t preparing too much, but Erica had pushed ahead anyway.
“Did you enjoy yourselves without me?”
“I wish you’d come with us next time. It felt like something was missing without you.”
I meant it. It would’ve been nice if Marie had been there too, talking together while watching the shimmering lake.
“Oh, and—”
“…?”
“That diamond ring worked really well.”
Carrying it on me felt like a powerful talisman.
Thanks to the ring, I was able to stay calm even in front of the Countess whose gaze had completely changed.
I clenched my fist and lightly bumped it into Marie’s palm.
“Not bad, right? It’s practically a one-hit knockout on most crazy people.”
Our ideas about how to use a diamond ring might differ, but—
While Marie and I were laughing and chatting, Babel knocked and entered through the open door.
Judging by his polite bow, it seemed he’d found something out.
What’s wrong with Marie?
Just moments ago, she’d been acting completely natural beside me at the window, drawing the curtains.
But the instant Babel appeared, she started humming awkwardly, visibly fidgeting.
Her cheeks even turned bright red.
Marie acting like this is suspicious.
Even as I listened to Babel speak, I quietly observed Marie’s strange behavior.
“According to the tavern owner, Count Harold’s wife visited the establishment a week ago.”
“That place?”
“Yes. And she was accompanied by a knight with a very burly build.”
If it was a burly knight, only one person came to mind.
Coincidentally, the very person I had identified as Count Harold’s wife’s weakness.
“Sir Stuart, then.”
“H-how did you know?”
“Call it a hunch.”
After the last royal vote, I’d briefly seen the two of them meeting as well.
“Thank you, Babel. Make sure to generously reward the tavern owner.”
“Yes.”
Now that she knew I was investigating her, she wouldn’t return there again.
She’d find another place to meet Sir Stuart.
What mattered was knowing about the connection between the two.
After Babel left, the awkward humming disappeared, replaced by a faint sigh from somewhere.
It sounded like a breath released after tension—or perhaps one of regret.
“Marie.”
“Y-yes?”
“What was with that suspicious behavior the moment Babel came in?”
I narrowed my eyes, stuck close to Marie, and grinned as I pressed her for answers.
Marie jumped, clutching her chest, but offered her own excuse.
“I-it’s just… it’s spring, you know……”
It was a ridiculous excuse, but—
A pink flush spread across Marie’s cheeks. She looked lively.
Before love, everyone was equal.
Yes, it was spring—the season where even falling in love was forgiven.
I miss him.
Suddenly, I missed him.
There were so many things I needed to hear, but I’d been putting it off because I wasn’t confident I could face them.
Now that I understood my own heart, it felt like there was something I needed to say to Martin.
When would be a good time?
As I looked out the window, now fully opened, I saw Martin outside talking with Babel.
What was meant to be just a glance turned into more.
Sensing my gaze, Martin looked up toward the second floor.
When our eyes met, he naturally waved at me.
As if there had never been any conflict between us.
I-it worked…
I didn’t know how he felt, but my heart pounded wildly.
Startled by the sound of my own heartbeat, I ducked down.
Like a malfunctioning robot, I sank straight to the floor.
This is really serious.
The suspicious one had been Marie, but now—
“Madam, what are you doing right now?”
After checking who was outside the window, Marie strode toward me.
As if taking revenge for earlier, she smiled slyly with narrowed eyes.
“Our madam—did you hide because you saw the master?”
“M-me? What are you talking about? It’s spring……?”
Flustered and making excuses, I only ended up looking even more suspicious.
