ITMWG 89

Chapter 89…

Which one do you prefer?

Despite speaking so resolutely, Nadia’s heart was racing.

In truth, she wasn’t that disappointed in Altair this time.

In the end, he just wanted her to solve her own problem.

Besides, after talking to Duke Viosques today, she could see that Altair didn’t have a choice either.

Rather…

When Duke Viosques was doubting her, she was grateful that Altair trusted her without wavering even a little.

As Duke Viosques said, it was hard for her to gain someone’s complete trust.

She didn’t look like someone who would backstab people, but she had a strangely unreliable impression that made it hard for someone to have faith in or entrust her with something important…

However, when Nadia saw Altair hesitating in front of the door, she felt like pretending to be offended to tease him a little.

Teasing Altair? Me?

Nadia secretly giggled inside at her daring thought, but Altair, who had no idea what she was thinking, looked at her very seriously.

“Are you truly upset?”

“Um…”

“How can I make you feel better?”

“T-That’s something you have to figure out for yourself.”

As she blurted out the words half-heartedly, a question suddenly arose in her mind.

How do people usually throw a tantrum?

Because she was so timid, she had never thrown a tantrum in her life.

She had always just nodded to what she was told regardless of the situation, so this was new.

Altair seemed to be feeling awkward as well.

“… If I knew how to make you feel better, I wouldn’t have been loitering around the door.”

As Nadia watched Altair sigh and keep his eyes glued to her face, she could no longer maintain the blunt attitude that she didn’t mean.

She then let out her suppressed feelings like someone who was letting out a breath that they had been holding back.

“Actually, I wasn’t offended. If I had been less trustworthy, you would have tried to help me secretly, but you trusted me and kept quiet. Thank you.”

Altair frowned and tilted his head, wondering why his wife, who he had believed to be offended, thanked him.

“Why are you thankful that I trust you?”

He shrugged.

“Shouldn’t a married couple trust each other more than anyone else? If it had been the other way around, you would have trusted me too.”

“Altair is capable, so it’s different for me.”

“You’re capable, too. Why do you think the people of Aylesford trust and follow you?”

Her face turned red when she heard the words ‘capable’ out loud.

She couldn’t figure out how to react to such straightforward compliments.

“You’re honest and sincere. If you can’t trust someone like that, you can’t trust anyone in this world.”

“There are many people in this world who don’t value that.”

In a world where personal gain was the most important, many people considered honesty and sincerity as “dull”.

A typical example was her uncle.

He always complained that she wasn’t smart enough. He said that she would never be of any use.

“I value that. I think it’s stupid not to recognise the value of someone like that.”

Nadia glanced at Altair, wondering if he was trying to flatter her, but it didn’t seem to be just empty words.

The reason she was able to find the magic stone mine in Aylesford estate and salvage their financial state was because she knew the original story, so that wasn’t her real ability.

However, the honesty and sincerity that Altair said he valued were truly hers.

Her true self, unadorned.

When that aspect was acknowledged, her heart felt full.

She wanted to give anything to this person, who acknowledged and recognised her.

Unable to hold back her overflowing emotions, she grabbed Altair’s hand, which was firmly holding the door to keep it from closing.

She could feel Altair’s hand flinch, perhaps surprised by the sudden contact.

“…Do-, do you want to go to bed?”

“… What?”

Altair asked back dumbfoundedly after Nadia shouted out with her eyes tightly shut, mustering up her courage.

“Well, um… at the Marquis of Vine, the atmosphere was a bit different…we didn’t ‘do it’ … so it’s been a while…”

As Nadia continued to list the reasons why they had to sleep together, she could hear Altair’s groan above her head, as if he was in pain.

Thinking that those reasons weren’t enough, she quickly added.

“You want to have a child soon… if so we need to sleep together…”

“Do you have any more reasons?”

“Of-, of course! There are a ton of them!”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can hear all of them.”

“Why, why…? They’re all good reasons… Can’t you listen to them? If so, you’ll definitely-…”

As she quickly retorted in impatience, Altair leaned down and kissed her before she could finish her sentence.

When Nadia froze in surprise at Altair’s sudden attack, he pulled away briefly and whispered with their foreheads touching.

“I don’t think I can hear them all because my patience is so little.”

Altair smirked at the bewildered Nadia, and lightly lifted her up with one arm.

“Which one do you prefer?”

“Wh-which one?”

“I mean the room. Since there are two, we can sleep wherever you want.”

“Uh, either one is fine…”

“Then let’s come to my room today.”

Altair quickly came to a decision impatiently and began walking back to his room.

The small door that had been open closed shut, and Altair laid her down on the soft bed.

Perhaps because she was looking up at him while lying on the large bed, Altair felt even bigger and more intimidating than usual.

As she gulped in nervousness, Altair took off his shirt, threw it on the floor, climbed onto the bed, and trapped her between his arms.

A brief silence passed as their eyes touched, and Altair drew near.

No more words were needed.

That night, a very long conversation took place; one that was deeper than words.

❈❈❈

The next day, the rumour spread throughout the capital that ‘Marquis Vine was going to sue his niece and the previous marquis couple over the insurance money!’.

After the biggest event of the Silver Jubilee, the Imperial Ball, the nobles who were suffering from boredom began to happily chatter about this interesting news.

The people’s reactions were varied.

Some thought that there must be a reason why the previous marquis gave the insurance money to his younger brother instead of his daughter, and others thought that even if there was a reason, the marquis should have refused and given it to his poor niece.

Those who sided with the Marquis and those who sided with Nadia seemed to be almost evenly divided.

However, people’s opinions did not matter.

The one who would decide this matter was the Emperor. All disputes over the nobles’ titles and properties were to pass through his hands.

Perhaps because of the tumultuous rumour, the Emperor set the trial date for a week later.

It was a very urgent schedule considering that they needed time to research materials to support their claims.

“The purpose of this insurance lawsuit is not to get the money back. It’s to trace the process of why the Marquis of Vine received the insurance money.”

Altair started off while reading the notice with the lawsuit date and procedure, and Nadia agreed.

Money was important, of course. But there was something more crucial.

“My uncle didn’t even tell me about the insurance money. My deceased parents never said anything about it. They weren’t the type of people to hide things from me.”

“When I asked the insurance company, they said they didn’t meet your parents in person to sign the insurance. They said that a proxy came, but since that person had the family seal, they naturally assumed it was the couple’s will.”

“That’s really strange. My father didn’t even give the seal to me or my mother. He said that the seal must be used only by the Marquis.”

“No family head would carelessly hand over a seal. Unless there were unavoidable circumstances. But the way I see it, signing up for life insurance isn’t an ‘inevitable circumstance’.”

That was all of the information they could get. The insurance company refused to provide any more details, perhaps because they knew that something bad would happen to them.

But even they can’t ignore the Emperor’s orders.

That’s why they had to expand the matter to get closer to the truth.

“Besides…the accident that caused your parents to pass away…”

Altair carefully opened his mouth, looking at Nadia in hesitation.

At that, Nadia smiled softly as if to say it was okay and continued for him.

“I know. We looked into that part together. My parents signed up for life insurance, and coincidently, there was an accident at that time, and my uncle received the insurance money. I also had insurance on my part… and I was also riding in that carriage.”

There were so many suspicious circumstances that Nadia wondered how it had been buried until now.

“If all our suspicions are true, there must have been someone high up who helped your uncle. Then that would make sense.”

“Agreed. And to trace that ‘high-up,’ an official investigation must begin by the Emperor’s order, which no one can defy.”

“So, my task in this case is to lead things up to that point, right?”

Altair nodded in response.

And the next thing to do was to overthrow her uncle and at the same time change the inheritance law to restore the ‘Marquis of Vine’.

Just thinking about how great and big of a deal that was, her heart thumped wildly.

But I’m not at a loss over here.

Was it because Altair, who did everything according to the villain prince’s will in the novel, was on her side?

On the contrary, she felt strong and confident.

“If I have any worries, it’s only that I can’t figure out the Emperor’s intentions at all.”

The Emperor was known as a monarch who ruled the empire well, but in fact, he was not a fair monarch.

He was more of a skilled monarch who always considered his own political gain.

So in this case, the Emperor’s position would be more important than the truth or sound reasons.

The Emperor openly showed his favour for Altair at the Silver Jubilee event, but that was when they were on the same page.

If their interests were to collide, the Emperor would completely forget that day and turn the other way.

Altair must have considered that and planned to join hands with Duke Viosques, who was close to the royal family.

That way, he could figure out the Emperor’s intentions in secrecy and find a way to coordinate their interests.

The more Nadia thought about it, the more she admired how well Altair had laid out the groundwork.

So I have to finish it off perfectly.

She couldn’t let the opportunity that everyone had worked hard to create go to waste.

“I’ll try my best.”

Altair chuckled as she clenched her hands and showed her determination.

“I know that even if you don’t say it aloud, my wife always tries her best.”

“That’s right. I always do!”

Altair narrowed his eyes as if surprised when she nodded in agreement.

“It seems you are no longer embarrassed at things like that.”

“I decided to admit it a little. For my own sake.”

If she didn’t admit the strength herself, others wouldn’t either.

When she answered firmly, Altair let out a strange sigh as if he was a little disappointed.

“Then, if I want to see my wife’s embarrassed face, I’ll have to think of something other than compliments.”

“Why-, why do you want to see my embarrassed face?”

“Your embarrassed face is-…”

Altair suddenly clicked his mouth shut. For some reason, his ears seemed to have turned slightly red.

“Altair?”

When Nadia pressed him for an answer, he jumped up from his seat.

“The weather is nice. Should we go for a walk?”

“…It’s raining.”

“…”