FWRP 20

Chapter 20

Putting her lingering unease aside, Vanessa followed Ian as he led the way.

Fortunately, it seemed her prediction had been correct.

Unlike the nobleman who had received a refund, Ian simply presented his tickets and was allowed inside without any trouble.

Come to think of it, Ian had said he disliked crowds, noise, and even physical contact. So how could he possibly be fine with a concert?

Ah. Could it be that he had secured a private suite for nobles?

Those rooms were furnished almost like small drawing rooms, so that would make sense.

And for a same-day reservation, he had certainly been lucky.

But… isn’t the hall strangely empty?

Even if the concert being held in another hall had been canceled and the tickets refunded, surely there shouldn’t be this few people.

With that thought, Vanessa followed Ian into the Lapis Hall of Nirvana Hall.

“This way, we can enjoy it in peace and quiet.”

Vanessa could only stare in disbelief.

The audience seats were completely empty.

Meanwhile, the stage was packed with musicians.

…The noble who had rented Nirvana Hall just for a date was standing right in front of her.

He’s insane…

“…I had fun today, Ian.”

After sitting through the entire concert, which lasted a full two hours or so, Vanessa was completely exhausted.

Apparently, sitting still for that long wasn’t something humans were meant to do.

Still, it had been quite an unusual experience.

She would probably never forget the performance that had filled that enormous hall.

And she had also learned something else:

If you’re going to spend money, you really have to spend it properly.

Even in her previous life, Ian Ruscliff had been extremely generous.

More precisely, he was generous toward the people who belonged to his household.

Higher salaries and better benefits than other families offered, along with additional bonuses every year.

Whenever the servants of the Leonard Marquessate gathered together and whispered enviously about how well the Ruscliff household treated its people, Vanessa had found herself strangely envious of them.

It had been childish and petty psychological warfare, but it had worked remarkably well on her.

Because thanks to it, the poverty she had experienced for the first time in her life had cut deeply into her.

If the daughter of a duke claimed that she knew what poverty was, everyone would laugh at her.

But at least during the time she spent at the Leonard Marquessate, Vanessa had been impoverished in spirit, if not in body.

No matter how much she ate, she was always hungry, and even when she wore expensive dresses to maintain appearances, she felt as though she were wrapped in nothing more than scraps of cloth.

Looking back now, it had probably been depression…

But not anymore.

Everything she had endured in her previous life would now burn fiercely as fuel for her revenge.

In that respect, Ian’s surprise gift today had been extremely satisfying.

She had wondered whether he might be stingy when it came to spending money.

But if he was willing to spend enough on a single date to make it feel like he had uprooted one of the pillars of a mansion, then she certainly wouldn’t have to worry about money with him.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I was worried you might dislike it.”

“I don’t know about other people, but I like surprises like this. It would be a little overwhelming if you did something like this every day, though.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Before she knew it, the carriage had stopped at the entrance of the Sharoz estate.

Perhaps because today’s date had been much better than she expected…

Vanessa found herself feeling strangely reluctant to part with Ian.

Maybe we could actually make pretty good partners…

Before getting out of the carriage, Vanessa looked at Ian.

“The day after tomorrow, I’m planning to attend Lady Ernasilla’s wedding in the South.”

Now that she actually had to say it, she suddenly felt nervous over something so simple.

She gave a small cough.

“I need someone to accompany me. If you don’t mind—”

“The day after tomorrow. Should I come pick you up?”

“Uh… yes. I’d appreciate that…”

“Okay.”

Unlike how nervous she had been, it was so easy that it almost left her deflated.

Vanessa let out a small laugh through her teeth and stepped down from the carriage.

“Then… see you the day after tomorrow, Ian.”

“Okay.”

After letting out a small sigh, Vanessa watched until the carriage had disappeared into the distance and become nothing more than a speck before turning toward the Sharoz estate.

Now she understood why noble ladies had always sweated so much when asking someone to accompany them.

This… actually takes a lot of courage.

She had merely said the words, yet her heart had pounded like crazy.

She had been wondering how she would persuade him if he refused, so she was relieved.

If she wanted to visit that place naturally, it would be much less suspicious if she appeared to be there with a lover rather than alone.

There was a garden near the wedding venue that would be nice to look around.

She could naturally stroll through the garden and use wanting to see the southern capital as an excuse for visiting the area.

By now, she’s probably deep in thought, isn’t she?

Lady Piede.

She was the mother of Lady Ernasilla, who was marrying the second son of Count Gideon.

She was also the true owner of the Margula Mine and the woman who had played a decisive role in its closure.

When the newspaper had reported that Lady Piede had suddenly been found dead at the Margula Mine, the former Marchioness of Leonard had clearly covered her mouth and stared at the newspaper for a long time.

Thinking about it now, perhaps she had been smiling.

Originally, ownership of the Margula Mine was supposed to pass to Lady Ernasilla when she married.

That meant the second son of Count Gideon, her future husband, would effectively gain control of the mine.

The Marchioness of Leonard had been furious about it back then.

The reason she hated it so much was because Carlisle Leonard and the eldest son of Count Gideon had clashed once before.

It hadn’t happened yet in this life, but according to Vanessa’s memories of her previous life, it would happen soon.

At Lady Ernasilla’s wedding to the second son of Count Gideon.

In terms of titles alone, Count Gideon’s family should have been the one to back down.

The problem was that the Duke of Chelliago stood behind them.

Because of that, although Count Gideon’s son had been at fault, Carlisle had been the one who apologized.

That must have been an enormous blow to the pride of the Leonard Marquessate.

And, coincidentally, several months after that incident, something happened at the Margula Mine.

At the time, the mineral deposits discovered there were nothing but cheap ores, and because someone had even died at the mine, no one wanted to repurchase the supposedly cursed place.

No one knew that a deposit of red diamonds lay at the very back of a narrow passage barely wide enough for one person to enter.

Calling it luck would be an understatement.

It was a jackpot.

Owning a mine required enormous amounts of capital and manpower. That was why the Leonard Marquessate had shown little interest in the mine before Carlisle clashed with Count Gideon’s eldest son.

If the mine had not been connected to the Gideon family, they probably wouldn’t have bought it.

So in this life, Vanessa intended to help Lady Ernasilla enough to ensure that the Marchioness of Leonard never became interested in the mine.

It would be even better if she could prevent the eldest son of Count Gideon from clashing with Carlisle.

But that was a matter of luck, so Vanessa put it aside for now.

The problem is that the only situation where the Marchioness of Leonard and Lady Piede would have a chance to meet is Lady Ernasilla’s wedding.

Was Lady Piede really foolish enough to reveal that she was the true owner of the Margula Mine?

The very mine her husband had gone so far as to conceal from the Imperial authorities in order to transfer it to her?

And based on what?

What could she possibly trust about the Marchioness of Leonard?

Come to think of it… In my previous life, the Marchioness of Leonard would leave early in the morning once a month and return close to midnight.

Vanessa remembered because those were the only times the Marchioness could move about freely without her mother-in-law watching her.

There’s something.

Something that connected these people who seemed to have no connection at all.

“Perfect. This makes things much easier.”

After happily reading the letter that had arrived early that morning, Vanessa picked up her coat.

Normally, if two people who were getting married around the same time met before the wedding and talked about various things, they would naturally become friends.

And perhaps even best friends.

Then, if she casually slipped the prepared envelope into the conversation…

Lady Ernasilla will tell Lady Piede, right?

The fact that a reply had already arrived to the letter she had sent yesterday was reassuring. It meant Lady Ernasilla didn’t seem uncomfortable with meeting her.

There was still some time before their appointment, so perhaps she could arrive early and look around the area.

Wasn’t St. Berthold Orphanage nearby?

If she wanted to bring Mareo over according to her plan, some preliminary investigation was essential.

A quick look around would do no harm.

Just as Vanessa finished thinking that, someone knocked softly on the door.

When she told them to come in, Dia cautiously poked her head through.

“Miss, there’s a guest here, but we weren’t given any prior notice. Shall I show them to the drawing room for now?”

“A guest?”

Vanessa glanced at the clock on the wall and tilted her head.

She didn’t have any appointments today.

Could it be Lady Ernasilla?

“Take them to the drawing room for now, and bring out two cups of milk tea.”

She had hinted in her letter that they should become friendly since they were getting married around the same time, but she hadn’t expected Lady Ernasilla to be this proactive.

Besides, Vanessa had slipped a little information about the mine into the end of the letter.

So it would have been difficult for her not to take the bait.

With a light heart, Vanessa arrived at the drawing room.

The moment she saw the woman waiting there, her eyes widened.

“Lady Sharoz, I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly. Could you spare me a little time?”

“…Lady Magrita?”

The visitor was the woman who had served at the side of the person the noblewomen called the Godmother.

“Ah, of course.”

Only belatedly did Vanessa respond to her question before carefully taking the seat opposite her.

Just then, Dia brought in the milk tea and placed a cup before each of them.

Magrita looked curiously at the tea’s dark brown color.

“The color is quite unusual.”

“It’s milk tea made with milk instead of honey. It’s one of my favorite teas.”

At Vanessa’s words, she silently took a sip.

“The tea is very good. You must be quite skilled at brewing it.”

Vanessa gave a faint smile at the small compliment.

“I’m glad it suits your taste, Baroness.”

Magrita’s gaze settled on Vanessa.

“Lady Sharoz. The reason I came here so suddenly is because, if you don’t mind, I would like to introduce you to someone.”

“…Someone?”

All of a sudden?

Completely caught off guard, Vanessa blinked blankly.