TGLWM 20

Chapter 20

Perhaps it was because he was so good-looking on the outside, or perhaps they had tried to win him over to their side. There had been a few bold young ladies who tried to seduce him, but they all ended in tragedy—crushed under charges of treason.

*If things go wrong, what if he crushes the Sinclair family too?*

Wanting to avoid getting entangled with such a frightening person altogether, Florence had been careful not to create any point of contact with Edelston. That was why the ball where Clark broke off their engagement was the first time she had ever faced the Grand Duke, and the wedding was the second.

His gaze and actions seemed to carry some romantic feelings toward her, which was puzzling, but it was surely an act put on for the sake of his title.

*Until my parents come, I’ll make the Grand Duke want to divorce me. Then I’ll sign the divorce papers and head straight back to the capital with my parents.*

Becoming someone who makes the other want a divorce—actually, it’s not that hard. You just do the exact opposite of everything you were taught about “how to be a good spouse” until your ears grew mushrooms. But Edelston was a member of the imperial family and a frightening man. She couldn’t risk the Sinclair family being crushed, so she decided to become a piece of trash with innocent, clear eyes.

The first step was extravagance!

Florence wasn’t so clueless as to not realize that the Grand Duke had deliberately put her in charge of internal affairs. If he thought he was the only one who could exploit the situation, he was sorely mistaken. He would regret entrusting the Grand Duchy’s income and expenditure authority to her just two days into the marriage.

*Good. Now that the stage is set, I’ll spend without restraint.*

She wasn’t a continental-shaking tycoon, but she was the daughter of a family that ran one of the Empire’s most prominent trading companies. She was confident she could spend money better than anyone.

Bringing the ledgers into the Grand Duchess’s chambers, she confidently opened the file, determined to blow a huge hole in the finances. But as she turned page after page, her face grew blank, forgetting even to blink.

“…What is this. Is it fake?”

The words slipped out unintentionally.

The numbers written there were truly absurd. Even Florence, who had learned about running a trading company, had only rarely seen numbers of this staggering magnitude. This was not an amount she could squander on dresses or jewelry. She might collapse from overwork just from shopping.

With just one year of proper management, she could buy a small estate—so she had no choice but to close the file neatly with a troubled expression.

“…How am I supposed to waste this? Do I actually have to buy an estate?”

But real estate would only strengthen the Grand Duke’s power. Then she might end up being praised as a wise Grand Duchess. She couldn’t have another kneeling performance. She needed to become a reckless Grand Duchess.

But soon she came up with a method often called the shortcut to ruin.

*Right, gambling! I’ll gamble and lose all the money.*

There was one thing strictly forbidden in the Sinclair Earldom.

Gambling.

Though the Sinclair family now stood proudly as a leading neutral noble house, they hadn’t started out that way. They once had a fairly decent estate, and though not hugely wealthy, they had steadily built their power.

But the fall of that ordinary noble family happened in an instant. One wretched heir gambled away more than half the estate and then disappeared.

Elise Sinclair, the head of the family at the time, made a crucial decision. After selling off all the lands and mansions to pay off the debts, she moved to the capital and invested what remained to start a trading company. When word spread that a noble was directly running a trading company, she became the subject of ridicule from countless people.

But as they say, a person pushed to the edge is formidable. Gritting her teeth, Elise brought the company to a prominent position, became the first to openly declare herself a “neutral” without an estate, and established herself proudly in the capital’s center, declaring that the Sinclair family would never again hold an estate.

Thus, the family rule “Anyone who gambles shall be expelled from the family” was established, and it had been strictly observed not only by the main household but also by the branch families.

The family even forbade betting pocket change for fun among friends, so Florence knew almost nothing about gambling. Her knowledge was limited to things she’d overheard at parties, so naturally, losing money would be as easy as eating cold soup.

“But right now I’m the Grand Duchess, and strictly speaking, I’m not a member of the Sinclair family. Well, I just won’t do it again after the divorce.”

She had lived a dull and obedient life, but now an opportunity for such a deviation had arisen.

*I heard that the top-tier gambling clubs where really big money changes hands require masks to conceal identities. Then even after divorcing the Grand Duke, there won’t be any major problems.*

Excited at the thought of becoming a reckless gambler, she went to bed happily and slept soundly. It was only late in the morning that she sprang up, remembering that she had planned to draw a firm line with the Grand Duke again.

*I’m crazy. How could I sleep so comfortably trusting that man?*

But once again, awkwardly enough, Edelston was sitting quietly in an armchair, fast asleep. She had been horrified by his words that they would share a bedroom, but it seemed he only meant sharing the same space—he had no intention of coming to the bed without permission.

*Oh ho, if I make sure he never comes to the bed, he’ll want to divorce even more. He won’t want to sleep sitting up forever.*

This time she wouldn’t cover him with anything. Afraid that if he woke up she’d have to deal with an awkward morning greeting, Florence crept out of bed and quickly slipped into the Grand Duchess’s chambers.

The moment the door clicked shut, Edelston opened his eyes.

In fact, he had been awake even before Florence got up. Last night, news of a sudden terrorist attack in the black market had come in, and he had gone to the scene with his men. The investigation had taken longer than expected, so he had entered the bedroom well past midnight.

*I wanted to at least talk to her for a bit… What a shame.*

Last night, he had stared at her sleeping face for quite a long time. The truth was, even now, coming home to find her there still felt like a dream.

Was this God’s consideration for his final life? She resembled the Florence of his first life quite a bit.

In truth, what she looked like didn’t matter at all. Even if she changed into a completely different person right now, or if she suddenly became an eighty-year-old, Edelston would still chase after her and cling to her. The person named “Florence,” her very existence—that alone mattered.

Approaching the empty bed, Edelston buried his face in the corner of the blanket and breathed in her scent for a moment.

Her sweet yet refreshing fragrance. After feeling as if every cell in his body was awakening, he lowered the blanket and muttered to himself with a bitter expression.

“Sleep well, Florence. I dare not even hope for you to love me. Just let me be by your side when I face death.”

—

* * *

—

As Florence entered the Grand Duchess’s chambers, Danya had already selected a dress and accessories and was waiting with a grin so wide it seemed her face might split.

“Danya, you… haah. Fine. I’ll leave the dressing up to you.”

Florence had stubbornly resisted, insisting that the Grand Duchess’s things weren’t hers, but now the situation had changed. She had to jump into the gambling den and lose big money. With a resigned heart, she waved her hand dismissively.

“Eek! Just trust me! I knew this would happen, so I’ve already gone through the entire list of dresses and accessories!”

Danya’s eyes sparkled brightly. Just as Florence was finishing her preparations with Danya, who radiated passion bordering on madness, Miranda knocked and entered with the exact same look in her eyes. Why were her eyes like that too?

“Items that were ordered have arrived, as the dressing room seemed somewhat lacking in supplies.”

Following her, servants kept bringing in neatly packaged boxes and stacking them, and soon a small mountain of gift boxes formed in the Grand Duchess’s chambers.

“This is a bouquet that His Highness personally selected flower by flower in the garden last night and made by hand.”

In the large bouquet delivered last, Florence unfolded the small lavender-colored card and couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the light-hearted joke written inside.