Chapter 15
Chapter 15: I’m Not Asking to Borrow It. (3)
Kyaak!
At that moment, Bastet let out a sharp cry and lunged at Ghislaine.
But he merely tilted his head slightly and evaded.
The cat ended up rolling on the floor, making a noise like a balloon deflating.
Ghislaine chuckled and nodded with a grin.
“What a funny cat. Take care of it. I don’t want to hurt animals.”
Bastet fluffed up its fur and glared at Ghislaine, but it couldn’t charge at him again.
It looked so much like its owner that Ghislaine couldn’t help but laugh.
“Speaking of which, the captain of the guards here… was his name Bernap? You two seem pretty close.”
Ghislaine remembered that after Amelia ascended to Count Raybold’s position, she was to marry the guard knight Bernap.
It was a casual remark he tossed out, but Amelia took it quite seriously.
‘Could it be… is he jealous of how close I am to the guard knight right now?’
Is there really such a pathetic guy in this world?!
It was true that she was particularly close to Bernap. After all, she had taken in the simple country boy and raised him until now.
He had some talent and was quite a decent man, so she had her own degree of respect for him, but it was definitely not the kind of relationship Ghislaine was implying.
As Amelia continued to think, her face suddenly went pale.
‘W-What if this idiot spouts some useless rumors…’
If rumors spread about her falling for a guard knight while having a fiancé, it would be a long-lasting shame for her family.
‘It’s ridiculous, but if it comes out of that guy’s mouth, it would be akin to throwing fuel on a fire.’
Many in the territory already knew Amelia had a fondness for Bernap.
There were even whispers about how she found a handsome guy and made him the captain of the guard knights.
It was also no secret that Bernap had feelings for her.
She was already stressed enough with the issues at Actium Merchant Group; she couldn’t afford any distractions like this.
Amelia swallowed hard and remained silent for a while before finally speaking.
“About the merchant group… have you been investigating me?”
Perhaps Ghislaine liked her so much that he was digging into her past.
In that case, realizing that she was closer to Bernap than expected, she thought he might have developed a desire for revenge and might try to extort money from her.
‘That guy wouldn’t know honor if it hit him.’
However, Ghislaine showed not a hint of jealousy or any emotion at all.
“Well, it’s just that I know someone. I overheard it by coincidence.”
Ghislaine shrugged as if it were no big deal.
Spreading false information to confuse the enemy is the most basic of strategies.
She would likely spend some time pondering how Ghislaine discovered her secret.
But what would come of it? There’s no way she could imagine that a person from the future had died and come back to the past.
“So, what are you going to do? Are you going to give me money or not? I’m in a hurry.”
Amelia ground her teeth and said.
“Do you think you and Perdium will be safe after doing this? I don’t know where you picked up this nonsense, but with threats like this…”
But she couldn’t finish her sentence before she closed her mouth.
Suddenly, a terrible killing intent began to pour out from Ghislaine, who had maintained his relaxed demeanor throughout.
“Say that again. Do you think our territory will be safe?”
The destruction of her family and territory was a trauma that haunted Ghislaine his entire life.
And Amelia was one of the main culprits. Hearing such threats from a person like that ignited his fury.
The sudden shift in Ghislaine’s momentum made even the surrounding guard knights, including Belinda, swallow hard.
Amelia felt as though her heart would stop just from facing Ghislaine directly.
“Threats aren’t something you say, Amelia.”
Ever since leaving her family, Ghislaine had lived his life on the edge, cutting down others along the way.
Among them were renowned knights and high-born nobles, as well as countless strong adversaries.
He could probably build a castle with the bodies of those he had slain; surely, there were no people like Amelia among them.
Amelia’s petty threats paled in comparison to the scratches of a cat.
“What do you think happened to all those who’ve dared to challenge me? Except for that cat. They all…”
Ghislaine paused, biting his tongue.
Since he had returned to the past, they all could very well still be alive.
After a moment’s thought, Ghislaine muttered softly.
“They’re probably doing fine now. At least for now.”
“…What?”
“They’re quite strong.”
Amelia, of course, and everyone else in the room looked at him with astonishment.
Ghislaine, who had been avoiding their probing gazes, shook his head and opened his mouth again.
“Anyway, that’s not important right now. What are you going to do?”
He hesitated to mention the name of Duke Delphine, but thought better of it.
It was already dangerous enough; there was no need to invoke greater risks by bringing up the backers.
Amelia closed her eyes and spoke.
As ridiculous as it seemed, seeing Ghislaine’s relaxed demeanor made her feel that he might know something more.
She could certainly kill everyone in Ghislaine’s group if she wished.
But trying to deal with Ghislaine and all the knights at once would lead to too much noise, increasing the chances of her being suspected.
‘For now, let’s get them out of the castle. I need to keep this from my father and brothers.’
Resolved, she opened her eyes and spat through clenched teeth.
“……I’ll give you 20,000 gold. Now get the hell out of my sight.”
“Good. You’re always so straightforward.”
“Shut up. The annulment process will proceed immediately.”
“Yeah, do whatever you want with that.”
Ghislaine agreed without hesitation. After receiving a hefty sum, an annulment was nothing.
Amelia gazed at him for a moment before speaking in a subdued voice.
“You’ve changed quite a bit.”
“One of the people who changed me is you.”
Amelia could never even dream of knowing the reason behind Ghislaine’s transformation.
He turned away without waiting for a reply.
A voice laced with resentment stopped Ghislaine in his tracks.
“What difference does it make if you’ve changed? Are you just going to end up in danger over jealousy and money? You’re still as foolish as ever.”
“Think what you want.”
“You’ll regret today.”
“Be my guest.”
Amelia was not the type to just sit back and take this. She would likely employ all sorts of schemes to keep Ghislaine’s mouth shut from now on.
Still, the risk was worth it—a sum of 20,000 gold could serve as much-needed initial capital.
‘Amelia, this time I will definitely behead you. Don’t even think about running away like in your previous life.’
As Ghislaine left the reception room, his expression was as cold as Amelia’s.
The relationship that had been tied by the semblance of an engagement was now forever severed, having crossed a river of no return.
*
Even long after Ghislaine’s party left, Amelia could not suppress her rage.
“Ghislaine Perdium! How dare he threaten me?”
To be threatened by that man and extorted for money! She had never experienced such humiliation in her life.
“I have to find a way to silence him…”
She bit her lip, twisting her face in anger.
The Duke Delphine was a terrifying person. If rumors about the pact they had spread, he would surely cut ties with her without hesitation.
Having already made a deal, there was no way to back out now.
“I can’t draw their ire until I’ve built my strength.”
The schemes of the Duke Delphine were already in motion.
If they could not turn things upside down from within, like in Perdium, they would attack from the outside, and where there was potential like the Raybold territory, they would invest and take control.
They were weakening the power of all territories that were not on their side.
“I’ll definitely have to kill him.”
There was no hesitation or guilt. If necessary, she would have to kill her own family. That was a common occurrence in noble society.
‘First, I’ll kill him, and if I need justification later, I’ll cook something up.’
She didn’t care if it raised suspicions that she was the one who killed Ghislaine. Far more important was silencing the issue of the merchant group.
After all, the dead don’t speak.
“Bring Bernap! Right now!”
Having made up her mind, Amelia shouted.
Before long, a tall, handsome man with striking blond hair entered the room.
“You called?”
“Bernap!”
Meow!
Seeing the angry Amelia and Bastet, Bernap flinched and asked.
“What is the matter?”
“Kill Ghislaine. That bastard knows my secret.”
“What? What do you mean? What does he know?”
After hearing the whole story, Bernap pondered seriously for a moment before nodding.
“This is not a good situation. But don’t worry too much. He’s just a pitiful person who has no ability to stir up trouble. He only came to extort money.”
“But if he starts running his mouth, it could ruin everything. We need to be careful right now.”
“Since he has received money, he’ll remain quiet for a while. On the contrary, he might stay silent and come back for more money.”
In truth, Ghislaine had no intention of visiting her again, but the two thought he might come back for more.
They regarded Ghislaine as a petty man who had no honor and was threatening his fiancée, so it wasn’t out of line for them to think that.
They didn’t even bother to wonder what Ghislaine intended to do with the money.
They assumed he would either squander it on gambling or entertainment or perhaps toss a bit back into their impoverished territory.
The sullied image Ghislaine had built over time played a significant role here. Even though they had seen his changed demeanor, prejudices don’t disappear that easily.
Amelia pulled out a map from the shelf and pointed at a spot with her finger.
“Kill him here. No one will see us in this area. Come back for the money.”
The location Amelia pointed to was a valley surrounded by low mountains.
It was the fastest route from Castle Raybold to Perdium Territory.
Given the narrow path, if they lay in wait, they would have no trouble dealing with Ghislaine’s little group.
But Bernap shook his head.
“Everyone has already learned that Ghislaine was here. It could raise suspicion.”
“What if we frame it as an ambush by bandits or monsters?”
“If it gets discovered that we attacked him, it would anger Count Perdium. Right now, the Perdium family and the territories are at war; it’s not beneficial for us. We have important matters to deal with, don’t we?”
“As long as we aren’t caught, it doesn’t matter. My humiliation is one thing, but I can’t leave this danger sitting around.”
“……I cannot use the knights of the territory.”
“Be it mercenaries or assassins, you’ve invested in plenty of them. Send them.”
In the end, Bernap nodded.
Amelia had a point. It was dangerous to be discovered, but if they left no evidence, there would be no risk.
After all, Ghislaine was more of an outsider in Perdium Territory, so the public’s attention wouldn’t be too keen.
“Understood. I’ll prepare them and send them out.”
Amelia looked at Bernap with a cold gaze.
Unlike that pathetic Ghislaine, Bernap had decent ability.
If he moved, it wouldn’t be difficult to take care of Ghislaine.
“Yeah, finish it off before it becomes public knowledge.”
“I’ll handle it without any issues.”
“Good, go now.”
“…… I’ll finish quickly and return.”
Bernap made a face that Amelia couldn’t see. He expected that dealing with Ghislaine would be quite troublesome for a while.
Sigh, why did that guy have to stir up such trouble…
He just wanted to live a quiet life gazing at Amelia’s face, but the world wouldn’t let him.
‘Still, the engagement is being annulled, so maybe this works out in my favor?’
With a reluctant gaze, Bernap stole a glance at Amelia before leaving the room.
He thought about Ghislaine and contemplated finishing things quickly so he could be by Amelia’s side again.
