I understood Hertian’s question as asking if it was a fierce enough issue to stake my entire remaining life on.

If that was the question, there was only one answer.

“Of course.”

It was an answer without a moment’s hesitation. Because it was an issue that involved my family too.

“Are you serious?”

He looked surprised yet somewhat pleased.

“I am serious.”

But what if by some chance a way to live was found? I couldn’t stay by Hertian’s side for the rest of my life.

“But you won’t really do that, right?”

I relaxed my expression and smiled gently.

“What if I’m serious?”

His eyes curved dangerously.

“Come on, asking for my entire remaining life is too much. Of course, though my ability is worth keeping for a lifetime, that was too much.”

“I will make you happy for the rest of your life.”

“I’m a person who’s happy just eating one macaron. I don’t ask for great happiness.”

“I will prepare macarons, tarts, financiers, and madeleines every day.”

This time, he started appealing for himself.

So he coveted my ability that much?

It was indeed a fraudulent ability. A precognitive ability that couldn’t be obtained even for billions. Moreover, he had tasted it once, so it was natural to covet it. Of course, it was welcome for me.

“In return, I’ll help you occasionally even after the contract ends. How’s that?”

He looked unsatisfied.

It seems he’s a man with a lot of greed everywhere except for sexual desire.

I pondered and added one thing.

“Since I married as I pleased, you can decide when to divorce, how’s that?”

This much was giving up a lot. It couldn’t be helped. Because right now, I want him more.

“…I have no choice.”

He accepted reluctantly. And added as if nagging.

“My lady. You must stay healthy. I’ll help by your side, so don’t give up on yourself.”

That was just like a mother, making me chuckle.

“Don’t worry.”

“I’m worrying about myself.”

He refuted quietly.

Perhaps he was worried because it would be troublesome if the contractor died early. I liked his honesty.

“Don’t worry about that either. I won’t harm you.”

[This is the timeline separator]

After taking Anette to the mansion, Hertian stopped the horse that had been running without rest.

The place he found was the court physician’s office located deep in the imperial palace.

“Your Grace the Duke. It’s been a while.”

One of the physicians who was organizing medicinal herbs greeted him as if he had been waiting. Hertian relaxed his guard after confirming that he was alone in the research room.

“What’s with the sudden greeting.”

He handed Hertian tea brewed from herbs, seeing him for the first time in years.

“I’m deliberately greeting you. I knew Your Grace would come to see me first, but there was no news even after the victory ceremony ended.”

“There were a lot of things happening.”

Hertian looked at the teacup and then furrowed his brow deeply, recalling what had just happened.

Anette saying with her own mouth that she didn’t have much time left and to use her was shocking to him too. Is that why she’s rushing to get married? She seemed to have let go of everything.

Most serious of all was himself after Anette’s departure. Because when Anette dies, Hertian would also lose his reason to live.

He shook off his thoughts and rubbed his forehead.

“Evan, what about the task I asked of you?”

The only thing he could rely on was a new treatment method. While on the battlefield, he had worked hard to discover new treatments for Anette. And the one who helped him was Evan. One of the few people who helped Hertian when he was young in the imperial palace.

“I gave the potion you sent earlier to the young lady through Count Leanberia, but there was no significant improvement.”

The result was failure, as always. Hertian wasn’t too disappointed either.

“Then next time I’ll have to grab the master of the west tower by the collar and make him create a medicine.”

He was just considering new methods as always.

“The problem is that it can’t be solved by magic either. Count Leanberia must have tried hundreds of methods that haven’t been used before.”

The hopeless words he always heard felt painful to him today. It was because he had directly seen Anette collapse.

“Is there really no way……”

As Hertian clenched his fist tightly, the sound of leather being crushed was heard.

Evan spoke while looking at the list of potions he had received so far. Most of the medicinal ingredients recorded in medical books were written there. Red lines were drawn over all of them.

“It seems that medicine or magic will no longer be meaningful. Because it may not be a simple health issue.”

He was suggesting to consider other possibilities.

‘If not medicine or magic, what else is there?’

Hertian recalled the conversation he had with Anette.

When treatment failed, she would fall into sadness and bring up the story of a curse. Although it was like a complaint, what if it was real?

“I guess I’ll have to raid the emperor’s secret library.”

[This is the timeline separator]

The peaceful mansion felt chaotic from the entrance.

Sure enough.

As soon as I entered, Betty spotted me and came running breathlessly.

“Young lady Anette, it’s terrible. The mansion is in an uproar.”

“Why?”

“After hearing about today’s events, the master and madam said they would kill Baron Melson…”

She looked around and trailed off.

It seems father faithfully relayed the article he wrote this morning to mother.

“It looks like what you said this morning had an effect, young lady.”

It’s not just memories of key characters like Anette that have returned to me.

The entire content of the original work. That is, I have memories of all the original characters, including Violet and Serdis.

Teacher Melson.

There was a memory that suddenly came to mind after seeing the guestbook yesterday.

‘Why did Baron Melson become a doctor?’

His information differed from the original work.

In the original, he was a con man. An extra who clung to the soft-hearted Violet, milking her dry, and later died as miserably as I did.

It was strange that he became a family doctor unlike in the original, and that he was attached to our family instead of Violet.

‘Did something go wrong because I was possessed?’

That was a possibility.

If so, I had to deal with the leech that appeared because of me.

Melson was vicious. He would even harass the maids of the duke’s family quite often.

Sure enough.

While looking for articles related to Hertian, I frequently found stories about Melson.

Articles about him buying slaves with money he swindled from our family, getting drunk and committing assault, etc. Since it wasn’t that uncommon among nobles, it wasn’t a big issue and was only written in the corners of old newspapers.

Even if father had seen it, he would have dismissed it as insignificant.

Usually, that would be the case if it was someone else’s business.

In the early dawn.

It was when the maids had just gathered to prepare breakfast.

“I have something I want to ask you all.”

I gathered the maids who were rubbing their swollen eyes and said.

“Yesterday, Dr. Melson came by and an unfortunate incident occurred.”

With the same false rumors that Melson had spread.

“The doctor, no, Baron Melson, was caught trying to rape one of our family’s maids recklessly.”

The maids’ eyes trembled at my fake rumors. Some turned pale. But none of them seemed surprised.

“…I knew something like this would happen someday.”

“That’s right.”

Rather, they accepted it naturally as if they had predicted this situation. One of the maids at the very front asked.

“Young lady. Who suffered such a thing?”

“I won’t say for the sake of that child. Instead.”

I continued in a voice mixed with muffled sobs.

“If there is anyone else who has suffered like that child at the hands of Baron Melson, please go to mother today and tell her. Baron Melson may be the family doctor, but you are our family. Please cooperate so that there are no more victims among our family members.”

That’s all I said before leaving.

It was the same with father. I just leaked a few articles to crack that firmly built trust. Since he diligently reads the newspaper, he must have seen the articles. He probably dismissed them as insignificant. But what if the articles he saw again were combined with the words of the household maids?

“That Melson bastard! Where the hell did he disappear to? He used to appear whenever called until yesterday, where did he vanish?”

Perfect effect.

Melson, who was called a benefactor until yesterday, had become a bastard today.

Father was urging the butler, and mother was dabbing her tears.

“We can’t just let this go. When I think about how our children suffered in silence for so long, finding him and punishing him right now wouldn’t be enough.”

It seems quite a few maids had gone to mother.

Mother was furiously angry with a reddened face.

“Not just one, but how many, my heart is torn to shreds by those children’s tears.”

Other nobles might not, but I knew mother, who supports poor commoner artists, would be enraged.

“This is an insult to our family. We must teach him a lesson.”

Now that it has become a family matter, this incident won’t be so light for father.

‘What a mess the house is in…’

Things are going well.

The house was running well on its own as I wanted. It seems Melson noticed first and ran away. It was regrettable, but Melson wasn’t important right now.

I leisurely walked through the mansion that had become like a marketplace and approached father.

“Father. Did something happen?”

“Ah, Anette. Yes, did you return safely?”

Father was startled, not realizing I had entered the study. I calmly asked while looking around.

“More importantly, did something happen? Why is mother crying?”

“It’s not something you need to worry about. Father will take care of it.”

Father patted my shoulder and avoided my eyes. It seems he won’t tell me the details of this incident either. I didn’t mind since I already knew. Instead, before leaving, I handed Edward’s letter to father. It was the letter Hertian had delivered on his behalf.

“There was a small accident. Lord Edward left a letter.”

“Accident? Letter?”

Father’s eyes flickered.

“Just open it first.”

After reading the contents, father crumpled the letter and threw it to the floor.

“This guy and that guy, none of them are decent!”

The contents were that Edward would not meet with me. It seems he disappeared after being threatened by Serdis.

I was grateful for it.

“I guess no one will accept me because I’m so naive. I don’t know about romance and I don’t know how to deal with people…”

I made a pitiful expression while sniffling.

Then father turned to look at me a little. He must have noticed the bloodstain on the pink dress mark. This time he spoke in a choked voice.

“What do you lack? How preciously your mother and I raised you. Do you think being sick is a flaw? Even healthy people don’t know how they might die tomorrow morning, so what does it matter if you’re sick.”

“But…”

I pretended to wipe away non-existent tears while making a voice full of sobs.

“Father is right. I won’t think like that anymore.”

“That’s my daughter. Oh my. If I had known your condition was bad, I wouldn’t have forced you out. I’m sorry for being an incompetent father.”

Father made a sad expression while gently closing my clothes. He lightly wiped around my nose, perhaps the bloodstain was still there.

“Father. But I’m indebted to the Duke today.”

“The Duke?”

As soon as Hertian’s name came up, father’s eyebrows twitched. Apart from Baron Melson, the bad perception of Hertian hadn’t disappeared.

“I went to Lake Aor today and fainted on the boat. When I opened my eyes, I was in the hospital, and Lord Edward had left a letter and gone, and the Duke was by my side.”

“Are you saying the Duke saved you?”

Nodding my head lightly, I continued.

“He didn’t run away even after seeing me in this state and brought me here.”

I finished saying what I needed to say, not too excessively.

Looking at father with deep contemplation, I turned around.

“I’m going to wash up now. Father, don’t overwork yourself too.”

The rest was up to father’s judgment.