The modest mansion of the Habertz family was quiet despite receiving an early visitor.

It was a property bought by the imperial family at auction when a once-wealthy merchant went bankrupt.

They say it was given to the Habertz family for show when they received the title of duke.

Unfortunately, while it might have once been a quaint and classic mansion, it was naturally not well-maintained, as the Habertz family rarely stayed in the capital.

The floorboards, covered in layers of dust, screamed with every step, creaking as if to show traces of years of neglect.

Chairs, tables, side tables, and wardrobes were still covered with white cloths, creating a desolate atmosphere.

Ludmila Perez Erdi, who entered this place that didn’t seem like a duke’s residence at all, sat in a relatively decent chair in the reception room and observed Aden, who had taken a seat opposite her.

Unlike other areas, the table, chairs, and furniture here were quite clean.

Even before she died, she was surprised to see clean teacups with tea served in this mansion that was no different from an abandoned house.

Ludmila raised her eyes, recalling Aden’s uncharacteristically delicate touch.

‘…I didn’t think I’d come back here.’

After dying, she had concluded that to survive, she needed to stand alone.

She thought that although the month left until the day she died wasn’t long, it was enough time to take care of herself.

But, as if mocking Ludmila, time held a knife to her throat. Coldly, as if telling her not to think of escaping.

Ludmila was not the type to believe in fate. If she believed in fate, she would have had to constantly complain about her miserable situation and status.

However, in the face of the fear and threat of death that had come again, Ludmila had to admit. Even though she had returned, all that remained for her was death.

Ludmila had to acknowledge and accept that she couldn’t survive alone. She needed help from others.

The moment she admitted this, she had chosen one of the many options available to her and came here.

“Seeing you here so early in the morning, it seems like a very urgent matter.”

Aden, who was deeply buried in the chair, rubbed his chin and stroked his smooth lips with his fingertips.

The chair looked very low for him with his long legs crossed. It must be uncomfortable.

Are they so poor that they have to skimp even on a single chair in the reception room? Ludmila’s eyes rolled slowly.

There were no paintings or porcelain that should be hanging in a reception room, even if not in a duke’s residence.

It was literally just a table, chairs, and tea set on the side table, as if only intended for the purpose of reception.

If it were someone else’s mansion, it would have been a scene that would have elicited a hollow laugh.

“Why don’t you start talking now? You’ve been observing the reception room for a while now. Why, do you covet this mansion?”

“How much is this building worth? A mansion of this size in the quite expensive 3rd district of the capital must be quite costly.”

At this unexpected question, Aden’s lips parted slightly before curling up at an angle.

“I hear it’s quite expensive. They say the wealthy merchant built it with high-quality materials. Did you see the facade when you came in? They say it was modeled after the entrance of a famous museum.”

“The Eslie Museum. I’ve seen it a few times. That’s why it seemed familiar.”

“That’s right. So.”

Aden, who had briefly cut off his words, lifted his buried body and leaned forward.

Supporting his body with his arms resting on his thighs, Aden’s golden eyes flashed.

“I don’t think you’ve made the expensive trip here to buy the mansion. It seems like you have something you want to say to me. Can I hear it now? I’d like to wrap this up quickly because I have a guest coming soon.”

“……”

The lips that had opened easily just moments ago were now tightly closed. Are you planning to keep that state?

Aden stared blankly at the lips drawn in a straight line before straightening his upper body.

“Nothing will change just by keeping your mouth shut like that. Neither the past nor the future. If you don’t intend to open your mouth, tell me.”

There were things in the world that one could know without seeing or hearing.

For Ludmila, the man in front of her was a person who fit that principle.

He knew about her relationship with Kedilen Erdi without being directly told. She could feel it on her skin even without asking whether he knew or not.

The fact that such an Aden brought up those words was not a threat but a public proposal. Knowing this, Ludmila took a moment to pause.

The day she was rejected by Aden. Ludmila had erased the conversation she had with him from her memory as if burying it deep in the ground.

After coming back to life, she tried not to recall the conversation she had in this place, thinking that getting involved with him again would not be helpful.

Having made such a resolution, the fact that she had set foot here again made her feel embarrassed. Although, he probably wouldn’t know.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Speak. I’m listening.”

The dry expression and slightly tilted head resembled the Aden she had faced that dawn.

‘Please kill my husband.’

That day, Ludmila had made the most dangerous and unrealistic gamble in her life.

That radical move naturally failed and ultimately resulted in death. And though she didn’t know why she had returned, that opportunity was placed before her again.

Ludmila exhaled briefly and calmly opened her eyes.

“Please kill my husband.”

At the words that escaped through her neat lips, Aden’s expression crumpled strangely.

It was an expression that seemed both perplexed and angry. It was natural, as it wasn’t exactly pleasant to hear in the early morning when the sun had yet to warm up.

Aden silently looked at the marchioness who seemed incapable of joking, biting his lip, and slowly rested his chin on his hand.

“This……”

“If I say it like this, you’ll think I’m mocking Your Grace. You don’t need to worry. I don’t intend to make such an absurd request.”

“……”

I had no intention of repeating my mistakes twice. At that time, I was so consumed with the thought of wanting to live that I couldn’t distinguish between feasible and impossible options.

The thought that only my husband’s, Kedilen’s, death could free me from hell prevented me from recognizing that there were other paths.

Ludmila Perez Erdi bit her lips finely. She straightened her back even more and squared her shoulders.

She pulled in her chin and opened her eyes clearly to face Aden. As life returned to her previously dry eyes, the corner of Aden’s mouth slid askew.

“Please take me in.”

However, at her words that followed, Aden’s face crumpled visibly.

“…What?”

Finally, along with the metallic sound that escaped his lips, Aden’s body shook once.

It was a mild morning unlike early winter. The wind wasn’t cold, and the sunshine was warm.

The sunlight that pierced through the dusty, dim window dissolved the darkness of the reception room, but it couldn’t lift Aden’s shadow.

Just a moment ago, after hearing Ludmila’s story, his face was deeply overshadowed with worry.

Aden, who had been resting his chin askew while burying his back in the chair, rolled his golden eyes.

Aden, who had been staring intently at Ludmila at the end of his gaze, bit his lip thinly and eventually corrected his posture.

“Let me summarize. Simply put, when you say ‘take you in’, does that mean you want to entrust your personal safety to me?”

“Yes.”

Aden, who had been flustered by the expression mixed with misunderstanding, tried to erase his slight embarrassment and calmly continued his next words.

“The period is until the end of winter. Until you cross the Send Plateau after the frozen ground thaws and reach the Kingdom of Islau. Is that correct?”

“Yes. In return, I’ll solve the financial problems that Habertz is facing. You’re in quite a difficult situation, aren’t you?”

Indeed, it was. It was an unchanging situation that could be answered three times even if asked twice. Debts were increasing and income was decreasing.

With each passing year, the number of Khan people was decreasing, losing their past prestige.

The beasts that once exerted their authority as rulers of the border were gradually being tamed by the Empire over half a century.

This wasn’t necessarily wrong. The Empire was undoubtedly the hegemon of the continent. Joining them could certainly be seen as positive.

However, in the process, the Khan people were being despised and treated like a lump of cancer. Eventually, they would disappear with time.

Aden, who had rubbed his face dry, looked at Ludmila and opened his mouth softly.

“Let’s hear it. I’m quite curious about what solution the noble Marchioness of the Erdi family is talking about.”

“It’s simple. I’ll help you make money.”

“That sounds easy. Yes, if we make money, we can solve it. The key question is, how do we make it?”

Ludmila rolled her eyes to look out the window. By now, they must have heard about her disappearance.

With Erdi’s intelligence, it wouldn’t take long to figure out where she had gone.

How much time was left? An hour? Two hours? No, Kedilen could even burst through that door at any moment.

The day she was dragged away by Kedilen and boarded the carriage to the Erdi marquis territory would probably be the day she faced her second death.

Ludmila calmly closed her eyes and opened them to look at Aden.

“I’ll give you business information.”

“Business information? Are you suggesting that Habertz should do business now? If that had been possible in the first place, we wouldn’t have come this far.”

“I know. Of course, it’s not business information that the Habertz family can handle. It’s information among the Erdi, and further, the influential nobles.”

“……”

Ludmila calmly rose from her seat. Standing in front of the window where the sun shone well, she looked out the window, basking in the sunlight.

The quiet and peaceful morning boulevard where people passed by. Ludmila, who swallowed her nervousness with her eyes closed, slowly turned her body as she lifted her eyelids.

“I have confidential business information that will proceed for as short as a few weeks to as long as several years. For noblewomen, conversation is about showing off, which is their pride. They casually reveal information to feel that momentary sense of superiority. Especially if it’s to gain favor with someone renowned in high society, they’ll do anything.”

“……”

“While improving the external image of the Erdi family, I dug up this information and passed it on to Kedilen. He made more money based on this information and was able to approach businessmen and those in power.”

Ludmila, who had grabbed the blackout curtain, quickly pulled her hand.

With a rustling sound, as the blackout cloth blocked the sunlight, a faint darkness settled.

“Your Grace. I have the information and power to get you and your clan out of the current crisis. And you have the power to get me out of here and across the Send Plateau.”

Just as Aden had done to Kedilen, Ludmila also laid out the negotiation table to Aden.

Ludmila extended her hand.

“All that’s left is the choice. What will you do? Will you make all this conversation non-existent like before, or will you help me and save your clan from crisis……”

Now all that remained was Aden’s choice.

“It’s in your hands, Your Grace.”

Her blood-red eyes, far from gentle, flashed ominously in the darkness.