The charmingly forward Cesare reminded her of their childhood. It was a persona he occasionally used around Ariadne when he was in a particularly good mood, usually to get something out of someone else.

A foreign princess, an ambassador, or Isabella. His joviality and jokes aimed at the beautiful widow Isabella at the regular tea parties hosted by Ariadne.

She had thought he was nice to Isabella because she was Ariadne’s sister and he respected Ariadne, but his kindness turned out to be a deadly betrayal in the past.

The playfully forward Cesare was quite charming, but the fact that he was acting this way towards her now gave her a peculiar feeling.

He used to rebuke me, and now he’s trying to win my favor; I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little triumphant.

However, considering she had returned from death, she couldn’t just fall for her exfiancé, who had planned her death, just because he was making an effort now. That would mean she had the memory of a goldfish, not a human.

He was still very charming and his gestures made her heart flutter, but she did not want to entertain them.

“You’re trying to push responsibility onto a girl who hasn’t even debuted or matured. Don’t mention our ‘combo’ anywhere, it might show up in my nightmares.”

“I’m not that bad of a person. When I saw a swindler cheating my beloved sister out of 2000 ducats with a fake item, I couldn’t stand it. It was my sense of justice. Friendship? Family love? Courage?”

“Hmph.”

Seeing Ariadne trying to leave, deciding there was no point in arguing any longer, Cesare reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Wait. I specifically came to see you because I have a request. I had to sneak in because I didn’t get an invitation from the Viscount of Chibo. Let’s talk.”

Ariadne wriggled her wrist out of Cesare’s grasp.

She didn’t say anything, but her subtle discomfort was obvious on her face. Seeing this, Cesare raised his hands in surrender.

Most men wouldn’t notice such a subtle change in her mood, but Cesare was exceptionally good at picking up on these things.

“I’m sorry, I overstepped. It was wrong of me to grab your wrist. I am a gentleman, after all. There’s no need to be tense. My request is simple.”

Cesare made it seem like he had an excellent proposition.

“Let’s conduct a transaction, as a gentleman and a lady.”

“I have no business with you.”

“Don’t say that. Listen to me first.”

He leaned in towards Ariadne with a friendly posture. The wind whistled past and the scent of his preferred perfume, a mix of roses, incense, and sandalwood, tickled her nose.

He had always approached her in this way, offering her an escape into a beautiful world.

He always managed to break down her defenses. All she had to do was take Cesare’s extended hand and she could be swept off into his fantastical world of adventures without a second thought. Cesare de Como opened his mouth to propose his deal for the day.

“Won’t you sell ‘The Heart of the Blue Deep Sea’ to me? I’ll offer a fair price.”

“……Ah.”

The sound of Ariadne’s heart crumbling could be heard. The pain piercing her chest. It seemed that there had been a hint of expectation. After the pain, a burning embarrassment rushed over her face, followed by an indescribable rage that began to seethe.

He recited a long list of items he would give in exchange for the ‘Heart of the Blue Deep’.

“Have you heard of the ‘Swan of Linville’? It’s a diamond that’s quite valuable among the jewels I own.”

Ariadne was very familiar with the ‘Swan of Linville’. It was a 15carat diamond, free of impurities and with superior color, which had been cut into the shape of a teardrop and set with pearls in a brooch.

It was an item that had been included in the collection that came with the mansion in the city of San Carlo, which King Leo III had given to Count Cesare when he turned thirteen, and it had been nicknamed ‘the jewel given to a truly beloved woman’.

In her previous life, Ariadne had desperately wanted the ‘Swan of Linville’.

The value of the jewel itself was important, but receiving a jewel that had the nickname of being given to a truly loved woman seemed to confirm the fact that Cesare’s elusive heart was indeed with her, and thus, it was endowed with even more significance.

During their engagement, he absolutely did not give it, but he was unusually willing to agree to give it as a wedding gift at her insistence. Without a doubt, he must have known that she would never receive that wedding gift.

“As a reward for the ‘Heart of the Blue Deep’, I’ll give you the ‘Swan of Linville’, 6000 ducats in gold (about 6 billion won), and various other small jewels.”

But now, this young, naive Cesare was offering the ‘Swan of Linville’ to Ariadne, who had done nothing.

In this life, Ariadne had not sacrificed her youth for him, had not aided and abetted murder, had not fallen ill, had not risked her life.