‘Now the trial is only about a day away.’

Barwin smiled as he thought about the upcoming events.

It was exciting to imagine what would unfold in that place.

It was an opportunity to witness with his own eyes the downfall of the one who had driven him to the edge.

As he counted down the days, he pondered when to play the cards he held.

“Should I collect the debt before the downfall.”

Barwin had not yet received a single penny of the money Aria had borrowed previously.

He didn’t expect to get it back in the first place, so it didn’t matter if he didn’t receive it.

He focused more on the collateral than the money.

The contract bearing the family head’s seal listed ‘Hersher Manor’ as collateral.

Barwin was looking forward to the day he would evict them from the manor.

As he was thinking about the future, the carriage had already arrived in front of the house.

“What’s the matter?”

Barwin asked when the carriage stopped without entering the mansion.

“I apologize. Someone is blocking the gate.”

Hearing this, Barwin let out a hollow laugh.

He could guess who was blocking the gate.

He had received reports of someone lurking around the house recently.

His close associates suggested chasing her away, but Barwin told them to leave her be.

He thought she could do nothing anyway, just loiter around.

‘Pride is the most important thing for nobles.’

No one would likely announce their presence again after being turned away at the door.

They wouldn’t want to face the same humiliation twice.

Whether Barwin’s thoughts were correct, Aria did not loudly request a meeting like before.

Barwin thought she might leave if he continued to refuse to meet her.

However, unfortunately, that thought seemed to be wrong.

Perhaps thinking it was no longer a situation to maintain pride before the trial, she stood blocking the gate, seemingly determined not to move.

“I’ll chase her away.”

To the coachman’s words about chasing Aria away, Barwin said it was fine and opened the carriage door.

As he got out of the carriage, a familiar face he hadn’t seen in a long time approached him closely.

It was Aria, with a desperate expression as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“Barwin.”

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

Barwin bowed his head in greeting, then knelt down and even kissed Aria’s hand.

Although it was a dirty hand unwashed for days, Barwin did not hesitate.

“Let’s go inside.”

Aria, who had finally met Barwin, looked at him with tears in her eyes.

That gaze contained various emotions including resentment and joy.

* * *

“Is there anything else you need?”

“…No. Thank you for taking care of me like this.”

“Not at all. The master told me to provide whatever you need, so please feel free to ask.”

Aria, who had entered the viscount’s residence, showed a very different attitude from before.

The contemptuous behavior towards subordinates had disappeared completely, and she was being careful with every action.

It was because she didn’t know when she might be kicked out again.

“Rather than that, I’d like to rest for a while now, if that’s alright?”

“Of course. Please call anytime you need anything.”

After all the servants had withdrawn, Aria examined her appearance.

Having just bathed in warm water, her body was clean.

She felt embarrassed when she saw how dirty the bathwater had become, realizing how filthy she had been.

But that feeling was only momentary.

When she came out after bathing, her old clothes were nowhere to be seen, and new clothes were prepared.

Moreover, various foods and desserts were prepared to fill her hungry stomach.

Aria, who hadn’t had a proper meal, devoured the prepared food ravenously.

To the point where no trace of etiquette could be found.

Aria’s wariness gradually loosened at the lavish treatment towards her.

‘Maybe Barwin didn’t betray me after all.’

Otherwise, there was no way he would have prepared this much for her.

How people had been treating her since she was driven out of the Hersher mansion.

They pointed fingers at her, mocked and jeered. She endured all kinds of humiliation she had never experienced before.

And the worst among them was undoubtedly Lloyd.

Even he, who had liked her the most, said he would kill her and present her corpse to Clea.

Compared to those experiences, Barwin’s treatment was truly heaven and earth apart.

‘Then why did he turn me away at the door that day?’

But her wariness hadn’t completely dissipated.

The memory of being turned away at the door that day remained vivid, so she still couldn’t fully trust Barwin.

Amidst her jumbled thoughts, someone gently knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

Aria asked towards the door.

“Your Highness, may I have a moment to talk?”

Then came the voice of the man who was currently confusing her.

Aria was momentarily flustered, but soon uttered a brief word to come in.

“If you’re tired, I can come back later.”

“It’s fine.”

Facing Barwin, Aria was at a loss for what to say.

As he said, she was a bit tired now and wished to meet him later, but on the other hand, she also wanted to quickly resolve her issues with him.

With no one to help her now, she needed a definite ally.

After sitting side by side at the table, Aria was the first to speak.

“Why did you abandon me that day?”

Despite the resentment in her voice, Barwin’s reaction was calm.

He quietly looked at Aria.

“As you know, Your Highness, those who try to help you are being ostracized.”

Aria’s body stiffened at Barwin’s words.

She thought that even he might draw a line with her out of fear.

But the following words were different from her expectations.

“I couldn’t take you in in front of everyone. So I was waiting for a time when there would be fewer eyes watching to come and get you, but I was too late.”

Aria’s eyes widened at his words that he had been waiting for an opportunity.

It could certainly be a lie, but she thought his words were true.

If it wasn’t true, why would he bother to take her in?

He could have roughly dragged her out, conscious of people’s gazes.

But he accepted her.

“I sincerely apologize, Your Highness.”

As Barwin bowed his head in apology, Aria’s heart completely leaned to one side.

“I accept your apology.”

“But I have committed a great discourtesy to Your Highness.”

“It’s still alright.”

Aria approached Barwin, placed her hand on his shoulder, and said.

“Between you and me, I can easily forgive this much.”

Hearing those words, Barwin almost laughed out of disbelief, but he held it back and nodded.

“In that sense, Barwin, could I have one of the items I entrusted to you before?”

“I’ll bring it right away if you tell me.”

Barwin already knew what item she would ask for.

“Do you remember the item I specially asked you to keep safe?”

“You mean that old book.”

“Yes. Please bring that now.”

At her request, Barwin said he understood and went out briefly to get the book.

After he left, Aria smiled and enjoyed the dessert placed on the table.

Clea had no evidence to incriminate her. There was only her claim.

In such a situation, if Admund woke up and fell in love with her, a dramatic turn of events would unfold before her eyes.

She felt happiness in this moment of comfort she was having after a long time.

Meanwhile, Barwin, who had left the room, was standing in front of the door without moving to find Aria’s belongings.

“Here’s the item you asked to prepare.”

“There are no awkward parts.”

“As you instructed, we changed a few letters here and there.”

What his aide handed over was a book that looked exactly like the ancient book received from Aria.

From the material to the contents written inside, everything was identical to a chilling degree.

“Well, no more mischievous acts should occur now.”

Barwin had subtly changed some of the contents to prevent Aria from creating any more variables.

After checking, he then instructed his aide.

“Burn all the transcripts.”

Since the original had to be given to Clea, Barwin had immediately taken it home when he first received the ancient book and had his closest confidants make transcripts.

The forgery just now was based on those transcripts.

The forgery was made to deceive Aria when she appeared.

“Is it really alright?”

Just as he was about to get rid of the transcripts that had now served their purpose, his aide asked if it wasn’t a waste.

It was a good opportunity for the Rokin Viscount family to fully possess hundreds of years of Hersher family history.

It was honestly a bit of a shame to burn everything of such priceless value that couldn’t be measured in monetary terms.

“Does the person in there look like the same kind of human as us?”

At Barwin’s question, the aide closed his mouth.

Aria was now a very infamous figure for her evil deeds.

Even the homeless on the streets knew about her.

So people of the Rokin Viscount family, who deal with information, couldn’t possibly not know about her.

The aide, thinking about Aria’s behavior so far, soon answered Barwin’s question.

She was no longer easy to see as the same human. She was just a monster wearing a human disguise.

“Moreover, if the imperial family discovers we have such an item, we’ll never be safe.”

Clea was not the type to leave any loose ends.

If she found out that transcripts were openly present in the Rokin Viscount’s mansion, the viscount family could become her next target.

One shouldn’t assume that yesterday’s collaborator will maintain the same relationship today.

“I don’t want to become a monster like that, nor do I want to make an enemy of her. So burn everything.”

As he spoke firmly and headed for the door, the aide replied that he understood and proceeded to burn the transcripts as ordered.