Erina was so surprised to see the man who entered calling for Susan and John that she jumped up from her seat.

Unlike his warm, light brown hair that reminded one of soft sand shimmering in the sunlight, his clear, sky-blue eyes were cool like a cloudless sky.

The captivating man with looks that could enchant just by looking at him was someone Erina couldn’t possibly not know.

Sandes Dvil Kerenik, the Viscount Kerenik, was a villain with a considerable role in the original story.

If Erina was the character who directly tried to separate Rose and Feiron in the original, Sandes was the one who stirred up trouble between the two knowingly and unknowingly.

Though he approached Rose intentionally, coveting her mana stone mine and trying to shake her, he couldn’t tear apart the love between the two.

In fact, it wasn’t clearly revealed in the original whether he truly came to love Rose or if he had ulterior motives, but in conclusion, Sandes also didn’t view the couple and the Iols family favorably.

Erina’s mind raced quickly.

If Sandes cooperated, the thorny plan would become much easier.

The moment their eyes met, Sandes’ eyes curved gently.

After scanning Erina’s surprised face looking at him and the humble food set on the table that didn’t match her, Sandes quietly called out to her.

“Lady Iols.”

Unlike his warmly smiling face, the voice that flowed from his mouth was startlingly cool.

The identity that Erina had deliberately hidden from Susan and John flowed from his lips.

“Ha.”

According to rumors, he was said to have a thousand-year-old fox inside him, and it seemed to be true.

Erina couldn’t hide a bitter laugh.

Then she suddenly remembered that Susan had referred to the nobleman who regularly visited this village as ‘noble sir’ without being able to say his name.

“Yes, Viscount Kerenik.”

As she smiled back at him in the same way, Sandes’ eyes widened.

“Hahahahaha!”

Finding something amusing, Sandes let out a hearty laugh as he closed the door properly and approached them.

“My lady, excuse me, but these two know who I am.”

When Erina looked at Susan, who had already stood up in bewilderment, she felt embarrassed at her awkwardly smiling appearance.

Sandes couldn’t hide his face full of joy at the sight of Erina blushing and not knowing what to do.

“My lady, married…”

At John’s mumbling words that didn’t match the atmosphere, Erina was able to gather her embarrassment.

“Oh, you tactless person!”

“Ouch! Honey! Oh, my foot!”

John’s comical appearance of hopping on one foot while holding his spoon, seemingly having his foot stepped on under the table, was amusing.

“It seems Susan and John are doing well. And it looks like a new guest has arrived too.”

“Of course, Viscount. We’re doing well thanks to you. It’s been almost a month.”

Susan and Sandes briefly exchanged greetings.

Then Sandes’ gaze turned to the child standing quietly next to Erina.

Sandes’ eyes trembled slightly.

“Leo…?”

“My goodness, you felt it too, Viscount.”

A brief exchange of incomprehensible conversation between Sandes and John was followed by a moment of silence.

“He looks very similar, but the child’s name is Bill. You know it can’t be, Viscount.”

“Yes, right, Susan. That’s right.”

When Susan, John, and Sandes all turned their gazes towards him, the startled Rebil unconsciously burrowed into Erina’s arms.

Surprised, Erina carefully embraced the child, feeling his unease.

Despite the brief time they had spent together, she couldn’t stop the child from seeking refuge in her arms.

As Erina gently patted him, Rebil seemed to calm down and suddenly jumped out of her embrace.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“Well then, since the Viscount has arrived, shall we eat together?”

Susan looked at the two warmly before mediating the situation.

“I’m fine, you go ahead and finish your meal. I’ll be at home.”

His casual attitude towards Susan, who was clearly a commoner, was strikingly different from the nobles Erina had seen before.

“Why don’t you finish your meal too, my lady? Bill also seems to have eaten less.”

“Ah, I’ve finished my meal. I was waiting for the child.”

“Me, me too! I’m done eating too!”

Rebil, startled by Erina’s words that she had finished eating, answered hurriedly, looking scared as if he might be separated from Erina.

“Oh my, I see. Looking at it, you seem to have eaten most of it. Oh, Viscount.”

“Yes?”

“The lady says she needs a place to stay tonight because her carriage hasn’t arrived. Why don’t you help her? Your villa is the largest in the village.”

“But she’s a married woman. If there’s any scandal…”

“My goodness! Surely! Were you such an unscrupulous person, Viscount!”

“Susan!”

“Don’t worry, there’s no one coming and going in this village.”

Sandes, who sighed deeply, nodded at Susan’s kind yet forceful smile.

In this small village, Sandes’ villa was the largest and the only place that was well-equipped like a mansion.

Susan thought it would be better for a woman who was clearly well-bred to stay in one of the rooms at Sandes’ villa rather than at her own house.

She thought it would be better for Erina to go to the mansion with Sandes, as there was also a maid staying there who could attend to her.

“Lady Iols, would that be alright with you?”

“…Yes. Since the Viscount is not an unscrupulous person, it should be fine if you give me the room farthest from your room.”

“Lady Iols…”

Sandes, deliberately sighing deeply and answering in a weak voice, Erina pulled out the necklace hidden in her dress and unfastened it.

“Thank you for the delicious meal, Susan.”

Susan looked at Erina’s snow-white hand carefully offering the unfastened necklace.

The rose gold necklace decorated with amethyst was antique.

It was clearly too excessive for the price of a meal that commoners eat at home.

When Susan hesitated and couldn’t accept it, Erina carefully took Susan’s hand and placed the necklace on it.

“This is payment for the meal and your consideration. Thank you so much.”

Susan had dispelled her fear of variables with a bowl of rice and introduced her to a noble person like Sandes.

Although the necklace Erina gave to Susan was one of her few remaining wedding gifts, Erina didn’t regret it at all.

Seeing Erina’s determined face, Susan carefully accepted it and smiled warmly at Erina.

“It’s nothing.”

Erina felt she would never forget that warm smile that warmed her just by looking at it, even if she couldn’t come to this village again.

“Goodbye, little gentleman.”

Susan’s gentle hand patting Rebil’s head as she bent down looked somehow familiar.

Rebil, seemingly embarrassed, couldn’t even answer and just lowered his head, ending the farewell.

As they left Susan and John’s house, the outside was already dark, enveloped in darkness.

Thanks to the lights illuminating the village, it wasn’t too dark, and they could easily follow Sandes, who set off without saying a word.

They soon arrived at the large house located at the very end of the village.

Sandes, sensing the presence of the two following him, entered the house without looking back.

“Your Excellency, it’s been a while.”

A middle-aged maid greeted Sandes and glanced at Erina and Rebil who followed him in.

The surprised maid looked back and forth between Sandes and the two.

“It seems they missed their carriage, so Lady Iols will be staying for a day.”

“Ah, I see. My lady, it’s an honor to meet you. You can call me Chemil. I should prepare a room right away.”

The middle-aged people in this village seemed to have similar mannerisms, reminding Erina of Susan’s way of speaking.

“Prepare the room at the farthest end from my room.”

“Pardon? Yes, I’ll do that.”

As Chemil disappeared with a kind smile reminiscent of Susan, Sandes, who had been standing with his back to Erina and Rebil, turned around.

Unlike a moment ago when he had shown a warm and familiar appearance to Susan, John, and Chemil, his face was now cold and dry.

It was exactly the same as the description Erina remembered from the original work.

The light brown color that had reminded her of a warm beach in the sunlight now strangely looked as dry as hardened tree bark.

Erina couldn’t understand why that color reminded her of Rebil, who couldn’t raise his head, wet with rainwater.

Come to think of it, Sandes and Rebil’s hair color seemed quite similar.

It was only for a moment that she was lost in thought.

“Lady Iols.”

“What brings you to this corner?”

Although he didn’t finish his sentence, Erina understood what he wanted to say.

“The child seems very tired, can I put him to bed first, Viscount?”

Sandes stared at the shimmering golden eyes that fluttered open and closed, then nodded.

As Sandes turned to leave, he paused and looked at Rebil, who was trying hard to minimize his presence.

Sandes’ eyes held numerous emotions.

But Erina couldn’t read what those emotions were.

“My lady, please come this way.”

As Chemil, who had disappeared, reappeared and tried to guide Erina and Rebil, Sandes turned his back without hesitation.

Erina followed Chemil’s guidance and headed to the room with Rebil.

“We don’t have much prepared properly, so you might be uncomfortable, but it should be fine for sleeping. Do you need any clothes to change into?”

Erina told Chemil it was fine and asked her to look after Rebil for a moment.

“I need to talk with the Viscount for a moment, but the child might feel anxious. Can I ask you to take care of him for a while?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Go to sleep first, Rebil.”

“But…”

She gently patted Rebil’s head, who was trembling with anxiety.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Although anxious, Rebil didn’t stop Erina. He just held her hand tightly, which he had been holding all along, and tried to calm himself.

Erina felt sorry for Rebil, who seemed to have learned to give up quickly like herself out of habit.

While feeling sorry for the child, the Iols surname attached to Rebil’s name made her uncomfortable.

“The Viscount should be in the study about halfway down this corridor. The study is the only room with a blue door, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding it.”

Erina once again asked Chemil to take care of Rebil and headed towards Sandes’ study.

‘Knock knock-.’

“Come in.”

Erina entered, consoling her heavy heart that matched his deep voice.

Sandes, sitting on a sofa in one corner of the unusually bright study interior, gestured for her to sit on the opposite side.

As Erina took her seat across from him, he quietly looked at her with an intense gaze amidst a strange silence.

“There’s so much I want to ask, I don’t know where to start.”

Sandes said languidly, resting his left arm on the sofa armrest and propping his chin.

“What do you think of the Iols family, Viscount?”

At Erina’s sudden words, Sandes tapped his cheek with the index finger of the hand supporting his chin, then raised the corners of his mouth.

“Iols, Iols… Iols.”

As Sandes mulled over the name Iols, he couldn’t stop the hatred that overflowed in his expression, difficult to hide just from uttering those three syllables.

The clear sky blue that had reminded one of a clear sky was stained with anger and hatred, emanating a chilling killing intent that sent shivers down one’s spine with just a glance.

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.