Erina looked straight at Sandes, who was staring sharply at her bearing the name of Yols.

Sandes felt strange receiving the direct gaze of Erina, who had no presence at all in his long-term plans.

Strangely, when he received that gaze, he was reminded of the scarlet color of House Yols, which shone brightly to hide its ugliness, unlike her who had a sparkling color.

It was the color that had taken away his sister, the only reason for his life, and his nephew, the last thread of his existence.

Even though enough time had passed for hatred to dull, whenever he recalled the memories of that time and the events of that day, his mind would go blank as if his blood was rushing backwards.

Sandes had to swallow his overflowing emotions with a sigh.

As he always did.

“Hmm.”

A rumble like the languid sigh of a beast made Erina’s nape chill.

“It seems the Countess of Yols is not at all pleased with Yols.”

Erina gripped her handbag tightly to avoid tensing up at Sandes’ gaze, which had softened considerably from before.

“I would like to propose a deal to the Duke.”

“A deal?”

Sandes’ reaction changed at the mention of a deal, befitting a family that manages all imperial trading companies.

“From the Countess who is known to be the weakest in House Yols?”

“Yes.”

Erina’s response, nodding without regard for Sandes’ mockery, was very unfamiliar to him.

Strangely, Sandes found Erina’s expressionless face hiding slight anxiety intriguing.

Sandes removed the hand supporting his chin, sat up straight, and asked again.

“What are the terms of the deal?”

“I will tell you if you accept the deal.”

“Look here, Countess. Don’t you know the basics of negotiation?”

Though Sandes’ tone switching between formal and informal speech could be offensive, Erina didn’t even flinch.

“However, I can tell you clearly about the end result of the deal.”

Erina continued speaking as she sat on the sofa and placed the handbag she had been holding on her lap.

“The downfall of House Yols.”

A strange light flickered in Sandes’ eyes.

To hear the word “downfall” directly from the mouth of someone bearing the Yols name and enjoying all its benefits.

From Sandes’ perspective, it was an irresistibly sweet bait.

So sweet that he simply could not pass it by without biting.

“Ha, very well. Let’s accept this deal.”

At Sandes’ acceptance, Erina popped open the clasp of her handbag.

Meeting his gaze that burned like an intensely hot blue flame, Erina took out a magic stone from her handbag and placed it on the table.

Sandes’ expression, which he thought would never crumble, broke at the sight of the pale purple magic stone.

“This is…”

“I found a magic stone mine.”

As if entranced, Sandes carefully lifted the magic stone.

Inside the magic stone that emitted its own light due to magical power, the name ‘Erina Medelia’ was engraved.

“Erina Medelia.”

“Yes. Erina Medelia, not Erina Yols, is the owner. What do you think?”

Sandes’ mind raced with all sorts of thoughts nonstop.

No matter what he thought, no matter how he planned, only incredibly good conclusions came to mind.

Even if everything else in this deal except the magic stone was a loss for him, this was a deal he had no choice but to accept.

The benefits of monopolizing the distribution of magic stones were enormous enough to offset all disadvantages.

Erina knew that Sandes would have no choice but to accept once he saw the magic stone.

Magic stones that could activate dormant artifacts would allow one to become the “superior” to all nobles just by the fact of distribution.

Due to the rarity and scarcity of magic stones that everyone already knew about, their value was astronomical, and the price was whatever one asked.

Distributing such magic stones was tantamount to a well-paved road that could enormously increase one’s standing and the influence of one’s family.

However, in the original story, Peiron kicks all of that aside, excessively displays his loyalty, and perfectly hands over the distribution line of magic stones to the imperial family.

Of course, they would become a family loved by the imperial family for generations to come, but that was all.

Thanks to that, only Sandes, who was in charge of all imperial distribution at the time, took all the good things, and in the original story, Sandes thought of him as stupid.

‘A fool who can’t even properly use what he has.’

This was what Sandes had called Peiron in the original story while distributing magic stones.

The truly ridiculous thing was that all the nobles who traded agreed.

In the original story, after Sandes took charge of the magic stone mine, he stopped approaching Rose.

It was as if he had finished all his business.

Of course, there was also the fact that Rose rejected Sandes, saying she only had Peiron just before handing over the mine to Peiron, but as if waiting for the timing, Sandes neatly wrapped up his clinginess towards Rose.

Unlike in the original story where Peiron handed everything over to the imperial family, Erina herself intended to pass on a portion of the magic stone mine’s pie to Sandes.

Unlike Rose and Peiron in the original story who gained no actual benefits, Erina planned to have everything with Sandes as a sturdy shield in front.

The love of the imperial family that Peiron desperately wanted, the attention of people that Rose was so satisfied with, her own standing among the conservative nobles.

“It’s mesmerizing.”

There was a sense that the tension in Sandes’ eyes, which still couldn’t look away from the magic stone, had eased slightly.

“I have many questions, but let’s start by hearing the exact terms of the deal first.”

Sandes’ words became very polite, unlike before.

Hearing this, Erina loosened her stiff lips.

“When the existence of the magic stone is revealed, I will divorce. Very smoothly.”

“I see.”

The name engraved on the magic stone was Erina Medelia.

In the Asilium Empire, where the power of magic stones was believed to be the power of god, the name engraved on a magic stone was absolute.

The imperial family, which presides over the marriage and divorce of nobles, would very gladly and quickly grant her divorce.

“I hope that Your Grace will become my patron throughout that entire process.”

“Hmm?”

It seemed that the information had not yet reached Sandes, as Rose had only entered the Yols mansion yesterday.

According to a sentence that briefly appeared in one part of the original story, Sandes excessively checked House Yols.

Enough to collect even trivial information.

At first, she thought it was because of Rose, but for some reason, Erina’s inexplicable intuition told her it wasn’t just that.

“The Count of Yols has brought a woman named Rose Asila into the mansion, calling her the person he loves.”

“What?”

Sandes’ eyes, looking at her as if dumbfounded, seemed to be asking if it was really true.

“The Count of Yols does not open his ears to me when I try to tell the truth, and the Grand Countess of Yols always points out that I am lacking while calling that woman ‘new daughter’.”

Sandes’ face hardened.

To other nobles, she was just a powerless countess who had her family stolen by her cousin and entered into a political marriage.

That was all that was known about Erina to others.

Strangely, Sandes couldn’t take his eyes off the gradually moistening eyes of the woman he had considered an inconspicuous noblewoman.

“Even if I do nothing, I am hated, and even if I act correctly, I am criticized.”

The reality she herself uttered was so terrible that Erina unknowingly shed tears.

Unfortunately, the tears stung as they crossed the wound on her cheek caused by a slap.

It felt as if all the anger she had been suppressing over time was seeping out of the thin, long gash.

“There is nothing I can do there. So, Your Grace…”

Erina couldn’t continue speaking and dropped tears one after another.

As if entranced, Sandes held out a handkerchief he took from his pocket to Erina, who didn’t know what to do with her flowing tears.

Erina seemed unable to even cry out loud, struggling to swallow her sobs without even breathing properly.

Somehow, Sandes didn’t like the sight of her trying to swallow her tears.

If only she would wail loudly like others.

Erina received the snow-white handkerchief with trembling hands and buried her face in it.

Everything she had been holding back burst out in front of Sandes, whom she met for the first time.

Clearly, this man who proposed the deal was not comfortable.

It was a reality she had been suppressing alone, unable to tell anyone.

She had comforted herself that it was okay and tried to ignore it, but as soon as the sadness she had kept locked up flowed out of her mouth, it burst.

“Lady Erina Medelia.”

At Sandes’ words calling her by name rather than as the Countess of Yols, Erina’s sorrowful cries spilled out.

Sandes felt a sense of kinship he had never felt with anyone else, sensing in Erina a sorrow as deep as his own hatred, while at the same time feeling flustered.

He, who had lived such a harsh life that he couldn’t even cry, had always thought that shedding tears was the most useless thing in the world.

He had always coldly rejected those who cried profusely in front of him, appealing with emotions, and those who begged with tears.

But why did Erina in front of him seem so pitiful and touch his heart?

Sandes couldn’t understand why he had to stop his hand that twitched wanting to wipe away her tears, why he, who always moved according to plan, was speaking without thinking.

“…I promise. As your patron, I will properly protect you until the goal of this deal is perfectly achieved.”

Sandes waited for her, trying to erase the thought of wanting to brush back Erina’s fallen hair.

After a long time of burying her face in her hands and shaking her body, Erina hurriedly composed her wet face.

When she frowned due to the stinging of her wound from the salty tears, Sandes’ expression suddenly twisted.

“Don’t tell me the Count of Yols even raises his hand against you?”

Sandes’ gaze turned to Erina’s cheek, which was slightly swollen and even had a wound.

“No. This is from the Grand Countess of Yols…”

“Ha, what an unbelievable family.”

From Sandes’ perspective, it was truly an unbelievable and outrageous situation.

It was something that could never happen in the current noble society.

Domestic violence or actions deceiving one’s spouse were not only morally frowned upon but also legally punishable.

It was shocking that Peiron, being a knight, would not know this and still act that way.

“Well, this is…”

Feeling absurd and flustered, Sandes could only let out a hollow laugh.

“It seems the goal of the deal will be achieved just with the grounds for divorce, without having to do anything else or make separate plans.”

His words were correct.

Erina could get a divorce just by securely gathering evidence and submitting the grounds for divorce.

But the reason Erina didn’t do that in the original story was because she loved Peiron.

So foolishly.

It wasn’t just the Erina in the original story who was foolish.

She herself, knowing the original story and wanting to change it, was no different, having been immersed in the foolish expectation that things might change.

“Your Grace, I…”

Sandes’ face frowned slightly.

Surely this person wasn’t going to say she still loved the Count of Yols even after experiencing such things?

“I don’t want them to just fail in an ordinary way.”

Sandes felt his momentary discomfort disappear at those words.

“I want them to struggle in the mud like I have experienced, and receive all the pain I’ve received in return.”

The anger and hatred in her eyes were no less than his own.

Strangely, Sandes found that one fact very appealing. Though he couldn’t understand why.

“Only then do I think I’ll be able to breathe.”

Erina didn’t hate those people. No, that’s what she thought.

She thought she didn’t hate her husband who refused to listen to her voice to the end, the shameless mistress who brazenly entered the house, the mother-in-law who criticized everything.

That wasn’t true. Erina hated them.

She hated them so much it was hard to breathe.

Erina decided to be honest with her feelings for the first time.