Episode 15: It’s Not That I’m Asking to Borrow. (3)
Kyaah!
At that moment, Bastet let out a sharp cry and jumped up, targeting Ghislaine.
However, he simply tilted his head to dodge it.
The cat ended up rolling on the floor. It made a sound like air escaping from a balloon.
Ghislaine chuckled as he nodded his head.
“What a funny cat. Take care of it. I don’t want to harm animals.”
Bastet puffed up its fur and glared at Ghislaine, but couldn’t attack anymore.
Ghislaine couldn’t help but chuckle because it looked just like its owner.
“Speaking of which, the captain of the guard, wasn’t his name Bernap? They seemed to get along quite well.”
Ghislaine remembered that after Amelia took her position as Count Raybold, she would marry the guard knight Bernap.
It was a casual comment, but Amelia misunderstood it entirely.
‘No way… is he really jealous because I’m close with the guard knight now?’
Is there really such a pathetic guy in the world!
It was true that she was somewhat closer to Bernap. After all, she was the one who took in the simple village boy and had raised him up to this point.
He had talent and was a decent man, so she valued him, but it was absolutely not the kind of relationship Ghislaine was suspicious of.
As Amelia continued her thoughts, her face suddenly turned pale.
‘What if this crazy guy spreads unnecessary rumors…?’
If rumors of her falling in love with the guard knight while engaged to another spread, it would be a disgrace to her family for years to come.
‘It’s ridiculous, but if it comes out of this guy’s mouth, it’s like throwing gasoline on a fire.’
It was common knowledge in the territory that Amelia favored Bernap.
There were people whispering that she had picked up a pretty-faced guy and even made him the captain of the guard knights.
It was no secret that Bernap had feelings for her.
She was already dealing with the headaches of matters involving the Actium Merchant Group, and she had no confidence in handling such a problem if it erupted.
Swallowing dry saliva and remaining silent for a while, Amelia finally spoke up.
“About the merchant group… were you following me around to gather information?”
Perhaps Ghislaine might have been so fond of her that he started digging into her background.
Then finding out that she and Bernap were closer than expected, Amelia thought he might be trying to extort money out of revenge.
‘If he’s that dishonorable, it could happen.’
“Sure, you can.”
But Ghislaine showed no signs of jealousy, let alone any emotions.
“Well, I just have someone I know. I happened to overhear it.”
Ghislaine shrugged, as if it were no big deal.
Spreading false information to confuse an enemy is basic strategy 101.
She would probably rack her brain for a while trying to figure out how Ghislaine learned the secret.
But no matter how deep she dug, she wouldn’t find anything. She could never imagine that a person from the future died and came back to the past.
“So, what are you going to do? Are you going to give me money or not? I’m in a hurry.”
Amelia said through gritted teeth.
“Do you seriously think you and Perdium will be safe after this? I don’t know where you picked up this nonsense, but with such ridiculous threats…”
But she couldn’t finish her sentence and shut her mouth.
Suddenly, an awful bloodlust began to pour out from the ever-calm Ghislaine.
“Let me ask you again. Do you think our territory will be safe?”
The destruction of her family and territory was a trauma that haunted Ghislaine her entire life.
And Amelia was one of the main culprits. Hearing threats from someone like that made it impossible for her to contain her rage.
The atmosphere shifted drastically, causing even the guard knights around them, including Belinda, to swallow hard.
Just facing Ghislaine felt like it would stop Amelia’s heart.
“Threats are not something you throw around lightly, Amelia.”
Since leaving her family, Ghislaine had lived a life of cutting down others on the front lines.
Among them were famous knights, high-ranking nobles, and countless formidable opponents.
She could have built a castle with the corpses of those she killed, and surely there were no lack of people like Amelia among them.
The harsh words from someone like Amelia, who hadn’t even properly established her own power, were nothing more than a cat scratching.
“What do you think happened to all the fools who have come at me so far? Except for that cat. They all…”
Ghislaine suddenly stopped speaking and closed her mouth.
Since she returned to the past, wouldn’t they all still be alive and well?
After a brief moment of thought, Ghislaine muttered softly.
“I guess they’re doing fine now. For now.”
“…What?”
“They’re quite strong, those ones.”
Amelia, along with everyone else in the room, looked at her with bewilderment.
Ghislaine, who had been avoiding eye contact under that burning gaze, shook her head and opened her mouth again.
“Regardless, that’s not important right now. What are you going to do?”
Ghislaine hesitated to mention Duke Delphine’s name but ultimately decided against it.
It was dangerous as it was; there was no need to invite greater risk by bringing up the mastermind behind it all.
Amelia closed her eyes and spoke.
It might be unbelievable, but looking at Ghislaine’s relaxed demeanor made her think that Ghislaine might know something more.
If she wanted to kill Ghislaine and her knights, she could do it.
However, trying to eliminate Ghislaine and everyone else would undoubtedly cause chaos, which would increase the chances of her getting suspected.
‘For now, let’s get them out of the castle. I have to do it without my father and brothers knowing.’
Having made her decision, she opened her eyes and spat out, as if chewing on her words.
“……I’ll give you 20,000 gold. Please leave right away.”
“Please.”
“Alright. Now that’s what I call bold!”
“Shut up. The procedure for breaking off the engagement will proceed immediately.”
“Sure, do it your way.”
Ghislaine readily agreed. After all, it’s just breaking off an engagement when you’ve received a fortune.
Amelia stared at him for a moment and then spoke in a subdued voice.
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“One of the people who changed me is you.”
Amelia could never guess the reason for Ghislaine’s transformation.
He turned away without waiting for a response.
A voice full of resentment stopped Ghislaine in his tracks.
“What do you think has changed with you? Just because of jealousy and money, you put yourself in danger. You’re still as foolish as ever.”
“Think what you want.”
“You’ll regret what you did today.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Amelia was not the type to take this lying down. She would probably try every trick in the book to silence Ghislaine in the future.
Still, the risk was worth it. After all, 20,000 gold would be a substantial initial investment just when he needed it.
‘Amelia, this time, I will definitely take your head. Don’t even think about running away like in my previous life.’
Ghislaine’s expression was as cold as Amelia’s as he left the reception room.
The relationship between the two, tied even formally by engagement, had crossed a river that would never return.
*
Even after Ghislaine’s group had left, Amelia struggled to suppress her anger for a long time.
“Ghislaine Perdium! How dare you threaten me?”
To be threatened by such a man and have money extorted from her! This level of humiliation was undoubtedly a first in her life.
“I need to find a way to silence him…”
She bit her lip, her face twisted in fury.
The Duke Delphine was a terrifying figure. If the rumors about their secret deal spread, it would be enough to cut her ties immediately.
Now that they had decided to join forces, there was no way out.
“I must stay beneath their radar until I’ve built up enough power.”
The Duke Delphine’s scheme was already in motion.
If they couldn’t overturn from within like in the Perdium Territory, they would attack from the outside, and where there was potential, like in the Raybold Territory, they’d invest to get it under their control.
They were weakening the strength of all territories that weren’t theirs.
“I definitely need to kill him.”
There was no hesitation or guilt. She might even have to kill a family member if necessary. Such things were common in noble society.
‘First, kill him, and if I need a justification afterward, I’ll just come up with one then.’
It didn’t matter if suspicion fell on her for killing Ghislaine. Silencing her merchant group was more important.
After all, the dead don’t talk.
“Bernap! Bring Bernap here! Now!”
Having made her decision, Amelia shouted.
Before long, a tall, handsome man with thick blonde hair entered the room.
“You called for me?”
“Bernap!”
“Meow!”
Bernap flinched when he saw the furious Amelia and Bastet.
“What is the matter?”
“Kill Ghislaine. He knows my secret.”
“What? What do you mean? What does he know?”
After hearing the whole story, Bernap contemplated for a moment with a serious expression before nodding.
“That’s not a good situation. But don’t worry too much. He’s just a pathetic person with no capacity to stir up trouble. He probably just came to extort some money.”
“He’s just a pathetic person who lacks the ability to stir up any trouble. He’s probably just here to squeeze some money out of us.”
“But if that guy starts yapping, he could ruin everything. We need to be cautious right now.”
“Having taken the money, he’ll probably remain quiet for a while. In fact, he might keep his mouth shut just to come back for more.”
Ghislaine actually had no intention of returning to her, but both believed he might try to extort more cash.
They thought of Ghislaine as a scoundrel with no honor, threatening his fiancée, so it wasn’t unreasonable for them to think that way.
They didn’t even wonder how Ghislaine would use that money.
They figured he’d blow it all on gambling or entertainment, or maybe just throw a little into his pathetic territory.
The long-established unruly image Ghislaine had built up played a significant role. Even though they saw a change in him, prejudices don’t just disappear easily.
Amelia pulled out a map from the shelf and pointed to a spot with her finger.
“Kill him here. If it’s here, we can avoid the public’s eye. We’ll get our money back too.”
The place Amelia indicated was a valley surrounded by low mountains.
It was the quickest route from Raybold Castle to Perdium Territory.
If they set up an ambush on that narrow road, they could easily handle a small group like Ghislaine’s.
However, Bernap shook his head.
“Everyone already knows Ghislaine the prince was here. It could raise suspicion.”
“What if we manipulate it to look like bandits or monsters attacked?”
“If it’s uncovered that we were the attackers, we’d incur Count Perdium’s wrath. With the territorial disputes going on, it wouldn’t be beneficial for us. We have important matters ahead, don’t we?”
“As long as we don’t get caught, what’s the worry? The humiliation I’ve suffered is one thing, but I can’t just leave a risk like this.”
“… We can’t use the knights of the territory.”
“Send in the mercenaries or assassins; we’ve invested in those guys. Just send them.”
Finally, Bernap nodded.
Amelia had a point. While it was dangerous to get caught, if they left no evidence, there was no threat.
After all, Ghislaine was just skimming along the surface in Perdium Territory, so people wouldn’t pay much attention to him anyway.
“Understood. I’ll prepare them thoroughly and send them.”
Amelia looked at Bernap with a cold gaze.
Unlike the pathetic Ghislaine, Bernap had considerable skills.
If he acted, dealing with someone like Ghislaine shouldn’t be difficult.
“Right, take care of it before it makes waves.”
“I will handle it without issues.”
“Good, off you go.”
“… I’ll finish quickly and come back.”
Bernap grimaced when Amelia wasn’t looking. It seemed he’d have quite a bit of tiresome work ahead because of Ghislaine.
Sigh, why does that guy keep causing such annoying trouble…
He wished he could just focus on Amelia’s face, but the world wasn’t cooperating.
Well, at least the annulment is coming sooner, so maybe that’s a good thing for me?
With a regretful glance at Amelia, Bernap left the room, eager to deal with Ghislaine and return to her side.
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