/
Jade wanted to ask what the Marquis meant by ‘need’.
However, he didn’t have the courage to speak his mind.
His hands trembled and his mouth became dry.
He’s parched.
If only he had a glass of brandy…!
Then, Margaret quickly perked up.
“Of course!”
Her eyes were glinting slyly.
“But you’re not asking us to just hand her over, yes?”
Dumbfounded, Jade looked at Margaret.
However, Margaret didn’t care how her husband was looking at her.
At that moment, her mind was going a mile a minute.
In fact, she’s been mulling over what to do with Radis ever since David’s admission to the academy had been cancelled.
Rather than helping the household, she was just a burden. The answer was to get rid of the deadweight early.
And if that deadweight was a daughter, then it’s better to get her married off and reap the benefits.
However, Radis wasn’t as pretty and cute as Yurhi. And instead of being obedient, she was more vicious and violent.
And they would have to pay her dowry if she was to be married. Really, instead of helping the family, there would be no profit left for them to reap.
It would be nice if they could find a rich yet affable husband for her, but what if Radis would raise a hand against him just as she did with Margaret?
Just imagining it gave her a migraine. And Margaret also had to think about the problem of money.
It would have been nice if she was taken by Huber Cradium, but if it’s Marquis Russell, then it’s much much muuuuch better!
As Marquis Russell saw the greed blatantly shining in Margaret’s eyes, his lips twisted up to a smile.
“It’s good that you brought it up first, I would like to hear your terms. Of course, to suit the reputation of the Russell Marquisate.”
And when she heard the words she wanted to hear, Margaret was barely able to rein in the material desire glistening in her eyes.
Coyly, she stood up and turned away, ignoring her husband’s astonishment.
“But she’s not a very well-behaved child. She’s a child who only causes trouble at home, so I don’t know how she’ll fare. Even if she causes trouble, please know that we won’t be responsible for it.”
Marquis Russell laughed at this.
“You’re already taking your hands off her without asking what I’ll be needing her for.”
A little embarrassed, Margaret hurriedly made an excuse.
“Th-that… How can a woman like me ever ask about the will of the magnanimous Marquis Russell?”
“You both don’t seem to be curious, but she at least should know.”
Marquis Russell rose from his seat.
“Where is she?”
* * *
Radis noticed the commotion going on in the mansion.
Unlike the past when she was completely isolated in a secluded corner of the mansion, there were some maids led by Irene who were now serving her properly.
However, both in the past and in the present, it was obvious that such a commotion would have nothing to do with her.
She didn’t even have a chance to meet them even if guests had arrived.
So Radis had dinner alone, leaving the maids to do their work, and then she paced around her room, lost in thought.
‘I don’t know much about mana. Official mana training methods are passed down only to talented people, even within the knighthood. But this shouldn’t be possible. I’ve never heard of anyone being able to transform demonic energy from a mana stone into regular mana.’
Radis leaned against a wall, her arms crossed.
‘At times like this, I could just ask Armano if he’s next to me… Ah!’
Radis’ eyes grew wide.
“A letter!”
It would be difficult to find her teacher again, but she’d at least be able to write a letter to him.
In her last life, she had written a letter apologizing to Armano for causing him to lose his job.
But she never had the chance to read his reply.
‘I should write a letter to him. It would be difficult to receive a reply back, but if I could get it through someone else…’
As Radis was looking for a sheet of paper to write her letter on, she suddenly sighed as she leaned against the desk with one hand.
She recalled what Margaret had said earlier.
Margaret was someone who lived her whole life trying to get money one way or another.
So it was obvious what she would do.
David’s admission to the Imperial Academy was a bust, so she’d try to use Radis against Huber to exploit money from him so that she could use those funds to send David to another academy.
Of course, Huber wouldn’t be able to hand over the money easily.
That was something that Margaret didn’t know.
Radis made Huber fall unconscious by hitting him on the back of his neck and she robbed him of mana stones. After she left that night, they could both pretend that none of that happened, but Huber wouldn’t stay still if Margaret would start talking about reparations.
“Haa…”
As she leaned back to sigh, someone knocked on the door.
Hearing a knock on her door for the first time, Radis looked at the door with a question behind her eyes.
Not many people came by Radis’ room. It usually would only be Margaret or some maids, including Irene.
And none of them knocked.
Margaret thought of Radis’ room like a closet, and just until recently, so did the maids. It was only a few days ago when they started knocking slightly, but only with their fingertips as a polite signal of their presence.
At the unfamiliar experience, Radis approached the door and opened it herself.
“……!”
Radis was surprised.
A man donned in all black was standing at the narrow doorway.
He was about twice as tall as Radis, and even his shoulders were twice as wide.
Everything draped over his large frame was black.
The lavish cape over his shoulders, the luxurious closely fitted doublet, the silk pants, and his boots.
The only part of his body that didn’t feature this absence of color was his face, but even that was half-covered by his long black hair.
What could only be seen below his curly fringe was his straight, angular nose, sharp jawline and mesmerizing red lips.
And as his lips moved, a smooth, low-pitched voice spilled out like opulent leather.
“Radis, correct?”
It was only a moment, but Radis wondered if she should attack this man.
Because this figure standing in this dark hallway looked like a demonic monster.
Radis suddenly realized that she was reaching towards her empty side, as if she was about to pull out a sword that she didn’t even have.
Smiling at her own foolishness, she relaxed her hands to her sides and opened her lips to speak.
“Who are you though?”
“……!”
She could see the man’s jaw flinching.
He slowly crossed his arms and replied.
“Aren’t you talking too informally¹?”
“I’m just returning the favor.”
“……!”
A crooked smile tugged on the man’s lips.
He stroked his chin and as if expressing his surrender, he spoke.
“Fine. It’ll be like this from now on, huh? It’s not bad. I’ll introduce myself then—I’m Yves Russell. Marquis Russell.”
Radis widened her eyes as she looked up at the man.
‘He’s Marquis Russell?’
She couldn’t believe it.
This black-clad man was Marquis Russell, the lord of the widest land in the south!
‘I heard that he’s young, but rather than young, it’s more like he has an immature atmosphere to him…’
It’s not that she didn’t want to talk to him, it’s just that she didn’t want to be polite. But he was a Marquis.
“I am—no, my name is Radis… sir.”
While saying that, she suddenly realized that Jade and Margaret were a short distance away in the dark hallway, watching them.
They looked strangely nervous.
Radis reluctantly added.
“…Radis Tilrod.”
“Okay, Radis. Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Talk?”
“If your room quarters had a drawing room, we could talk there, but I don’t think that’s the case.”
Marquis Russell took a cursory glance of the small room, then turned back to Radis without taking a lot of time looking around.
“Let’s take a short walk in the garden.”
It didn’t seem like he was asking her to fight, so she didn’t have to think deeply about accepting the invite to talk. Radis nodded.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her, at which she heard Margaret muttering behind her, ‘Without even changing clothes!’ but Radis didn’t care.
The clothes she had were all old clothes that didn’t look much better than what she had on right now. And that horrible pink sponge of a ‘dress’.
Radis strode out the hallway and habitually headed for the rear garden.
Unlike the garden at the front of the mansion, which was decorated with all sorts of colorful flowers, the rear garden was more of a vacant lot than anything.
When they got there, Radis leaned against a fence and crossed her arms, looking up at Marquis Russell.
“May I know what it is that you’d like to talk about?”
The Marquis strangely didn’t answer, staring only at Radis with his lips firmly shut.
After a while, Radis spoke again.
“…What is it, did Your Excellency really just want to take a walk?”
“What?”
“Then would you like to go to the garden out front?”
“No, it’s fine. I’d like to talk, so this place is enough. But I’d like to ask, have we perhaps met before?”
“Pardon?”
Radis frowned as she stared at him.
Even if she looked over at him again, this was her first time seeing him.
The same was true in her previous life.
If she had met a person that had such a unique presence like him, she would have definitely remembered.
“I don’t think we have, Your Excellency.”
“Yeah… That should be the case. It’s just that you said something strange. No, never mind.”
Marquis Russell shook his head and said this with a firm tone, as though banishing the thought.
“Why did you think so?”
“…It’s absurd.”
“What is?”
“This household. And you.”
Radis frowned and slightly scowled at the Marquis.
She couldn’t even guess what it was that he wanted to say.
——
t/n:
¹ Korean is a highly hierarchical language, so it couldn’t be expressed well in English, but Marquis Russell commented on Radis talking informally because it’s usually considered rude to do so when meeting someone for the first time. Since the Marquis is of high stature, it’s natural for him to talk like that, which was why he was surprised when Radis said she’s only returning the favor—she’s technically not allowed to.