Chapter 59
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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 59
The day I met Genevre Golbro.
Not long after, news arrived that the Embrose Trading Company and the Golbro Trading Company had signed a formal contract.
'Thank goodness.'
Having been secretly anxious about the matter, I received the detailed account through Genevre and felt a weight lift from my chest.
In truth, I hadn't been certain whether bringing those two together was the right thing to do.
Empress Oriana—an iron-willed woman who once stood at the pinnacle of power, now having relinquished everything to the Crown Prince and withdrawn from the stage.
And Genevre Golbro, who was receiving steady successor training under her exceptional father while carving out her own career path.
Such a meeting between these two powerhouses had never occurred in the original work.
Yet, surprisingly.
The two of them transcended generational boundaries and forged a friendship based on a single common denominator: their shared passion for comic books.
Soon, Miss Golbro planned to publish the Ghost Duke Newsletter, a periodical aimed at comic book enthusiasts, and the Empress had secretly agreed to serve as her backer.
Yes, I'd keep that knowledge to myself.
'In any case, this could prove to be an excellent opportunity for Genevre personally.'
Miss Golbro had virtually no social activities to speak of.
Only recently did I learn that her mother had passed away long ago, and understanding the full circumstances became clear.
Without a noblewoman to support her through a debutante ball, it was naturally a significant disadvantage.
But if she could cultivate a connection with the Empress and gain a foothold in Imperial society?
'The already formidable Golbro Trading Company's influence might expand even further.'
Tap, tap.
As I drummed my fingers on the table, lost in thought, Bonita's voice reached my ears.
"Miss, the Embrose Marquise is waiting for you."
"Oh, has it gotten that late already?"
Eager for the news I'd been anticipating, I rose and headed outside.
Upon entering the reception room, the Embrose Marquise greeted me, her appearance somehow even more resplendent than before.
Looking closely, her complexion had brightened considerably—it seemed the arrangement with the Golbro Trading Company had gone far better than expected.
"Miss."
"Yes?"
While Bonita arranged the table settings, the Embrose Marquise spoke to me in a measured tone.
"To be frank, I honestly didn't think it would be possible."
With graceful poise, she lifted her teacup, took a sip of the warm tea, and spoke again.
"...With this, the Embrose family has incurred a considerable debt to you."
A debt.
At the words I'd been waiting to hear, I broke into a genuine smile.
"Not at all. We too were able to resolve our distribution issues through Embrose. Please don't speak of it that way, madam."
"No, truly. To let this pass would mean Embrose is unilaterally indebted to you."
While utilizing Embrose's distribution network was indeed necessary for us, we were hardly using it for free—we paid commissions and conducted a fair transaction.
However, had Embrose not received an introduction to Miss Golbro through me, they could not have secured the future of their vaunted distribution business.
Precisely because of this, the Embrose Marquise seemed to believe that what they had provided was too small compared to the problem I had solved, and the scales of the exchange were unbalanced.
It wasn't entirely wrong thinking, if I was being honest.
'So I'm planning to run away from this debt.'
Why, you ask?
I recalled the monthly rental contract tucked away in a corner of the Grand Duke's Office once more.
Just thinking about the astronomical lodging fees being charged at this very moment made my heart race with panic.
And truly, this was no joke—as I explained this deal to Lyden again, I felt it anew.
Felt what?
That if I didn't work like a dog here, I'd be shackled by debt for the rest of my life and never take a single step away from Blaire Grand Duke Residence.
'To be honest....'
It wasn't that I disliked the Grand Duke.
But at this rate, I'd be permanently stuck in the mansion of an unscrupulous employer (who was admittedly devastatingly handsome and impressive, made my heart race wildly, and took excellent care of my welfare).
If he were to marry someone, what on earth would become of me?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, an intricate simulation played out in my head.
"Darling, who exactly is this woman staying in our mansion?"
"A parasite who racked up enormous debt and won't pay it back. Heh."
"Just throw her out already!"
"No. I can't let her go until I've collected every last coin of that debt."
"What? That cunning little vixen. She's definitely staying to seduce you!"
...I might end up living on the scraps of the future Grand Duchess's goodwill.
Ugh, just imagining it was horrifying. But why did thinking about the Grand Duchess—whoever she'd be—make my chest feel so heavy?
Trying to hide my suddenly turbulent emotions, I followed the Marquise and sipped my tea while taking deep breaths internally.
'A handsome couple always instills a sense of deprivation in ordinary people.'
That was probably why. But....
'The Grand Duke would surely marry an exceptional woman—one with status, family background, and beauty that wouldn't embarrass him anywhere.'
In that moment, my resolve crystallized even further.
I would achieve independence before he married, before any marriage talks could even arise.
"Hehe."
"Ah...!"
Lost in thought while staring blankly at my teacup, I snapped back to attention at the soft sound of laughter.
"I'm so sorry! I was just thinking about something...."
"Not at all. I thought you were only sharp with numbers, but seeing your expression change moment by moment reminds me of our James in his younger days. How delightful."
Fortunately, she didn't seem bothered by my rudeness, and offered me a gentle smile.
"James, you say―"
"James Fabron Marquis."
Ah, I see.
As I nodded, suddenly remembering the name I'd forgotten, Embrose Marquise chuckled softly.
"We're distant now, but James was actually the son I cherished most."
Her eyes were directed at me, yet seemed to gaze into some distant place, wistful and far away.
Starting with him, stories of her long-standing conflict with Fabron Marquis began to flow from her lips.
How Fabron Marquis had shown the most promise among her children, and how she naturally came to have great expectations for him.
Yet what struck me most was that her son, who had always been so obedient, refused to budge an inch on the matter of marriage.
"Hmm...."
As the conversation drew to a close, I found it increasingly difficult to mask the heaviness settling over my expression.
It was because I knew not only their past, but what was yet to come.
'Truth be told, I didn't remember anything just from hearing the name Fabron Marquis.'
There were differences that arose because I, unlike in the original story, had been kidnapped yet remained alive and moving about. Moreover, I hadn't written down the entire contents of the original work the moment I possessed this body, so side stories unrelated to the protagonist naturally faded from my memory.
But just because those events weren't directly connected to the heroine Lemeia didn't mean time stood still for everyone else.
'Each person's story flows forward regardless....'
I only needed to think of the incidents that had befallen me thus far to understand.
The kidnapping incident, the problems at the Magic Tower, and the tragedy of the Embrose Marquise's family.
The Marquise before me could never know or imagine it.
That her beloved son and his wife would, in the not-so-distant future, succumb to poverty and lose their lives in vain.
The suffering the Marquise would endure upon learning the news too late was something I could understand without even imagining it.
In the original work, hadn't the overpowered Lemeia heal the Embrose Marquise's heart through a mental therapist, resolving everything neatly?
Through that, Lemeia had gained the power to freely utilize the Embrose Trading Company's distribution network. Well, in any case.
'But nothing has happened yet.'
Fabron Marquis was still alive and breathing, which meant the Embrose Marquise had not yet lost her son.
Then there was no need for the future where she barely regained stability through a mental therapist's help to unfold at all.
In other words, if the opportunity arose, there was more than enough room for a solution.
'But I'm not sure if I should even intervene here.'
Given that I had nearly made a catastrophic mess trying to resolve the famine problem in Salt, this was a particularly difficult matter for me to handle.
Because of that, I found myself thinking that perhaps some problems should simply be allowed to unfold as they would.
Yet the fact that the Embrose Marquise came seeking Fabron Marquis because of the comic book, and formed a connection with the Blaire Grand Duke House—that was a development that didn't exist in the original work....
'Hmm....'
As the Embrose Marquise's voice grew fainter, deep contemplation descended upon me.
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