From what I overheard in the corridor, the retainers were murmuring that the Young Lord was feeling threatened by his father’s marriage to my mother.
They speculated that perhaps that was why he had gone behind the Duke’s back to start his own business venture.
So… that dream was all true after all.
It was chilling enough to realize my nightmare had mirrored reality.
But even more surprising was that this overly refined heir had dared to undertake a business scheme without informing his father.
Could it be that Eric and the Duke of Orléans weren’t as tightly bound as they appeared?
Was it possible that Eric had no knowledge of the dangerous secrets inscribed in those documents from the dream?
One way or another, I had to find out.
If Eric distrusted his father, then he stood in opposition to the Duke—and the enemy of my enemy might just be an ally.
We could, perhaps, become comrades.
“…Are you threatening me right now?” Eric asked, voice sharp with indignation. “I said I’d pay you as a gesture of apology, didn’t I?”
The anger behind his words said everything.
Ah, I realized then—this noble young master had clearly never grown up in an environment where people dared to threaten him.
Did that mean he was kind?
Or had the world simply been unusually kind to
him
?
In the end, it didn’t really matter.
Just then, a maid arrived with a healing salve to apply to the back of my hand.
Thanks to her, Eric was forced to suppress his irritation, though he couldn’t quite hide his expression.
While she carefully applied the ointment, Eric said nothing, simply glaring at me the entire time.
The moment the maid left, he spoke.
“Where did you get that information?”
So the rumors among the collateral branches were true—Eric had no business instincts to speak of.
He was too upright.
Did he really expect me to answer that?
I leaned back into the sofa opposite him, casually crossing one leg over the other.
He frowned at my posture—clearly offended that a supposed blackmailer would dare to sit before him with such insolence.
“I can’t reveal the identity of my source,” I said coolly. “What matters is… if the Duke were to find out that his own son started a business behind his back—”
“Wait. What source?”
I gave him a sly smile, full of feigned secrecy.
Eric looked completely dumbfounded.
Of course, I was bluffing—
But it was painfully clear that Eric had no ability to distinguish truth from bravado.
I rolled my eyes inwardly.
If the future really continued as my dream foretold… there would be no stopping the Duke’s madness.
If we wanted to survive, we’d have to flee. Far and fast.
But the Duke would never let us go that easily.
He was a noble armed with immense wealth and power, and his true target was the worthless patch of land—nothing more than a name now—that had once belonged to a deceased viscount.
From the start, the Duke had approached my mother solely for that land.
Even if we tried to escape, he’d pursue me, my brother, and my mother to the ends of the earth.
So for now, it was worth placing a small bet on this naïve Young Lord.
“…Partner with me,” I said.
“What do you mean,
‘partner up’
?”
“A business partnership,” I replied smoothly.
Of course, this so-called
partnership
was merely bait.
A lure, meant to draw Eric Orléans deeper into conversation—so I could study him more closely.
“You and I? Eric Orléans and Emelline Wedgwood?”
His voice rose like a simmering teapot about to whistle.
To a proud noble like him, this proposal must have sounded utterly ridiculous. Especially after witnessing how shamelessly my brother and I had clung to Lady Margaret Beaufort at last night’s banquet.
“You lack any sense for trade,” I said casually. “Whereas I, as you can see, am quite resourceful. Fast-thinking, well-informed.”
Of course, none of this was because I actually wanted to go into business with this prim young lord.
“What… What nonsense—!”
“I managed to bring the son of the empire’s most powerful Duke to the negotiation table,” I cut in, raising a finger and pointing straight at him. “And I did it in just a few minutes.”
Eric shot to his feet, his face steadily turning crimson.
Yes—that’s exactly the reaction I was after.
Like a spirit beast cornered in its own den, he stormed toward the window, clearly seething, pacing like he was trying to cage his fury. Then finally, he let it spill.
“…Hah.”
Good. Let him hate me.
That was the point.
I calmly sipped the tea the maid had brought me.
Mmm, it was delicious. As expected—expensive things tasted better. Not that I’d ever waste my own coin on them.
Incidentally, this manor had been
borrowed
—from a friend of my mother’s, someone she’d clearly gotten leverage over. And this tea? A gift from the Duke a few days ago.
None of it was ours.
I remembered what that “friend” had called us as she left, furious.
“You filthy parasites!”
Ah yes.
Parasites.
A fitting name, really.
But then again, if you didn’t want parasites feeding off your filth, maybe you should’ve kept cleaner company.
Rot recognizes rot.
I offered Eric some unsolicited advice.
“It’s unwise to wear your emotions on your sleeve at the negotiation table,” I said, voice cool. “Once you show your hand, you lose the upper ground. Passion may be noble, but it isn’t persuasive.”
“You’re lecturing me? Like you’re my advisor?” Eric growled, eyes narrowing. “While
blackmailing
me?”
I shrugged.
“Just a tip from your new business partner.”
“Business partner, my—!”
“But I must say, I’m impressed. I expected the polite gentleman, the obedient son—but look at you. You’re even bold enough to challenge your father.”
His eyes sharpened.
I didn’t miss it.
“Life in the Duke’s household isn’t easy, is it?” I pressed, smiling sweetly. “And now that your father is marrying a viscountess with two children, I imagine your place in the line of succession must feel… unstable.”
I was provoking him on purpose. And he reacted, just as I hoped.
“Succession?” Eric’s voice trembled slightly, not from fear—but conviction. “Let me make this clear: I have done
nothing
because of you or Philip. I will do
nothing
because of either of you. Especially not you—”
“Siblings,” I cut in.
“…What?”
“We’re going to be siblings,” I said, flashing a bright smile. “Isn’t that what they call it? You, me—one big happy family.”
His expression twisted, unreadable.
Did the idea unsettle him? Or did he simply find us beneath notice?
“Then tell me,” I said, smile fading, “why did you betray your father?”
“Emelline Wedgwood.”
His tone dropped.
Suddenly, Eric took a step toward me and stopped just short of my face.
His crimson eyes gleamed like sharpened blades in the light.
“If you value your life,” he said quietly, “you’d do well to stop acting so recklessly.”
My body froze.
In that moment, his voice overlapped perfectly with the Duke’s.
That same cold, cruel tone that had once said:
“Goodbye, Emelline.”
I looked at Eric, confused.
Was he my enemy? Or my ally?
More than anything, I wanted him to be a friend.
But if he was truly like the Duke—if he carried the same twisted nature within—then reaching out to him could be a deadly mistake on the cultivation path.
“Ah! Young Lord! I’m sorry, I haven’t been feeling well…”
It happened just then. A familiar voice echoed down the stairs.
It was my mother.
Eric turned at once. His expression stiffened as he gave her a formal nod.
“I’ll leave the dowry list here, Madam.”
“Oh? Since you’re here, won’t you at least join us for a light tea…”
Eric clenched his jaw and shot a glare in my direction.
“I’ve had more than enough tea with Lady Emeline. Farewell.”
He turned sharply and left without another word.
The moment the door shut, Mother clicked her tongue in irritation.
“That rude brat. He thinks we’re trying to steal what’s his. Hah! He’s got more spiritual wealth than he could ever spend, and he can’t even share a little? Who does he take after to be so cold? I heard his birth mother was completely mad—must’ve inherited her nature.”
I didn’t respond to her prejudice-laced rant. I simply leaned back against the sofa and rubbed my temples.
One of the many misdeeds I’d seen in the dream scroll—the one bound by spiritual threads and sealed by talisman—was that the Duke had murdered his former wife.
They’d made it look like suicide, but it wasn’t.
And now, my mother was walking the same path as that Duchess.
Once she married the Duke, and he discovered that the land she brought into the union held no real spiritual value—he’d realize she was of no use.
Helena Wedgwood.
My mother.
Even now, I couldn’t forget the sight of her collapsed on the Duke’s study floor.
“…Mom. About the marriage. Can’t we just… not go through with it?”
I asked in a low voice.
Her expression darkened.
“Why? Because Eric Orléans was rude to you? Emeline, when did you become so weak? Have you already forgotten the days we lived in that miserable shack?”
She looked at me with eyes ready to weep.
“You don’t understand. The Duke truly cherishes me. Yes, I started loving him for his money—but now, I feel like I could finally begin a new life beside him. Like I could forget all those horrible memories…”
I bit my lip.
Horrible memories.
Which ones did she mean?
The days we were chased by debt collectors?
Or… something worse?
I shook my head.
“But what if the Duke
is
the seed of misfortune? What if he doesn’t bring you peace—but only more suffering?”
At that, her eyes—just moments ago on the verge of tears—snapped into focus, fierce and resolute.
“Even if it brings misfortune, I’ll endure it. For you and your brother.”
I let out a dry laugh.
How could I ever persuade her?
Should I say, “Mom, I saw it in a dream”?
Impossible.
Not unless I had solid proof…
If I had something irrefutable, perhaps I couldn’t use it against the Duke—but I might be able to shake her faith in him.
Solid proof.
A document. A record. A spiritual contract… something like that.
As I fell silent, Mother seemed relieved.
“Come now, let’s visit the dress atelier. Once you start spending the Duke’s gift money like flowing spirit jade, all these foolish thoughts will vanish.”
“Mom. You were faking it earlier, weren’t you? All that crying—that was acting.”
“Be quiet, you…”
✵
✵
✵
The dowry list that Eric Orléans had delivered personally included a custom-made ceremonial dress—for me.
When I heard the actual price, I nearly grabbed the back of my neck and collapsed.
“…Wouldn’t it be easier to just give me the silver directly?” I muttered.
The maid—Lily, dispatched from the House of Orléans to assist with the week-long wedding preparations—froze at my words.
Her expression clearly read:
Are you being serious right now?
Naturally, I smiled innocently as if I’d only been joking.
“That just means the dress is so magnificent, I’m unworthy of it, Lily.”
“Haha… I see. You’re quite different from what I heard, Lady Emelline.”
“Oh? And what exactly did you hear?”
“Well… that you were quiet. That you didn’t joke around.”
I stared at Lily’s practiced smile. She was a veteran maid, no doubt.
She’d probably meant to say I was a gloomy bumpkin from the countryside with low self-esteem.
Anyway—
I was standing in front of the boutique mirror, wearing a yellow dress supposedly suited for the ceremony, which would be adorned with yellow lisianthus.
I looked at my reflection and gave it a crooked smirk.
It didn’t suit me at all.
Lily, clearly noticing my displeasure, asked hesitantly, “Is there something you don’t like?”
“No, I love it. Truly,” I said with a bright grin.
Just then, my mother’s shrill voice echoed from the second floor where she was trying on her wedding gown.
“She’s just getting dressed, right? Not battling a demonic beast?” I asked the shop assistant.
She offered a nervous chuckle. “It seems the lady is unfamiliar with corsets…”
As if my mother even had any fat to squeeze into one.
Do capital nobles think women are born without ribs?
Her marriages had gone from a commoner to a rich commoner, then to a viscount—climbing the ladder husband by husband.
But with each step up, her husbands had become more twisted. And the Duke of Orléans? He was the final boss.
I shuddered, vividly remembering that dream—the Duke’s face, that deranged glint in his eyes.
There’s no way I’m giving my mother to that psycho. No way.
And definitely not my life either.
Truth be told, the most efficient way to sabotage this wedding… was through Eric.
That’s why I’d carefully mentioned succession—to agitate him.
Once our mother marries the Duke, Eric would end up with two step-siblings, unrelated by blood. No matter how noble he pretends to be, there’s no way he’s thrilled about that.
I’d hoped his terrible temper would lead him to wreck the whole marriage on his own.
But apparently… we weren’t even worth that.
Not that I could argue.
Even if it’s a legitimate union, children of a country viscount can’t possibly threaten the status of the Duke’s own blood heir.
All those murmurs from the side branches—saying Eric felt threatened by Philip and me—were completely off.
Even when I tried to blackmail him with his secret, Eric didn’t flinch. He threatened
me
instead.
“If you value your life…”
That was real intimidation.
The kind only powerful cultivators can get away with—not some insignificant little insect like me.
Even if I went crying to the Duke about Eric’s secret dealings, what could possibly happen? He might scold his son, at most. That’s it.
But
me
? I’d instantly become a target caught between two monsters.
And if the Duke and his son were both deranged beasts, the danger to my life would double.
“Then the only way…”
I realized I was bouncing one leg anxiously, tapping my foot against the floor.
Startled, Lily rushed over.
“L-Lady Emelline!”
What now?
What, she’s never seen a noble lady stand with her weight on one hip before?
If I couldn’t provoke Eric directly, then I’d have to make a scene from the outside.
Something so scandalous—so disgraceful—that neither Eric nor the Duke could bear to let someone like
me
marry into their clan.
Of course, I’d have to do it behind Mother’s back. If she caught wind of it, she’d drag me away before I could even lift a finger.
A scandal… Maybe I could attend some lavish night ball and get caught doing something indecent with some random rogue?
Something worthy of the city’s gossip scrolls?
Just as I was contemplating that—
“Lady Emelline, the young noblewomen over there are watching. Please, if you could… stop shaking your leg…” Lily whispered desperately.
Couldn’t you have warned me sooner?
“Oh my, who do we have here? Isn’t this the infamous Red-Haired Emelline?”
A brightly dressed noble daughter sauntered over, lips curled into a mocking smile.
Red-Haired Emelline.
That wretched nickname from my past.
“You…”
Chapter 6