SOWD Chapter 90

Chapter 90

“Is this your first time at our mansion, Miss Angela?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then let me give you a quick tour. Would you like to follow me?”

At that moment, Angela sensed that the time for the “main point” had finally arrived.

Determined, she nodded and quietly rose, following behind Lady Winblair.

The interior of the marquess’ mansion wasn’t significantly different from other noble estates. Of course, the materials were luxurious, and the level of interior design and ornaments was much higher.

Angela half-heartedly listened to Lady Winblair’s descriptions of the mansion, all the while remaining on guard for any unexpected moves.

“Touring a mansion like this must not be very entertaining for a young lady, is it?”
“Not at all, ma’am! How often does one get the chance to admire such a distinguished mansion? Everything you’ve explained is a valuable asset to me.”
“Oh my, you do speak so eloquently. Hoho!”

Lady Winblair chuckled softly, but then her expression subtly shifted.

“Still, it would be more enjoyable to have someone who can make conversation better than I can… Oh my! Leandro!”

Following Lady Winblair’s gaze, Angela turned her head to see a young man standing nearby. He looked unfamiliar yet gave her a strange sense of déjà vu.

“Ma’am, what brings you here during the party?”

The young man approached Lady Winblair casually, greeting her with a light touch of his cheek to hers.

“Leandro, allow me to introduce Miss Angela Bliss. She’s a first-time guest in our home, and I was showing her around… but why don’t you take over from here?”

Lady Winblair clapped her hands as though this arrangement was perfect, but Angela was not naive enough to miss that this situation had been orchestrated.

Nor was she timid enough to feel flustered or annoyed by it.

“If Mr. Leandro doesn’t mind, it would be an honor for me.”

Angela smiled, her eyes curving gently, and Leandro’s expression momentarily froze. Angela never failed to notice such reactions from men.

“If… if you’re okay with me, I’d be happy to,” Leandro stammered, accepting the suggestion.

Lady Winblair left Angela with Leandro and walked away, her expression faintly uneasy—a detail neither Leandro nor Angela noticed.

“Well then, this way, please,” Leandro said nervously, leading Angela forward.

He occasionally paused to explain portraits or paintings on the walls but lacked the confident demeanor Lady Winblair had shown during the tour.

Angela subtly assessed Leandro with her eyes as he guided her.

“Judging by their polite interaction, he isn’t someone insignificant, but they don’t seem particularly close either. His looks are passable, but he appears wealthy. And he’s clearly interested in me.”

For the first time since her encounter with Laszlo, Angela felt her wounded pride begin to heal.

Leandro, stealing glances at Angela, suddenly stopped in front of a room and turned to face her.

“Ahem… I must confess, Miss Angela, that I wanted to show you this place.”

“Oh? What kind of room is this?” Angela asked.

Leandro didn’t answer. Instead, with a dramatic expression, he flung the door open.

A wave of floral fragrance, unusual for early winter, enveloped them.

“My goodness! What is all this?”

The room was filled with flowers—vivid, exotic blooms typically seen only in greenhouses during this season.

Filling a room of such size with these flowers must have cost a fortune.

“It’s a gift, Miss Angela.”

“A gift? But we only met by chance earlier, didn’t we?”

“Forgive me. I asked Lady Winblair for this opportunity to meet you.”

Angela almost burst into laughter at the predictability of it all but covered her mouth, feigning shyness.

Leandro guided Angela to a couch nestled among the flowers. As she pretended to admire her surroundings, a maid promptly entered with tea.

Clearly, this setup had been planned from the start.

“I’m sorry, Lord Leandro, but I’m still unsure what’s going on here…”

When Angela trailed off, Leandro, visibly nervous, suddenly took her hand.

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to the point. My lady, I have admired you for a long time. You cannot imagine how much I’ve restrained myself for this moment.”

His eyes burned with unmistakable affection and desire.

Angela gently withdrew her hand, pretending to be flustered.

“I appreciate your feelings, but this is overwhelming for me.”

“I understand. But I acted this way out of a sense of urgency.”

“Urgency? What do you mean?”

Leandro’s face contorted with frustration and sorrow.

“I heard rumors of a marriage proposal from another family.”

“Oh…”

“Count Chrysos, isn’t it?”

Angela tried to maintain her composure, but memories of the humiliation and shame Laszlo had caused her made her face flush.

Leandro, misinterpreting her reaction, clenched his fists and moved closer.

“Forget about that uncouth man, my lady. You don’t need to sacrifice yourself for Bliss County by being sold to someone so beneath you!”

 

“…But I must obey my grandfather’s wishes.”

Angela pretended to answer somberly, and Leandro’s face grew even more sympathetic.

“Please take my hand, my lady. I will lead you to a much higher place.”

“What? Even if you say that…”

Angela hesitated for a moment before finally opening her mouth with difficulty.

“I don’t even know who you are, Leandro. How can I introduce you to my grandfather?”

It was essentially asking about his identity.

Leandro’s face suddenly filled with an overwhelming confidence.

“What level do you want?”

“What?”

“Officially, I am known as a distant relative of the Marquis of Winblair and the heir to the lordship of Til Amand in the Kingdom of Fess.”

“Officially, you say? That sounds like there’s another identity you’re not revealing to others.”

“You are astute, as expected.”

He moved closer to Angela and whispered,

“You deserve to stand higher than any woman in this empire. Don’t you agree?”

“That can’t be true. I’m just a minor noblewoman.”

“But you are more beautiful than anyone in the empire. People expect such beauty in the empress.”

Angela was startled and instinctively leaned back.

“You are saying something truly dangerous. The word ’empress’ is not something to be used lightly. And why are you telling me this now?”

“Because I intend to make you the empress.”

“What?”

Even the bold Angela could not help but be shocked. If this man wasn’t insane, he was essentially declaring rebellion.

“Wh-what are you talking about!”

“My lady, please don’t be alarmed. Listen to me… I am…”

Leandro took something out of his pocket. It was a large locket necklace, with a massive sapphire surrounded by diamonds and emeralds embedded on the surface.

Even at a glance, it was no ordinary item.

As Angela looked at it with astonished eyes, Leandro opened the locket, revealing two small portraits inside.

One was of the former emperor, and the other was of a strikingly beautiful young woman.

“I am Leandro Gladwin, the son of His Majesty the late emperor and his most beloved mistress, Polina Gladwin.”

“What? You’re saying you’re Polina Gladwin’s son?”

Although Polina Gladwin had passed away long ago, there was no one in the empire who did not know of her.

The mistress the late emperor had loved more than anyone, the most adored mistress in history, and a woman who became even more legendary due to her tragic death.

“After her death, the late emperor was said to have deeply regretted abandoning her…”

But the problem remained.

The late emperor, known for his fondness for women, had several mistresses besides Polina, and he never acknowledged the children born of them as his own.

Leandro nodded, as if he understood what Angela was thinking.

“There are many truths in the world that remain hidden. For example, the fact that the late emperor intended to legitimize me before his death, or that the current emperor, Dimarcus, obstructed his will, or even that Dimarcus is desperate to eliminate the four great noble houses because they know the truth…”

Angela was so shocked that she gasped audibly.