Episode 45

Looking back, everything began with Sierra.

Being separated from Jerria, Orzen becoming a rural lord in the south—it all started with her.

Orzen might be somewhat content with the Douglas estate, but she was not.

No matter what it took, she had to set everything right.

At that moment, she saw a familiar carriage with a distinctive crest speeding towards the castle through the window.

It was none other than the carriage of the Marquis of Crea.

Surely it was her brother, the Marquis of Crea.

As she hurried downstairs, her suspicions were confirmed.

A young servant was hurriedly guiding the unexpected guests.

From a distance, the man who met her gaze was indeed the Marquis of Crea, and beside him stood the Marchioness Iris.

“Brother, what brings you here without any notice….”

Smack-!

As she spoke, her face was suddenly turned sideways with a dull sound.

The Marquis of Crea had slapped Beth without warning.

Before she could even register the stinging pain, the Marquis spoke words that cut deep into her heart.

“You fool. All the support our family has given to your husband has been in vain.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Of course, you should be sorry. Where is your useless husband, who couldn’t make good use of the vast amounts of money we gave?”

Beth, eyes wide, trembling, instructed a nearby servant to fetch her husband immediately.

“…Please, allow me to lead you to the drawing room. There are many eyes here.”

The Marquis followed Beth, displeasure evident on his face.

Not long after the Marquis settled onto the drawing room sofa, the door burst open urgently.

“Beth, what’s going on! The Marquis is here….”

Orzen, in a rush to find Beth, finally noticed the Marquis and his wife seated before her and belatedly greeted them.

“Brother-in-law, what brings you all the way out here? You must be tired from the long journey. How about a meal….”

“Thank you for the offer, but I have no appetite, Viscount Douglas.”

The Marquis emphasized “Viscount Douglas” with particular disdain.

There was no need to ask to know how furious he was about the situation.

“It’s a peaceful place. The annual harvest is considerable, and unless something happens, it runs well without much effort.”

“Haha, that’s true. I didn’t realize it before coming here, but now that I’m here, it’s not so bad. I’ve heard the wine is excellent. How about a glass with dinner….”

Just as Orzen was attempting to placate him, the Marquis slammed the table forcefully.

“Not so bad…? Do you think all the astronomical sums of money I’ve spent on you were out of charity, brother-in-law?”

“You know I didn’t mean it that way…. I never expected things to turn out like this.”

“It’s all karma, nothing but karma! Couldn’t you have moderated your drinking, cut back on gambling? Was it so hard to appear respectable on the surface? It was a competition where doing nothing would have kept you in the middle!”

The other candidate had the enormous burden of a terminally ill daughter.

Some doubted a man swayed by his daughter’s health as a suitable successor.

Given the high risk involved, the situation was highly advantageous for Orzen, backed by the Marquis of Crea.

At least, it would have been if he were a normal, respectable person.

“Sigh, as you know, I didn’t just hand over money to you. I lent it with promissory notes.”

“M-Marquis!”

That’s right. The funds for Orzen’s business, his external activities, and the numerous parties to help him network—all were loans.

Of course, if Orzen had become the head of the family and eventually the Duke of Drenihan, the influence of the Crea family would have been significant, providing leverage to demand repayment.

“No matter how prosperous the estate, it would take years to repay that amount.”

“……”

“I understand you can’t ask the Duke for help. If you cause any more trouble, you’ll lose your title.”

Beth looked at her brother.

His eyes were filled with ambition.

It was as if the single thought of seizing the Drenihan ducal house dominated his mind.

Even the Marchioness Iris, calmly sipping her tea beside him, was no different.

“I’ll give you one last chance.”

Then the Marquis suddenly put on a benevolent face, as if doing them a favor.

“What do you mean by ‘one last chance’…?”

“We must ensure that Serkhan Drenihan is eliminated before he becomes the Duke. To do that, we need to strike at his fatal weakness.”

Everyone knew what his fatal weakness was.

“Last time, my sister foolishly failed, but this time, we must handle it decisively.”

The Marquis said with a sly smile.

“By any means necessary.”

* * *

“This is the first time I’ve received so many invitations.”

I said, as I picked up each invitation that Nella had sorted out.

They were piled up so high on the desk that they overflowed, even though these were the ones that had been culled.

“Since Sir Serkhan has become the official head of the family, everyone wants to make a good impression on you, my lady.”

Nella said this with a satisfied smile.

My father’s well-known affection for his daughter must have led them to think they should win me over first.

Those who had sided with Orzen, wary of the Marquis of Crea, were now sending invitations to me.

But no matter how many invitations I received, there were only a few places I actually needed to go.

I picked up only the invitations embossed with the imperial crest in gold leaf.

“Put everything else on hold except for these.”

“Understood, my lady. Is that for His Majesty’s birthday banquet?”

Nella asked, and I nodded.

The birthday banquet of Emperor Esmore of the Terium Empire.

I had previously declined to attend any imperial events due to health reasons, but not this time.

There was a specific reason I needed to attend this event.

Curing my illness wasn’t just about finding the genius doctor through Ludwig.

‘I need money. A lot of it.’

In the original work, Jenna had to pay the doctor an enormous sum. The cost of numerous rare medicinal herbs, mana stones, and research materials was substantial.

Jenna tried to bear the burden alone, but in the end, the Crown Prince supplemented the lacking funds.

In my case, developing a cure for what had been deemed an incurable disease would likely require even more money, if not less.

‘But I can’t ask my father for help.’

This was my gamble, with no guaranteed success.

He might generously provide the vast amount needed if I asked, but….

‘If I fail, he’ll be more devastated than I am.’

Having just gathered the resolve to step forward as Drenihan’s heir, news of my father pouring astronomical sums into my treatment would create unfavorable public opinion.

Therefore, I intended to keep it a secret until a clearer picture emerged.

Raising significant research funds wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible either.

At least, not for me.

“They say there will be a gladiatorial tournament this time too?”

“Yes, and apparently even the Dekian tribe will participate.”

“The Dekian tribe? Aren’t they the frontier warriors who can fight monsters bare-handed?”

The current emperor was a highly belligerent man. Though he was now praised for ushering in an era of peace, he had been a war maniac just ten years ago.

His warlike nature was evident in his decision to hold a gladiatorial tournament for his birthday.

In the tournament, participants had to face monsters armed only with spears and shields.

To prevent his cruelty from being exposed, the participants wore protective gear to ensure their lives were not in danger.

However, the protection only activated when they were pushed to the brink of death, ejecting them from the arena.

The monsters they faced were at least mid-to-high tier threats, and the winner was the one who lasted the longest in the arena.

Nobles bet substantial sums on the tournament as a form of entertainment, and each year, someone’s life changed with a stroke of luck.

‘This year will be the most historic gladiatorial tournament.’

With many Dekian warriors participating and it being the emperor’s 50th birthday, the stakes would be unprecedented, and if my memory served right, this tournament would set the highest payout in history.

And the lucky person would be Crown Prince Lucion.

He bet on the smallest gladiator among thirty contestants, a man who couldn’t even use one arm.

His reason was simply that no one else bet on him.

In the end, that smallest gladiator emerged victorious, and the crown prince walked away with the highest payout ever.

Although this event happened before the original story began, it was such a famous anecdote that it was mentioned in a conversation between Jenna and the crown prince.

He had said that no one else had bet on the small gladiator, so he chose him. If that’s the case….

‘If I intervene, the historical record of the gladiatorial tournament will be mine.’

The esteemed crown prince would have to pass on that luck to me.

I grinned as I placed the emperor’s birthday banquet invitation back on the table.