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Demanding money out of the blue—Ghislain was the first person who had dared to make such a request of her.

And “our relationship”? He had completely misunderstood his position.

She didn’t bother hiding her anger.

“You speak so freely, my lord. Then, I should be allowed to speak my mind as well. Raypold already provides more than enough support to that beggarly Ferdium.”

“Beggarly? Isn’t that a bit harsh? My father would be quite hurt if he heard you. Calling your future father-in-law a beggar, no less.”

“If suddenly showing up and demanding money isn’t begging, then what is? Or is this request also coming from Count Ferdium himself?”

At Amelia’s words, Ghislain crossed his legs and responded with a relaxed expression.

“If we don’t keep the North under control, the kingdom will have quite a hard time, don’t you think? We’re doing a job that someone has to do, stepping up for the kingdom.
You’re simply supporting us in that effort. That’s a deal, not begging, isn’t it?”

What he said was logical.

Someone had to keep the northern barbarians in check. That was why Ferdium had been fighting wars in the desolate borderlands for so long.

Since Ferdium was fighting on behalf of others, it was only natural that the kingdom and other territories shared the costs of maintaining their military forces.

However, Amelia simply gave him a mocking smile.

“So, my lord, are you the one fighting the barbarians? It’s Count Ferdium who’s holding the North, and my father is already more than generous in his support.”

She wasn’t wrong. Raypold had already sent substantial financial aid to Ferdium.
There was no reason for Ghislain to demand more money under these circumstances.

“Hmm, I’m not the one fighting them right now, but if you think about the future, it’s not wrong for you to give me the money.”

“What future?”

Amelia furrowed her brow in confusion, and Ghislain responded with a faint smirk. There was no trace of humor in his eyes.

“In the future, I’ll inherit Ferdium. When that happens, it would be natural for the future Countess of Raypold to support me, right? I’m just asking to receive it a bit early.”

“…!”

Amelia’s brow furrowed slightly.

It was the kind of statement that, if overheard, could get someone killed.
She couldn’t tell if he was deliberately making such outrageous remarks or was simply a madman spouting nonsense.

A cold silence hung between the two for a moment.

Amelia took a small, deep breath and then broke the silence.

“My lord… no matter how much you say it in jest, you shouldn’t make such comments. I am a woman and not the heir to Raypold. The idea of me becoming the Countess of Raypold… stop saying such ridiculous things.”

“Ah, you’re not interested in such a position?”

“Whether I’m interested or not, it’s impossible from the start. I’m someone who’s destined to marry into Ferdium. Anyone who heard this would laugh.”

“You’re not going to marry me, are you?”

“……”

Amelia bit her lip, unable to find the right words to respond.
‘Who would ever marry a scoundrel like you!’
If not for the promise made by the previous generation, someone like Ghislain wouldn’t have even dared to look her in the eye, let alone be engaged to her.

Seeing Amelia’s expression, Ghislain smirked.

“I don’t want to stay here for long, so I’ll get straight to the point. Whether you care about becoming the Countess or not, I don’t really care. I just want the money.”

“There’s no reason to give you money, and I don’t even have that much to begin with. What makes you think I’d have that kind of money to give you?”

“Is that so? That doesn’t seem right. The Actium Merchant Guild is thriving, isn’t it? You’ve got plenty of money.”

Amelia’s face immediately stiffened when the name “Actium” came up.
There was a flash of killing intent in her eyes as she glared at Ghislain.

But although she concealed her rage, inside, she was filled with confusion.

‘How does he know?’

She had her suspicions, but now his words confirmed it. Ghislain knew about her weaknesses and her ambitions.

On the surface, Amelia had no visible connection to the Actium Merchant Guild.

The guild was currently under someone else’s name, and she had gone to great lengths to maintain her distance from it.

And yet, Ghislain had explicitly brought up the Actium Merchant Guild. How he had discovered the truth was beyond her understanding.

Ghislain, looking calm and relaxed, added,

“I’ll keep it simple. Hand over 10,000 gold, and I won’t spread any rumors. That’s a pretty cheap price, don’t you think? If you don’t trust me, then trust the weight of the money.”

She had no choice but to hand over the money.

If her secret were exposed, Amelia would lose everything—possibly even her life.
She had fallen into an inescapable trap.

Ghislain knew this well, so he was pushing her shamelessly.

‘She probably hasn’t fully taken control of her family yet. This threat only works because it’s now or never.’

Amelia Raypold.

Known for her gentle, graceful demeanor and her exceptional intellect, she was hailed as a paragon of nobility.

And yet, in the future, she would become infamous among other nobles as the “Witch of the North,” the most villainous of villains.

In Ghislain’s previous life, she had imprisoned her father, Count Raypold, in a tower, murdered her half-siblings, and taken complete control of the family and its territory.

Although she had received support from the Delfine Duchy, her most significant asset in claiming the Countess title was the Actium Merchant Guild.

Under the guise of providing security, Actium had raised a massive private army, making it not just a merchant guild but a formidable organization with both financial and military power.

‘She probably had other groups under her as well, but the Actium Merchant Guild was definitely the largest.’

After becoming the Countess and expanding Actium into a massive merchant guild, Amelia’s ambitions turned toward Ferdium.

But that was all in the future.

‘For now, she’s probably struggling just to keep her forces hidden.’

Count Raypold had many children.

There wasn’t much difference in age or capability between the children, so the competition to claim the successor’s position was fierce.

Her siblings wouldn’t sit idly by if it became known that she was secretly building her own power base out of ambition. She ground her teeth and glared at Ghislain.

‘How could that worthless scoundrel… Does he know I’ve joined hands with the Delfine Duchy?’

But they weren’t the only problem.

Count Raypold was showing a hostile attitude toward the Delfine Duchy. If he found out that Amelia had allied with the Delfine Duchy and was receiving funds and military support for an uprising, the Count would also cut ties with his daughter.

‘Even just the suspicion alone is enough to pose a threat right now.’

Of course, she didn’t think Ghislain had any clear evidence. But it would be dangerous if even a single person heard what Ghislain had said and started to suspect her. In fact, the Delfine Duchy might even try to eliminate her to erase any evidence.

She couldn’t just leave such a threat unattended.

Closing her eyes, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Young Master.”

“What? Have you changed your mind? Are you going to give me money?”

“You’ve crossed too many lines, Young Master. Unfortunately, this is where we part ways.”

“Already? But I haven’t even received the money.”

Ignoring Ghislain’s words, Amelia spoke to the air.

“Deal with it.”

At that command, the wall with a large bookshelf flipped over, and a man holding a sword walked out.

However, Ghislain merely smirked without a hint of surprise.

“If I die here, a territorial war will break out. Can you handle that?”

“You must have trusted Count Ferdium. Too bad he’s not here. It’ll be as if neither you nor your party ever came here.”

“So cold. Well… I already knew you were that kind of woman.”

Ghislain calmly stood and drew his sword as if he had expected this. But Amelia only scoffed. Ghislain’s lack of skill was well-known in the area.

Raising her chin, she elegantly gave the command.

“Finish it quickly. I don’t even want to see him. Let’s go, Bastet.”

Nyaang.

Without a second glance, she turned away. She also intended to go outside and give the order to kill the rest of Ghislain’s party.

Clang!

The sound of swords clashing rang out behind her.

“Urgh!”

And then a short scream echoed.

Amelia’s expression hardened, and she stopped in her tracks. She realized that the scream hadn’t come from Ghislain.

When she turned back, an unbelievable sight lay before her.

Blood from the fallen man seeped into the carpet.

“For a hidden trump card, don’t you think he’s a bit too weak? With all your money, you could’ve hired someone more competent.”

Next to the man, Ghislain casually shook the blood off his sword, his expression relaxed.

“H-how… how could you…?”

The dead man had been a skilled fighter who could easily subdue a rookie like Ghislain. Yet there he lay, defeated by none other than Ghislain. Amelia couldn’t comprehend the situation unfolding before her eyes.

Bang!

“My lady, what’s happening?!”

The two knights guarding the door burst in as if they were about to break it down.

“Huh?!”

Seeing Ghislain standing over the corpse with a sword, they gasped and immediately drew their blades, surrounding him.

Quickly assessing the situation, Amelia shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Kill him! Kill him immediately!”

“You mean… the Young Master?”

“Hurry! Kill him before anyone gets here!”

The knights hesitated, but they couldn’t ignore her orders. They slowly approached Ghislain, aware of the potential consequences of killing the heir of another territory. However, if they disobeyed Amelia, their lives were at risk right then and there.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice rang out from behind them.

“Hold on, knights. Move any closer, and the lady will be in danger.”

Before anyone had realized it, Belinda had appeared, a smug look on her face as she pressed a dagger to Amelia’s throat. Behind her, the four knights who had accompanied her blocked the doorway.

“A bit too intense for a lovers’ quarrel, wouldn’t you say, Young Master? What’s going on?”

Belinda winked at Ghislain as she spoke. He responded nonchalantly as if it were no big deal.

“Oh, just a little disagreement. Women can be so hard to understand.”

“Everyone goes through that when they’re young. It’s because neither side knows how to compromise.”

“Still, I think we can finally have a proper conversation now, right, Amelia?”

Ghislain stepped toward Amelia, but the knights, fearing that Belinda might hurt her, didn’t dare stop him and stood awkwardly in place.

Looking at Amelia’s eyes, filled with rage, Ghislain couldn’t help but laugh.

“You see, if you’d just handed it over when I asked nicely, things wouldn’t have come to this. It’s just pocket change for you. Why make things so difficult?”

“You…”

“Well, things have escalated now, so I can’t just let it go, can I?”

Though he said this, Ghislain had never really expected Amelia to comply easily. In fact, the way things had unfolded was precisely as he had anticipated, and he found it amusing.

With a smile still on his lips, Ghislain continued.

“Let me break the bad news to you. The price just went up—now it’s 20,000 gold, Amelia.”