'Dodging it like this.'
If she had mentioned even one rumor about me, she would have been pressed on where she heard it from.
So Rose evaded it cleverly, without naming anyone else. It was a pretty satisfying answer.
Above all, if she entered the Schmaikel family as its lady without knowing even this much, that would have been a problem in itself.
"..."
Rose and I fell silent for a moment. We simply gazed into each other's eyes.
Her unwavering green eyes held firm even under my cold stare.
"..."
"...The mood's gone."
I gently removed Rose's arm and set my wine glass down on the table. For a fleeting instant, she glanced at my face, then visibly relaxed.
"If you want, I can have all the wine sent to your room. You seemed interested."
"Pardon? That's too much... No, um."
Rose pondered for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, please do."
Between shedding her image as a greedy villainess or seizing the chance to test the wine for poison.
She chose the latter. Prioritizing gain over face.
"Very well."
"Really? Are you sure?"
"It doesn't matter. I've never touched it anyway. I'll have the whole cabinet sent over tomorrow."
"Pardon...?"
Rose looked as if she'd been struck.
"You've never had any? Up until now?"
"I've never entered the marital bedroom. Though someone has drunk it."
Rose's eyebrow twitched upward,
then drooped at my response.
"The previous ladies might have...?"
"Ah..."
A hollow sigh escaped her. I stifled a laugh at the sight.
'I'm doing her a favor.'
It was consideration not to waste time testing the wine. She'd find out later, but the poison that afflicted me didn't come through the wine.
I couldn't say it outright, so this was the subtlest hint.
The difference in perspective between knowing and not knowing the answer key was vast. I had to narrow that gap indirectly, without her realizing.
"What's wrong, Madam?"
Playing ignorant, I asked. Rose pouted.
"No, it's nothing..."
"Not satisfied even with all the wine? You must want that one I shattered earlier."
"No! That's not it!"
Rose flailed her hands in panic.
"I can get you another if you want."
"No need. Actually, I've changed my mind. You don't have to send the wine."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes!"
Her vigorous reply suggested she'd relaxed quite a bit. Now I could steer the conversation where I wanted.
"As you wish, Madam."
"Thank you...?"
Leaving Rose bewildered, I cleared the tray from the table and leaned back in my chair.
Her gaze inadvertently drifted to my chest,
then
"-!"
snapped away. I could see her breathing quiver faintly.
"?"
Wondering, I looked down. Through the loosely parted robe, my chest was exposed.
'Reacting to something like this.'
How was she supposed to manage married life if she was this innocent?
Rose, who had just turned twenty, was two years younger than me. She was still young, after all.
That was why we needed to firmly establish our relationship.
"First, I have a few questions."
"Yes."
Rose straightened up, focusing on me.
"How was your first day?"
It was a question loaded with implications.
"..."
Rose swallowed repeatedly, as if her mouth had gone dry. She glanced at the moonlight spilling over the table, fidgeted with her fingers,
then
"...It was a strange day."
finally spoke.
"Strange?"
It was an answer that could mean good or bad.
"What do you mean?"
"Just... everything felt off."
As she said it, Rose stared at me.
Even in the darkened surroundings, her green eyes shone clearly. They swirled with suspicion, wariness, curiosity—a chaotic mix of emotions.
Her eyes said the whole day was strange, but you were the strangest part.
"Answer precisely. Did you like it, or not?"
"It wasn't bad. Just... unfamiliar."
"Unfamiliar?"
"Yes."
Rose bit her lip, looking reluctant to continue.
"Your Grace must know my reputation in society."
As expected, she hesitantly brought up her own shame.
"So when you came out to greet me, I thought you'd chase me away right there."
Seems my packaging of the welcoming ceremony had failed.
A surge of hot desire for my loyal butler nearly rose again.
"But you didn't. The dinner, the maids assigned to me... everything was so warm."
"..."
"That's why it was strange. Unfamiliar."
A bitter smile tugged at Rose's lips.
"I've never received treatment like this even in my own family..."
Rose didn't linger in thought long. She shook her head briskly and asked me,
"So why ask? Does it matter to Your Grace?"
"It matters to me—and to you, Madam."
"In what...?"
"I want to propose a contract."
I emphasized each word.
"One that could change your life."
Rose's face hardened completely. From her nape to her shoulders, every visible inch tensed rigidly.
'You're proposing a contract marriage with me.'
The line the regressed Rose had spat at Dane the next day. It was her desperate measure to protect herself and save Dane.
The vague idea that surfaced on the way to the castle had crystallized after a night of agonizing.
Now I'd brought it up first—how could she not panic?
"...What,"
her voice cracked as it escaped.
"what kind of contract?"
"I told you I know the situation the Schmaikel family—and I—face, right?"
"...Yes."
"Then you know the dangers you might face."
Rose steadied her breath, trying to speak calmly.
"I do. That's why I'm the eighth wife."
The seven previous wives hadn't met good ends. Some left spewing curses, others carried out as corpses.
I'd never killed any myself. I just hadn't protected them from the countless assassination attempts aimed at me.
Marriage proposals had poured in voluntarily at first, but after the fifth wife vomited blood and died, they slowed.
Gambling on a sliver of hope despite the risk of death—that's what marrying into the Schmaikel family meant.
Even collateral kin cherished their lives and stopped sending their daughters. Instead, they used children from lesser vassal families.
Families with some wealth could avoid it. But the Vicander family, with nothing to boast, couldn't.
'That's why Rose came here.'
To a place where death loomed. Overwhelmingly so. Knowing she wouldn't be treated as a proper wife.
But that opened a path for me to live. Ironic.
"I'll protect you from those dangers. I promise a comfortable life and financial freedom."
"..."
"In return, you cooperate with me absolutely."
After a pause, I got to the crucial point.
"In other words, a contract marriage."
"Contract... marriage."
I continued toward Rose, who echoed soullessly.
"Note that the dangers I mean aren't limited to the castle. I'll shield you from interference outside too—from the Vicander family."
And help with revenge against your family.
—I swallowed that, as it wasn't time yet.
When the moment came, Rose would ask for my help herself. Or it might happen naturally in the process of aiding me.
"I'll uproot the malicious rumors about you too. Cut out the tongues of those spreading them, if you wish."
"No, no need for that..."
Rose waved her hands hastily, then froze.
"Your Grace, what did you just say?"
"Cut out their tongues."
"...No, before that."
"Malicious rumors about you?"
Rose's eyes widened like saucers.
"You knew?"
"Do you think me a fool?"
Even without knowing the original novel, anyone could piece it together. Dane in the story was just too oblivious; clues proving Rose's innocence were plentiful.
That's how the regressed Rose gradually won over the castle servants. Everyone except me.
That's why Dane Schmaikel was the story's dung truck and villain.
"No idiot would believe those rumors after seeing your carriage and attire today."
Thus, Bill became an idiot.
"Your family truly has no shame. Even for such a deadly position, skipping even basic pretense."
"Ugh."
Rose clenched her free hand on the table. Noticing my gaze, she dropped it below.
"You knew everything..."
"No need to be ashamed. It's not your fault."
"That makes it even harder to understand. How can you know my situation and still propose a contract?"
Rose chewed her lip.
"I have nothing to offer Your Grace."
"No. That's precisely why I chose you."
I leaned close, whispering. Rose flinched but didn't retreat.
Couldn't, rather. As if entranced by my eyes, she held my gaze motionless.
"I need someone reliable. Not loyal to your family—someone wholly on my side."
"The absolute cooperation you mentioned earlier?"
Rose was sharp, pinpointing the core amid the chaotic talk.
"First, fulfill your role perfectly. Make us look like the ideal couple to others."
Rose's throat bobbed.
"...To others' eyes, you mean?"