Chapter 19. I Could Die from How Adorable She Is
Going to Blestige had undoubtedly been a decision made on impulse.
And yet, for some reason, the mansion where Givennen was staying already had a space prepared for her.
“I am Sophia, the head maid.”
A dignified, middle-aged woman greeted Riley. Behind her, a young maid stepped forward.
“Welcome, miss. My name is Richel.”
“Richel will be your personal attendant from now on. This here is Rowen, this is Linda, and this is—”
The introductions of the household staff continued one after another.
Considering the size of the mansion, the number of servants was surprisingly small. Riley had expected at least twenty people to be employed, but in reality, there were barely ten. And that count even included the gardener, the chef, the gallery caretaker, the librarian, and the butler.
Could a mansion this large really be run with so few people?
She pondered it briefly, only to realize soon after how foolish that thought had been.
“Most household chores are handled by magical tools,” Sophia explained. “We mainly take care of the work that magic tools cannot—tasks that require expertise and attention to detail.”
“I see.”
Givennen checked his watch.
“I think I should head straight to Horizon.”
“Go on, then.”
“Excuse me. Madam Sophia, please take good care of my wife.”
“Please don’t worry, master.”
Givennen left for work, and Sophia and Richel led Riley to the room she would be staying in.
“You will be sharing a bedroom with the master, but since he rarely returns home, this room has been prepared so that you may spend your personal time comfortably.”
It was a luxurious room.
Even the Baron and Baroness of the Eardalin household—whose room had been the most ornate and spacious there—could not compare to this place. In fact, their room now seemed shabby by comparison.
The room was as large as the main hall of the Eardalin estate, and it lacked nothing. A massive bed that could easily accommodate five people, a cream-colored sofa, a large dining table with chairs.
Delicate potted plants and charming ornaments were arranged on the table, and beyond the wide windows, a small terrace held a table and chairs for enjoying tea. Expensive-looking masterpieces—clearly valuable even to her untrained eye—hung on the walls.
“If you open the small door over there, you’ll find the dressing room. The room was prepared in a hurry, so we couldn’t fully stock it. If you need more clothing, we can call a designer immediately.”
The dressing room was filled with more clothes, accessories, and jewels than she could wear in a lifetime.
“This is more than enough.”
“Everything in this room belongs to you, miss. Please feel free to use it.”
“E-everything…?”
“Yes. If there is anything you need or find inconvenient, please call for us at any time.”
Was it even possible to feel inconvenience while living in a place like this?
Beside her, Richel clenched her fists and spoke with enthusiasm.
“Miss, I will serve you with all my heart and soul!”
Perhaps because she was young, Richel brimmed with energy.
The servants of the Eardalin household had always been cold and distant. This warm, friendly attitude felt unfamiliar—yet not unpleasant.
“Would you like to rest for a while, or would you prefer to tour the mansion right away?” Sophia asked.
“I’ll rest for a bit.”
“Very well. If you need anything, please ring the bell.”
“The bell?”
“The one next to the bed. It’s used to call the servants. When you shake it, the sound echoes throughout the entire mansion.”
“Oh, that’s fascinating.”
“There are many fascinating things here. I’ve been serving the master since he became independent, yet I still can’t fully adjust. Every time I turn around, there’s a new magical tool installed… but once you grow accustomed to them, you’ll enjoy unparalleled convenience.”
Sophia smiled kindly and turned away.
“Please rest well.”
After Sophia left, Riley threw herself onto the enormous bed. Hugging the soft pillow tightly, she rolled around atop the blanket, savoring her happiness to the fullest.
…It feels like a dream.
A bed this big and soft.
A room this vast and spacious.
Things she had never imagined—things she had never even dared to want—were all here. Just a week ago, she had been crouched on a cold floor, tearing apart a piece of bread to eat…
Was it really okay for her to accept such overwhelming luxury?
The Rianster family truly was extraordinary.
The main estate must be far larger and grander than this.
Father… was this why you told me to live desperately?
In the end, all of this was something her father had left behind.
Because he had been friends with Jung—the former Master of Horizon’s Mage Tower and Givennen Rianster’s mentor. Because of that single letter Jung had received from him. Thanks to it, she was now enjoying blessings far beyond her station.
And yet… it also felt strange.
Then why did Father hide the fact that he was a mage? He definitely died in a carriage accident… so why did he leave such a letter for Archmage Jung?
The letter had carried a tone as though he had known he was going to die.
If he had once worked as a mage affiliated with Horizon, and had even been close enough to Jung to call him a friend—then why had he retreated into the forest to live as a shabby mountain caretaker?
If he had been a Horizon mage, he should have had money. So why had he lived a life where even scraping together daily meals was a struggle?
Come to think of it, I had mana too. Then… why was I never registered as a mage?
If she had realized this sooner, she wouldn’t have endured such treatment at the Eardalin estate.
Mana was money. Whatever she did, she could have run away and made a life for herself.
If only she had known a little earlier.
As questions piled upon questions, drowsiness washed over her—perhaps due to the bed’s overwhelming softness, or perhaps because the lingering fever had yet to fully subside.
Despite worrying that she wouldn’t sleep well in a new place, her eyelids grew heavy.
And so, Riley fell into a deep, long-awaited sleep.
***
“Count Ermeinz is waiting in the reception room.”
“He came quickly. I suppose he’s in a hurry?”
Givennen smiled in satisfaction.
To think that the day would come when he would host Count Ermeinz in Horizon’s reception room. Life really was unpredictable.
Following Sak’s guidance, Givennen strode toward the reception room with his long legs.
When the doors opened, Count Ermeinz—sitting stiffly, tension etched across his face—rose to greet him.
“W-welcome.”
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Not at all… I heard you just returned. I hope I’m not troubling you.”
“You are, and since you know that, let’s move on. What brings you here?”
The count fidgeted with his fingers, his lips twitching.
Humiliation spread across his wrinkled face. Whether it was because he found the topic hard to voice—or because his pride wouldn’t allow him to admit fault—Givennen couldn’t say. Either way, it was quite entertaining to watch.
So the old man could make that kind of expression too.
“…I apologize.”
“……”
“I sincerely apologize to you.”
“I believe the apology should be directed not at me, but at the woman who will become my wife. I think you’ve come to the wrong place.”
“O-of course. If your wife wishes to receive my apology, I will comply. But I doubt she would want to see me…”
That was true. Coincidentally, the man before him had wounded Riley Eardalin twice—once at the reception, and once during the kidnapping incident.
If an apology was to be made, it should be to Riley. But would she truly want to accept a face-to-face apology from him?
“For now, it would be best if you simply stayed out of my wife’s sight.”
“I… I will do so.”
The count gauged his mood, then finally brought up his main point.
“Could you perhaps let this matter be quietly buried?”
“Hm.”
“I will also issue a correction stating that the scandal was a misunderstanding. I will ensure that your future wife’s identity is never exposed. The fact that marriage talks once existed between her and me will remain a lifelong secret. I swear upon my name that I will never again cause trouble involving your wife.”
Once he may have been an honorable man, but Givennen wondered how much honor he had left now.
“Please, I beg you.”
Givennen leisurely crossed his legs and thought it over. Giving an immediate answer would put him at a disadvantage.
Before being a mage, he was a businessman.
Minimal input, maximum output. Minimal investment, maximum profit.
He would never forget the lessons drilled into him during his management training.
He had planned to question the matter anyway. Letting it leak to the press would risk Riley’s mental state—and if her identity were revealed later and became fodder for public gossip, it would be troublesome.
But now that the count had come crawling in desperation, Givennen had no choice but to exploit the situation to its fullest.
Now then—what condition should he set?
Demanding ownership of Eldras, which the count possessed, would be excessive.
He likely didn’t want his son—currently competing for the position of tower master—to be touched either. And frankly, Givennen had no intention of pushing that far; he knew it wouldn’t fly.
He needed a demand the count could realistically accept.
Hmm… what would be good?
After a moment of deliberation, Givennen let out a soft chuckle.
“How about increasing the mana stone royalties from Eldras to five percent of sales?”
“F-five percent?”
Count Ermeinz clutched the back of his neck. Despite being seated, his body swayed—proof of how shocked he was.
“T-that’s too much.”
The existing royalty was three percent of sales. Because mana stone processing technology was essential to magical tool production, royalties were paid to Horizon. Raising it by two percent might sound small, but the actual financial difference was enormous.
Cold sweat poured down the count’s face.
“Either way, that two percent would vanish once your incitement-to-murder scandal breaks, wouldn’t it?”
“……”
“This isn’t coercion—it’s a choice. The choice is yours. But you must have anticipated something like this. You should also consider the damage done to my reputation by the affair rumor you spread.”
Of course, his image hadn’t been damaged in the slightest.
That sly bastard…
The count let out a groan.
He wanted nothing more than to spit in the face of that smiling young man—but the image of his son’s uncertain future flashed before his eyes.
Whatever else happened, he could not block his son’s path.
Why else would a non-mage spend a fortune to acquire the Eldras Mage Tower? It was an inheritance—for his son, for his grandson, for generations to come.
How much effort had it taken to marry a mage woman and produce mage offspring? How many infants had died before the current siblings were born?
He couldn’t back down now.
“I will consult with the Tower Master of Eldras.”
“Please contact me once you’ve decided.”
“This won’t be a verbal agreement, will it?”
“Of course not.”
Givennen called Sak, who was waiting outside.
“You called for me, Master?”
“Prepare the documents.”
“Yes, sir.”
With a heart bleeding tears of blood, Count Ermeinz gathered the papers. Givennen clapped his hands in satisfaction and stood up, then extended his hand in a most gentlemanly manner.
“I’m glad we were able to communicate so smoothly, from a business standpoint.”
“…Ahem. I’ll be going.”
Unwilling to suffer the humiliation of shaking hands with a man young enough to be his son, the count stood and fled the reception room.
His awkward, waddling retreat looked almost like a penguin.
“My fiancée is a lucky charm.”
“You’re not married yet, so she’s not your wife, is she?”
“Don’t you know what a common-law marriage is?”
“…Ah, yes. Right.”
“Everything’s going perfectly.”
Come to think of it, it had been that way from their very first meeting.
On a day when his mood had been foul beyond measure, she had handed him the perfect opportunity to screw over an old man.
Givennen smiled broadly as he pictured Riley, likely resting now in his sanctuary.
“She’s a lucky charm. I could die from how adorable she is.”
***
“What? He went back to Horizon?”
“Yes, miss.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Damn it!”
The central hall was unusually noisy. The voice echoed so loudly it sounded fit for a general.
Riley, who had dozed off, jolted awake at the commotion.
Hearing a stranger’s voice disrupting her peaceful sleep made her tense.
What was going on?
Moving as quietly as a mouse, Riley crept out and peered down to the lower floor.
“You’re not lying again, are you? You lied last time too, Madam Sophia.”
“This time it’s true. He left for Horizon a short while ago.”
“Ha! That bastard—what does he think he’s doing? He skipped work for four whole days, and when I asked, they said he was on an external assignment! In some far-off region, no less! If he was going, he could’ve gone alone—why drag Sak along? No, wait. Why does a Mage Tower Master even need to travel for fieldwork? Can’t he just send subordinates? Does he even realize he’s the owner of Horizon? Horizon is a valuable asset of the Rianster family—so why does he act like it’s his personal playground?”
She was a beautiful woman.
With long silver hair cascading down her back, she was strikingly attractive. What stood out even more was her attire—she was dressed in men’s clothing.
Judging by the robe, she was a mage. Female mages usually wore dresses beneath their robes, but she wore a white shirt and white trousers instead.
“She’s seriously got screws loose.”
“Miss, since the master isn’t here, if you have business with him, you’ll need to go to Horizon.”
“Ugh, this is so annoying. I’m not a dog—why do I keep getting dragged back and forth like this?”
That was when she turned around.
Her eyes met Riley’s, who had been watching from the stairs.
Startled, Riley stumbled backward.
“What is she? Who’s that woman?”
A sharp, hostile voice.
Riley’s head spun.
She didn’t fully understand the situation—but it was unmistakably uncomfortable.
“Instead of hiding like a rat, why don’t you come out?”
The booming voice echoed through the hall. Definitely general material.
Intimidated, Riley cautiously descended the stairs.
The silver-haired woman strode up to her and began examining her face and body from head to toe.
“Why is there another woman in this house besides me?”
Riley froze like stone.
Seeing her trembling, Sophia smiled gently and replied,
“Miss, besides yourself, there are also Richel, Rowen, and Linda here.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m asking who this outsider woman is.”
“She is not an outsider, miss. The master brought her here.”
“Then who is she?”
“He introduced her to us as the woman who will become his wife.”
“His wife? His—wife?”
The woman dragged out the word, laughing as though it were absurd.
At that moment, Riley became certain.
This woman had either been romantically involved with Givennen—or at least tied to one of his scandals.
He had a colorful dating history, after all…
His former lover? Or perhaps his current one?
As those thoughts raced through her mind, the woman grabbed Riley by the shoulder.
“Leave.”
“…Pardon?”
The woman pulled her roughly.
“Get out. Right now.”
