31. Proof of Profit
“This is the person we should thank for getting our master to eat breakfast.”
Elma, thoroughly pleased, guided them to their seats.
“Come on in now, come!”
Anshi sat down at the table and looked around, trying to find a clock. She needed to know what time it was.
“What are you looking for?”
She turned her head toward Damion, who sat across from her. His gaze was fixed on her.
“Well…”
Just as she began to give an excuse, she spotted the clock.
It was hanging on the wall behind him.
5:35 a.m.
There were ten minutes left.
“It’s my first time here for breakfast.”
“Do you not usually eat breakfast?”
“Lately… it depended on my work schedule, but I rarely ate.”
“Oh dear. They say your brain works better after breakfast, Anshi.”
Damion said teasingly. Realizing he was repeating her own words from earlier, Anshi’s cheeks turned slightly red.
“It’s not like I never eat. Sometimes I do.”
“Then have breakfast with me sometimes too.”
He replied with an easy smile. Somehow, she felt like she had been skillfully maneuvered into that conclusion.
Just then, a sandwich was placed in front of her. Anshi took a bite of the neatly halved sandwich.
The texture and flavor were soft and refreshing. But she couldn’t focus on the food. She was afraid he’d suddenly finish eating and get up.
However, Damion’s movements—from picking up the sandwich to biting and chewing it slowly—were all unhurried.
As if he didn’t even know the meaning of urgency.
The clock hands kept moving.
And soon, it was 5:45 a.m.
The time she had seen in her dream.
Anshi stared at the clock, holding her breath.
It felt like something from her dream was about to happen any second.
Even though this house couldn’t possibly collapse like the rickety bridge in her vision.
‘…It’s 5:46.’
But in the end, nothing happened.
Only after the time passed 5:50, and then 6:00, did her tense body finally relax. The scene from her dream wasn’t going to happen, and now she was certain—he would return safely today.
She felt such a wave of relief that she nearly melted into her seat.
And then, a new worry crept in.
Was that man really going to be okay being so relaxed like this?
“…Is it okay to be this late for your meeting?”
“My wife gave me permission. She said a little delay is fine.”
“I think you should go now.”
“I trusted you, Anshi, and now you change your mind? That’s troubling.”
“It’s just… it’s starting to feel like more than a little delay.”
“Well then, I suppose there’s no helping it.”
Damion sighed as if he were being forced and stood up. Anshi suddenly felt like she had become the bad guy.
And without thinking, words slipped from her lips.
“…I like tarts.”
It was an answer to his earlier question.
Unlike usual, Anshi came all the way to the front gate to see Damion off.
Even right before he got in the car, he waved to her. But once the car started moving, his smile vanished.
“Could you drive slower than usual today?”
“Understood, sir.”
Damion gazed out the window with a dry look. The scenery passed by slowly. It was utterly ordinary.
There was nothing that suggested anything would happen.
But Anshi had looked visibly anxious.
At first, he thought it was just a bad dream. But after watching her behavior this morning, he realized that might not be the case.
She wasn’t the kind of woman to tell a man to be late to his meeting. Nor one to cling so desperately to stay with him.
It was obvious something was different today.
Which meant there was likely a clear reason.
And that reason was probably…
‘Was I supposed to die today?’
And that woman saw it ahead of time—and saved him.
If that were true, then this marriage was indeed a profitable one.
But how could he prove it?
Asking her directly if she foresaw his death would be too blunt.
Unless Anshi herself mentioned the cause of death, she just acted like a wife who didn’t want her husband to leave.
If he asked in that context whether she saw his death, it would only create awkwardness.
Anshi didn’t know he was aware of the secrets of Rubelsa. She believed he had accepted her out of pure emotional kindness.
But if she realized that Damion knew about her ability…
She would immediately grow wary. Naturally, she would start to question whether he married her for that power.
And in that case… there might not be a next time.
People’s hearts are fickle. They tend to give only as much as they receive.
Even if she saved him today out of genuine gratitude and affection—
Once she realized he had been calculating all along, she’d act the same.
From then on, she wouldn’t act out of love, but would see her powers as a bargaining chip to wield.
“She’s quite the hassle to use.”
If she didn’t say anything, he would never know what she saw—even up until the moment he died. Her power wasn’t exactly convenient to exploit.
Then how could he prove that she had saved him today…
“Um… sir.”
Just then, the driver suddenly stopped the car.
Damion, who had been leaning against the backrest lost in thought, slowly looked forward.
“What is it?”
“We’ll need to take another route.”
Up ahead, several government officials appeared to be blocking the road. It was the entrance to the bridge that crossed the river.
The driver checked the time and said awkwardly,
“If we turn left, we’ll reach the Ringa Bridge. It’ll take about 15 minutes longer, but I’ll go that way.”
“Wait.”
Damion rolled down the window and called one of the officials blocking the road.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah, sir. Well… the Enpalso Bridge collapsed.”
That was the bridge Damion was supposed to take today.
“When did it happen?”
The man glanced nervously at Damion before answering.
“Witnesses say it was about 30 minutes ago. Apparently, there were signs since yesterday. Seems like shoddy construction, but—well, no need to worry. There appear to be no casualties…”
Ah.
A current like electricity rushed up from his toes.
A faint thrill slithered up his body like a snake, gripping him tightly.
His lips curled—just slightly.
This was it.
The place where he would have died today.
Damion rolled up the window. The car resumed its journey toward the alternate bridge.
“…Ha.”
Inside, he burst into laughter.
She really did save me.
This marriage was profitable.
Anshi de Orphe. The woman he had so carefully wrapped up…
Really was a gift meant for him.
When Anshi arrived at the location from her dream, the bridge had already collapsed. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties.
That meant he hadn’t died.
“…Thank goodness.”
Even though the time from her dream had passed, her nerves were still on edge. That’s why she came all the way here. Finding the place hadn’t been hard—she had the clue that it was a bridge built two years ago.
Only when she confirmed that the man wasn’t here did she finally relax and board the carriage again.
“Shall we return home?”
“No, take me to the Rubelsa estate on Cheverin Street.”
The collapsed bridge meant that what she saw in her dream had really happened.
So now, she needed to understand this power better.
‘Could my mother know something?’
She considered it, but soon dismissed the idea. If her mother had known, she would’ve explained it when Anshi got married.
And if there was a price to this ability, then her father likely hadn’t told her mother the full truth.
“Please stop here.”
Before arriving at the estate’s front gate, Anshi got out of the carriage. She began walking along the perimeter fence.
The estate had been vacant for a year now, and its gate was closed. So she needed to find another way in.
She rattled one of the boards near a thick plane tree—one she remembered.
With a clack, the plank came loose.
She slipped through the gap and stood the board back up as a makeshift cover, then headed toward the mansion.
If the front door was locked, she’d use the window.
But her plan proved unnecessary—the door was unlocked. The laughable lock made her chuckle bitterly, but the moment she stepped inside, she understood.
“Right… it is an abandoned house…”
It looked even worse than when she last saw it before heading south. They had already cleared it out once claiming it was for asset seizure, but it seemed someone had come again afterward.
Empty. So empty.
It was hard to believe she had lived here just a year ago.
Could she really find the answers she was looking for here? The doubt lingered, but there was no answer to be found just by thinking.
Anshi made her way to the first-floor study. The Rubelsa study was quite large, and among its contents, there might be clues about this strange power…
“No, there wouldn’t be.”
Anshi loved books. The study had been her playground, and she had explored every nook and cranny of it since she was a child. If there had been any records about her powers here, she would have known.
