Chapter 15

Chapter 15: I’m Not Asking to Borrow It. (3)

“Kyaaa!”

At that moment, Bastet released a sharp screech and leaped at Ghislain. But he casually tilted his head to avoid it, and the cat ended up crashing to the floor. A pitiful, deflating sound escaped from it.

Ghislain nodded and laughed.

“What a funny cat. You better keep an eye on it. I don’t want to hurt animals.”

Bastet bristled and glared at Ghislain, but it didn’t attack again. Seeing the cat act just like its owner, Ghislain couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Speaking of which, your head of security... Was his name Bernarf? You two seem pretty close.”

Ghislain recalled that after Amelia ascended to the position of Count Raypold, she married her bodyguard, Bernarf. He had thrown out the comment based on what little he knew, but Amelia completely misunderstood.

‘No way... Is he jealous because I’m close to my bodyguard?’

How could there be such a pathetic fool!

It was true that she was particularly close to Bernarf. After all, she had personally taken in that simple country bumpkin and raised him to where he was now. He was a talented and capable man, and she highly valued him. But their relationship was nothing like what Ghislain was insinuating.

As her thoughts continued, Amelia’s face suddenly turned pale.

‘W-what if this lunatic spreads ridiculous rumors...?’

If word got out that she, who was engaged, had fallen in love with her bodyguard, it would bring eternal shame to her family.

‘It’s a ridiculous notion, but if it comes out of this guy’s mouth, it’ll be like throwing fuel onto a fire.’

Many people in her domain knew that Amelia cherished Bernarf. Some even gossiped that she had picked up a pretty boy and made him head of her bodyguard unit. It was also an open secret that Bernarf had feelings for her.

With the current troubles caused by the Actium Merchant Guild already giving her a headache, she didn’t have the energy to handle another issue.

Amelia remained silent for a while, swallowing dryly before finally opening her mouth.

“And what about the guild... Have you been investigating me?”

Perhaps Ghislain liked her so much that he had snooped around, trying to dig up information. Then, when he found out she was closer to Bernarf than he expected, he might’ve been trying to extort money out of her out of spite.

‘If it’s a guy with no honor like him, that’s definitely possible.’

However, Ghislain showed no signs of jealousy or any other emotion.

“Well, I just know someone, that’s all. I overheard it by chance.”

Ghislain shrugged nonchalantly as if it were no big deal.

One of the most basic strategies was feeding false information to an enemy to confuse them. Amelia would likely spend quite some time agonizing over how Ghislain had discovered her secret. But no matter how much she investigated, she’d find nothing. After all, who could possibly imagine that a man who had lived in the future had died and then come back to life in the past?

“So, what’s it going to be? Are you giving me the money or not? I told you I’m in a hurry.”

Amelia ground her teeth and spoke.

“You... Do you think you and Ferdium will be safe after this? I don’t know where you picked up such rumors, but to make such ridiculous threats like this....”

But she couldn’t finish her sentence. Her mouth closed on its own.

Suddenly, an overwhelming, terrifying bloodlust began pouring out from Ghislain, who had remained calm and composed until now.

“Say it again. Do I think our estate will be safe?”

The destruction of his family and estate had been a trauma that haunted Ghislain his entire life.

And Amelia was one of the main culprits. Hearing such a threat from someone like her made it impossible for him to contain his rage.

The sudden change in Ghislain’s demeanor made even the surrounding knights, including Belinda, swallow nervously.

Just facing Ghislain head-on made Amelia feel as though her heart might stop.

“Threats aren’t made with words, Amelia.”

Ever since he had left his family, Ghislain had lived his life cutting down others on the battlefield.

Among those he killed were not only renowned knights and high-ranking nobles but countless other influential figures as well.

If he could build a castle with the corpses of those he had slain, surely there would be some like Amelia among them.

The harsh words of Amelia, who hadn’t even properly established her own power yet, were less significant than a cat’s scratch to him.

“What do you think happened to all the bastards who’ve come at me so far? Except for that cat. All of them...”

Ghislain paused mid-sentence.

Since he had returned to the past, all those people were probably still alive and well.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Ghislain muttered softly.

“They’re probably living healthy lives. For now.”

“...What?”

Not long after, a tall, handsome man with thick blond hair entered the room.

“Did you call for me?”

“Bernarf!”

Meow!

Bernarf flinched as he saw the furious Amelia and the glaring Bastet. He asked cautiously,

“What’s going on?”

“Kill Ghislain. That bastard knows my secret.”

“What? What do you mean by that? What exactly does he know?”

After hearing the full story, Bernarf’s expression turned serious. He contemplated for a moment before nodding.

“This isn’t a good situation. But you don’t need to worry too much. He’s a pathetic man who lacks the ability to actually do anything. He probably just came here to extort money from you.”

“But if that bastard runs his mouth carelessly, everything could fall apart. We have to be careful right now.”

“He got his money, so he’ll be quiet for a while. In fact, he might stay silent and come back later asking for more.”

In truth, Ghislain had no intention of returning to her, but the two assumed he might come back to demand more money.

Given that they saw him as a petty man who would go so far as to threaten his fiancée for money, it wasn’t a stretch for them to think that way.

They didn’t even bother to wonder what Ghislain might actually use the money for.

They simply assumed he’d squander it on gambling or entertainment, or at best, use it to prop up his miserable estate a little.

Ghislain’s long-standing reputation as a delinquent played a significant role in shaping their perceptions. Even though they had seen a change in him, prejudice didn’t fade so easily.

Amelia pulled out a map from the bookshelf and pointed to a location with her finger.

“Kill him here. We’ll avoid prying eyes in this spot. Get the money back, too.”

The place Amelia pointed to was a valley surrounded by low mountains.

It was the quickest route from Raypold Castle to Ferdium’s estate.

Since it was a narrow path, an ambush could easily handle Ghislain’s small party.

However, Bernarf shook his head.

“Everyone already knows that Young Master Ghislain was here. It could raise suspicions.”

“What if we make it look like bandits or monsters attacked him?”

“If it’s discovered that we were involved, Count Ferdium’s wrath will be upon us. There’s nothing to gain from a conflict with Ferdium’s estate, especially with the important matters ahead of us.”

“As long as we don’t get caught, it’ll be fine. The insult he gave me is one thing, but we can’t leave a potential threat like him alone.”

“...We can’t use our knights.”

“Then send mercenaries or assassins. We’ve invested in those guys for times like this. Use them.”

In the end, Bernarf nodded in agreement.

Amelia had a point. It was risky, but as long as they didn’t leave evidence, there would be no real danger.

Ghislain was already an outcast within Ferdium’s territory, so no one would pay much attention to him.

“Understood. I’ll make sure they’re fully prepared.”

Amelia looked at Bernarf with cold eyes. Unlike that pathetic Ghislain, Bernarf was quite capable.

If Bernarf moved, taking care of someone like Ghislain would be no trouble at all.

“Good. Make sure it’s done quietly before any rumors spread.”

“I’ll handle it without issue.”

“Alright, go.”

“...I’ll finish it quickly and return.”

Bernarf frowned slightly, making sure Amelia couldn’t see. Thanks to Ghislain, it looked like things were going to be quite troublesome for a while.

Sigh, why does that bastard have to stir up such a headache...?

All he wanted was to stay by Amelia’s side, but the world seemed determined to make it difficult.

‘At least with the annulment being pushed forward, that’s a good thing for me, right?’

Bernarf glanced longingly at Amelia as he left the room.

He didn’t care about Ghislain or anything else; he just wanted to finish the task quickly and return to Amelia’s side.