Gauzer, who emerged with a groggy face from a night of heavy drinking, looked nothing like the man in Rishi’s memories.
Back when they were at the Duke’s estate, Gauzer had always been impeccably dressed in a suit, his hair slicked back with pomade, projecting a sharp and tidy image.
But the Gauzer standing before Rishi now had unkempt, long hair, a bushy beard, and clothes that were wrinkled and stained.
If not for his signature amber eyes, she might have turned away, convinced she had found the wrong person.
“What is it?”
Even his tone had lost its polish.
Gauzer was looking up at Kay, not Rishi. Without answering, Kay simply pointed at Rishi with his palm facing upward.
Only then did Gauzer’s gaze shift toward her. Shock flickered in his bleary eyes.
“M-my lady…?”
Gauzer was one of the few people who still addressed Rishi as “my lady.” Recalling how he used to say it with such earnestness, Rishi offered a bitter smile.
In her past life, she had only known him after he became the financial manager for the Imperial family; she had never known how he had lived before that.
*So, this is how you spent those years. You lost your wife and child, lived in agony and isolation, and only after pulling yourself together did you eventually ascend to that prominent position.*
“A-are you… really… really Lady Iris?”
When Rishi didn’t answer, Gauzer asked again. Because his own appearance had changed so drastically since their days at the Duke’s estate, it was just as difficult for him to recognize her.
“Yes. It’s Iris. Though I am no longer a ‘lady’ now.”
“What? In the end… did those people chase you out? No, no. Perhaps it’s better to be kicked out than to be treated like that…”
Still half-drunk, Gauzer muttered to himself, pressing his temples firmly.
“I wasn’t chased out; I left on my own accord. I got married. To this man here, Count Kay Brant Green.”
Gauzer’s eyes widened to the point of popping as he looked up at Kay.
“Count Green… Huh…”
After staring at Kay’s face for a long while with his mouth agape, tears welled up in the corners of Gauzer’s eyes. Sniffling, he grabbed Rishi’s hand firmly.
“I’m glad… I’m so glad, my lady. That you married someone so grand and impressive… I’m truly glad… *sniff*… *hic*…”
Kay, who had been glaring at Rishi’s hand held by Gauzer, softened his expression at the mention of being “so grand and impressive.”
“Ah, I apologize. I was just so moved… I just thought those damn bastards—ah, excuse me. Anyway, those people in that family… no, never mind.”
Rishi knew exactly what Gauzer was about to say.
*He was going to say he thought they would sell her off to someone like Alford.*
He had stopped himself because Kay was there.
“For now, please come inside. Ah… I haven’t been able to clean up the house… just for a moment…”
“Gauzer. Wait.”
Rishi called out to stop him as he headed toward his home.
“I’ve come because I have something important to discuss. Once you’ve sobered up a bit, come to the tavern next to the central square.”
***
In her past life, Alford, who went on to run the largest trading company on the continent, had loved taverns.
It wasn’t just for the alcohol; he claimed it was a place where one could gather all sorts of rumors, which helped his business if he filtered them correctly.
Rishi had also liked it when Alford went to taverns, mostly because it meant he wouldn’t return home for a day or two. She hadn’t cared one bit about what he did there or which women he met.
As Rishi and Kay entered, the patrons chatting nearby stopped to look at the two distinguished-looking newcomers. Rishi instinctively pressed down on the brim of her fedora to hide her face and followed Kay toward a corner seat.
“Look, I told you that we’d stand out, didn’t I?” Kay said as he sat down.
“That’s because of you. You’re too tall.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then it must be this hair color. It’s quite unique.”
Rishi said, twirling the ends of her reddish-silver hair with her finger.
“If you don’t want to attract attention, you should wear a hooded robe, Rishi. You have an appearance that makes people want to watch you from head to toe.”
As if to prove his point, Kay’s eyes didn’t leave her. Strangely, every time Kay stared at her like that, Rishi felt uneasy. Her chest fluttered, a strange tension settled in her waist, and her toes curled.
“By the way.”
Fortunately, Kay shifted his gaze to the side.
“Are you aware that the rumors about your secret relationship with Viscount Alford Huchis are slowly being accepted as truth, Rishi?”
“I’m aware. It even made the papers a while ago.”
“You must know the source of the rumors… how long do you intend to just watch?”
“Has there been any direct damage to you because of these rumors?”
“Not yet. But one never knows what might happen in the future.”
“If that’s the case, let’s watch a little longer. Things taste better when they’re ripe.”
Since they hadn’t eaten yet, they checked the menu, planning for a simple meal.
“How about salted lamb, cheese, rye bread, and a vegetable stew with roasted dried mushrooms? Ah, and I’m planning on having a glass of beer. How about you?” Kay asked.
“I’ve never had alcohol before.”
“Oh, really?”
For some reason, Kay’s eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re plotting something.”
“Plotting? Not at all. I’m just thinking about how I’d love to experience something my wife has never done before, together with her.”
“Ah, I see.”
Rishi felt she knew exactly what Kay was thinking. Since she had never drunk alcohol, he seemed convinced that she would have a low tolerance. He was likely planning to enjoy watching her get drunk and act silly.
There was just one thing Rishi hadn’t told him. While it was true she hadn’t touched alcohol in this life, she had drunk plenty in her previous one. Quite a lot, actually. She knew exactly what happened when she drank.
“Let’s stop here for now. Gauzer will be here soon.”
When they were almost finished with their meal, Gauzer entered the tavern.
“Oh, look who it is? Gauzer? I almost didn’t recognize you!”
“Drinking until this morning and back for more? You’re going to kill yourself at this rate.”
“And why are you dressed so nicely? Trying to woo Jellin?”
Gauzer was a celebrity in this tavern, and everyone chuckled at him. He replied perfunctorily and walked toward Rishi and Kay. Since the other patrons followed him with their eyes, Rishi regretted choosing this as their meeting spot.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting, my lady,” Gauzer said politely.
“You’re quite popular, Gauzer.”
Gauzer blushed. “Ah, well… I’ve been drinking to forget the shock…”
“Sit down.”
As soon as he sat, Rishi brought up the main topic.
“Gauzer. I want you to work for me.”
“Pardon?”
“La…”
Rishi started to say it, but seeing everyone around straining their ears, she shut her mouth.
“I suppose this won’t do.”
After paying the bill, they headed toward the crowded market. To discuss secrets, it was better to be in a place buzzing with people. Walking between Gauzer and Kay, Rishi said in a low voice:
“There is a gold mine in Lavent.”
“Yes, it belongs to Viscount Huchis.”
“It’s mine now.”
“W-what?”
“I want you to manage it for me.”
“Ah…”
Gauzer looked at Rishi in disbelief. “You keep surprising me, my lady. The gold mine in Lavent has become yours?”
“Yes.”
“And you want to entrust that gold mine to me?”
“Yes. From hiring the workers to managing the minerals extracted there. I will entrust everything to you.”
“My goodness…”
Gauzer rubbed his chin with his palm, looking both delighted and troubled.
“I am grateful that you trust me, my lady… but such a heavy responsibility…”
He sighed. “I cannot do a job that requires responsibility. As you can see, I am nothing but a drunkard now.”
“Whether you can do the job or not is irrelevant.”
“Pardon?”
“What matters is this.”
Rishi stopped walking and looked up at Gauzer.
“I simply wish to entrust you with the only property I possess. That gold mine, Gauzer—you must be the one to manage it.”
The tone was soft, yet it was an order. Some might have taken offense, but Gauzer did not. He remembered Iris Witlow, who had lived in the shadows of the ducal household—a child who was a Witlow, yet not a Witlow; a pitiful, sorrowful girl who wasn’t even permitted to look at the sky. A child who seemed as though she would break if battered by the wind.
That child had now become a dignified Countess, issuing commands to him. It was so deeply moving that Gauzer’s eyes welled up with tears once again.
“You have changed so much, Milady. No, Countess.”
Rishi smiled. “It’s a good change, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, it is.”
Gauzer squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again. He had once protested the Duke’s treatment of Iris, only to be framed for crimes and cast out. Because of those false charges, nowhere would hire him. His wife, worn down by poverty, had left him, taking their child.
With nothing left, Gauzer had turned to drink to bury his pain, hoping each night that he wouldn’t wake up. But the world had persisted, and in that world, the small, pitiful child had come to find him as a confident woman.
The girl who couldn’t even look a maid in the eye was now gazing straight at him with steady eyes, saying: *I trust you enough to entrust you with everything I have, so live for me.*
There was only one answer.
“I shall live for the Countess.”