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Idris, who had been looking at me with curious eyes for a moment, wiped away his smile and asked,
"What do I gain by accepting that offer?"
He was acting like a thorough businessman.
I pulled out the trump card I had prepared.
"Among the dowry I will receive back, there is land my mother gave me. And that land has a mine with a large amount of mana stones buried in it."
If two people divorced, it was the law of the Empire to return the dowry the wife had brought when she married.
"If Your Highness helps me, I will supply you with the mana stones from that mine at the lowest price."
Idris is currently known as one of the wealthiest men in the Empire.
Before that, he had first made a name for himself as a great wizard with overwhelming magical power.
Perhaps because of this, he was focusing on the business of creating artifacts with mana stones, taking advantage of his innate talent.
However, I heard that he was having difficulties because mana stones are such a rare material that the supply is less than the demand.
That was one of the reasons why I chose Idris as the first partner in 'this game'.
Because the mana stone card I would have would work to his advantage.
"I haven't heard that the Farnese Dukedom has a mana stone mine."
"A pearl in the mud is something no one knows until they dig up the ground."
In her previous life, Fedan did not know that mana stones were buried in that land, and hurriedly put the land up for auction because he needed money.
Even though I begged him not to sell that land.
'After it was revealed that mana stones were buried there, Fedan regretted it.'
But in this life, I was planning to divorce and get the land back before he put it up for auction.
Until then, Fedan had to be unaware that mana stones were buried there.
"The most important card is always hidden until the end."
However, I couldn't tell Idris that I knew this fact because I had regressed, so I glossed over it.
"Isn't that too great a cost to pay for mere revenge?"
"Of course, what I want from Your Highness is not just to pretend to be a lover."
Then?
Idris's eyes, looking at me with a questioning look, seemed to be asking that.
I took out my second purpose.
"As much as we are superficially lovers, I would like you to invest in my businesses in the future. Not all of them, and you don't have to invest if you don't see any chance of success."
"Then this offer seems to be more beneficial to the Duchess than to me."
"No, it will definitely be a merit for Your Highness as well."
I said confidently.
'It may seem like an offer, but this is an opportunity I'm giving you.'
Whether he would take my hand, knowing the future value, and build wealth together, or miss it, was his choice.
Of course, from his perspective, who doesn't know my abilities or the fact that I regressed, it would seem like an absurd investment.
"Above all, you're having a headache because of the artifact ignition problem this time."
When I brought up the next topic, Idris's expression hardened.
Recently, an artifact he had newly developed spontaneously ignited, causing a warehouse to burn down.
'In fact, this problem will be solved soon.'
As evidence was found that someone intentionally detonated the mana stone.
But since Idris wouldn't have caught that evidence now, I was going to seize this as an opportunity.
"If a scandal breaks out with me, such an accident will soon be buried."
People are more interested in the private lives of famous people, which stimulate primitive curiosity, than in complex business problems.
"Instead, the Duchess will be the talk of the town."
"I don't care. I'd rather be criticized than pitied or sympathized with."
In her previous life, Elise tried to use the media to make me the villain and herself the pitiful and innocent first love.
But no matter how much she dressed it up, the fact that she was an adulteress did not change, so there were quite a few noble ladies who pitied me.
If you ask me if that pity and sympathy helped...
'Not at all.'
I'd rather be a villain.
So that no one would dare to pity or sympathize with me.
So that they would have no choice but to be jealous, envious, and look up to me.
"If you're planning to do business in the future, your image will be quite important. Are you okay with that?"
"I have no choice but to be okay. I'm the woman chosen by none other than Duke Delua, right?"
I added with a confident voice.
"Who could refuse someone like me?"
Idris's eyes widened a little at my words, and then he burst into laughter.
"Interesting. I can't miss a game like this."
It was a sincere smile, not the somewhat arrogant and relaxed smile he had shown until a moment ago.
The moment I saw that face, I felt a strange sense of deja vu.
'That smile, it looks like someone else's...'
Well, maybe it's just my imagination?
As I was recalling vague memories while looking at his more harmless smile than I had expected, a knock suddenly interrupted.
"Your Highness, I have an urgent matter. May I come in for a moment?"
It was the voice of someone presumed to be Idris's aide.
"Wait a moment."
Seeing Idris frown at the sudden appearance of his aide, I decided to get up at this point.
"Then, can I assume that you're accepting my offer and go back now?"
"I like that you're quick-witted."
Having heard the answer I wanted, I got up from my seat with tact.
"I look forward to working with you in the future, Grand Duke."
The moment I was about to take my leave with courtesy.
I heard a languid voice from behind.
"By the way, Duchess."
When I turned around, Idris had already gotten up from the sofa and was approaching me quickly.
"No, Leticia."
I flinched without realizing it at the distance that had narrowed in an instant.
'I guessed it when he was sitting down, but he's taller than I thought...'
Moreover.
Even though he has a slim build with a lot of lean muscle, perhaps because his height and frame are large, I felt intimidated just by him standing in front of me and looking down at me.
But I didn't think I should be intimidated by him.
I met his eyes with a calm gaze.
"What is it?"
A satisfied smile spread across his face at the encounter.
"I do what I say I'm going to do. So..."
With a languid voice, that handsome face gradually came closer.
Taken aback by his sudden closeness, I stopped breathing.
At a distance where our breaths could touch, his golden eyes, after briefly gazing at my eyes and nose and then down below, shifted to the side.
To be exact, to the hair near my neck.
He caressed my hair with his large hand and whispered.
"I mean, I'm not going to pretend to be a clumsy lover."
He left a statement that sounded like a warning at first glance, and then lifted my hair he was touching, kissed it, and whispered.
"Goodbye, my love."
...It was the moment when I simultaneously thought that I might have chosen the partner for this game well, or I might have chosen the wrong one.
After Leticia left, Idris's aide, Heather, came in with a dumbfounded expression.
"Your Highness, isn't that the Duchess of Farnese? Why is she here..."
"What's the urgent matter?"
"Ah, it's nothing. It seems that the ignition incident this time was not an ignition but an arson. A witness has appeared who saw a man running away from the warehouse at that time."
"Is that so?"
He had caught a clue to clear the unjust accusation, but Idris was only looking at the chessboard in front of him.
To be exact, at the white queen standing tall alone on the black side.
"I think he used his head in his own way to avoid leaving evidence of arson, but I guess he didn't know there was a witness. Now that it's come to this, let's print his description in the daily paper and put him on the wanted list."
If we put him on the wanted list, it will also be known that the Delua side was not at fault, and then there will be no more trouble.
Heather thought that Idris would immediately tell her to print the description in the daily paper.
But an unexpected reaction came back.
"No. Bring him in as quietly as possible. So that no one notices."
"Yes...? Then people won't know that this accident was an intentional crime."
"I'm going to break a scandal."
Heather's eyes widened at the word 'scandal'.
"S, scandal? Surely it's not a scandal of Your Highness himself...?"
Idris did not deny it.
Heather, realizing that this meant affirmation, was shocked.
'A scandal out of the blue!'
He was originally an unfathomable person, but I couldn't even guess who the other party was at all.
Since he had no private contact with women.
Heather, who barely kept her mind together, asked.
"Wh, who is the other party?"
Idris picked up the white queen he had been looking at and opened his mouth.
"The Duchess of Farnese."
An intriguing smile was drawn on his lips as he looked at the white queen.
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