***
"Lately I've heard about your interest in the jewelry industry" I uttered after taking another sip of tea.
"Yes well, what about it"
"Have you suddenly become interested in the industry as well?" the Marchioness chuckled.
"I suppose you could say so"
"Recently, I've come across a few undiscovered gem mines" I added.
"However, I can't do much with the mines by myself"
"The mines are undiscovered right now but, who knows how long they'll remain that way"
"After all, just think of how much they're are worth"
"And I hear these days jewelers are paying top dollar for the locations of undiscovered mines"
"I get your point, so what is it that you're proposing?"
"Let me be your supplier"
"I know you're having trouble securing gems in bulk for your future business so here I am offering my services like a god-"
I cleared my throat, "like the good samaritan that I am," I said as a smug look formed across my face.
"Have you lost it after coming back from the dead?"
"This isn't a game Lady Ivanna" the Marchioness responded as she crossed her arms.
"You can't expect to make a deal with me when you yourself are unsure of how this industry works"
"I know I'm not as knowledgeable as you in such an industry, however,"
"That doesn't mean I'm unable to recognize talent when I see it" I swiftly replied.
"All I'm trying to do is simply invest in something that I believe has a profitable future"
As I maintained eye contact with the Marchioness, I began to focus on her features.
Her looks were truly something.
She had pale skin accompanied by long deep blue hair that seemed a little washed out.
Her hair was tied up into what looked like a half-up half-down hairstyle.
Her hair brought out her fierce pale light blue eyes surrounded by a soft pink eye shadow.
She also had a couple of beauty marks just below her right eye that further accentuated her beauty.
Is everyone in this world good-looking?
However, she had skepticism written all over her face.
"I'm sure you're doubtful so let me offer you a bit of assurance" I mentioned as I crossed my legs.
"For now, I'll give you the location of a decently sized gem mine"
"Do with it what you will, for all I know you could take what's there and abandon me" I said as I took a piece of paper out of my pocket and slid it across the table towards the Marchioness.
On the paper, I wrote down the address of a reasonably sized gem mine I had remembered.
Big enough to get my sincerity across but small enough not to show all of my cards.
I sighed, if it wasn't for my lack of connections I would have kept everything in there for myself.
The Marchioness took the paper off the table and motioned for the maid standing by the doors to come over.
Quickly the mid ran over to the Marchioness.
The Marchioness then handed the paper to the maid as she whispered something in the maid's ear.
Suddenly, the maid bowed and exited the room.
I chuckled, why do I feel like I'm in one of those crime dramas where the protagonist makes a deal with the boss to spare their life?
"I hope you don't mind, I'll have to check the location first before promising anything"
"Of course"
"Until then, let's continue our conversation,"
"I'm not saying I don't believe in you, Lady Ivanna"
"But even if the information you've given me is true,"
"I'm not quite sure if you're a reliable business partner"
"That's understandable,"
"I'm a villainess after all," I chuckled.
"However, I'm sure you're aware of the situation within the duchy"
"As someone who's just overcome death, I'm no longer interested in the petty behaviors I once was"
"Hah, that's easier said than done"
"Well, that's true" I agreed.
"What are you interested in these days then?" the Marchioness asked.
"It's simple really"
"I'm interested in things that benefit me"
"That doesn't really seem any different to me" the Marchioness replied.
"It's quite different actually," I said as I leaned in closer.
"Now...my plan is simply to move somewhere nice in the countryside"
"Hah, are you joking"
"What about marriage, what about your fiancé, the second prince?"
"Marriage isn't my style" I chuckled as I leaned back into the sofa.
"I respect those who choose to go that path, but, I can no longer see myself pursuing marriage"
"There's still too much I've yet to experience"
"I wasted so much time obsessing over things I couldn't change when I should have been enjoying my childhood"
"I have many regrets but,"
"Each experience has helped me realize how precious life truly is"
"I see," the Marchioness said as she repositioned herself.
"I guess I got a little bit too deep there" I chuckled.
Suddenly the maid that had left before re-entered the room and rushed to the Marchioness's side before whispering into her ear while out of breath.
Immediately the Marchioness's eyes widened and her eyebrows raised as if hearing something truly unexpected.
"Well then," the Marchioness cleared her throat.
"I've verified the location of the mine"
"And what about its content?" I asked as the smug look from earlier returned to my face.
"It's...full of gems"
I giggled, "So how about it?" I said with a satisfied expression as if I had just defeated a difficult opponent.
"Does this make us business partners?" I asked.
"If not, I could always take my offer somewhere else"
"I suppose we're...business partners"
"Great,"
"Let's write up the contract next time, it's getting quite late" I added.
"Of course"
After getting over the main hurdle I decided it was time to play my next card.
"Ah I almost forgot, here, this is for you"
"A gift to signify our partnership" I added as I took the necklace box on my lap and placed it on the table.
After opening the necklace box I turned it around to face the Marchioness and slid it across the table.
Inside laid the First Duchess's necklace,
It was a beautiful necklace, lined with big bright blue diamonds that shimmered as it reflected the chandelier's light.
Each blue diamond was shaped like a teardrop and was surrounded by smaller white diamonds that emphasized its beauty.
There was nothing like it in the Empire, not even within the royal family.
It's simply one-of-a-kind,
It's priceless.
And that's precisely what made it so dangerous.
In the past, holding onto this necklace got Ivanna into a lot of dangerous situations.
There were countless kidnapping attempts and even assaults against her in order for people to get their hands on this necklace.
Of course, her family didn't care,
They just assumed she was trying to get attention.
It's better to get rid of this necklace while I still can,
I could just auction it but...as soon as it hits the market, it'll reach the Duke's ears and he'll bring it right back to the duchy.
However, if I give it to the Marchioness, not only would it demonstrate my sincerity but she could take it apart and use it for her future products.
That way, I would no longer be endangering myself by holding onto the necklace.
If the Marchioness accepts the necklace, I would be killing two birds with one stone.
"Is this a bribe?" the Marchioness asked unsure of my motives.
"It's a gift"
"A gift?" the Marchioness chuckled.
"Having this in my possession won't do me any good" the Marchioness added.
"Why would a Marchioness have the late Duchess's necklace? People will just assume I stole it" the Marchioness mentioned.
"As long as you claim I tried to set you up, I'm sure they'll believe you over me" I replied.
"I'm the crazy one after all"
"Then you can take the necklace as compensation"
"What kind of-?" the Marchioness started before I interrupted.
"Oh come on," I said jokingly.
"Aren't you getting into the jewelry business?"
"If you want to do well you should at least be able to do this much"
"If you want to get what you want, you have to learn to influence people without them realizing"
"Didn't you use to play chess?" I uttered.
"It's easier to simply think of this whole ordeal as nothing but a game"
The Marchioness chuckled as if she was astonished, "Are you really Lady Ivanna?"
"I've been reborn"
The Marchioness asserted, "It's a good mindset to have but, not everyone can be influenced in such a way"
"There are some pieces that just can't be moved"
"I beg to differ, maybe you just haven't met the right people for the job"
"Is that so?" the Marchioness chuckled.
"Well then,"
"What would you do if someone was purposely obstructing your path using their connections," the Marchioness asked.
"What if you've tried everything but, you just don't have any cards left?" the Marchioness added.
"Where are they on the social ladder?" I asked.
"They're higher up on it than me" the Marchioness replied.
I see,
She must be referring to her sister.
From what I remember, her older sister actually had a bit of an obsession with the Marquess.
Her sister begged her parents to secure a marriage between the two families but the Marquess ended up falling for Sabrina instead of her.
Obviously, this strained the relationship between Sabrina and her sister.
However, this got even worse when her sister ended up marrying a Duke from outside of the Empire.
After marriage, Sabrina's sister began doing everything she could to get in the way of Sabrina's business plans, blocking potential investment deals and connections.
Well, I'm used to annoying siblings.
If anyone can handle such buffoonery it's me, I chuckled.
"Well, what about me?" I questioned.
"Where are they on the social ladder compared to me?" I asked rephrasing my previous question.
The Marchioness tilted her head in response unsure where I was going.
"As I said, you simply haven't met the right people for the job"
"Personally, if you work with me, I can be your new playing card"
"I can create a new and unexpected path for you"
"If you'd like I could even take care of it myself" I added.
If all I need to do is secure an investment I'm sure I can pull it off,
Although socially her sister and I are on the same level, being within the Empire, I'm definitely at an advantage.
"Okay then, since you sound so confident I'll give you three days," the Marchioness said.
THREE DAYS...DON'T PEOPLE GIVE OTHERS A WEEK IN THESE KINDS OF SITUATIONS?! I thought to myself as my eyes widened.
Quickly I broke eye contact in an attempt to regain my composure.
I know I talked myself up a lot but this, this is a gamble.
But if I don't secure this partnership...
"If your plan doesn't work out this is the end of our partnership" the Marchioness uttered.
"But of course, I still get to keep the mine" the Marchioness added.
"Hah," I chuckled.
This sly fox.
As expected of the Marchioness who climbed to where she did.
"You already gave it to me after all"
"Don't take it personally but, getting involved with you might just do me more harm than good Lady Ivanna"
So she wants to test me huh?
So what is this...the screening period?
Am I just a free trial she can cancel before paying the fees?
I sighed, "It's a deal"
"Of course, if I do pull this this off, I expect you to keep your promise" I added.
"Certainly" the Marchioness replied with a smirk as if awaiting my failure.
"Well then, this might just be our last business meeting" the Marchioness mentioned.
"You've offered me so much, how can I repay you"
"Well, once I secure this investment, you can repay me by making sure your business does well,"
"But if that's still not enough,"
"I've been looking into getting a lady in waiting"
"And I would greatly appreciate it if you could recommend someone fit for the job"
"Lady in waiting?" the Marchioness questioned.
"Isn't that something you should ask the Duke for?"
"Let's just say, he's given me the task of finding one myself"
The Marchioness laughed, "So you've been cut off huh?"
"No wonder, suddenly this personality change makes sense"
"Haha, laugh all you want" I uttered.
"So do you have someone fit for the job or not?"
"I suppose I do"
"As long as you're not picky" the Marchioness added.
"I'm sure anyone recommended by you is wonderful"
"Alright then,"
"I'll get back to you after I've decided on your lady-in-waiting"
"If you're lucky, I may even introduce you to each other at the ball tomorrow"
"Ball?" I questioned.
"Yes...you do know there's a ball tomorrow right?"
"It's being held by the royal family"
"What for?"
"It's the first ball of the season"
"It's to celebrate the coming of spring"
It's just one headache after another...
Do they hold a ball for anything these days?
"Every aristocrat in the Empire will be there"
"Just wonderful," I sarcastically replied.
"I'm sure it will be," the Marchioness chuckled.
"Well then, it's gotten rather late don't you think"
I sighed, "You're right,"
"Let's end it here for today" I added.
***
After arriving back at the duchy it was already dark.
I was drained after such a long day but my body still felt rather tense.
As I walked into the entrance I noticed someone waiting by the door,
Is that...the head butler?
"My lady,"
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"The Duke would like to speak to you in his office my lady"
"Did something happen while I was gone-"
Who am I kidding, after the amount of things I did today,
I'm sure the Duke has more than enough reasons to yell at me.
"Ah, nevermind"
"I'll go there now"
"Shall I escort you, my lady?"
"There's no need, I'll go myself"
"I understand, I'll be off then my lady"
After the head butler left I made my way to the Duke's office.
Once I arrived, I stood in front of the closed office doors and took a couple of deep breaths.
Should I just leave?
No, that would just be disrespectful right?
Well, it's not like I haven't been disrespectful already.
But, I'm still living in the duchy.
I'll have to control myself until I'm able to move out and get a place for myself.
After mentally preparing myself, I knocked on the Duke's door before saying,
"...it's me,"
"Ivanna"
After no response, I thought he wasn't in his office and I was about to leave until I heard,
"Come in"
Well isn't this just great,
As I opened the door a gush of cool air had brushed across my face.
It felt like I had entered another dimension.
I noticed the Duke sitting across the room at his desk as he was looking through papers refusing to acknowledge my presence even with a glance.
The office was fitting of the Duke's personality.
It felt dark and constraining.
The entire room was made of dark wood.
It was faintly lit with a lamp and a few candles.
The Duke's desk was long and rectangular, also made out of dark wood.
On the wall behind the Duke hung a picture in a circular frame, it was a self-portrait.
I quietly chuckled, they say one's environment speaks volumes about their character.
On both sides of the portrait were antique wall lamps, and on both sides of the wall lamps were bookshelves, filled to the brim.
In front of the Duke's desk was a coffee table placed in between two sofas that faced each other.
The coffee table was black with dark wooden legs while the sofas were a dark ruby red with black accent pillows and dark wooden legs.
"Sit down" the Duke stated.
Here we go, I thought as I walked over to one of the sofas.
After sitting down, I was forced to maintain eye contact with the Duke as if breaking it would signify my defeat.
His aura felt refined and grandeur, similar to the Emperors but lacked a suffocating ambiance.
Maybe because I already had a few run-ins with him, he didn't scare me as much as the Emperor did.
The Emperor probably told him about what happened, didn't he?
"You've been running around quite a lot today," the Duke said.
"Yes, I suppose so"
After a long awkward silence, the Duke finally made eye contact.
"Please feel free to get to the point," I said before adding,
"When have we ever engaged in small talk?"
"You're right, I'll keep it short"
"I heard you wished to break your engagement to the second prince"
"You heard correctly"
"After you begged me to get the Emperor's approval, you want to break your engagement?"
"Yes that's correct"
"Are you kidding me?" the Duke questioned as he began to raise his voice.
"Ivanna, don't you think the rest of us have had enough of your gimmicks"
"Do you realize how you're making us appear not just to the Emperor but to the rest of the Empire?"
"No, I don't, please enlighten me" I sarcastically replied.
"This engagement was a promise between families,"
"Even though the second prince didn't want to marry you, I convinced the Emperor because I thought you would finally stay out of trouble"
"But look at you now,"
"You're tired of clinging to the second prince?"
"You want to live your own life?"
"YOU DON'T GET TO LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE" the Duke yelled as he struck his hand down against the table.
"YOUR LIFE IS MINE TO DO WITH AS I WISH"
"I HELPED BRING YOU INTO THIS WORLD AND I CAN EASILY TAKE YOU OUT OF IT"
"SO STOP ACTING UP AND STAY IN YOUR PLACE BEFORE I PUT YOU BACK THERE MYSELF!"
"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"
"Are you done?" I asked.
"You can threaten me all you want"
I chuckled, "You think death scares me?"
"I've already died once"
"I will live my own life if it's the last thing I do"
"And nothing you do can stop me"
"IVANN-"
"If you just called me into your office to make yourself feel better I'll be taking my leave now"
"Good day Duke," I said before getting up to exit the Duke's office.
As I opened the office door, I was greeted by a familiar face.
Someone had been eavesdropping on our conversation.
Long black hair, and soft features.
The spitting image of the First Duchess.
The Second Duchess.
The Duchess stared at me in silence.
She looked as though she was at a loss for words.
After getting threatened like that, I was at my breaking point.
Honestly, I was surprised I was able to hold myself back from slapping the Duke right then and there.
After breaking eye contact, I walked to my room leaving the Duchess behind.
No matter how many times I deal with this nonsense, it never gets any easier.
Are there therapists in this world?
***
After entering my room, I ran into Eleanor and Anne cleaning my room.
"My lady, welcome back," Eleanor said.
"Thanks...did you get the refund from Lavine?" I asked in response after remembering the task I gave Eleanor.
"Ah, yes"
"Here's the receipt my lady," Eleanor replied as she handed me the receipt.
"In total, $554,263.74 bits was refunded, my lady"
Right this world's currency is known as bits.
So that should be equivalent to what...
about...50,000 DOLLARS?!?!
EVEN IF THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MARCHIONESS DOESN'T GO AS PLANNED,
I'M STILL SET FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, I thought to myself unable to contain my joy.
After calming down I tried to regain my composure.
"Good job guys," I said after clearing my throat.
"We did well today" I added as Eleanor and Anne let out a small smile.
After the discussion with the Duke, I still felt a bit tense.
Desperate for a way to get rid of my pent-up emotions, I decided to go for a night jog.
I sighed, I need the exercise anyway.
"Eleanor, do I own any workout clothes?"
"Workout milady?"
Now that I think about it, I doubt the Ivanna of the past owned something like that.
"Actually, are there any extra clothes from the knight training quarters?"
"I suppose so my lady, are you planning on wearing them?"
"Yeah, I need a way to relieve all this pent-up stress"
"I understand my lady, I'll go get you a pair of clothes right away"
I chuckled, she's always so earnest.
***
Not long after, Eleanor returned with the clothes and I tried them on.
Surprisingly, they fit rather nicely.
As I looked at myself in my body-length mirror, I examined each piece of clothing.
I was wearing a beige long-sleeve shirt with a loose neckline accompanied by loose-fit black pants and black combat boots.
The outfit definitely had a medieval feel to it that's for sure but I didn't care.
The clothes were a bit loose but they were comfortable, unlike the dresses I'm forced to wear every day.
It was a nice change of pace.
Maybe I should have reincarnated into a man.
After heading out of the duchy, I made my way to the knight's training grounds.
As I approached the training grounds I noticed its large grassy field.
There were also some training dummies spread throughout the field.
In the middle of the field was a lamp post, projecting a faint light over the entire field.
Is this thing on 24 hours a day?
At the edge of the grassy field was a walkway made out of cement circling around the entire field.
After making my way to the pavement, I decided to begin a light jog, testing Ivanna's endurance.
Surprisingly Ivanna's stamina wasn't too bad.
I guess that's the blood of the most hated for you.
I sighed, this is no different from my past life.
I just want to cut all of them off already and go somewhere quiet and secluded.
With the money I have now, I could-
No...I promised I would avenge her...
Just like me, she died a wrongful death.
I'm sure she would want me to avenge her,
Just like I would want...somebody to avenge me.
After jogging a bit further, I decided to take a break and lay in the grass to cool off.
In a starfish position, I stared up into the sky and noticed a bright full moon surrounded by the endless deep blue sky and scattered stars.
***
After cooling off, I walked back into the duchy.
My body felt loose and I was tired.
I was ready to take a bath and go to bed.
After making my way upstairs I noticed Oliver walking through the hallway.
At a distance, I quickly inspected his facial expression.
He looked surprised but tried quickly to regain his regular collected composure.
Well, I'm covered in sweat after all.
Not to mention my clothes...
As we crossed paths, I didn't utter a word.
I was too tired to engage in any more conversations today.
Suddenly, Oliver stopped in his tracks.
"Are you actually being serious this time?" Oliver asked.
"Huh?" I said as I turned around to see Oliver's back.
Immediately, Oliver turned around making eye contact with me.
"You..cutting off your family"
"Are you being serious?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"No reason..."
"If you do manage to pull it off...don't forget about me"
Don't forget about you?
Maybe Oliver isn't as bad as I thought he was.
"If you're lucky, maybe I'll save you a room once I buy my own place" I chuckled as I wiped my forehead.
He must be going through it just like me.
Suddenly a woman began to walk down the hallway approaching us, it was the Second Duchess.
She stopped after reaching Oliver and making eye contact with me.
I guess this is my call to leave,
"Well then," I mentioned before turning around and walking to my room.
I sighed, what a day.