For the Lady's Wise Regression - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 21
Margarita Linné.
A woman who received a baronetcy for the achievement of making fabrics bearing her name fashionable throughout the Eastern Empire.
The Linen she created is said to be widely worn in the Eastern Empire every summer.
Yet the reason she was renowned in the empire had nothing to do with her abilities.
If in the previous life, Ian Ruscliffe was the archetypal example when people spoke of “someone who remained unmarried well into their forties,” then in the current life, there was Margarita Linné.
To such an extent that some called her a person who had fallen in love with herself.
Why she had suddenly come to me, I couldn’t say—but as Vanessa, who knew what the future would bring, I had no reason to refuse.
Whoever this person was that the woman who had built a successful enterprise bearing her own name had come to introduce, it was obvious they would be useful.
But if I agreed too readily, I’d only earn a reputation for being careless.
“Are you someone who would benefit me? Or am I someone who should be offering you assistance?”
At Vanessa’s words, Margarita’s hand, which had been bringing the teacup to her lips, stopped.
“……It’s both. Though if we include House Lennard, the former becomes somewhat more likely.”
At her words, Vanessa savored her tea slowly.
A patron, then.
The person she meant to introduce to me.
***
‘Someone who should be offering assistance.’
If that were the case, then she would have to be someone important enough for me to welcome her sudden visit with a bright expression, let alone refuse her.
Besides, Margarita herself was not born into nobility, so she wouldn’t be maintaining close ties with aristocratic families.
When I eliminated possibilities one by one, only the patron remained.
The help she mentioned was likely meant for the patron’s granddaughter, who was studying abroad in the Eastern Empire.
“You seem to have guessed it.”
“I also know which person you serve, Baroness.”
“Good. I don’t want to take up any more of your time……there is a flower called the Jinjeong Flower.”
“…….”
“This is a request I can make as Vanessa entering into marriage with House Ruscliffe. In the empire, only the House Ruscliffe ducal family can still recognize the Jinjeong Flower for what it is.”
“Is it a matter of hunting down a hidden target?”
At Vanessa’s words, Margarita gave a thin smile.
“It won’t be within the ducal house. If it were, they’d struggle to keep their lives. However…….”
After pausing briefly, Margarita looked at Vanessa as if resolved.
“If we’re speaking of a curse mage, that would be another matter. Because that flower was once called the Curse Flower.”
“You mean to say…….”
“I said it before, didn’t I? That including House Lennard, it could help Vanessa.”
“…….”
“If Vanessa could provide the Jinjeong Flower to the patron, Vanessa would become her benefactor.”
***
After Margarita left, Vanessa fell into thought.
The Jinjeong Flower—paradoxically also called the Curse Flower—had effects truly remarkable for calming and soothing.
The methods of consumption varied, but the most pronounced effect was pain relief.
Grinding the leaves and applying them to a wound eased the pain; drying the petals finely and steeping them as tea soothed indigestion.
Even chewing the stem raw and swallowing it was effective for eliminating bad breath!
Looking at it this way, it seemed like an herb with no waste, but the reason the Jinjeong Flower had earned the name Curse Flower lay elsewhere.
It was the extremely dangerous composition ratios.
Because the exact preparation method was never clearly documented, the ratios varied wildly.
So even though the immediate effects were excellent, the long-term consequences…….
‘Sexual dysfunction and inability to conceive, if I recall correctly.’
Because of this, the Jinjeong Flower had become that kind of herb—”the effects are really good, truly excellent……ugh, but…….”
She knew it well, since the business her previous self had invested in was an ointment made based on the Jinjeong Flower.
Everything was fine until the formulation utterly failed.
Just once.
In the previous life, she had made a request of Ian Ruscliffe.
After she became lame, when they happened to meet later.
But the result was a clean refusal.
After that, the business led to litigation, and she not only lost but paid the House Ruscliffe a massive indemnity from her own funds.
That the already awkward relationship grew distant afterward—so much so that even a single strand of hair was no longer visible—hardly needed mentioning.
Well, she bore no ill will toward Ian for his part, since she herself was at fault for not properly investigating the business before investing.
Still, thinking of how she’d ended up divorced without a penny left afterward made her chest ache a little.
In any case, even that Ian Ruscliffe of the previous life, who had behaved kindly enough when wishing her happy birthday, had absolutely never revealed the correct composition ratio for the Jinjeong Flower.
This life would be no different.
‘…Should I make a trip to the Northern Region soon?’
If I visited the source, I might learn something.
The thought of asking Ian never even crossed my mind.
If word got out, it wouldn’t just cost me my livelihood—the moment I breathed a word, his entire business would collapse. Would he really entrust such a thing to someone who was merely a party to a contractual marriage?
‘I wouldn’t tell him either.’
For now, the Margula Mine was pressing, so I should meet with Ernasila first.
My great-aunt’s granddaughter, currently studying abroad in the Eastern Empire, wouldn’t arrive until summer when the semester ended, so there was still time.
In my previous life, I’d only heard that she died of illness and attended her funeral.
I had no idea that illness required the Jinjeong Flower.
Well, I could spare a few days to visit the Northern Region after the wedding.
I couldn’t identify the plant itself, but I did know where it grew.
Having thought that far, Vanessa glanced absently at the clock on the wall and started in alarm.
Good heavens.
I’d wanted to explore around Saint Bertold Orphanage too, but there simply wasn’t time.
Can’t be helped.
Vanessa rose from her seat.
‘Come to think of it, there was something my mother-in-law always said in my previous life.’
Wasn’t it something about how I showed no gratitude despite her kindness, and was trying to outmaneuver her?
Laughable.
She was the one who always bristled at me, desperate to prove herself superior, as if she didn’t fear my rank.
Looking back now, there was so much I could have done with the position I held.
At the time, I was far too concerned with not appearing unpleasant to the mother of the man I loved.
She might see this as a declaration of war, but I haven’t even begun my retaliation yet.
In my last life, she wielded her precious intuition to manipulate those around her—but in this life, she’ll be the fraud. That will be her place.
I’ll make sure of it.
Every single thing she touches will crumble to ruin.
***
“I thought I was on time, but I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long?”
“Oh, my lady! We only just arrived ourselves!”
“……My lady, we greet you.”
Vanessa spotted a man and woman seated at an outdoor café table in the distance and approached them.
“I apologize for the delay in answering your letter. I truly didn’t expect you to reach out first like that……”
The moment Vanessa sat down, Ernasila spoke up as if she’d been waiting for the chance.
“I’ve been neglecting the tea gatherings, I know. If it was a burden for you, I’m sorry.”
“No, that wasn’t what I wanted to hear an apology for. Rather…… do you have a reason for asking us to meet together like this?”
“Just as I wrote—I thought it would be nice if we two, marrying within a week of each other, became a bit closer.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Unlike Ernasila, whose face was flush with color, Gideon’s expression had turned stiff and wooden.
“……Did the Duke of House Ruscliffe consent to this as well?”
“Does Gideon need the Duke’s consent to become close to me?”
At Vanessa’s sudden shift in tone, Gideon flinched visibly.
“That was…… an indiscreet remark. My apologies.”
“I’ll prove whether my desire to become closer was sincere with this instead.”
Vanessa withdrew an envelope she’d prepared in advance from her pocket and placed it on the table.
“Open it. It’s a wedding gift for both of you.”
It was Gideon who moved first at Vanessa’s words.
He opened the envelope slowly, suspicion flickering in his eyes. When he saw what lay inside, his eyes widened so much they nearly popped from his head, and he stared at Vanessa in bewilderment.
“My lady, this is……”
“It’s rather generous for a wedding gift, isn’t it?”
At Vanessa’s words, Ernasila also confirmed the contents of the envelope and wore the exact same expression as Gideon.
“I’m sorry, my lady. We can’t possibly accept this money……”
“That’s what you think. What about you, Gideon?”
“……”
“Gideon has every reason to accept, doesn’t he?”
“Rabien. Sorry, but could you step away for a moment……”
“My lady, this is terribly presumptuous of me to say, but…… I found myself repeatedly drawn to a dessert I noticed in the display case earlier. If you don’t mind, would it be all right if I went to order one?”
Vanessa nodded at Ernasila, who’d seized the initiative with her words.
“Take your time, Ernasila.”
I’d noticed it even in my previous life, but she really does read the room well.
Vanessa sipped the tea sitting on the table with that thought.
Ah. It was quite a well-known café in the Central Capital, and the branch location still serves an excellent cup, doesn’t it?
A pleasant smile bloomed at the corners of Vanessa’s mouth.
Gideon, observing her closely, parted his lips.
“I love Rabien.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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