After paying several witches, magicians, and n.o.blemen some visits, the rumors about Jiang Li started to spread in the city."He is either a ghost or a monster doing some sort of census or espionage", they would say in hushed whispers. Each time, their faces would be wreathed in curiosity, confusion, or fear, either of these three.
Like the previous world, the guy chose to not stand out much so only a handful had seen what he looked like. Especially now that his ident.i.ty was of no social standing whatsoever. But people remembered him due to his shadowy modus that rarely left traces of his own ident.i.ty. He sometimes did speak and every time, he would spook out some of the magicians. But towards most of the n.o.bles, he only eavesdropped or checked some items, books or maps without rearranging them.
Unsurprisingly, Jiang Li found joy and convenience in operating in the shadows. It was totally not because even if people saw his barely handsome face, they would not have any impression at all.
Anyways, his actions resulted in Margarette asking him why about it.
"What are you even verifying or testing out on those houses? You"re gone most of the time now, sometimes not even returning at night. Why are you going to those lengths when Agatha is already the most influential woman in the kingdom. I"m starting to hate that royal concubine!" Once, Margarette"s face showed just how unhappy she was, her emerald eyes burning with aggravation.
He only smiled and patted his little wife"s head.
That time, he only thought. "The villainess is blind. She can"t see that she"s already above the queen… that having the queen"s throne won"t make her any more regal. She also has no way of knowing she"s beneath the female leads. If I don"t do some work, the villainess will truly die and self-destruct, bringing this world in her demise too."
Unfortunately, his reasons could not be told to Margarette. She would not understand it, not because she was not intelligent or open-minded enough, but that he doubted the system wouldn"t do anything once he showed any signs of disclosing about to anyone. There was a chance it would tamper with her memories and he didn"t want that.
Within him, he could feel a lingering fear about that possibility… reminding him of a silly story where someone told her friend to try drugs so once she knew about its effects, she could effectively convince her kids in the future not to try it as she had already done so and experienced its bad consequences. Experience was the best teacher, so they said… The guy shuddered at the thought that he might have already been experimented by the system in this regard. After all, in his recollections, he seemed to have been desiring several times in previous lifetimes to tell her about the real him….
The man found himself silent, mulling over the dreadful thought. "If the system did erase some of my memories before… should I be thankful that at least I still have recollections of the important events in the past? And her?"
Margarette resentfully looked at the quiet man.
Since the little wife did not hear any definite response from him, she started sulking and since then, the frown on her face became more frequent. The petting and cuddling did not appease her that much.
"You don"t want to promise to limit involvement with that woman? Fine." She told herself. But on that afternoon when Margarette"s spy reported to her that Jiang Li was going to Duke Grey"s manor, her thread of patience finally snapped. She hurriedly went out of the palace and then intercepted him.
She greatly disliked him meeting other women, even for business/s purposes.
This was why despite her distaste of the woman a.s.suming her ident.i.ty, she took over the job of meeting Marian.
"I want you to return to where you should be." Margarette laughed and playfully answered her that after she remembered what the d.u.c.h.ess asked her when she appeared before her.
It was what sparked a stupid debate between the two female leads.
Marian was a coward in front of Margarette because she was not only intimidated by the latter"s air of supremacy, she was also feeling guilty for taking over a much higher ident.i.ty. Yet despite that… the woman stood her ground and shouted "no" to the other. Margarette"s interest was piqued, so was her disdain. "This girl"s shout came not even a second after the question was asked. What else could that imply?"
The Viscountess" daughter whose soul was now in Margarette"s body was trembling. But she was firm on her answer, "I don"t have your memories and it"s hard for me to guess how you lived before. But would you really want to be me now? The rumors and the "you" I can see now are different. Still, I, I already tied my soul, and this body, with the duke! Are you really planning to exchange life with me despite this? I won"t accept it!"
Although Margarette truly had no plan because the body was already tainted by somebody not her husband, she then realized. Despite Agatha"s threat, the other girl was determined to choose the new life she gained. And well, it was not really surprising.
Marian was now a respected d.u.c.h.ess here, her beauty had improved leaps and bounds, and her husband was a very powerful and influential n.o.ble of this militaristic country.
The witch was a problem, but even when Marian was still weak and not loved by the duke, the former could not kill her, much less now that Andre Grey was so protective and caring of her. There were also the influential acquaintances she made, a circle of people her previous ident.i.ty would not be able to enter.
In the Holon Kingdom, she was a hundred times more glorious as a d.u.c.h.ess than in Borley where she was merely a Viscount"s daughter with no formal rank and was hunted down by the royal family for the secret she had buried in her mind.
How could Marian be willing to exchange ident.i.ty again?
Yet this female lead was also feeling greedy and did not want to completely give up her true self and family.
Margarette confirmed this when she probed, "So you plan to cut ties with your past and completely forget that once in your life, you"ve been Marian Obson?"
"No…" the other replied.
What did Marian really want? It was naked to the princess" eyes.
For more than one and a half-decade, Marian was a Borlean, and a devout follower of Penemue, Borley Kingdom"s G.o.ddess of Wisdom. She grew up learning Borlean etiquette and stuff, following her brother in some small-scale adventure, and teasing her knight Adam and other friends in the castle. She was Marian Obson, a respected lady from the Viscount Family of Obson, who loved her parents although she equally feared them.
Why couldn"t she retain her connections to the past? Why couldn"t she be Marian Obson and d.u.c.h.ess Margarette Grey at the same time?
"At least at one point in their lives, everybody is greedy," said the Queen of Commerce after relaying Jiang Li"s message to the d.u.c.h.ess.
Days pa.s.sed since then and Margarette frequently recalled how the occupant of her former sh.e.l.l acted in their first meeting. She had developed a bit of interest in knowing how Marian really lived as the Viscount"s daughter back in the Obson castle.
After the first meeting, Margarette formally took over Jiang Li"s job of sending letters to the d.u.c.h.ess.
The latter misunderstood her and thought it was her sending the previous letters, threatening her or making fun of her with some news about the knight.
Well, the woman had the right to think of the latter part because, on the day Adam and co arrived, Margarette secretly disclosed to them that Marian had become the d.u.c.h.ess. Jiang Li was not aware of it. Whether out of revenge or a hidden interest, the girl purposely did not inform him about this.
When the princess who was in Marian"s body went back, all she told him was that she successfully transmitted the order to make the d.u.c.h.ess mobilize her resources and influence in investigating Marquis White and his family.