Daisy inhaled sharply when their eyes locked.

From up close, Killian de Essel was so breathtakingly handsome.

She could see why three years later, the people in the capital who had seen Killian described him as “the devil with an angel’s face” or “a gorgeous monster.”

Killian looked at Daisy as if he were looking at livestock. The rumor that he had no interest in women seemed to be real. Killian was a tall man. Standing next to him, Daisy felt even smaller, even though she was of average height.

She started to speak nervously, “I’m...”

Killian had a way of making one feel intimidated. The sense of coldness coming from him seemed to reach down to one’s lungs and suck the air out.

“I’m not buying.”

“What?”

“I’ve already rejected your father’s offer. I don’t buy women. I respect your willingness to offer yourself to pay off your family’s debt, but I won’t buy someone’s daughter.”

“Oh...”

Daisy realized that Killian misunderstood her intentions. This was only reasonable since she had been making eye contact with him while wearing a dark wine-colored dress and bright red lipstick on her lips. And now, her clothes were in disarray from running.

“It was a good effort, but I’m not interested in women. You can relax knowing that I won’t harm you.”

Hearing this, Daisy remembered the bags of money Killian had sent to her and her sisters. The money from selling the mansion and everything in the house wouldn’t have been enough to cover the debt—maybe half, if lucky. Nevertheless, not only did Killian settle the debt, but had given dowry money to her and her sisters.

‘In any case, he may be a casino owner, but he’s not entirely without mercy.’

Daisy’s throat felt dry. She swallowed hard. Seemingly having lost interest, Killian turned his back to get back on his wagon. Her parched throat seemed to tighten. Facing Killian’s back, Daisy blurted out, “I’ll make you the future Duke Silvesten.”

“What?” with his hand still holding the carriage door, Killian turned his head.

His expression had turned cold.

Daisy continued without flinching, “I can help you get what you really want. So, please negotiate with me about the debt.”

“What I really want…?” Killian turned around completely and faced Daisy.

Then, he stepped closer to Daisy and asked, “Do you know what you’re talking about?”

“Yes.”

“The Silvesten family has the right to succeed the throne. In other words, you know that talking about this could lead to treason, right?”

“Yes, I know.” Daisy answered him calmly, maintaining her composure. There was a subtle change in Killian’s eyes. His eyes were blue in high contrast to his dark hair, but the kind of blue that lacked any warmth. His eyes were as cold and dark as the deepest part of the dark, blue sea—cold enough to freeze the hearts of anyone who looked into his eyes. At the same time, those eyes had magical powers that seemed to suck people in.

“So, you can make me the duke?”

“Yes,” said Daisy as she stepped towards him and looked at him straight in the eyes. The man was much taller than Daisy, who was of average height. Her body was getting tense, but she didn’t back down.

“Ha,” dumbfounded, Killian let out a short laugh. “I can’t wait to hear what ridiculous plan you have. Tell me.”

“I can tell you what’s in your grandfather’s will, the current Duke Silvesten.”

Killian’s eyes grew bigger.

“You know the contents of the will?”

“Yes, I do.”

Killian looked at Daisy with a confused expression. Duke Silvesten’s will was sealed tightly and kept inside several layers of safes. And only the duke had access to it, but he was currently in a coma. No one else had access to the will.

“Am I supposed to believe that? How would you know?”

“I’ll prove it to you,” Daisy continued. “One of the bridges of the Theren River will break tonight.”

“The bridges of the Theren River have never collapsed since their construction. They are very strong.”

“But one will collapse. Also, this evening, a tiger will appear on Ryun Boulevard in front of the Theren River.”

Killian looked at her like she was crazy, “You are crazy, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not. It will definitely happen. For now, you can believe me for fun. You can decide whether I’m trustworthy or not after tonight. The marquis has nothing to lose.”

“...”

Killian was deep in thought while looking into Daisy’s eyes. It seemed as though his eyes were trying to gauge if Daisy was out of her mind or not.

“Are you messing with me?”

“How could I dare to play with my creditor? I’m putting everything on the line.”

“...”

Killian stayed silent for a moment. He liked how this fragile woman was willing to “put everything on the line.” Nodding softly, he said, “Okay, I’ll do it for fun.”

“Yes, thank you. If I turn out to be right, please come back here the day after tomorrow.”

“The day after tomorrow? Why?” asked Killian, confused.

“Tomorrow is not good. I need time to get ready.”

“Get ready?”

“Yes. So, if you’re planning to seize our house, please spare us until the day after tomorrow.”

“…” Killian grimaced slightly. He was going to send his people over to the house tonight and take every little thing from this house. It seemed as though she read his mind. Only then did Killian begin to notice her. Her cute and vulnerable face under the brown hair was quite beautiful.

‘Yes, I got the marquis interested.’

Killian had not given his final answer, but Daisy knew that she successfully got him curious. At the very least, she prevented the family from being out on the streets starting tomorrow.

“Your name?” asked Killian quietly.

“Daisy de Philbern,” answered Daisy, remaining tense.

Killian nodded softly. There was nothing more to say. Daisy took a step back to curtsy.

“See you soon, Marquis.” Turning around, she started to walk back to the house. She could feel Killian’s eyes burning holes in her back. Even this short interaction was enough to make her entire back break out in cold sweat.

‘As expected, he’s even scarier up close… He’s definitely not your average guy. Tonight, what I said is going to happen, right?’

Daisy recalled memories from her previous life. She remembered the day when Killian’s men showed up and took everything from the house including the rugs, beds, and sofas to settle the debt.

The next morning, the only thing that remained the same was the delivery of the morning newspaper. Daisy sat alone in the room as she said goodbye to the mansion. She used to read the paper every morning while drinking black tea and eating toast, but on that day, there was no tea, no table, nothing.

Daisy read the newspaper before leaving the residence for the final time.

The memories of a past life. It had already been a few years, but she could still clearly remember what was in the newspaper.

“Tiger Appears on Ryun Boulevard.”

“Extremists Destroy the Theren River Bridge.”

Strangely, she remembered those two articles clearly. The tiger’s appearance took place because the young princess had been pestering the emperor that she wanted to raise a wild predator. So, the emperor, who loved the Princess dearly, had secretly captured a tiger alive in a mountain far in the southern region. But the tiger broke out of the loosened cage and escaped while being transported.

On the same day, radical terrorists blew up one of the small bridges over the Theren River. Daisy remembered people criticizing the emperor the next day, but of course, it was all hush-hush since they couldn’t openly curse the emperor. The incident, however, negatively affected the imperial family’s popularity.

‘The things I’ve seen in my previous life are going to happen exactly as they did, right? They must. I don’t want to end up in the streets again,’ thought Daisy making tight fists with her two hands.

‘I need to get ready to make a deal with Marquis Killian de Essel. I have no time to waste.’

Daisy rushed to her room. She took out all the accessories and dresses she had accumulated since she was young. She still had some jewels that her mother had given her.

She quickly went to the secondhand store and said, “I’d like to sell all of this.”

The secondhand store clerk tilted his head when he saw Daisy’s dresses and accessories and asked, “You look like a girl from a modest household. You didn’t steal these, did you?”

Daisy’s was able to get a good amount of money in exchange. Then, she went out to the streets with her gold coins to look for someone who could provide her with the information she needed.

***

The next morning, Daisy woke up earlier than everyone else and headed to the dining room. On the table was the day’s newspaper that the maid had brought in advance.

“This is today’s paper…” Daisy picked up the newspaper with her trembling hands.

“The articles would be in here.”

She scanned the front page of the newspaper. Daisy’s eyes grew bigger. She didn’t see any articles about a tiger or terrorists.

“There’s no way the future changed!”

Big events like that should’ve appeared on the front page of the newspaper. The room seemed to darken.

‘If those events are not in the newspaper, the marquis is not going to believe me. What am I gonna do?’

Daisy hurriedly scanned the second page of the newspaper and let out a deep sigh of relief.

The articles were there, but they were a little different from the articles she remembered from her dream.

“A tiger appeared on Ryun Boulevard. The wild beast had escaped from a zoo that was scheduled to open.”

“The oldest bridge over the Theren River was partially destroyed due to corrosion.”

‘Phew...’ Feeling relieved, Daisy brushed her heart. But she couldn’t help but tilt her head and wonder why the events had changed. In any case, the events took place as she had seen them, so the marquis would believe her now.

Daisy waited for the package she was supposed to receive that day as she prepared for her upcoming negotiation with the marquis.