Rudella Bismarck.
Before her regression, she was known as Rudella Rogino.
There wasn’t much known about her, but one thing was certain, she was a ruthless murderer.
The moment Crown Prince Fedelian ascended to the throne and Rudella officially stepped into the imperial family, she drew her sword without hesitation.
If an obstacle stood in her way, she cut it down mercilessly.
She executed every noble who sought to grow their power and keep the imperial family in check.
She dismantled the Senate, eliminating its meddling elders one by one.
And of course, she had justification.
Somehow, she had records of the sins these people had kept hidden all their lives.
Thus, no one could oppose the imperial family.
Not even the Four Great Houses could escape death.
A tyrant, and the empire’s most brilliant strategist by his side.
Together, they ruled the empire through sheer terror.
That was why Rudbeckia couldn’t understand the current situation.
That Rudella that ruthless murderer was now standing before Yohan, smiling gently.
The woman who had always gazed down with a cold expression,
The one whose eyes held nothing but icy indifference,
Now had such a soft, tender look in them?
It was baffling.
‘Calm down. This is a different world from the one I knew.’
Rudbeckia shook her head, forcing herself to focus.
There was no reason to be surprised.
Even Fedelian had been executed as a traitor.
Even the Grand Duke had met his end beneath the guillotine, bathed in the crimson glow of the imperial palace’s sunset.
‘So for now, focus on the goal.’
Suppressing her shock, she steadied herself and resumed eavesdropping on the three people’s conversation.
“I consulted the royal physician and chose this restaurant on purpose. Do you like the food?”
“Hmm, it’s fine. It doesn’t have an unpleasant smell, and it’s clean.”
“That’s a relief. Actually, it was Francia who recommended this place.”
“Oh? Lady Ferbache, thank you for thinking of me. Thanks to you, I was able to enjoy a comfortable meal.”
Francia hesitated awkwardly, her voice trailing off.
“…It’s not like I was thinking of you. You’re pregnant, so you have to be careful.”
“Hehe, Lady Ferbache, you’re not very honest, are you?”
“Ahem…”
Rudbeckia nearly jumped in shock.
‘Pregnant?!’
That single word echoed loudly in her mind.
Her mouth fell open unconsciously, and behind her mask, her green eyes wavered.
Had she heard that correctly?
Then whose child was it?
Yohan’s?
From their conversation and the current situation, Yohan’s second lover was Rudella.
There was no way she would be carrying another man’s child.
That meant… it had to be Yohan’s.
‘W-What the…?!’
Rudbeckia’s fist clenched in the air, trembling.
It was anger.
Loss.
Jealousy.
For five years, despite being his wife, she had never been able to bear Yohan a child.
Yet Rudella, his concubine, was carrying one.
And they weren’t even married yet!
‘Unbelievable…’
Rudbeckia hung her head low, staring blankly at the table.
She felt like she was going to break.
The real threat had never been Francia Ferbache.
It was Rudella Bismarck.
The obsidian saint, the flower of high society, even when compared to Francia Ferbache, she did not fall short in beauty.
Perhaps it was due to her consistent training, but her physique was slender yet well-proportioned.
Her skin was smooth and fair, as white as fresh snow.
Her sky-blue eyes shimmered like precious jewels, and her silver hair cascaded down like silk, gleaming in the light.
No matter how she tried to suppress it, her innate elegance and dignity naturally radiated from her every move.
Rudella Bismarck was a woman who could be described as perfect.
‘At this rate… the second spot will be difficult too…’
Rudbeckia’s shoulders slumped.
It was only natural that Yohann’s first and primary wife would be Francia Ferbache. After all, she was practically the one who had opened his heart.
That meant she had to aim for the first concubine position, but her competitor was Rudella Bismarck. She had no confidence that she could win.
Of course, Rudbeckia was also known as the jewel of Pritsche, possessing both stunning beauty and a figure she took pride in, but she couldn’t possibly compare to Rudella Bismarck.
If Yohann was the man she knew, he would surely share his love equally, even with a concubine. But she couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility that he wouldn’t.
Rudbeckia widened her eyes.
‘I need to revise my plan.’
Since both the first and second positions seemed out of reach, she had to secure at least the third spot.
‘I might end up being the last…’
You never know what could happen.
‘Let’s go…’
Judging that there was no point in staying at the date location with the three of them any longer, Rudbeckia stood up.
Though she was left with nothing but wounds, she had gained a lot of information.
* * *
Purification Bureau.
Yohann was enjoying a leisurely cup of tea while gazing out the window from his office.
However, his focus wasn’t actually on the scenery outside.
“…..”
Glance. Glance.
He cautiously rolled his eyes to check behind him. Someone was staring at him with an intense gaze so much so that he could feel it burning into his back.
There was no way Yohann didn’t know who it was.
‘ Rudbeckia.’
For some reason, Rudbeckia was completely absorbed in watching him. Her eyes held a piercing intensity, as if she were trying to uncover all his secrets.
She had always looked at him often, but in the past, she would hurriedly avert her gaze whenever their eyes met. Now, however, it seemed she had developed some kind of trick because their eyes never met at all.
‘I wonder why she’s doing that…’
Swallowing his discomfort, Yohann closed his eyes.
He had cautiously asked her about it once before, but she had simply dodged the question, feigning innocence with a casual.
“Did I do that?”
It wasn’t as if he could press her too hard, either. For some reason, whenever he looked at Rudbeckia, his resolve softened. It was as if he instinctively felt the need to treat her better. It was a strange, unfamiliar feeling.
And so, Yohann continued his strangely uncomfortable tenure as Minister.
‘I have no idea what this is.’
Could it be related to the dreams he had been having recently?
He couldn’t quite remember them, but he felt like Rudbeckia had appeared in them.
It was frustrating especially since it wasn’t easy to find an astrologer skilled in these matters.
“Minister, today’s workload is relatively light…..”
As Yohann continued staring out the window to escape Rudbeckia’s overwhelming gaze, Elena called out to him.
“Will it be done before lunch?”
Yohann glanced back as he asked, only for Rudbeckia who had been watching him to hurriedly turn her head away.
Elena nodded.
“Yes. The investigation of the demon lairs is almost complete, with only the final touches remaining, and the elite unit selection process is nearly finished as well. All that’s left is waiting for the scheduled time.”
Reports from the Purification Bureau officers stationed across the empire and the final selection of elite troops everything was nearly wrapped up.
“In that case, we should finish quickly and get off work early.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Yohan sat back down. Though he could still feel Rudbeckia stealing glances at him, he had grown somewhat used to it, so it no longer broke his concentration.
Scratch, scratch.
Elena and Yohan quietly focused on the remaining paperwork. This task involved compiling information to pass on to the administrative officers, who would be collaborating with them on the next demon lair sealing operation.
Glance.
Even as Rudbeckia silently organized documents, she kept discreetly watching Yohan, as if determined not to miss even the smallest movement.
The reason she was observing him so closely was simple because of Francia Ferbache, the future had changed, and she needed to study the differences in Yohan’s behavior.
‘His micro-expressions remain the same.’
Yohan had a habit of forcing an awkward smile whenever he felt uncomfortable something even he wasn’t aware of. Rudbeckia, however, knew it well.
Of course, that wasn’t his only tell. Whenever he heard good news, his eyebrows would twitch ever so slightly.
It was such a subtle change that no one else had ever noticed.
Just now, both of those habits had appeared.
Feeling uneasy under Rudbeckia’s gaze, Yohan’s lips had curled into an awkward smile. And upon hearing that today’s work would end early, his eyebrows had faintly lifted.
“Phew…”
Realizing that these behaviors hadn’t changed since before the regression, Rudbeckia let out a small sigh of relief. If she wanted to win Yohan’s heart, she had to pick up on even the smallest details.
‘…It seems like today is the perfect chance.’
After observing him for some time, she had confirmed that, despite the significant shifts in the future, Yohan himself was fundamentally the same as before.
That alone was good news.
And with today’s work finishing earlier than usual, they would both be off duty after lunch.
‘Alright…’
Rudbeckia made up her mind.
Today, no matter what, she would raise his favorability toward her.
* * *
Yohan, who had been focusing on filling out documents and organizing reports, stretched his arms.
“Haahh…”
After spending long hours hunched over his desk with his head practically buried in paperwork, his entire body felt not just stiff but sore.
“Are you finished?”
“You’ve worked hard, Minister.”
Both aides seemed to have wrapped up their tasks as well.
Yohan smiled faintly and began tidying up the documents.
“It’s still before lunch.”
“Yes, sir. Are you planning to eat now?”
“No, I’m thinking of heading home early today.”
Since he had the rare chance to leave work early, it would be nice to spend some time with Rudella. Lately, her daily routine had consisted solely of reading books or listening to music.
Of course, since she was pregnant, that was probably for the best.
“In that case, may I leave first?”
Elena asked. Even as she spoke, she was already gathering her belongings.
Yohan smirked.
“Looks like your mind is already set on leaving.”
“That’s correct.”
“Alright, you can go first.”
“Thank you!”
She usually kept a neutral expression, but there were times when her poker face would crack like now, when she couldn’t hide her excitement.
“Then, I’ll be heading out first.”
With the corners of her lips twitching upward, Elena left the office. Anyone could tell she was thrilled to be going home.
“Alright, tomorrow’s a holiday, so get some good rest.”
“Thank you…”
Yohan gave her a light farewell and then resumed organizing his paperwork before heading out himself.
Now, only the two of them remained in the office.
Rudbeckia swallowed nervously. The tension made her throat feel heavy.
“Hoo…”
But as she let out a deep breath, she steadied her pounding heart. She couldn’t afford to waver here. This was just the beginning. She needed to be brave.
Things were different from the past.
“U-Um…!”
With a trembling voice, Rudbeckia called out to Yohan. Even now, her heart was racing like crazy.
Excitement, fear, and anxiety clashed inside her as she anticipated his response.
She clenched her fists tightly. Her breathing grew ragged. But she had to say it this was the perfect opportunity.
“…What is it?”
Yohan tilted his head in curiosity. Though she seemed somewhat uneasy, her determined expression made him stiffen slightly.
Rudbeckia swallowed back the words that had risen to her throat, then barely managed to voice her true feelings.
“Have dinner with me tonight.”