Mana was a double-edged sword: while it granted one the ability to use magic, it came with its own challenges. A single mistake could cause irreparable damage to a magic user’s body. This was true for all magic types.
Lam was so frail because she didn’t know how to circulate her mana through her body. I’ll need to work on my stamina, but I should at least be able to handle daily tasks now that I’ve taken over.
Before I regained my memories, Lam was just a regular girl who’d happened to have mana but didn’t know the slightest thing about magic. In contrast, Earl Mercure’s first wife had been a powerful Fire Magic user, making Lam seem lackluster in comparison. However, I wasn’t her anymore. I remembered plenty from my past life, where I’d been an outstanding wielder of Light Magic.
Thus, this renewed version of me wasn’t scared of anything!
I stared down the butler blocking my path and said, “To reiterate, I do not care in the slightest about my family’s financial situation. Please tell His Lordship to feel free to divorce me, if he so wishes.”
Besides, it was her parents’ fault that they got themselves into their situation in the first place. They were so incompetent that they couldn’t manage a business without running it into the ground, yet kept on indulging in every luxury under the sun. They could’ve avoided this predicament without resorting to selling their daughter.
“You dare talk back to me when you’re just His Lordship’s wife? How brazen! Come, I’m taking you back to your room!” the butler said, grabbing my arm firmly.
No servant in a normal house would dare lay a hand on their master in this manner. His grip was so strong it hurt.
I can just shake him off, right? That should be fine.
I put all my strength into my arm and planted my feet firmly on the ground. “Stop harassing me. I told you I would go where I please!”
“Enough already! How dare you resist, you worthless— Aaah!”
“Huh?”
All I’d done was swing my arm to try and get him to let go, and the young butler had been tossed across the room. It seemed that I had, once again, used too much force.
I haven’t tried circulating mana in a while. My senses are so dull.
Just like the maids earlier, the butler crashed into the wall before hitting the ground. Splintered wood fell from the damaged wall and rained down on him.
“Phew! One more insignificant insect for the ground.”
I decided to leave the butler there and carry on my way, but I didn’t have time to take a single step forward before I heard the mansion’s door opening. The young butler’s face lit up when he saw who the newcomer was, as if his savior had arrived.
“Y-Your Lordship!” he exclaimed, still sprawled on the floor.
I also shifted my gaze to the door. A tall gentleman with cold, strikingly handsome features stood in the foyer. His silver hair was tied in a low ponytail, hanging down all the way to the middle of his back, and his scarlet eyes gleamed like two precious stones. He handed his luxurious coat to the chamberlain. This man was none other than Char Mercure, Lam’s—my husband. At twenty-five, he was five years older than me.
A cold and ruthless man, he was a Lightning Magic user and renowned as the strongest head in the history of the House of Mercure. As any magic-related matters in the kingdom fell under his responsibility, he spent most of his time working and only returned to his estate occasionally. Whenever he was home, he’d pay no attention to the old me, preferring to shut himself in his office instead.
Lam had been unilaterally terrified of him and had never dared approaching him. Needless to say, the two were as good as strangers. Lam’s family couldn’t care less as long as they received their money, and Char had never tried to fix the situation either. If anything, he must’ve been glad Lam had stayed out of his way.
At the end of the day, all he cares about is my mana, huh?
Char’s icy gaze paused on me for a split second before he turned to leave, only to be stopped by the butler who started crying out that I had attacked him and whatnot.
Funny, I clearly remember him grabbing me by the arm first, I thought. Being tattled on while the other party didn’t take accountability for his actions was a nuisance.
Char glanced at me. “Oh, you’re there,” he commented dismissively.
I smiled and dropped into a curtsy. “Welcome home,” I said, playing the part of the perfect wife.
The original Lam had always averted her gaze when talking to Char and couldn’t hold a conversation without her voice trembling, but I wasn’t afraid of him. If you added how old I’d been in my previous life to my age in this one, I was the elder. Plus, Char might have been an incredibly powerful mage, but he had no interest in his wife; he’d never lay a finger on me. In a way, he was the safest person to be around in the entire Mercure estate. Although, that didn’t mean he’d take my side during a conflict. Just like now.
“Lam, I don’t know how you broke the wall but... Please just try not to cause too much trouble,” he warned me, his lack of concern in the situation quite glaring. Maybe he was tired from work.
The butler smirked, pleased to see me getting scolded, no matter how apathetic my husband had sounded.
How unpleasant.
I wasn’t about to let this man win, so I looked Char straight in the eyes. “With all due respect, the butler came at me first. I merely shook his grip on my arm. If anything, I believe it is improper on his part to bother you with such trivial matters when you are so busy.”
Char was the only one in the mansion who had authority over the personnel, but he was too busy to actually oversee their day-to-day actions, meaning they were allowed to do whatever they wanted. This was one of the reasons why their harassment of Lam had gone unpunished for so long.
“Isn’t it your job as the countess to manage the estate and discipline the staff?” Char asked, trying to shift the responsibility onto me, so he wouldn’t have to stay any longer.
What? No one ever told me that I have the right to manage the personnel.
If he had announced that in front of the entire staff when we’d first gotten married, the situation might not have become so dire.
No, that probably wouldn’t have been enough to protect Lam.
Char was a bit of a jerk for dumping the responsibility of the situation on me, but, in the end, it was actually to my advantage.
This may be a blessing in disguise.
The corners of my lips curled up in a smile. “Will you really leave the estate in my hands?” I asked. “I shall do my utmost to manage it well.”
Char was tired and probably hadn’t thought those words through, but that was on him. I fully intended to use it to my advantage. Just like that, I’d been given the right to oversee the Mercure estate by the earl himself.