Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 286

After her husband’s death, Guinevere would become the hated head of Rosencrantz, and Cecilia of House Lasphilla would become the Marchioness of Rosencrantz.

Then what about Guinevere herself?

Where does a puppet whose strings have been cut end up? The junkyard? An abandoned factory? Or, if she’s lucky, maybe a small farmhouse in the countryside?

Could you withstand such a drastic fall? Could you accept a life that plummets without end?

With her position now ambiguous in both Rosencrantz and Lasphilla, Guinevere would have nowhere to go.

A life in which she loses the place she fought so hard to win, only to fall.

That is her anxiety.

Anxiety is like the mirror of hope. It grows in the exact opposite direction. If reason cannot rescue it, it swells endlessly.

If hope leads people to a complacent life, anxiety, through excessive accumulation, lures them on.

To avoid total ruin, her insurance—Lasphilla—would become an asset she could never give up.

‘Guinevere would never want her Lasphilla foothold snatched away by a mere illegitimate child.’

So, what side will you choose in order to keep your position?

‘Guinevere, you were once a Deinz. A family that specializes in clinging to others. Like my father, you know nothing but how to leech off someone.’

Would you go back to relying on my father? Of course not. No one knows his selfish and cold-hearted nature better than she does.

Could she count on Marquis Rosencrantz, who is on his deathbed? He may still need Guinevere, but no one knows how much longer he’ll live.

Caroline? Out of the question now that she’s broken off her engagement.

Young Margaret and Nathan, who even tried to poison her? Needless to say, they’re out.

She’s not the type to come to me first to ask for reconciliation, either.

When you eliminate the options, only one choice remains for her.

Bernarda Lasphilla, the current Countess of Lasphilla.

It’s a shameless conclusion that most people wouldn’t even consider, but Guinevere’s self-pitying mindset is strikingly similar to her adoptive brother’s wife—so much so that you’d think they were truly related by blood.

In short, as long as Nigel endures a little longer, keeps Cecilia as his lover, and makes no further claims, that alone will be enough to make Guinevere feel this kind of anxiety.

“Are you sure you’re all right with that?”

Nigel’s gaze was suspicious.

“If you want to see a safe outcome first, then yes. If I end up really needing you, I’ll ask for your help then.”

There are exceptions to every rule, so there’s no guarantee Guinevere will act exactly as predicted. But since Nigel’s scenario can always be used later, Cecilia wanted to try her own plan first.

‘The main stage I set is the Coffret Manor.’

She had no desire to stand on someone else’s stage and recite someone else’s script. That would bring her no benefit.

***

At dinner, Adam wore an excited expression throughout. But when Nigel mentioned the shipbuilding company, his face visibly stiffened.

“I’ve heard that company’s finances aren’t in good shape lately. I understand you hold a significant share. I hope the news I’ve brought might be of some help.”

Nigel relayed Dan’s information to him, as if giving Cecilia a commemorative gift—and in Cecilia’s presence, no less.

Thanks to this, Cecilia was able to hear Adam’s reaction in real time.

“If it’s an agent you know, the information must be reliable. But if it’s something that significant, we already know about it on this side. I can’t believe some rookie adviser could make a cooler-headed judgment than someone as seasoned as I am.”

As Cecilia had predicted, Adam did not reverse his decision based solely on the advice of an unfamiliar investment expert.

In any case, Dan’s existence was now firmly imprinted on him. For now, that was enough.

Nigel had shown this rare gesture of goodwill, so Cecilia had to show a result worthy of it.

Taking care of Guinevere according to her own plan would be the full completion of their bargain.

And at the same time, the beginning of another revenge.

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