“Brother. Long time no see.”
“What a coincidence, meeting in a place like this.”

His eyes were narrow, and he always seemed to be smiling.
A young man with brown curly hair and thin, feminine features.

Edward Radner’s half-brother.
Johann Radner.

I had never met him in person, but I knew quite a bit about him.

I knew he’d had many hot one-night stands with women with that face and that he was a nymphomaniac who couldn’t get enough of them.

And he harbored a terrible inferiority complex toward Edward Radner, the favored child of William Radner.

“What a coincidence that we should run into each other in the Capital and on a street frequented by ladies.”
“Indeed.”

Johann rarely shows his true colors, hiding them behind his smiling mask.

It’s a way of speaking he’s learned to survive as a bastard in the world of aristocrats.
He’s like a cunning snake with words.
His words are not to be taken at face value.

Perhaps the whole coincidence thing is also a lie.

Perhaps… Johann has come to me under the guise of coincidence because…

“Mr. Edward…?”

Ania Brontë.
It’s clear she’s the target.

“Madame, you go ahead. I’ll catch up with you as soon as we’re done talking.”
“How kind of you, brother.”

Johann said with a smirk.

“It seems you’ve changed a lot.”
“We never talked much. I thought you weren’t interested in me.”
“How could I not? You’re my only brother after all.”

With that, Johann shook his head.

“Go ahead, I’ll join you after we’re done.”

I looked back at Ania, who nodded and began to walk toward another shop.

When she was out of sight, I turned back to Johann and said.

“Johann, we both know that coincidence is a lie.”

Johann Radner.

On the surface, he looks like an ordinary viscount’s bastard son, but Johann has a secret.

One that no one else in the Empire knows, but only I do.

“Why did you come looking for me?”
“Ahaha… Brother. You’ve become quite perceptive in recent months. It’s almost as if you’re… someone else.”

The secret is none other than Johann’s actual job.

Why does the powerless bastard son of a viscount hold so much power within the viscountcy?
Why can he raise his head high despite being a bastard?

‘Drugs….’

Johann Radner is a back alley drug lord.
He’s been able to keep a low profile because he’s a man of integrity.

Of course, some people are suspicious of where Johann’s vast fortune came from.

William Radner had questions about where his son was getting the money.
However, he didn’t pry into it because Johann always said it was business.

“Tell me why you came looking for me.”
“Why… well, it’s not much…”

The corner of Johann’s mouth twitched.

“I was just wondering how you were doing. I thought you were enjoying being married to the most beautiful woman in the Empire.”
“I told you to tell me the real reason.”
“Oh…”

I growled, and Johann arched an eyebrow in surprise.

“Brother, have you really become a different person? You’ve become really perceptive in my absence.”

He’s a fast learner.
That’s how he survived in the back alleys.

It is a world of power and scheming.
There were no counts, marquises, or titles.

“So, shall I tell you the real reason?”
“Is it for Ania?”
“Well, that’s part of it.”

Johann took the pipe out of his pocket and put tobacco in it.

“You seem to have gotten pretty good at recognizing things… so why don’t you make a guess? Or are you afraid of lowering your image if you get it wrong?”

He flicked a match and slowly lit the pipe.
A wisp of smoke rose into the air.

“Duchess.”
“Bingo.”

Johann flicked the pipe and smirked.

“In the order of succession… I’m the eldest, so I’m obviously ahead of you, but aren’t you married to a duchess now?”
“So what?”
“You know, so don’t try to spin it, brother.”

Johann’s eyes narrowed.

“You weren’t abandoned; you were sold to Duke Brontë to keep the family name alive, right, brother?”

I know.
What it meant for a viscount’s man to marry a duke’s woman.
In the novel, Edward is sold and becomes a pillar of the Brontë family.
Of course, he also wanted to.

“So why don’t you go to your father and tell him that you’re giving up the viscounty and giving it to me.”

What happened in the original…

I don’t know if Johann got the viscounty, but one thing is certain.
Edward would not pass on the title to Johann.
It wasn’t out of pride or greed for power.

It was because, shortly, he would discover Johann’s secret.

Why he had so much wealth.
What business he had that he told no one.

Edward Radner, faithful and just, refuses to give Johann the viscounty.

Has Johann, then, been idle?
Not really.

Johann resolves to assassinate Edward for his refusal to hand over the succession.

‘He didn’t die in the plot, but…’

Edward’s swordsmanship and magic skills are among the best in the Empire.
He eventually defeats Johann’s men.

But here’s the problem.
I am not Edward.

Sure, my body is Edward’s, but I’m not him.
The swordsmanship is ingrained in Edward’s body, but I don’t know how to wield it.
I have no magical knowledge, so I cannot use magic.

So, should I hand over the viscounty here…

“I’m sorry, Johann. I don’t think I can do that.”
“Hmmm….”

I can’t give in here.

Edward’s an eyesore to Johann anyway.
He wasn’t going to stop even after I gave it up.

Edward’s swordsmanship and magic are still a threat.
Furthermore, I’ve been sold to a duke, so my connections will grow in the future.

So, even if I do give in, Johann will still try to kill me at some point.

“Isn’t your business enough for you, Johann?”
“Business and titles are two different things, brother.”
“Then I’m afraid I can’t make any further concessions. You’re brilliant in business, but you don’t have the dignity to receive a title.”

At that, Johann’s mask cracked.
He narrowed his eyes and wiped the smile from his face.

“You’re making a mistake, brother.”
“We’ll see about that.”

Johann smirked and turned around.

“Let’s go.”

With that, the assassins hiding in various parts of the building slipped out like shadows and began to follow after Johann.

***

By the time we returned from shopping, the sun was already setting in the sky.
Ania’s face was lit up under the orange sky.

“I’m sorry.”

And she was upset.

“It’s okay.”
“It’s not that shopping with you wasn’t enjoyable… It’s just that the conversation didn’t flow smoothly…”
“We talked about that earlier. It’s okay. I’m not someone who lacks understanding.”

The reason, of course, was Johann.
Suddenly running into him and talking to him filled me with unnecessary worry and anxiety.
Now, I had one more person to be wary of.

“You don’t seem to be enjoying your time with me,” she said, throwing the clothes she had bought into the carriage.

Only then did I realize my mistake, but it was too late. A distraught woman, once angered, would not be appeased no matter what words were spoken.

“We’ll eat together when we get back.”
“You can eat first. I have something to do.”
“Since we’re married, shouldn’t we at least have our meals together?”
“I don’t feel like eating.”
“Didn’t I tell you that a married couple should eat together…”
“Who made that a rule anyway?”

She looked out the side of the carriage to hide her face.
As such, it’s impossible to tell what she’s thinking.

“You look beautiful today.”
“Hmm.”
“I love sunsets, but there’s something even more beautiful than a sunset.”
“Hmm…”
“I think it’s even more beautiful when you smile.”
“…. Hmm.”

So I complimented her.

I had read somewhere that women are bad at compliments.
Of course, I don’t know if it works because I’ve never actually tried it.

Ania still didn’t respond, still staring out the window.
It didn’t work.

‘Now I don’t know.’

Time will tell… I thought as I put my arm through the carriage window.

“I…”

Ania’s mouth had been clamped shut, and she had been spitting out snot, but now she spoke.

“…forgive you.”
“Really?”
“Instead….”

She looked at me.
She was tapping her index finger lightly on her cheek.
It was as red as a raspberry.

“Kiss me, and I’ll forgive you.”