# Chapter 46: 46
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—I'm very sorry about yesterday.
That night, unexpectedly, Yves Russell visited her.
Whether it was a gift for someone in recovery or not, the bouquet of roses she brought was out of place.
Radis took his medicine and slept a lot. And although he still had a high fever, he sat down and greeted him.
-Alright. It's not your fault, Marquis. Rather, it was I who made a serious mistake...
—Let's start with this.
When he gestured for them to come closer, some servants came in with big things.
Radis, perplexed, watched as they approached. Then a servant opened the lid of a box and brought it to him.
There were various fabrics inside.
-What is this?
—They are gifts that Mrs. Mariel has sent us as a token of apology.
Yves Russell closed the lid himself, a frustrated expression on his face.
—I have no excuses for yesterday. Very sorry. I have caused a strange misunderstanding because I have not explained to the lady beforehand why you are here. But then I explained it to him and told him that I have decided to be your guardian.
Yves Russell approached her.
Despite its gloomy appearance, it smelled quite good.
It was the smell of a grown man, a mix of sweet and bitter smell that looked like burnt sugar.
—I'm sorry for making you suffer that way. It was completely my mistake.
It's really strange.
Radis was obviously hurt by Mariel's words, but the resentment in her heart seemed to fade away after hearing Yves Russell's apology.
In retrospect, Radis was also to blame.
If I had waited for Yves Russell as he asked, I would not have met Mariel. But he got impatient and went to visit him anyway, and that made Mariel misunderstand him.
—No, I was the one who went to see him first…
—I already told Mrs. Mariel not to come to the mansion until she apologized to you properly. From now on an incident like this will not happen again.
From now on, he said.
“Can I still stay here?”
Radis looked at Yves Russell.
He always covered half his face with his bangs and wore only black clothes as if he were a sinister crow. Because of that, the only impression Radis had of him was that he was brutal and volatile, but after a few exchanges with him, he began to think that this person was really good.
He even went to the extent of sincerely apologizing to Radis, who had no real position there in his Marquisate.
Radis asked him.
—Why…do you go to such lengths for me?
Yves Russell responded with a kind voice.
"You signed a contract with me, Miss Stepping Stone."
—Stepping… What?
–If Prince Olivier likes her, she is not just a stranger.
When the corners of Yves's lips rose, he began to speak bold words.
—I'm going to be Duke. I will do whatever it takes to make it happen, and as someone who needs to break down Prince Olivier's iron wall, I won't have to worry about a thing if I can break through that iron wall. I have to do it. You may end up being a stepping stone for me, so isn't it natural for me to be nice to you?
Hearing all this, Radis could only look at him with his mouth open.
She had thought he was a good person. Radis felt like she had been scammed. She felt anxious before that, but now Radis felt like a fool.
"Marquis Russell is no fool. He just wanted to make sure he invested in a bet like this. So... he's thinking of me, just like I think of him, as my ticket to a cherry farm."
Radis almost laughed.
—Actually, it was something of a bet. Even if the cherry farm fails, it won't be the cherries' fault.
Radis was finally able to get rid of the guilt he felt toward Marquis Russell.
With a mocking smile, he said.
-That's how it is. Game tokens are very valuable.
—Now we can talk.
Yves Russell smiled and extended his hand.
Radis grabbed that hand and screamed.
—I will be in your care, Marquis!
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Fifteen days have passed since Radis entered the Marquisate.
—Am I really allowed to do this?
She muttered that to herself several times a day.
In both lives, he considered the best bed to be a hardwood bed with a single blanket on top.
That was because there was no such thing as a bed when she was engaged in subjugations.
—In the camps the situation was terrible. I had to sleep in hammocks.
A hammock made of woven vines was better than sleeping on the ground.
It would be better to sleep with a blanket on the floor, but it is difficult to withstand the cold and dampness that seeps from the bare floor.
—But now all that is a thing of the past.
Valiz