"No, no way."

"Good. Not now,"

Lucerne agreed.

"Why?"

Elisha asked out of simple curiosity.

"Because the Head will go crazy."

"……."

"You're an excellent woman. Smart, of sound mind, and a noble. And me……. I'm the only grandson who has what he wants."

Elisha understood Lucerne's words. Lucerne was the owner of a unique ability that very rarely manifested in the people of the Cartier family.

In the ducal family, several shadow monsters acted like guardian deities. Sometimes, the demigods chose descendants of the ducal family and protected them for the rest of their lives. Why and how this happened, no one knew.

"The child I give birth to is much more likely to manifest similar abilities than Jacob's or Marco's."

"I think I've heard of it before. When a guardian deity emerges with a descendant, the probability of manifesting that ability in their offspring increases over 50%."

"That's right. And even if they didn't have this ability……. Think about it with common sense. What kind of great-grandson would you think the Head would want? Jacob, Marco. Would their wife's children be better off? Or would it be better to have the children you and I gave birth to?"

Elisha also understood his meaning without difficulty. An innocent child is easily molded and influenced. If Gaju wanted to raise him according to his taste, he would definitely want Lucerne's child.

'Jacob makes money well, but he is foolish and violent, Marco is smart, but he is cowardly and small, and Lucerne is perfect, but he is free-willed and an unmanageable beast. But at least the first two are human, right?'

That's what the past life's Head had once said to himself. He probably didn't even know Elisha was next to him when he said that because he was mumbling to himself. Nevertheless, she remembered those words clearly.

"So if an excellent son should be born between you and me, the Head wouldn't need all the rest of the grandchildren. If I was the Gaju, that's what I would do."

"Would you kill all of your grandchildren, take the child away, and set him up as heir?" [Elisha]

"Even if you raise him until he's 13, a child is still a human being. In addition, my goal is to live to the age of 100. I have a lot of greed."

"……."

"Plus, if he is the son of a Count, he could be the enemy of the Cartier family. Since I am now a titled Count and you are from a noble family, he wouldn't be a commoner."

Elisha understood his words. Gaju hoped for an excellent lineage. If a child were born from Lucerne, the Head would surely try to steal them away.

"Unlike you, I would like to try to raise my child to be obedient and loyal, willing to do anything for the family."

"Right. I got a brilliant woman who understood me right away,"

Lucerne muttered. Elisha did not show it, but she shuddered inside. She remembered. That was the reason Lucerne never got married in her previous life.

'This person has also had to live fiercely in his own way.'

A person who had nothing to be afraid of. He carefully observed and examined his surroundings. The wisdom and qualities of a snake. He was the essence of what it meant to be a Cartier.

"That's why you gave me birth control pills. I understand that you don't want children."

"I never said I didn't want them."

Lucerne caressed Elisha's belly.

"Just not now."

Elisha's eyes widened.

"I hope you will be pregnant with my child someday."

"……."

"Of course, if you agree."

Elisha didn't know what to say. But definitely……. He will take the child away. When he becomes the Head……. he won't need her anymore. Elisha decided to pretend that she didn't hear him.

"I'm going to keep taking the contraceptive pills."

"Do that. But if you change your mind, just tell me."

Lucerne kissed Elisha's stomach.

"I'm happy to wait. At least, when the Head is out of power."

Eventually, Elisha wasn't able to fall asleep until very late.

***

That night, Elisha dreamed of what had happened in the future that had disappeared. It had been a Cartier family gathering.

Gaju said with a tired face,

"If you get a competent woman as a subordinate, treat her."

He said it while looking at Elisha.

Elisha was sitting next to Jacob for some reason that day. Unfortunately, Jacob was already drunk, and Carola had left the banquet early.

'The seating arrangement is terrible.'

Marco was sitting next to Elisha. Next to him was Arien, his wife.

Elisha swept the scar on her face like a habit. Elisha found her humble self more apparent in this glamorous place.

"Why is this woman sitting at the same table as us?"

Right. It was Marco who asked such a rude question to the Head. Marco looked down at Elisha with a sneer. She didn't hear the answer from the Duke. This is because Jacob started talking nonsense as usual.

"Grandpa, I……. I'm… I want to be the pride of my family,"

Jacob declared.

"If you want, I'll give you any number of women like this girl. Well, I'm not saying this bitch is useless.…. grandfather needed …."

Oh, right. This was a memory of when the Duke ordered Elisha to create a double ledger.