45.
The first year I entered high society was the year I met the most new people in my entire life.
Rohwinas was one of them.
Maybe I was the first person ever to eat so much food at a party.
Because of that, I got quietly teased by people around me.
Then, a handsome stranger I had never seen before came to stand next to me — and ate together with me.
At the time, I didn’t know.
I didn’t realize that, even with mountains of food in front of them, people at those parties only looked at it like it was a painting — hardly anyone actually ate.
To them, I must have looked like some uneducated country girl.
Later, Rohwinas told me that it was his first time seeing someone actually eat their fill at a party, too.
If he hadn’t drunk that strange potion, I doubt the proud and appearance-obsessed Count Canesion would ever have stood beside me and eaten food in public like that.
Still, at that moment, I was really thankful.
So, when Rohwinas suddenly asked if he could visit my mansion someday for a meal to thank him, I couldn’t say no.
Well, everyone knows what happened after that.
After being overwhelmed by his endless affection, I realized one day that we were already dating.
After digging through his old things and my own keepsakes for a long time, I finally admitted it clearly.
“There’s really nothing here.”
“……”
“Okay, next.”
The next year, Rohwinas left the Duke’s household and came to live with me.
So, quite a lot of his belongings — things he didn’t take with him — were still left in my storage room.
“Why didn’t you throw all this away?”
After staying silent for a while, Zaka finally asked.
As I opened a box, dust spread into the air and made me cough, but I still answered.
“I asked Julie to clean everything out back then.
I guess I just forgot I stored them here.”
“……”
“Oh? I thought I lost this! Looks like it got packed together by mistake.”
I pulled out a fountain pen covered in gray dust from a pile of junk.
“I should take this and use it.”
“Just buy a new one.”
“Why? It still works fine.”
Zaka took the pen from me, looked it over, then shoved it into his pocket.
“It’s broken.”
“How do you know just by looking at it?”
“Does that matter right now? Aren’t we supposed to be looking for clues?”
I glared at him, then went back to rummaging through the boxes.
“Oh, look! These are my old pajamas from when I was a kid. Cute, right?”
“You should throw those away.”
“My father bought them for me.”
“……”
“He passed away not long after that, didn’t he?”
“……”
“Want to take that back? I’ll give you a chance.”
“……Now that I look closely, it’s elegant and has sentimental value. Definitely worth keeping.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how quickly Zaka corrected himself.
He tried to glare at me, but the tips of his ears were red, so it didn’t work very well.
“By the way, how old were you when he passed away?”
“I was five? I don’t really remember.
Even his voice — I must’ve heard it, but it’s gone from my memory.”
“What about your mother?”
“I heard she passed away not long after I was born.
They said she wasn’t healthy but still gave birth to me anyway.”
“……”
“She was someone I’m grateful for.
I feel sorry too. I’ve never seen her face, but somehow… I miss her.”
I spoke absentmindedly, then turned to look at Zaka.
He looked deep in thought, holding an old belt — one I’d never seen before.
It was made of black matte fabric, probably used for hanging a sword.
“What’s that?”
“Oh… I just found it here.”
“That’s probably one of my father’s old things. You don’t need to check that box.”
Zaka quietly put the belt back and began searching another box.
“Why? Do you want to keep it?”
“What would I even do with that?”
He frowned, so I could tell he really wasn’t interested.
“So… you don’t even know your mother’s face?”
“Hmm?”
“Your mother.”
“Yeah. When I was little, I was always sick, so I never really thought about it.
I have her necklace as a keepsake, but that’s all. No memories.”
“……”
“There’s not even a single portrait of her in the mansion.”
“You don’t even know which family she was from?
Maybe they have something you could ask for.”
“One day, Father just brought her home and said she was the woman he was going to marry.
Everyone just accepted it.”
Zaka, who had been quiet until then, frowned slightly in disbelief.
“That easygoing attitude of yours must run in the family, Baroness.”
“There’s no one left in the mansion who even remembers those days.
Ah, but there’s something written about it.”
I pulled the box with the belt toward me and dug through it,
then took out an old envelope and handed it to Zaka.
“They said she had the same golden eyes as me.”
As Zaka opened the letter, I brushed my fingers around my own eyes.
“Golden eyes aren’t common in the Empire.”
So it was fine.
I already had something to remember her by.
* * *
Late at night.
Zaka stood by the half-open window.
Something flew in through the moonlight —
a black bird, larger than a grown man’s arm.
He stayed hidden in the shadows, completely still.
The bird’s glass-like eyes glimmered as it looked around the room.
It was trained so well that it gave off a chilling sense of unease.
Then—
Thud.
A faint sound, almost impossible to hear.
Flap, flap.
When the bird flew away, only a tiny folded note was left behind.
Zaka finally stepped out of the darkness and stood by the window.
He unfolded the note and read it silently.
The coded message shifted into clear words in his mind.
Do not forget your mission.
Kill that woman.
“……”
Under the dim moonlight, Zaka’s eyes shone cold and bright.
* * *
“Don’t you think we’ve had a lot of birds around the mansion lately?”
I asked during breakfast.
Julie, looking unimpressed, replied,
“Isn’t that coming from the person who left empty wine bottles on the roof?”
“Hey, Zaka cleaned those up last time… right?”
I nudged Zaka with my elbow.
He answered slower than usual.
“Ah, yes. I did.”
“And I might be home late today. Don’t wait up — just go to bed, okay?”
Julie asked worriedly,
“Is the Duke giving you trouble?”
“He wouldn’t dare.”
I laughed softly.
“It’s the assistant who’s the problem.”
“Is it serious?”
“Not really. He just talks rudely — but he doesn’t actually do anything.”
“The man with brown hair?”
Zaka suddenly spoke up.
“You know him? Have you met him before?”
“When we came back from the Hunting Festival, he was sitting in the back carriage, wasn’t he?”
Honestly, I couldn’t remember.
But thinking about it, it made sense that he’d been there.
“Should I go with you today?”
“That would only make things more complicated, so I’ll take the thought instead.”
After finishing my meal, I stood up and gave Zaka a few last words of warning.
“Don’t cause any trouble while I’m gone. Be good and stay put.”
“Why do you always talk to me like I’m a child?”
I reached over and messed up his hair on purpose, smiling.
“You’re on my side, right?”
“……”
“You said so yourself last time — no take-backs.”
With Julie seeing me off, I left for the Duke’s official residence.
The coachman was unusually dressed up and full of energy today.
“Good luck, Baroness!”
I guessed it was because this was my first official day.
The unexpected enthusiasm felt awkward,
but once the carriage started moving,
I found myself getting a little excited, watching the scenery pass by.
Of course, paradise did not await me when I arrived.
Only that wolf-like assistant who always looked for a chance to scold me.
But fine.
Today, I came prepared — even if I couldn’t go home until night.
I straightened my posture and said,
“Go ahead and do whatever you want. I’m ready!”
The assistant snorted, then blew a whistle.
Fweee!
“Run.”
“…Sorry?”
“From now, you’ll run.”
And that’s how I ended up running nonstop all the way to the training field behind the building.
As expected, the next part was basic endurance training.
“Twenty laps is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“If you want to do more, I won’t stop you.”
“…Ten laps.”
“Thirty.”
“Fifteen.”
There was a strange glint in his stubborn eyes.
“Forty…”
“On second thought, twenty laps sounds perfect.”
Without waiting for him to reply, I started running.
The training ground was ridiculously huge.
The sun climbed high,
sweat soaked my clothes,
and my throat burned from thirst.
Wasn’t this too much for someone who’d only just recovered?
The assistant stood in the shade, arms crossed, staring at me.
Or maybe it just looked that way because of the heat…
By the time I finally, somehow, finished all twenty laps,
his expression kept changing — confused, annoyed, or maybe even… impressed?
One thing was certain:
he was starting to look at me like I was some kind of strange creature.
‘Ah, finally.’
He tossed me a towel and a water bottle without a word,
then started walking to the next area.
I didn’t even have the energy to complain,
so I quietly followed him.
‘So that’s his plan — wear me out first so I can’t fight back.
Clever, annoying man.’
