Chapter 48
The Land and the House
The carriage that had left the outer walls of Spellwood came to a halt in front of a wide, open clearing.
There stood a two-story building that was no longer in use, and behind it lay a gentle hill.
I didn’t know a thing about geomancy or feng shui, but to my eyes, it looked like the perfect place to honor our knights.
“It used to be a trading post,” Castian explained. “Once a permanent market opened nearby, no one came here anymore. What do you think?”
“It’s perfect. We can plant trees and flowers around and turn it into a memorial park.”
I hopped around the clearing, looking for places where trees could be planted. Castian followed behind, chuckling softly.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it? I love it! Do you see that sunny spot over there? That’s where I want to lay our knights to rest.”
I pointed toward the sunniest area, and Eidan, who had been following behind us, suddenly spoke up.
“I like that place too.”
“Right? It’s perfect, isn’t it?”
“I want to be buried there as well, my lord.”
“What? You too, Sir Eidan?”
Eidan gazed at the sunny patch with eyes full of unwavering determination—like he’d already decided that would be his grave.
It was a strange yet solemn moment, the dead choosing their own resting place. Castian, however, took it calmly.
“Then do so. The other knights who became Death Soldiers shall also be buried here.”
“Really? You mean it?”
I couldn’t hide my joy. He nodded, expression still composed.
Then his gaze turned to the empty building nearby.
“The building looks suitable as well.”
“For what?”
“The caretakers will need a place to stay.”
“Caretakers?”
“There are some people in need of work. Could you employ them?”
At first, I didn’t understand what he meant. Caretakers? People in need of jobs? Then it clicked.
“Oh! You mean Captain Hamil and the other knights?”
“They’re only potential caretakers for now. So? Will you hire them?”
“Of course!”
My enthusiastic reply made the corners of Castian’s mouth lift into a wide smile.
When he’d coldly dismissed Hamil and his men, I’d thought he was being harsh. But Castian was, as always, a man of depth—gentle yet decisive.
He’d always planned to bring them back once he’d settled things with the emperor and the deaths of the imperial soldiers.
What a man. Sweet-hearted male lead indeed. How could anyone not fall for him?
I barely restrained myself from hugging him and kissing his cheek.
The land deal was handled swiftly.
Castian had his agent finalize the contract, and I received the official land deed—bearing my very own name.
Sure, it was land meant for a cemetery, but still—!
A cemetery owner was still a landowner.
A person who’d transmigrated into a ruined novel with nothing but her body had just become a property owner.
Long live real estate!
Clutching the precious deed to my chest, I hummed a cheerful tune all the way back to the Bernstein Ducal Estate.
There was still so much to prepare for the joint funeral.
When Hamil and the knights came to bid their farewells, I shared the good news with them. I also sent word to the families of the fallen knights.
I wasn’t sure whether to tell them that their loved ones had become Death Soldiers. I planned to discuss it with Castian—until the butler appeared.
“Your Grace, His Majesty the Emperor has summoned you. He commands you to come to the palace at once.”
Castian clicked his tongue and stood.
“So, it begins.”
Worried about what the emperor might accuse him of next, I rose to follow—but Castian gently pushed my head back down, pressing me back into my seat.
Strangely enough, that gesture eased my nerves.
“I’ll be back. Have dinner without me.”
It was nearly dinnertime already.
Seriously, what kind of emperor summons people now? If he had something to say, he could’ve done it earlier—or tomorrow morning!
What a peculiar man.
When Castian assured me he’d return soon, I nodded. He left with a bright, easy smile.
After seeing him off, I spent the evening receiving reports from the knights searching for John.
I also took the opportunity to ask about their funeral preferences.
That’s when I learned that many of my knights had no families at all.
Even those who did had been separated since childhood and lived their lives within the Bernstein Order, so there was little to no contact.
They had risked everything to help me, yet I realized how little I actually knew about them.
If they had no one to mourn them, then it was my duty to remember them.
I laid out a sheet of paper and began interviewing each knight one by one.
“Sir Johann, you’re thirty-two? From Melida? Wow, you’ve been a knight for ten years already?”
Sir Johann was tall with sharp eyes—a man who had once nearly perished before returning. His drooping eyes gave him a perpetually sad expression.
When he wasn’t looking, I scribbled ‘sad eyes’ next to his name.
“Sir Pandreiner! What an unusual name. Oh, you’re not from Heimnard? Where then? The Kingdom of Wulfensow?”
Next to his name, I wrote ‘foreign origin.’ He had thin lips and long hair.
Recording each knight’s features as we talked helped me memorize their faces better.
I resolved to stop addressing them collectively as “knights” and start calling each by name.
After the interviews, they left again to continue the search for John. I was reviewing my notes when Eidan sat across from me.
“I’m Eidan. I’m twenty years old and an orphan—I have no family.”
He spoke eagerly, clearly waiting his turn for this “interview.”
Of course, I already knew a lot about Eidan.
We’d been together since I first transmigrated, and he was a major supporting character who appeared often in the novel.
Still, seeing him so excited, I pulled out a fresh sheet and wrote his name.
Then I added what I already knew about him.
Red-haired prodigy swordsman who treats Castian like an older brother. Hot-tempered, not the sharpest, but upright and fiercely loyal.
Eidan craned his neck to peek at my writing, smiling in satisfaction.
“My lord knows me well.”
Seeing him so happy hurt a little.
He’d only been harsh with me at first because he was protecting Castian. I wished I’d treated him more kindly back then.
I picked up my pen again and added another line.
[Family: Lydia (sister)]
Eidan’s eyes went wide as saucers. He looked between me and the paper in astonishment.
To him, my hastily written note might as well have been an official family register.
“My lord… are you saying you’ll be my family?”
“I don’t have any family either. So let’s be family for each other.”
He was so overwhelmed he couldn’t even speak—just nodded so hard I worried his head might fall off.
Then he pounded a fist over his chest.
“Since I’m now your younger brother, please just call me Eidan comfortably.”
“Then you should call me noona (big sister)!”
“In my heart, I already do, my lord.”
He answered solemnly.
Suppressing a laugh, I added one last note:
[Personality: Stubborn.]
Eidan made a sulky face but couldn’t bring himself to deny it, which only made me laugh harder.
I was enjoying a rare moment of peace with my newly adopted “little brother” when Catherine appeared with a bright smile.
“Lady Lydia, Lady Ellicia has invited you to tea.”
Her cheerful tone didn’t ease my nerves. Meeting Ellicia always made me tense—and it was never something I could refuse.
I tucked Eidan into the shadows and followed Catherine.
When we arrived at Ellicia’s drawing room, she personally poured me a cup of tea.
“Try it. The aroma is exquisite.”
“Thank you, madam.”
I sipped carefully, pretending to appreciate the flavor. I didn’t really know much about tea, but the subtle sweetness and gentle scent were pleasant.
As I drank, Ellicia set a few documents on the table before me.
“What is all this, madam?”
“A gift—for my protégé.”
“A gift?”
“The deed to a mansion in the Bernstein Duchy. Fully furnished, with servants and a carriage. It’s yours.”
I almost spilled my tea.
A mansion? Mine?
So now I wasn’t just a landowner—
I was a homeowner too?!
