Chapter 103
Liena’s first life. I only knew fragmented pieces of that life.
This is because the novel’s introduction already began after Liena had died once and returned, when she went to an orphanage to adopt a child and met Duke Cassius.
The orphanage where Liena grew up had been supported by the late duchess, and Liena’s wish had been to adopt a third child there.
Being both clever and resembling the duchess, Liena quickly won the duke’s heart and successfully entered the Cassius household.
‘After that, her previous life was occasionally shown only through Liena’s recollections.’
In her first life, the originally timid Liena was so scared of Edmund, rumored to be a demon duke, that she hid whenever he visited.
Because of this, she had no contact with the duke’s family and, after some time, was adopted by another household.
But that family abused their adopted daughter, and unable to endure it, Liena ran away. She drifted from one menial job to another, working as a maid or servant.
Eventually, she encountered robbers on the street and met an unfortunate death—this roughly sums up Liena’s unhappy first life.
‘The memory I saw—was it just after Liena ran away?’
If Liena, having nowhere to go, relied on her friend Idel, the timing fits.
Even so, a few questions remained. Ignoring minor details, two main doubts persisted:
First, how did Idel and Liena become friends?
Second, how could Idel have developed a connection with the Cassius household?
The first could be understood if we imagine that Idel, having left the Wallace family to escape persecution, coincidentally met Liena and shared a bond of mutual sympathy.
‘At least in the dream, Idel seemed to be living alone somewhere other than the Wallace manor.’
But the second question was harder to explain.
In this life, Liandro first met me because his younger sister wanted the Andala Mine.
Even in the second life, which did not occur due to my possession, the circumstances were the same.
In other words, in the first life, before Liena became his sister, it was unlikely that Idel would have had any chance to meet or become close to the Cassius household or Liandro.
Though Idel and the Cassius family were both nobility, their social standings were far apart.
‘What on earth is going on…’
It would be simpler to dismiss it as a meaningless dream, but I couldn’t, so my mind was in chaos.
“Idel.”
At that moment, Terence pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Is the food not to your taste?”
His eyebrows lowered slightly as he looked at the freshwater fish he had caught and cooked himself.
From clear soup to grilled fish, four days passed quickly while the meal menu changed under his care.
I hastily used my fork to spear a piece of fish and put it in my mouth.
“No, it’s delicious. Really.”
“That’s a relief.”
“But how can I not feel bad? You’ve done all the work, Terence.”
“Don’t worry. A patient should rest properly.”
Whenever I tried to touch cooking or cleaning, he would immediately appear to stop me, so I had spent the last four days focusing purely on rest.
“Thanks to that, my fatigue is completely gone, and I feel strong now!”
I said cheerfully, and he smiled, then suggested,
“Shall we go for a walk after finishing the meal?”
“Of course.”
Soon after, we strolled along a lakeshore not far from the traveler’s inn.
“Oh! Hello!”
We met a familiar face—the girl from the neighboring house who had guided us to the mine.
“Hello! Are you on a walk too?”
She nodded brightly in response to my question.
“I’m on an errand.”
“Now that you mention it, there was a basket of food at the door. Did you bring that today too?”
“Yes.”
We still received at least one meal a day from the neighbors.
Terence’s cooking skills were limited, and the inn’s facilities weren’t sufficient for full-scale meals. It was a place meant for travelers to rest briefly.
“Why just leave the basket this time?”
I stroked the girl’s head.
“I just stayed outside, talking to you briefly, unlike last time.”
Watching a small child chattering curiously about outsiders was surprisingly enjoyable.
But the girl’s expression soon clouded.
“My mom scolded me. She said I shouldn’t keep bothering you two.”
“Why?”
“She said newlyweds like to be alone together, day or night.”
“……”
An awkward silence fell. Come to think of it, the villagers believed Terence and I were a married couple.
When we first arrived, Vineta suggested we present ourselves this way if anyone asked.
“You two are on a honeymoon and sightseeing trip, and I’m your servant. That will seem less suspicious.”
It sounded more convincing than my excuse about a mining exploration club, so I went along with it willingly…
‘I never imagined this would feel so embarrassing!’
After chatting for a while, the girl left the lakeside.
“Ha… such a cute kid. Ah, shall we rest over there for a bit?”
I guided Terence to a fallen log by the water.
We sat on the log and enjoyed the peaceful view of the lake.
The sunlight reflected off the rippling water, a family of ducks glided leisurely, and fish occasionally splashed up.
As I marveled at the surprisingly beautiful scenery,
“Idel.”
He called softly.
“If you have worries, you can always consult me.”
“…Yes?”
“I’m just saying, everyone has their concerns at times.”
He looked at me with a faint smile.
“You mentioned having something to confess to Vineta and me in the mine. If that promise is troubling you, you can postpone it.”
I realized Terence knew everything—he knew not just the promises I made to them these past days but also other matters weighing on my mind.
‘I tried to hide it, fearing he might worry.’
How could he understand me so well? How considerate could he be?
In contrast, I had been cowardly, promising myself to tell the truth but postponing it, waiting for Vineta to return as an excuse.
At that moment, I finally made my decision.
“Terence.”
I had to tell him everything, without holding back.
Whether he believed me or how he reacted, I would accept the consequences.
“The truth is…!”
At that moment, Terence’s expression changed suddenly, and he placed his hand on the ground.
“I sense vibrations.”
His hand moved toward his sword.
“There are at least a hundred of them. And horses. They’re definitely not villagers.”
He was not the only one to sense this anomaly.
“Master!”
The Divine Beast, left at the inn, came bounding toward us from a distance.
“Those with sticky greed are approaching with several humans! I can feel it!”
Soon, the commotion in the village reached my ears.
‘What’s happening? Should we evacuate? But Vineta should be returning soon.’
Seeing my worried expression, the Divine Beast reassured me:
“Don’t worry. Even weakened, I can protect my master.”
Terence also said,
“I’m here too. And from what I can hear, there doesn’t seem to be any violent conflict with the villagers yet.”
“…We need to go check what’s happening.”
I made a careful decision.
“And I have a feeling I know who has arrived.”
I hid the Divine Beast in my clothing and headed with Terence toward the village entrance.
The place was in chaos with gathered villagers.
As Terence said, no real violence had occurred yet, but fear was clear on everyone’s faces.
I spotted the neighboring girl’s mother among them.
“Hello.”
“Oh, it’s you.”
“What’s going on?”
“They say the lord has arrived.”
The current lord of this village was Baron Cainber.
“Something like this has never happened before. Why bring soldiers here…?”
Even a lord would rarely personally come to a small village to manage his estate, even if he sent subordinates.
We pushed through the murmuring villagers.
Then, surrounding the village entrance, soldiers appeared, and in their midst stood a man in noble attire.
Even without explanation, I knew—it was Baron Cainber.
The baron wasn’t the person I had guessed, but my speculation was about to be corrected.
“What? Already here?”
Someone approached the baron to speak, and he barked orders at his soldiers.
“Move aside, all of you!”
The soldiers hesitated, then stepped aside, allowing a dark carriage to enter.
It was a carriage I knew very well—my guess had been correct.
The luxurious carriage, unlike the humble village surroundings, opened.
“Oh my, you’ve arrived!”
The haughty-looking Baron Cainber, unexpectedly deferential, greeted the elderly man stepping out.
The experienced-looking elder ignored the baron and reached toward the carriage.
“My little bunny, was it tiring to ride the carriage for so long?”
…Speaking in a voice completely at odds with his grim appearance.
“I’m fine! I even enjoyed the longer time with you, Grandpa!”
As usual, Liena Cassius held the elder’s arm while stepping down.
Liena’s grandfather—the former Duke Cassius—was overjoyed at his granddaughter’s reply.
“I’m glad to be with my little bunny too. Though it would have been nicer to come somewhere other than this village.”
“Oh, this place is charming enough!”
Liena soothed her grandfather while looking around the village—and then spotted us.
Her red eyes, resembling a rabbit’s, widened in surprise, then curved into crescent moons.
