Chapter 41
Time passed, and it was deep in the dead of night.
Inside the mansion where everyone was asleep, there was only silence, without even the faintest noise.
Before long, creak.
The sound of a door opening echoed through the corridor filled with stillness.
Soon after, a shadow carefully stepped into the hallway, slipped out of the mansion, and moved toward the back garden.
Tap, tap, tap.
The place the figure secretly headed to, unnoticed by anyone, was an abandoned warehouse that people never visited.
“……”
The person who slowly revealed herself under the moonlight was Nanny Grimora.
She glanced around as if she were waiting for someone.
“I heard there was a disturbance at the mansion earlier today, Grimora-nim.”
Just as she was about to enter the abandoned warehouse, she sensed a presence behind her.
Startled, Grimora spun around sharply.
A large man dressed entirely in black stood there silently.
“Ah, yes.
Countess Leella—because that woman suddenly barged into the mansion, the plan failed.”
Soon, Grimora realized who the man was and nodded as if she were familiar with him.
The man who appeared before her was a close aide of ‘that person’ with whom she was secretly colluding.
Clicking her tongue in irritation, she spoke with clear displeasure.
“If only it weren’t for that mother and daughter, the plan would have succeeded……”
The plan she spoke of was simple.
She would find the lost Reia herself and gain Artemene’s boundless trust.
That was why she had deliberately burned incense to make the window open and put the maid to sleep.
She had been waiting for Reia to step outside through the open window.
She even went so far as to deliberately tear the string of the necklace so it would be lost.
After all, Grimora already knew far too well where that tiny girl would hide, so she planned to ‘find’ Reia naturally.
However, the intrusion of the Leella mother and daughter was something she had never anticipated.
“And because of them, Artemene-nim seemed to suspect me!
She even asked whether I had used medicine on Reia—can you believe it, that old fox!”
On top of that, Artemene ended up harboring strange misunderstandings about her.
To Grimora, the mother and daughter could only be a thorn in her side.
Until now, Artemene had never once doubted or questioned her.
Instead, she had only expressed gratitude for how devotedly Grimora cared for sick Reia.
Ever since meeting Countess Leella, Artemene had clearly become strange.
No matter how much she said she found it offensive and claimed not to believe it.
The thought that there might be something between those two that she did not know made Grimora’s head throb painfully.
“You said Countess Leella was naive and weak.
That she wouldn’t last long and would be chased out.”
At that moment, the unidentified man, who had only been listening, spoke up.
“Please do not be so impatient, Grimora-nim.
We were told that Countess Leella would fall on her own anyway.
That person surely has their reasons.”
“Ha……!”
Grimora was about to lash out in anger, but soon nodded in agreement, telling herself that yes, that person must have a purpose.
“All right.
If that person says so, I won’t argue further.”
No matter how much Countess Leella had changed compared to five years ago, her inherently weak and naive nature could not simply disappear.
Believing that, Grimora had no choice but to steadily see the plan through to success.
To do that, she had to gain Artemene’s trust as quickly as possible.
“Was there anything strange about that mother and daughter?”
“Something strange?
Well……”
She was about to answer that there was nothing when something suddenly came to mind.
‘You think that child was using magic?
Can you prove it, Morris?’
‘P-Prove it?
I can’t prove it!
But she feels different from the other children……’
She did not particularly trust the words of Morris, her own son, who was frail and foolishly kind.
However, thinking back, it had also been strange when Reia was rescued.
It was something that could not be explained without ‘magic.’
‘No way.
Could that little brat named Mela really have used magic?
That’s ridiculous.’
As that thought settled, Grimora’s complexion suddenly turned pale.
Magic—surely that made no sense.
……A child who had only just turned five years old?
Her body was scrawny, her frame small, and she looked dull-witted.
Still, was it because she carried Decart blood that she possessed such ability?
In the history of the Decart family, those who could wield magic instead of swordsmanship were extremely rare.
Grimora rejected the idea outright.
There was no way such an ability could exist in such an insignificant mother and daughter.
Which meant, in the end—
With a confident sneer, Grimora curled her lips into a mocking smile.
“Ah.
The Countess did say something strange.
She claimed Reia has an illness.
I don’t know exactly what kind, but she arrogantly said she could cure it, so Artemene-nim seemed extremely angry.”
“……An illness?
Is that also part of your plan, Nanny?”
“Oh my, of course not.
Unless one is a god, deliberately creating an illness would be difficult.
Well, when someone’s condition worsens, illnesses that didn’t exist can appear.
Still, this much information should satisfy that person.”
The man spoke again.
“Then find out exactly what that illness is, Nanny.”
Grimora stiffened and waved her hands in refusal.
“What?
How could I possibly do that?
That’s far too reckless.”
The man’s presence instantly turned vicious.
Behind the mask covering his face, only his glaring eyes were visible, making the sight all the more chilling.
Startled, Grimora bit her lip and hurriedly corrected herself.
“A-All right.
I’ll do it, so please be sure to tell that person.
If this matter succeeds, make sure they keep their promise.
My children.”
“That will depend on how you finish the job, Nanny.
In any case, we’ll meet again in three days.”
“H-Hey!”
The man said only what he needed to say and disappeared first.
“Damn bastards.”
Watching the man vanish in the blink of an eye, Grimora ground her teeth, feeling once again that she had been used.
Soon, a heavy silence returned, so deep that not even the cry of a bird could be heard.
“……”
Not long after, Grimora, who had been hiding as quietly as a dead mouse, slipped out of the abandoned warehouse.
She moved while concealing her presence with practiced ease, as if she had done this more than once or twice.
And there was one fact they did not know.
Caw—.
Caw—.
As if it had been eavesdropping on their conversation, Atil, who had been quietly perched atop the abandoned warehouse, flew off as though it had been waiting for this moment.
Flying high and swiftly, it landed at Artemene’s mansion, at a third-floor window.
“……You’ve worked hard, Atil.”
Artemene immediately opened the window and gently stroked Atil’s round head.
She removed only the circular object hanging around its neck and quickly sent Atil away.
After briefly watching Atil disappear into the deep night sky, Artemene fell into troubled thought.
‘Then before that, there is something you must do for me, Aunt.’
‘Something I must do?
What is it, Countess?
Tell me anything.’
‘First, please check whether there is anything suspicious about Nanny Grimora.
And then let it slip to her that Reia is ill.’
To be honest, when Artemene first heard those words, she could not readily agree.
She had never allowed Reia to attend even a single family event because she did not want others to find out about her aphasia.
As a result, she was already under scrutiny from the elders, and yet she was being told to spread word that Reia was ill.
‘If this is not solely Nanny Grimora’s independent action, then there must be someone she is colluding with.
And there is a chance she will pass along that information under the guise of “intelligence.”’
As Evlyen Leella said this, she was certain that Grimora would relay the information.
However, Grimora was a woman who had never once spoken aloud about Reia’s aphasia.
That was precisely why Artemene trusted her.
“……What on earth are you plotting, Countess?
Can I truly trust you?”
Artemene still did not fully trust Evlyen Leella.
That was why her expression was all the more conflicted.
Even so, the reason she accepted Evlyen’s proposal was simple.
This time, she had to protect her only family, no matter what.
* * *
“Ah, why have my ears been so itchy since yesterday?
Is someone talking behind my back?
Sniff……
My nose feels all stuffy too.”
I must have overworked myself these past few days and caught a cold.
Sniffling with my congested nose, I barely finished my morning work.
“It’s snowing again today.”
After sitting for a long time, I stretched my stiff body and turned my head toward the window.
Snow was still falling so heavily that it was hard to tell whether it was day or night.
Unfortunately, a mere handful of sunlight was not enough to withstand the cold of Northskal.
For the sunlight to rise, the curse would have to end as soon as possible.
Brr, it’s cold.
Just as I was shivering, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
