Chapter 10
‘Right…’
Melia stiffened at Eshion’s words.
‘Why didn’t I think of this before?’
If Royden truly intended to kill her, he could have done it that very day.
‘If he wanted, he could have ended me in an instant with the very knife he threatened me with.’
It would have been that easy. If he had failed, “Vanessa” could have continued attempting assassinations on her. But he had instead resolved everything through divorce.
‘Half of the ducal fortune… the risk he took was enormous.’
It was strange. The deeper she thought, the more contradictions she found.
Did Royden really want to kill “Vanessa”? Melia’s gaze wavered as she looked at Eshion.
‘Even the first question that came to Eshion’s mind… I couldn’t even think of it myself. That’s frustrating… and strange.’
‘No.’
She shouldn’t fool herself. This could just be self-justification born of her feelings toward Royden.
“Ah.”
But of all times…
Beep—.
A sharp, aching sensation spread again through her head. The situation was not good.
‘I didn’t even bring the medicine the physician gave me.’
“Are you alright?”
As Melia flinched in pain, Eshion, seemingly concerned, brushed the cloak off her shoulders and pressed his large palm lightly against her forehead.
“You don’t have a fever, but…”
Melia tightly closed her eyes as the world before her twisted.
‘Focus.’
She couldn’t just give up here. No matter how the headache spread, she wasn’t on the verge of losing consciousness.
“So…”
Melia shook off Eshion’s hand.
“Tell me more of what you think.”
From the looks of it, Eshion’s words carried credibility—more than her own increasingly hazy memories.
“…There’s no need to overthink it.”
Soon, he answered plainly.
“If you want to avenge your friend, first you should verify it yourself.”
Eshion’s advice continued.
“Start by looking into the assassination guild. There’s no way they wouldn’t be connected to a poison capable of killing someone instantly.”
“But…”
Even if someone had tried to kill her, her body was still alive, after all.
‘I’m dead, yet the world remembers me as alive.’
If that’s the case, no law could punish the perpetrator.
‘Even if it did, it would only count as attempted murder.’
Also, the “Vanessa” inside her body wouldn’t stand idly by, would she?
“Nothing will really change…”
Melia said, resigned, and Eshion grew frustrated.
“Why wouldn’t it change?”
The moment you know the truth, the person you resent changes.
“You won’t just stew over it by yourself, will you?”
Eshion’s shout made Melia freeze.
“Did he know the future? Perhaps even he secretly expected this.”
Maybe things could change from the past.
“…My intuition says the culprit isn’t your husband.”
Eshion clicked his tongue.
“It may be a conspiracy planned by someone who would most rejoice in your friend’s death. I’ll say it again: the former count’s death was not your friend’s fault.”
Eshion’s voice grew louder.
“Only two people knew the truth.”
Royden and Vanessa.
“As you say, the former count’s life may have depended on your friend… but”
Conversely,
“Your husband could have stopped it. Otherwise, perhaps he didn’t care if the former count survived.”
After this, Eshion paused and let out a sigh.
“…Looking at it this way, he really seems like a wretched man.”
His words carried a sense of doubt, but Melia didn’t ask. Somehow, Eshion seemed on the verge of tears.
“Are you crying…?”
“I’m not.”
He shook his head hard.
“Do not forgive him.”
Then, Eshion muttered in a voice choked with emotion.
“He is not worthy of forgiveness. That man isn’t.”
Melia quietly closed her mouth. At that moment, Eshion looked more sorrowful than anyone else. His red-rimmed eyes betrayed the tears he refused to show, sobbing silently. Watching him, Melia strangely felt comforted.
After some time, as the breeze grew cooler, Melia left. Eshion replayed her final words in his mind.
―Thanks to you, I feel much clearer now. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear the insult to my lord. And sorry for speaking casually from the start.
Once.
―I’ll say it again. I’m Melia. I work at the Garden Ducal Manor. If it’s alright with you.
Twice.
―Eshion, may I speak with you again sometime?
As he recalled her words slowly, Eshion stopped in place. Somehow, he found himself in a bustling area he didn’t recognize.
Then…
[You were quite engrossed in conversation.]
A whisper stirred him. His eyelids fluttered at the sudden sound.
“Are you teasing me?”
His dark brown eyes shifted, now gleaming gold.
‘Joining the conversation… perhaps it actually helped…’
[But thanks to me, you were able to know the whole sequence of events.]
Eshion frowned. Passersby instinctively shrank their shoulders. The whisper seemed amused by the situation.
[Hehe, how did it feel to have peace after so long?]
“Why are you asking that?”
[Bored.]
Eshion sighed.
“If we were to name the most idle here, it would be you.”
[That’s a good thing. My leisure means the world is peaceful, doesn’t it?]
The whisper stopped laughing immediately.
[Her body is fragile.]
“Her body?”
[Yes, the girl from before.]
Melia.
[Her soul barely endures. There’s no trace of the original owner… probably…]
“She must have perished.”
The whisper agreed silently.
“Is this related to Melia?”
[Perhaps.]
The whisper responded curtly.
[If she hadn’t died, none of this would have happened.]
Eshion stiffened slightly at the whisper.
“This time, I will protect her.”
[Yes, I’ll watch.]
The whisper softened.
[Will she lose everything in this life as well?]
Or regain it all. Of course, in order to do so…
[It would be best to first remove the insidious spell rooted in her mind.]
Before the spell destroys her soul entirely.
“…”
Eshion bit his lip hard.
“I’ve given the warning; the spell will gradually break.”
[Yes, as long as you don’t act foolishly.]
The whisper sounded regretful.
[Poor Vanessa.]
Even in this life, she had lost everything.
Back at the Ducal Manor, Melia hurried. The morning sun was already high.
‘They must have finished breakfast already.’
She hadn’t planned to be this late. She intended to return before sunrise to watch Ruby and Royden’s breakfast scene.
‘But I ran into someone unexpectedly…’
After the conversation with Eshion, time had slipped away. There was barely enough time to dry her wet clothes and change.
‘I can’t… At least remove the cloak first…’
Melia hurriedly removed the cloak Eshion had placed over her and took the pen and paper from her room’s table. Unknown letters and circles appeared on the paper, and soon her body was dry. It was a cleansing magic.
‘I’m late!’
Normally, she would admire her own skill and check her condition, but she had no time for that.
Bang.
“Sorry. I’m late.”
She opened the door quickly and witnessed an unexpected sight in Ruby’s room.
“You’re here, nanny?”
Ruby was having breakfast alone in her room, as usual.
“No… Princess, why are you eating here?”
“You haven’t heard yet, have you?”
Ruby ate quietly with her fork.
“Father skipped breakfast because of overdue paperwork.”
Rather than eat in the dining hall alone, she preferred eating alone in her room.
“So… this late…?”
“The chef got caught embezzling. The new chef’s handover delayed breakfast a bit.”
Ruby showed a delicious-looking ravioli.
“No wonder it tastes better than usual.”
Royden must have tidied the manor quickly as soon as he arrived.
‘Fast.’
Of course. If it’s for Ruby, he couldn’t afford to be slow.
“Please, eat.”
Hiding a bitter smile, Melia stood.
“We’ll start history class this afternoon, right?”
“Yes. I’m looking forward to the new teacher.”
Melia tidied the books on Ruby’s desk.
<History of the Olga Empire, Beginner Edition>
So this would be today’s textbook.
‘History, huh… There are some new terms even I haven’t learned at the academy yet…’
The book’s difficulty, labeled as “beginner,” still contained very detailed information.
‘It’s almost like an academy course.’
Wait…
“Princess.”
Melia asked absentmindedly.
“Do you have no intention of entering the academy?”
Ruby tilted her head.
“You didn’t know? I can’t go to the academy.”
Then, calmly:
“Maria said it’s a deal my father made before I was born.”
The child revealed her chains without hesitation.
