Chapter 64
“Just because.”
“‘Just because,’ huh.”
He looked very dissatisfied, but I couldn’t tell him everything. To him, the orphanage director was nothing more and nothing less than the person who had abused his own children. Someone he could kill without anyone having the right to complain.
“Is it wrong to be curious?”
“It’s not wrong.”
He stood up from his seat and slowly walked toward me.
“You probably have your own thoughts.”
“Yes.”
“But it’s strange. Normally, a child would be curious about the kids they grew up with. Or did the orphanage director treat you specially?”
“The orphanage director treated everyone the same.”
Only then did the Grand Duke nod. Someone who treated everyone the same—meaning what she did to the twins wasn’t very different from what she did to others.
In this life, the orphanage director treated me and the other children the same. She treated the twins a bit differently, but in the end, everyone was abused equally. But… in my past life, it probably wasn’t like that.
My past that I can’t fully remember. And the things that happened there.
‘In that life, I was probably favored by the orphanage director. Probably….’
I thought I hadn’t changed the current life, the novel’s story, very much. But that wasn’t true. From the moment I regained my memories at the orphanage, I acted differently from the past. I hated the orphanage director and interfered with everything she did.
I didn’t listen well, and I was busy helping the children. If I hadn’t done that, the orphanage director might have liked me as she did in the past. And if that had happened…
‘Things would have gone the same as before. And then… I would have ended up connected to her.’
I made a regretful expression. Maybe he misunderstood that look, because he only pursed his lips.
“‘The same,’ huh.”
“Yes.”
“Still, I can’t understand it. You talk about the orphanage director without even asking about the friends or teachers you grew up with.”
“Just….”
How should I explain it? But no suitable excuse came to mind.
“Well, forget it. I guess I also get sensitive when that person comes up.”
“Ah.”
“If I had just killed her, I wouldn’t be this irritated.”
“Did she…?”
“She ran away.”
My head rang at those words. The moment he said she ran away, I felt that something had gone wrong.
“She’s really something. Surviving a burning orphanage. I thought she was definitely dead, and we let our guard down. People searching the place just in case found her.”
“Ah….”
“She showed up in a state that could barely be called human because of the fire. It was reported that she was barely clinging to life, as if a god had forcibly kept her alive. In the end, I ordered them to bring her in.”
“They couldn’t bring her?”
He slowly nodded.
“It’s really strange. Not only did someone who looked like they couldn’t survive live, but she even escaped. She couldn’t have escaped without someone helping her.”
“Someone helping her would be….”
“There was no one there who could help her. We had already cleaned everything up.”
He pressed his temples as if he had a headache.
“Honestly. Missing someone who deserves to be torn apart piece by piece. I ordered them to find her after that, but they couldn’t. Until now.”
“Ah….”
“With that state, where did she even run to? It’s really strange.”
Watching him click his tongue, I remembered what the saintess had said. Changing the future is harder than you think. I thought it wouldn’t be that hard for me since I knew the future and had been changing things little by little. I thought I could do it.
That I was different from her. That I had already changed things about the twins.
I thought that since I had changed things so far, the rest wouldn’t be difficult either. But…
‘The fact that she escaped… that she’s alive is the same as in the past.’
In the past, and in the novel, she was alive. And another thought came to mind.
‘If it’s the same… then the orphanage director might contact this side in the end.’
Maybe this isn’t a completely hopeless situation.
In my dreams, the orphanage director tried to get me into the Grand Duke’s household no matter what. As a maid. But I’m already here, and I’ve gained some trust.
I don’t know why or for what reason she tried to send me here, but if she wants something, she’ll contact us again this time too.
“I see….”
“In your opinion, who do you think is protecting her?”
“Me?”
“With that condition, barely clinging to life, she couldn’t have hidden this perfectly. I considered that she might be dead, but there wasn’t even a trace of such a person or a corpse in any of the nearby villages.”
I tilted my head at that.
I have a rough idea of a place, but it was from a dream and very fragmentary, so I couldn’t say for sure.
A low ceiling that felt like it would touch my head. A place filled with an unknown, pungent smell. A shabby hut.
The place I saw in the dream. Did I see the scenery outside? I can’t remember clearly. It was strange to call it a mountain area… something felt different, but nothing came to mind clearly.
“Do you have any place in mind?”
“Me?”
“You had a serious expression.”
“Ah… um… I’m not sure. But I know the orphanage director used to give bribes to some nobles. Maybe… it’s one of them?”
But he just shook his head. It seemed they had already investigated that side thoroughly.
What help could what I said even be? Honestly, I wanted to say it might be related to the Grand Duchess, but those words didn’t come out easily.
I would be accusing her without any evidence. And I have to show that I get along well with the Grand Duchess. It can’t look like everything I do is cornering her.
“That could be possible.”
“If I think of anything… I’ll tell you.”
“Alright.”
“Thank you for telling me about the orphanage director.”
At that, he shook his head.
“There’s no need to thank me.”
“But still. Then I’ll be going.”
I stood up since I had said everything I needed to.
“But. Why did you act like that earlier? What you said about trying to act close.”
At the sudden question, I turned around and looked back at him.
“Ah. I just… wanted to show it. That His Grace the Grand Duke is paying quite a bit of attention to me. So… I tried that.”
“Ah.”
“I’m sorry. You were surprised, right?”
He slightly tilted his head.
“You wanted to show that I care about you.”
“Yes….”
“Are there people bothering you?”
“What? Ah, no. It’s not like that.”
“Then… never mind.”
He seemed like he was going to ask more but shut his mouth. Instead, his gaze turned to Rex behind him. He was probably going to ask him. I already expected that the reason the Grand Duke attached Rex to me was for things like this, so I didn’t react.
“Ah, Your Grace.”
“Yes?”
“May I come again?”
“……”
“I won’t bother you.”
At least I need to make the Grand Duchess uncomfortable. If she knows I keep coming here, she’ll get more impatient.
“It doesn’t matter. You won’t tell me the reason, right?”
“Can I just say… ‘just because’?”
“Well, fine. Do as you please.”
If before the Grand Duke was like a blade, now he’s like a wooden sword. He can still threaten and hurt someone, but compared to before, he’s become duller.
“And….”
“What now.”
“Thank you. For letting me use the library.”
“Ah.”
“Your Grace. I have something to tell you about that. May I have a moment?”
“Sure.”
“Then I’ll step out.”
Since it seemed the two of them had something to discuss, I quietly excused myself. Rex was probably going to tell the Grand Duke various things about me. I expected it, so I didn’t feel uncomfortable.
I hopped outside.
“I’ll wait for you, Rex!”
“I’ll be right there, Aisha-sama.”
I closed the door myself. After that, the surroundings felt unusually quiet. Except for the attendants guarding the door, the corridor was strangely silent. Because of that, I could clearly feel the gazes of people pretending to pass by while watching the room.
Anyone could tell they were the Grand Duchess’s people.
What are they watching? The Grand Duke? Me? Or the people entering his room? Does the Grand Duke know about these people and just leave them alone?
‘Still, what I did this time, the Grand Duchess will definitely notice.’
There was someone following Rex and me, so I made sure to act more conspicuously, but even without that, it would have reached the Grand Duchess’s ears.
Will she contact me tomorrow right away? To ask what I talked about with the Grand Duke. Or will she attach more surveillance, or send maids to ask things?
I was thinking about that when—
“You’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t you?”
