TELRO 21

Chapter 21

“Absolutely.”

I didn’t really have anything else to do anyway, so I had planned to return to the Iris Hall and work on some embroidery.

‘…Wait. Could the Marquis give me an envelope of money?’

Come to think of it, yes.

‘Right, it’s not like there’s a rule that only the Marchioness can hand over a money envelope, is there?’

Marquis Penian was the Duke’s closest aide. Not just any aide—the closest one.

‘If the Duke were to go astray, it would be the closest aide’s job to offer bitter but loyal advice…’

Surely, Marquis Penian wouldn’t take kindly to a mere commoner like me aspiring to become the Duchess.

She might even try to drive me out of here before the Marchioness takes action!

‘I hope I’m right.’

I glanced sideways at Marquis Penian and began walking in the direction she guided.

“I’m asking purely out of curiosity—no ulterior motives—but how did your connection with His Grace the Duke begin?”

“I ran into him by chance on the road. I didn’t know he was the Duke then, and I approached him first.”

“And His Grace responded kindly?”

“Yes. That’s why I was glad I worked up the courage to speak to him. You know what they say—fortune favors the bold when it comes to handsome men.”

“Hahaha! You’re absolutely right. I, too, defeated countless rivals in my youth to win my husband.”

“Really? Can I ask how you did that?”

“Of course. It’s a bit of a long story…”

From their first encounter to the proposal—it was a thrilling tale rivaling any romance novel, of how Marquis Penian had captured her gentle and proper husband.

By the time the story ended, we were standing in front of a heavily guarded iron fence.

“Greetings, my lady.”

“You’ve worked hard. I’d like to go inside briefly.”

“Forgive me, but the lady behind you is…?”

“You must have heard the news, haven’t you? This is the Duke’s fiancée.”

At the introduction from Marquis Penian, the gatekeepers standing guard in front of the tightly shut gate immediately straightened up and bowed to me.

“We greet the Duke’s fiancée!”

“She’s staying in the Iris Hall, so there should be no issue with her entering.”

“Of course. However, the others will have to remain outside.”

At those words, I instinctively turned to look at Alicia.

With a conflicted expression, Alicia looked between the fence and Marquis Penian before nodding at me.

“We will wait here, my lady.”

“Okay… I’ll be back soon.”

What on earth was in there that required not just a thick, spiked fence but also restricted access?

As if reading my mind, Marquis Penian, walking one step ahead, began to explain.

“This place didn’t originally have such fencing. And there weren’t any guards either.”

“Then why was it added all of a sudden?”

“Because of an anomaly.”

She stopped walking and stepped aside, gesturing ahead.

It seemed she wanted me to go first, so I walked past her and moved forward.

Then I saw it.

A massive plum tree—easily several times taller than me.

“Ah…”

But the tree was dying. No, it might as well have been dead. Almost all its branches were dried up.

Only a few leaves clung to the uppermost branches, and even those were more than half browned and withered. It wouldn’t be surprising if they all fell off at any moment.

“This plum tree was planted and nurtured by the first Duke of Rudian himself. In a way, it has shared in the history of the Rudian family. And…”

Her hand gently touched the brittle bark, and I could feel the sorrow in her touch.

“When a divine beast dies, its egg will form on this tree.”

“Really? But…”

“Yes. With the tree in such a state, it can no longer bear fruit. The reason no new divine beast has been born in the Rudian family may very well be because this tree was not properly cared for.”

Marquis Penian looked up at the dying tree and let out a deep sigh—a sigh filled with resignation.

“The previous Duke, the late Duke, the Marchioness, and every gardener at the estate has tried to save this plum tree. But no one has succeeded. At this rate… it will probably die completely within a year or two.”

‘Huh?’

“My lady.”

“…Yes?”

I had been momentarily distracted, but I responded belatedly to her call.

Instead of scolding me, she looked at me with unreadable, probing eyes.

“This plum tree is the symbol and guardian spirit of the Rudian family. Everyone who loves Rudian and serves the family grieves to see it in such a state.”

“I feel sorry too. I bet it would be beautiful when in full bloom…”

“That’s why I bring this up. You worked in a greenhouse before coming here, didn’t you?”

“Oh, yes. For about three years.”

“Then you must have some experience and knowledge in tending to plants.”

“Well…”

To be honest, all I did was heavy labor back then.

“If you can bring this plum tree back to life, many people will come to support you as the Duke’s fiancée. I, Penian, will be the first among them.”

“Pardon?”

“Of course, you’re free to pretend you never heard my suggestion… But what do you say? Will you give it a try?”

Now I understood. Her gaze wasn’t just curiosity—it was a test.

I couldn’t tell if she truly wanted the tree revived or if it was my attitude during the process that mattered more.

‘Ugh. If the Marquis supports me as the Duke’s fiancée, that’ll be a disaster.’

Since my goal was to take the envelope and get kicked out of this mansion, I should have declined.

‘But…’

I just couldn’t shake my head. After hesitating several times, I finally nodded.

“Yes. I’ll give it a try.”

But the reason I made that decision wasn’t because of the sorrowful way the Marquis kept touching the dying tree.

It was because of what I saw behind the thick tree trunk.

A young girl with crimson hair was peeking out and looking at me with desperate eyes.

‘…She’s probably a ghost, right?’

She was semi-transparent to the point I could almost see through her, and Marquis Penian didn’t seem to notice her presence at all.

* * *

“Oh my goodness, the Marquis asked you to revive the plum tree? And you said you’d try it?!”

“Well, I couldn’t exactly say no…”

I was thinking about the ghost girl when I said that, but Alicia seemed to interpret it differently.

“Ugh, this is crazy. That old hag deliberately took only you inside. I thought she was a decent person, but she’s a snake!”

Alicia said she would’ve stopped me from accepting if she had been there and then gave me some background about the tree.

“That stupid tree—plenty of people have tried to save it. Even that scoundrel gave it a go in all sorts of ways. But in the end, he failed. Same with Ruid.”

“Really?”

“And you’re still so calm?! This isn’t something to take lightly!”

Alicia thumped her chest in frustration.

“That Marquis is really something. Honestly, I doubt she made the offer thinking you’d succeed. It’s obvious. The Marchioness probably nudged her to do it.”

“Are the Marquis and the Marchioness close?”

“Not exactly close, but she’s considerate because of the late Duke. To be honest, the Marchioness has been in a tough spot ever since the scoundrel inherited the title. Anyway!”

Alicia’s eyes gleamed as she spoke.

“Go straight to the scoundrel. Tattle on her. Who does she think she is, testing the girl the Duke personally brought in as his fiancée just because she’s got some clout?!”

“Calm down, Alicia. Actually… there’s something I’d like you to do.”

“A favor? What is it?”

I hoped she wouldn’t take this the wrong way.

Cautiously, I asked,

“Can you find out if, in the past 25 years, a young girl—about three or four years old—died within the Duke’s estate?”