TNCTR 06

Chapter 6

The very next day, I submitted a missing person report under the name of “Inerua Mertiel” for the Duke and Duchess. Almost immediately, the Imperial family dispatched an investigation team.

Since the Imperial side had already given me prior notice, everything was proceeding at lightning speed.

Now that I had Kissel to act as my hands and feet, and I had a first goal for survival, there was no reason to delay any longer.

“They’re arriving soon via teleport gate. Kissel, gather the mansion staff and have them ready.”

“Understood.”

I was taking a walk in the garden with Kissel when we received word that the Imperial Knights were on their way for an investigation. It was a bit of a shame to cut short this rare moment of leisure.

After a meal and a brief stroll through the training hall, I checked the time and changed into clothes appropriate for receiving guests.

“For the first time in a while, let me choose your outfit.”

Kissel brought over a black dress that matched my hair and a white shawl, and I dressed accordingly.

It wasn’t flashy, but it radiated enough authority that it deserved a round of applause.

All the chandeliers in the mansion were lit.

Seeing the maids and servants lined up in the central hall reminded me of when the Duke used to return home.

‘Back then, when the attendants lined up like this, I would always hide away in my room.’

That was all a memory of my childhood now.

The teleport gate opened quickly, and knights clad in golden armor began entering the ducal mansion in formation.

“They’re supposedly here to investigate the Duke’s disappearance, but this seems excessive.”

“Well, the master of the house isn’t here, so they don’t need to be discreet.”

I ordered them to be shown into the reception room.

Come to think of it, it was rather strange.

“I can’t be the head of the house because I’m a woman, but I can be the acting head?”

Maybe it wasn’t strange—just plain ridiculous.

Some of the knights entered the reception room.

For a moment, I nearly forgot to breathe.

“……”

The knight before me.

As he looked around the ducal estate and spotted me, he paused momentarily, eyes widening slightly before approaching.

“…Pablo Herka of the First Knights. I greet Lady Mertiel.”

He paused briefly before slowly extending his hand.

I had to moisten my dry lips quickly as I looked at him.

It was him. The one who had relentlessly pursued me through the mountains in my previous life, determined to capture me.

Calm down. Just calm down.

I had anticipated this kind of situation the moment I prepared to face the knights.

I slowly placed my hand atop his palm.

Pablo bowed and kissed the back of my hand.

A flawless display of chivalry towards a lady—but all I could manage was a bitter smile.

A knight of the Imperial Order, moving for justice, and the high-treason fugitive with a bounty on her head—meeting again now as a knight and lady.

We began our conversation.

We’d been having a meaningless exchange about the Duke’s disappearance for a while when I overheard knights who had searched the Duke’s room muttering that there were no significant traces. I watched from a distance as Pablo nodded in response.

Pablo motioned with his chin to the knights behind him.

“Bring the letter.”

One knight pulled an envelope from his coat.

The seal of the Imperial family was boldly imprinted on pristine white paper.

“A letter for me, I see.”

“Yes. His Majesty wrote it himself, so it must be opened by your own hands.”

All eyes were on me as I reached for the letter.

I used a paper knife to slice open the seal, pulled out the letter, and let each word etch itself into my eyes.

The knights, unaware of the contents, shifted their eyes restlessly and swallowed hard.

“……”

I could hear them swallowing from here.

They all waited anxiously for what would come out of my mouth.

“His Majesty…”

I smiled lightly and tucked the letter into my bosom.

“…has invited me to the Imperial Palace.”

It wasn’t a light matter, but I tried to make it appear so.

An invitation?

I’d suspected I would be summoned for questioning, but this was unexpected.

From the letter’s wording, the Emperor was treating me as a guest.

Being summoned to the palace due to an incident and being invited as a distinguished guest were entirely different matters.

“This will be my first trip to the capital, so I’m looking forward to it.”

I spoke with a bright tone, trying to ease the tension among the stiff knights.

Finally, they turned their eyes to me.

With so many large knights gathered, the spacious room suddenly felt small.

My mind was racing.

“I’m grateful His Majesty is willing to adjust to my schedule.”

“If possible, we’d like to escort you ourselves. When would be a convenient time?”

Good question. When would be good?

“I’ll go in ten days. You may return ahead of me.”

Ten days later—I gave them a specific date.

One reason was that I didn’t want to travel with that man in front of me, but I gave a plausible excuse.

“As you know, things are chaotic right now, so I’m swamped with work.”

Smiling, I locked eyes with Pablo.

He flinched and quickly averted his gaze.

‘What’s with him?’

He couldn’t possibly remember anything from the previous life, and yet… that reaction was oddly sharp.

“If it were me, I’d choose death. Better to die with the pride of a noble than cling to life like a filthy worm. Don’t you agree?”

That’s what he had told me when we were face-to-face in the past life, during one of my desperate escapes.

Pride of a noble?

His greatest mistake had been trying to throw that in my face.

Maybe it was because he said that, that I managed to survive for over three years.

Whether I lived with noble pride or like a worm… I had been filled with the spiteful will to keep living, just to prove him wrong.

Of course, in the end, I died quietly before his very eyes.

“I’ll see you in the capital.”

I smiled at Pablo and offered a farewell.

It was the bare minimum courtesy I could give him.

✦ ✦ ✦

Ten days—it felt both short and long.

While I packed and handled other matters, time passed, and soon the day of departure arrived.

“You’ve reinforced the mansion’s security, right? The knights, servants, and maids—everyone’s ready?”

“Don’t worry. You know how capable I am.”

This was my first formal trip, and I was admittedly a bit tense.

Honestly, I didn’t want to bring those annoying knights and attendants, but there was no helping it for now.

“I prepared the best carriage for you… Do you like it?”

“I’ve never ridden in a carriage before.”

In my past life, I had hidden in cargo wagons a few times while on the run…

“Maybe I should’ve just opened a teleport gate instead.”

“That’s what the Tower of the Duchy is for.”

Kissel muttered as if to himself, casting a displeased glance at the line of horses and carriages.

I bumped my shoulder against his.

Well, somewhere around his arm, to be exact.

“It’s fine. I wanted to ride a proper carriage at least once anyway.”

When I was younger, the capital had always been the place I wanted to visit once I left the Duchy.

A place with golden fountains, a grand temple, and museums.

A place with polished roads, flashy buildings, and colorful people.

Of course, after I became a fugitive in my past life, it became the place I most avoided.

“I heard there’s a shop in the capital that sells Mont Blanc desserts, good enough to be supplied to the Imperial family.”

“How did you know that?”

I read it in a cheap magazine that came with two fairy tales.

Kissel had gotten me into reading lately, and it had become the perfect pastime.

“We should try it too.”

“Sure. Even though excessive sweetness torments me, if it’s your wish, I must follow.”

He said that, but he always joined me during dessert time.

I climbed into the carriage.

“Oh! I’ve got good news and bad news.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“First, the good news. We won’t get lost on our way to the capital anymore. Nice, right?”

“How’s that possible?”

Even knights who traveled back and forth regularly had a hard time figuring out the newly paved roads.

“Well, it was impossible—until it wasn’t. And the reason it’s now possible is actually the bad news.”

Kissel firmly grabbed my waist and lifted me into the high carriage as he continued.

“The Imperial family is sending a knight to guide us.”