Chapter 120
What in the world is going on?
Seeing how flustered I was, Kautz tried to unfold the paper in my stead, but she failed as well.
The material was clearly thin paper, yet it wouldn’t open at all, as if it had hardened solid.
“Should we try dampening it with a bit of water?”
We tried wetting it, blowing on it with a ho, and even channeling my mana into it.
But it didn’t budge.
It was infuriating. You said it would reveal itself at an important moment—but when exactly is that “important moment”?!
Maybe that was why Grandma hadn’t stopped me even when I stole the paper.
“Ugh! I’m going right now!”
“Huh? To who?”
“That damn guardian spirit!”
After reassuring the duke and Krimu that I was fine, I immediately headed back to the Delve Estate.
Then I stood in front of the tree in the backyard.
“It’s gone!”
No matter how I looked, the hole in the tree that I’d fallen into was nowhere to be found.
It was bizarre.
Even after rubbing my eyes and checking again, there wasn’t even a small hole big enough to stick a foot into.
After returning to the ducal residence, I skipped my meal and sank into deep thought.
The malice left behind by dead humans.
Evil souls that would corrupt the world.
And…
The murderer who killed me.
Everything was jumbled together, leaving me confused.
Then my gaze fell on the luggage bag that was still sitting untouched since my trip to the south.
I had stopped Brita from unpacking it.
Because I was going to leave anyway.
There had been one failure, but that was enough.
I was determined to leave the ducal residence, even if I had to use teleportation.
It’d be best to leave before dawn.
Just as I was about to check the luggage bag again, I heard a familiar voice from outside the door.
Soon the door opened, and Krimu peeked his head in.
“Sister-in-law.”
“Krimu, you’re still awake?”
“You suddenly showed up in my dream.”
Blinking his round, bright eyes, Krimu stepped inside.
“I was in your dream?”
Krimu nodded and adorably waved one hand.
“Yeah. You suddenly waved at me like this and said hello. And then you disappeared. Like you weren’t coming back.”
“…!”
Had I been found out?
I tried hard to hide my startled expression.
“R-really? That’s a strange dream. What kind of dream is that? Maybe you’re just tired from the trip.”
But Krimu wasn’t listening to me.
He was staring intently at the luggage bag in my hands.
When he tilted his head slightly, his pale blue hair swayed along with the motion.
“But what were you doing, Sister-in-law?”
“Well, um… I was trying to unpack. They’re my things, so I wanted to do it myself.”
Krimu scratched his fair cheek with a small finger, then nodded as if he understood.
He plopped down beside the luggage bag.
“Oh, I see. I thought you were really going somewhere and leaving me behind, just like in my dream.”
“…!”
My shoulders shrank involuntarily.
Why did he have to have a dream like that now of all times?
As I was about to let out a long sigh, Krimu’s next words made my heart ache.
“I was really scared. Even though it was just a dream, you went far away.”
Krimu’s hands were gripping the luggage bag tightly, as if he’d never let it go.
When I met his moist red eyes, my heart sank heavily.
I had to leave. I really did.
But I couldn’t say a single word to Krimu and just lowered my head—
when suddenly his bright voice rang out.
“Sister-in-law!”
“…Yeah?”
“Let’s go see Pure!”
“Now?”
“Yeah!”
Suddenly grinning, Krimu grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
When we arrived at the kitchen, we began baking cookies together with Chef Pure.
The sweet smell seemed to gently wrap around my troubled heart.
As the cookies baked, the nanny, Brita, Kautz, the butler Debuy, and even a puppy gathered in the kitchen before I knew it.
Perfectly baked chocolate cookies and warm milk.
It turned into a small midnight tea party.
At the very end, even the duke appeared.
He quietly surveyed the scene, sent me a pleased smile, and soon left.
As we were all enjoying ourselves, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
Wait… why does it feel like everyone was waiting for this moment?
Tilting my head, my eyes met Brita’s.
She widened her eyes like a startled rabbit, then smiled brightly at me.
When I looked away, I met the butler Debuy’s gaze—he brushed his neat hair back and smiled at me too.
…What is this? Why is everyone like this?
It was only after returning to my room that I learned the truth through Kautz.
“So… everyone stayed up this late because they were worried about me?”
“Yes, miss.”
Kautz honestly told me what had been discussed among the servants that day.
How I’d collapsed during the southern trip,
and how after returning I skipped meals and stayed shut in my room—everyone had been worried.
That must have been why.
Why Krimu had that dream.
Why they’d thrown a surprise tea party for me.
“……”
The bridge of my nose stung.
My eyes grew hot.
Their love was so warm.
Before I knew it, a teardrop fell.
“Miss, are you all right?”
“…Yeah. I’m just grateful.”
As she handed me a handkerchief, Kautz said,
“You have no idea how much everyone loves and worries about you.”
“I know… Who do I think I am, really.”
“What do you mean? All of this is because you were the first to give love and affection. That’s why even this cold ducal residence was able to change.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“I only spoke the truth.”
After wiping away my tears, I thought to myself.
Sneaking out of the estate while deceiving everyone wasn’t right after all.
It would only cause pain.
To me—and to everyone who loved me.
“Kautz.”
“Yes, miss.”
“I was actually… scared of being driven out. So I thought I’d run away first.”
“Who would ever drive you out?!”
“If I break off the engagement with Lord Shebert, I thought there’d be no reason for me to stay here. I thought people wouldn’t love me this much if I weren’t the fiancée anymore. So… I was scared.”
Kautz, who had been looking at me with tear-filled eyes, soon smiled gently—like a mother.
“To think we love you because you’re someone’s fiancée… Everyone loves you for who you are.”
“…For who I am?”
Kautz raised her voice.
“Yes, of course! And driving you out—how could anyone dare? If anything, Lord Shebert would be the one to be driven out, never you. The duke would never allow that.”
At the mention of driving out Shebert, I nodded without thinking.
“My heart feels lighter.”
After speaking honestly, it felt as though a hazy fog had lifted.
Kautz took my hands and wrapped them in hers.
“You must have worried all alone for so long. I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner, miss.”
“No, Kautz. Just having you by my side gives me so much strength.”
The next day, with a lighter heart, I pushed the luggage bag far out of the way.
And I decided that once Shebert returned, I would tell him about breaking off the engagement.
I wanted to write a letter and tell him right away, but the situation in the Laudne region—where Shebert was—wasn’t good.
I couldn’t confess something like that amid such chaos.
Since I wasn’t going to run away or leave secretly anymore, there was only one thing I needed to do right now.
I have to find the evil soul.
Once I set that goal, things moved quickly.
Using the power of the Devel organization, I met murderers who killed people for no reason at all—
in order to find the evil soul that killed me and dragged me into this world.
But every time, they all died helplessly from a single blow of mine.
Just like Shant Kereis.
After examining the bodies, Kautz came to a conclusion.
“What’s dying is just the human shell. The evil soul that was inside seems to have escaped.”
“There has to be a way to capture an evil soul…”
This kept happening over and over.
But I couldn’t find an answer to how to solve it.
The paper I’d taken from the guardian spirit also refused to open no matter what I tried, so I left it tucked away in a drawer.
To整理 my thoughts, I headed to the garden.
A refreshing breeze brushed against me.
“Miss, this is a new dress.”
“I’m not even going to any balls—why bother…”
Brita opened her eyes wide, prim and proper.
“Even if you’re not attending balls, you still need new clothes. You can’t just keep wearing your old ones—they don’t fit at all anymore.”
The reflection of Marianne in the mirror was different from before.
My red hair, tied back with a yellow pin, gleamed thanks to Brita’s care.
I’d grown taller, my body had gained curves.
My eyes shone, and my skin was full of life.
But what does it matter…
I missed Ron. And Shebert too.
Several years had already passed, yet they hadn’t returned.
What began as a small breach had spread until nearly half the fortress wall collapsed.
The neighboring border kingdom fought desperately to stop it, and the Triya Empire sent additional reinforcements.
Kautz and I also worked hard making magic bombs and sending them over.
But the monsters kept coming endlessly.
It had already been three years since I last saw them.
As time passed, letters I’d received from them piled up in great numbers.
