“Damn it.”
Dehart was filled with frustration upon hearing the news that Denisa had already returned to the capital.
“It’s absurd that no one knew she had left,” he continued as a sigh escaped through his cracked lips.
Ryan, who had been organizing documents nearby, shook his head.
“You don’t need to blame yourself.”
Unlike his superior, whose emotions were surging like waves, the knight remained calm. And to be honest, it was simply because he had given up on trying to stop Dehart.
“No one had thought of her until things reached this point. It wasn’t just you, Your Grace, who failed to remember her.”
Denisa had always been a woman of little presence. Even Ryan, who served Dehart, had only occasionally seen her with Sebelia. She was a normal and common person who didn’t leave much of an impression on people. Just a common nursemaid.
“Most of the servants didn’t even know her name. Of course… that includes me as well.”
Ryan frowned, and clicked his tongue.
A person whose name you don’t know cannot be called. Without any clues to recall their appearance, they simply remain buried in memory.
“Right. Those bastards didn’t even know who she served, damn it. None of the goddamn servants in this blasted mansion!”
Hylend Hall was a vast estate encompassing two hunting grounds, a parkland with rolling hills, a lake and fields.
So, unless they interacted daily, the people working there didn’t pay much attention to each other. That’s why, during the entire time he was raging and questioning Sebelia’s death, no one thought of Denisa.
Because she was kicked out of the manor.
Denisa lived outside Hylend Hall, and secluded herself in Sebelia’s tiny room whenever she came to work. So, she was, unsurprisingly, not remembered by anyone.
“Even so, she was the only maid of the lady of the house! How can no one remember her!” Dehart slumped into his chair, venting his frustration. “They’re all so arrogant, acting as if they’re something special…”
But even as he said that, Dehart was acutely aware that the person he was referring to was himself. That realization made him feel even more foolish and insignificant.
“I’ve already sent word to those stationed in the capital, and just in case, I’ve assembled additional knights and dispatched them. So please, don’t worry too much.” Ryan placed the organized documents on Dehart’s desk as he spoke. “Although, I’m not sure if that nanny is someone who can resolve Your Grace’s suspicions.”
At Ryan’s indifferent remark, Dehart glared at him, clearly displeased. However, the knight’s expression remained unchanged.
Unlike his superior, who was consumed by suspicion and distrust, believing his wife was murdered, Ryan had still managed to keep his rationality intact.
“When the nanny arrives, it would be best not to intimidate her. Try to create a comfortable atmosphere.”
“Do you want me to sit with her, and crack jokes?”
To that nanny, I must seem like nothing more than the worst kind of bastard.
“I’d be lucky if she doesn’t start cursing me the moment she sees me.”
Dehart scoffed, then sprang to his feet. He couldn’t bear to stay put any longer.
“This won’t do. Waiting for her to come to the North will take too long. I’ll go there myself.”
“Your Grace.”
“I’m leaving my uncle and aunt’s matter in your hands. I trust you can keep the elders at bay until I return?”
After issuing his rapid orders, Dehart left the office in a flash. There wasn’t even time to stop him.
“Good grief.” Ryan said before letting out a long sigh before his gaze met a pair of green eyes staring at him.
It was the golden-feathered bird Dehart had brought back from the harbor.
“…You’re probably the most normal one here.”
Ryan swallowed another sigh as he looked at the bird, which hadn’t sung again ever since it’d arrived in the north.
***
Not long after receiving the letter from Sebelia, Denisa became convinced that she was being followed.
The first time she noticed was the day she went to the post office to send a letter to Sebelia.
I could swear I heard someone shouting for me to run in my dream.
Maybe it was because of the nightmare she had last night, but Denisa felt an uneasy sensation as she left the house. And the moment she turned onto the main road, she made eye contact with a stranger reflected in a shop’s window.
I’m being watched.
Her hair stood on end. She had considered that something like this might happen, but when it became reality, fear surged through her.
However, Denisa pretended to remain calm, giving the person she locked eyes with a friendly smile, as if she were simply greeting someone she had accidentally met on the street.
The stranger’s face stiffened awkwardly–Denisa didn’t miss that—before they quickly turned away and disappeared into another alley.
Only then did Denisa turn away from the window and quickly leave the area.
“Oh my god.”
Denisa clutched her wildly pounding heart. She had almost collapsed on the spot the moment their eyes met.
…Let’s postpone going to the post office for now.
If she was truly being followed, it was obvious the real target would be Sebelia.
Sweating coldly, Denisa turned to retrace her steps but suddenly froze.
Do they know where I live?
Confronted with the unexpected situation, Denisa was thrown into panic.
Should she go back home? But if she didn’t return, they might realize she had noticed them.
How much money do I have on me? Do I have enough to reach the lady’s location?
She could feel her mind becoming more and more tangled.
No, first I need to send the letter. That way, the lady will go get treatment…
Even as she forced herself to think through her options, her vision blurred. It felt like something was choking her, making it hard to breathe. She had no idea what to do in a situation like this. If only someone could give her the answers.
At that moment, someone grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Hey, can’t you hear me—ugh!”
Denisa instinctively swung the parasol she was holding, thinking it was that person following her.
“Ugh…”
“Get away from me—huh? Oh my God!”
But the man who staggered back after being struck on the side was someone she never would have expected.
“…Your Grace?”
Pressing his side, which was surely already bruising, Dehart’s eyes widened in shock.
What on earth is happening?
Denisa momentarily gasped but quickly regained her composure.
Stay calm; she told herself.
Taking a deep breath, she greeted him with utmost politeness, though her tone remained distant.
“It’s been a while, Your Grace. But what brings you all the way here?”
It was a flawless greeting, yet there was no apology for swinging the parasol at him. In a way, Dehart’s prediction that she would curse him upon sight wasn’t entirely wrong.
“I’ve heard that things at Hylend Hall have been quite unsettled lately…” the woman trailed off, glancing over Dehart’s appearance.
His black hair was completely disheveled as if it hadn’t been combed in days, and he had thrown on an expensive shirt without much care for matching it. His eyes gleamed with madness, as though he had been consumed by despair after losing someone he loved.
Could it be that the rumors in the newpapers were true?
Was it true that he had lost his sanity after falling into despair over the death of the duchess?
How dare he, after all this time!
Denisa’s eyes grew colder as she looked at the ridiculous sight before her. Dehart, in turn, watched her with a crooked smile.
“I didn’t think that the person I helped, thinking she was in danger, would respond with violence instead of a word of gratitude to her former master.”
Dehart pressed harder on his aching side as he watched Denisa’s eyes widen in surprise at his words. He was furious at this ridiculous situation, but he had no choice but to hold it in.
“I believe we have something to discuss,” he told her.
After all, the only person who could tell him the truth about Sebelia’s death was Denisa—she was the only one.
***
Meanwhile, Sebelia was becoming increasingly emaciated due to her steadily worsening condition.
…I can’t eat anything.
Even with highly nutritious food laid out before her—food that she usually ate at Hylend Hall couldn’t even compare to—she could only swallow dry saliva. These visually appealing dishes would likely feel like stones the moment they passed her throat.
Sebelia let out a bitter laugh and took a spoonful of thin soup.
“Haaa…”
A flash of regret crossed her lowered eyes.
Yes. This is my fate. I almost let myself be swayed by empty hopes for a brief moment.
A wry smile escaped her lips, tinged with resignation.
No matter how much she thought about it…… the illness she had was undoubtedly Rehees disease.
Sebelia recalled the words from Elshik’s physician, and slowly sipped her lukewarm water.
[Right now, your internal organs are slowly shutting down… over time, your limbs will also become increasingly unresponsive.]
And that very morning, Sebelia twisted her ankle while getting out of bed. She also managed to hurt her shoulder and lower back in the process. The cause of this tragic accident was neither her dazed mental state nor the soft rug under her feet.
“…I couldn’t move at all.”
It was her legs and hands, stiff as logs, that were the culprit.
“How is this possible?”
Sebelia was in shock.
Afterward, when she met with the physician again, he looked at her with pity and said;
[…Even with Rehees disease, that man will surely have a way. So don’t give up and go find him.]
Why does he want me to go so badly? Sebelia had asked herself.
For a moment, she was puzzled, but when she saw her reflection in the mirror, she realized;
…He felt bad for me. He hoped I wasn’t suffering from an incurable disease.
Gazing into the weariness, and despair reflected in her blue eyes, Sebelia realized:
In truth, she wanted to receive treatment. She had held onto some glimmer of hope.
She had been waiting for a letter from Denisa, hoping she would push her toward that hope and instill certainty in it.
Denisa will surely tell me to seek treatment.
Ugh, how could she be such a coward?
While Sebelia was lost in thought, a staff member approached her.
“Are you the guest staying in Room 204?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“I came looking for you because you weren’t in your room. An express delivery mail arrived for you,” the staff member said, carefully placing a white envelope on the table.
A bad feeling washed over her.
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