“You’re not taking the carriage again, are you?”
“Don’t worry. I’m living somewhere not too far away.”
“I heard you went back to your hometown?”
That’s what the official paperwork said, but there was no way that was true.
“When you want to hide a secret, you have to keep a tight grip on it.”
Natasha dusted off her clothes and pulled a robe from her bag, slipping it on. It covered her outfit and, if she pulled the hood low, it would conceal her face as well.
“She’s definitely within the Countess Blanche’s territory. Come on, follow me.”
At her words, Ivan shook his head in resignation.
“Can’t you just work normally? Other lawyers just sit at their desks and organize documents.”
“That’s why they’re second-rate and I’m first-rate.”
“Yeah, sure, you’re great.”
Despite his grumbling, Ivan began to follow Natasha. But then, she headed in the opposite direction of the village entrance.
“What the—? You said she’s in the countess’s domain!”
“Officially, she’s back in her hometown. Do you think she’d live in the middle of the village?”
“So, she’s hiding somewhere? And you know where to go?”
Natasha strode ahead with confidence, and Ivan hurried to catch up.
“What, do you think I’m like you? I’ve already made all the preparations.”
“All you did was eat the food they gave you and laugh and chat with the count and countess.”
“That’s the important part.”
Natasha gave a slight smile.
“They must be nervous. They probably think you and I are on our way to see the doctor.”
Throughout the meal, she carefully chose her words to subtly apply pressure, speaking ambiguously as if she knew something, but also as if she didn’t.
“And Estelle’s maid wasn’t just an ordinary maid. No matter how much she tried to hide it, there’s a difference in the way she walked compared to a regular person.”
It wasn’t uncommon to hire someone to do illegal work and disguise them as a maid or butler.
She was a beloved daughter, so they must have assigned an assassin trained by the family to protect her, posing as a maid.
Natasha pulled a compass out from her coat.
“They must have had a growing urge to kill us before we could dig any further. It’s unlikely there are two assassins as capable as this in a countess’s household that isn’t even part of the political world. They probably ordered her to act as soon as Estelle left.”
“Did you plant a tracking device?”
“No, I couldn’t do that since they might notice. I sprinkled some fairy dust on her maid’s clothes.”
Natasha held the compass up to Ivan’s face. Unlike a normal compass, its needle gleamed with a radiant light.
“A compass made from refined fairy wings always points to fairy dust. It’s a tool mostly used by fairy hunters, but it’s expensive, so it can be used like this too.”
At times like this, Ivan was reminded of Natasha’s capabilities. Though she often seemed like someone who only cared about money, she occasionally displayed remarkable insight.
“The direction of the carriage is a good match, so she’s not far. Let’s hurry. Our important witness might die at this rate.”
Ivan pointed to Natasha’s shoes and asked, “Need a hand?”
When dealing with nobles, one should dress accordingly. Natasha wasn’t uncomfortable, but she was wearing a light dress with shoes. Running in heels was starting to take a toll on her feet.
Without hesitation, Natasha accepted.
“Sure.”
No sooner had she spoken than Ivan lifted her up effortlessly.
“Just keep going straight. Run!”
They moved in perfect sync, as if they’d done this many times before.
Ivan quickly followed the direction Natasha indicated.
“How’s it?”
“What is?”
“You always teased me for being a kid, but now I’m much taller. How does it feel?”
It was a silly question. He was noticeably sturdy against her cheek. The boy who once seemed like a child had grown up suddenly, and now he was looking down at Natasha.
Leaning her head lightly against his chest, Natasha muttered, “Feels like riding in a human carriage.”
“Are you joking? I might drop you.”
“Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t call it a carriage. Human carriage sounds weird.”
Ivan let out a deep sigh, but Natasha pretended not to notice.
“Hey, turn right here! We’re almost there.”
The tip of the compass was trembling. It meant the fairy dust was close by.
“I think it’s that hut over there!”
Just as Ivan said, a small hut appeared at the edge of their vision.
***
An old man with white hair and a long beard sat in a rocking chair inside the hut. His hands, gripping a cane, were wrinkled, and age spots dotted his face.
The old man’s eyes were closed, but his face was peaceful.
He was counting down the few remaining days of his life.
“Did the Count send you?”
The old man’s voice was sharp, a tone only those with a clear mind could produce.
The figure who had silently approached from behind nodded without a word.
Recognizing the movement through the shadows, the old man quietly accepted.
“So, he hasn’t forgotten this old man…”
Philip Jean had served the Countess Blanche’s household for more than fifty years.
Though he had been forced to retire and live in seclusion deep in the forest for certain reasons, he had once been someone the Countess Blanche trusted deeply.
“If the Count has decided to take me, then so be it… Why are you not hurrying?”
He accepted his death calmly. After all, it was a life that would end sooner or later.
Perhaps sensing that the old man had made peace with his fate, the assassin silently drew a knife.
With a flash, sunlight reflected off the blade, making it gleam a deadly blue.
As the assassin’s shadow raised his arm high, the old man shut his eyes tight.
Just before the blade pierced his heart—
Crash!
The window shattered with a loud noise!
“Oh, looks like we weren’t too late after all.”
A man dusting off the glass shards stood up, while a woman casually strolled in behind him.
With the setting sun behind her, the woman with her delicate blonde hair glowing like it was illuminated spoke to Philip.
“Hey, old man. Mind closing your eyes for a moment?”
As she spoke, the assassin behind Philip lunged at her.
Clang!
“Not so fast!”
But before the assassin could reach his target, the man who had stood up blocked his sword.
Thinking he was just an ordinary person, the assassin tried to overpower him with brute force, but only for a moment.
‘So strong…!’
The strength difference was overwhelming, to the point that the assassin couldn’t even move his sword. Every time he tried to release some of his strength, the man blocked his retreat as if he could sense it.
‘Where did this guy come from with such skill…?’
But the face he confronted remained calm as if it knew nothing.
“Start counting to thirty!”
Ivan shouted confidently.
***
Gideon naturally followed Estelle from behind. Until Estelle formally relinquished her position as the Duchess, Gideon was her guard.
When Estelle waited in front of the door where she was supposed to meet Claude, Gideon stood behind her.
“Sir Gideon.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“I’ll go in alone. Could you wait here?”
Without answering, Gideon took a step back and bowed, silently indicating his obedience to her wishes.
“I won’t take long.”
Estelle murmured softly, opening the door.
The door slid open smoothly, revealing a familiar face.
Golden hair that looked like it had been spun from molten gold, and deep blue eyes like the vast ocean. The man who awaited her looked as if he had been painted with a master’s touch.
“Estelle…”
He looked slightly thinner. Was it just her imagination?
“Claude.”
“Have you been well? This place is much less comfortable than the mansion, so it must be difficult to live here…”
“I’ve been fine.”
She didn’t follow up with the usual “And you?” or any other customary phrase.
“You’re always welcome to return to the mansion. If you want, I can stay in the guest room at the palace for a while. Living outside must be uncomfortable. If you’re doing it because of me…”
“Is that why you called me here?”
Estelle deliberately spoke in a cold voice. It wasn’t because she wanted to hurt Claude, but because she needed to stay composed.
“…That’s not it.”
Claude remained silent for a moment before he spoke.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was amnesia?”
“I mentioned it during the trial. It was a secret at the time… And everyone already hated me, so I didn’t think they would believe I lost my memory.”
There it was again—that expression. A face that resembled a wounded child.
Estelle was particularly vulnerable to such a face.
In the end, Estelle quickly turned her head away.
“…What about the incident in the glass garden?”
“I asked Marie and found out.”
Claude closed his mouth.
Marie was the maid he had personally ordered to be imprisoned.
He didn’t know the names of any other maids in the duchy, despite having seen them for decades, but he remembered the one Estelle had brought.
“And even if I had said I lost my memory, would anything have changed? Nothing would have changed anyway…”
“No.”
Claude grabbed Estelle’s wrist and pulled her close. Though the force wasn’t strong, for some reason, it was hard to resist, so she followed him quietly.
“It definitely would have been different.”
Estelle found herself enveloped in Claude’s arms. She was startled and tried to pull away, but paused at his words.
“Let’s forget everything and start anew.”
“…What did you just say?”
Estelle couldn’t believe her ears.
What did he just say?
“Until now, we’ve been fighting with old resentments. I, over things that happened before our marriage, and you, over things that happened early in our marriage.”
“Are you saying we should just forget it all since we’re both equally at fault?”
It was such a ridiculous proposition that Estelle couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
“Do you even know what I went through… how I endured…?”
“Do you think I didn’t?”
As Estelle’s hand trembled with rage, Claude placed his hand over hers.
“It’s hard to say this, but Estelle, you were the worst fiancée I could have had. If we compare what we did to each other, it would never end.”
“But that was before I lost my memory!”
“To me, that was still you.”
Claude looked her straight in the eye and reiterated.
“In the end, that was still you. To me.”
If she could, Estelle wanted to shout that she wasn’t “Estelle,” but “Kang Minjoo,” who used to read romance fantasy novels back on Earth.
That wasn’t me.
The person who lost their memory wasn’t me—I’m really a completely different person.
Her lips moved, but no words came out.
***
“…30, 31, 32, 33, 34…”
“Time’s up!”
“You’re four seconds over.”
“Give me a break.”
When Philip opened his eyes again, the situation had completely changed. The assassin was bound tightly with ropes, kneeling on the ground, and in front of him stood a man and a woman side by side.
“Who… who are you people…?”
At Philip’s words, Natasha smiled brightly as she pulled out a lawyer’s license from inside her coat.
The license, stamped with the imperial seal, gleamed as it reflected the twilight.
“I’m Natasha, a divorce attorney.”
“…An attorney…?”
He muttered as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Has the meaning of ‘attorney’ changed while I was away from the world…? Or is this some metaphor that this old man can’t understand?”
He tried to deny reality, but nothing changed.
“I’m telling you, I really am a lawyer.”
Natasha added, a bit sulkily. Behind her, Ivan chuckled softly.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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