Chapter 52
I Want to Be Helpful to You (7)
I quickly raised my head.
Ethan had somehow taken the letter from under my hand and was holding it. But when I looked earlier, the words were so smudged that not even a single sentence was readable, let alone anything else.
Then, Ethan flipped over the letter.
“Ah.”
Despite the large amount of liquid that had instantly emerged and wiped away all the records in the blink of an eye, one sentence remained clearly on the back.
「Secrets are always kept in the deepest place.」
After reading the sentence, I looked up.
“…This must have been typed, right?”
“It seems so. Look at the ink marks here.”
“To think they used ink mixed with magic for all the other parts. Do you know how expensive that is? It seems we’ve only learned that the sender is filthy rich.”
“…Why are you looking at me?”
“Never mind.”
I started to glare at the heir of the Behemoth family, counted among the wealthiest in the empire, but realizing that staring at him wouldn’t yield anything, I rubbed my forehead instead.
My mind feels constantly buried in a pit.
Every time I try to climb out, more dirt is thrown on top, and when I finally manage to reach out beyond the pit, this time gravel is poured on me.
This vague clue was just like that.
‘But I can’t just ignore it…’
This is the family I’ve tried so hard to protect. What did I think during my last regression?
‘I thought it was fortunate that there was a world where they could live on even after I died.’
…But even in that regression, was my family, everyone in Crowell Castle, under brainwashing?
Just as I repeated regressions while carrying a curse, maybe the entire Crowell Castle has been rewinding time while under brainwashing.
If so, all those moments, all those images I remember…
A chilling thought crossed my mind. Once again, needless imagination is consuming me.
Imagination about things that never happened gains reality when intertwined with minor incidents that did occur.
I may have just noticed the sense of déjà vu more quickly this time, but what if there were similar signs in other times?
What if there’s a problem that was triggered before my regression starting point, something I can’t even touch no matter how far back I go?
And what if that problem is related to my beloved family?
If this problem, like my memories with my family that seem eternal because they started before the regression, also started before the regression and thus must be eternal…
…I want to turn a blind eye. I wanted to quit everything, forget, or choose a destructive method to tear this problem apart.
Even though Ethan has grabbed me again for now.
Do I need to be patient with this problem?
When the fastest way to escape is right in front of me.
My gaze, with dimmed reason, slowly fell on the letter opener.
“Edith.”
At that moment, Ethan called out to me as he put down the letter. His call barely brought me back to my senses.
“…Yes.”
“About the ‘deepest place’ mentioned in this sentence. Can you think of any place in Crowell Castle that fits?”
…Right. There’s a clue left on the letter. But…
After hesitating, I opened my mouth.
“…I think it might be the basement, but…”
“Why do you say that with so little confidence?”
“Well… It would be faster if you see it yourself.”
I pushed back my chair and stood up. When confusing thoughts cloud my mind, moving my body is indeed the best solution.
🥀
The basement of Crowell Castle is easily accessible if you borrow the key from the servants. For good reason.
“…I see why you said that.”
“Yes. It doesn’t seem likely to be here, does it?”
It was early winter. It was naturally cold, but the basement was even colder as it didn’t even get sunlight.
The chilly air, making a mockery of the sunny day outside, pierced through my thin clothes to my skin.
With no clothes to pull tighter, I rubbed my nape and briefly spoke to Ethan.
“Watch your step.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one offering you a hand?”
“No need. This is where I grew up.”
I lightly grasped the hem of my simple dress and stepped onto the icy floor. I had long since handed the lantern to Ethan.
The lukewarm reddish light swept across the frozen basement.
Ingredients that could be stored frozen, wine, unused underground cells…
Only after entering and exiting the last of the underground cells with Ethan Behemoth, just in case, could we both be completely certain.
“Did we bark up the wrong tree?”
“It’s a wild goose chase.”
Our eyes met as we spoke simultaneously.
Although neither of us had specifically suggested going to the basement, we naturally found ourselves looking at each other.
“For now…”
Ethan reached out to brush off the frost that had settled on my hair and nodded toward the basement door.
“Let’s get out.”
🥀
“It’s actually warmer outside.”
We sat side by side in the garden retreat where I had talked with Ethan last night, catching our breath. It was becoming increasingly difficult to avoid encountering servants anywhere in the castle.
At least the garden landscaping was finished during the day, so no one would set foot here in the evening.
The purple envelope was placed on the table. The one sentence we could confirm kept flashing before my eyes.
“The deepest place would surely be as cold as before.”
“We should have brought cloaks.”
“It’s fine. We need to figure out where the deepest place is before we can set foot there anyway.”
I leaned over the table with a frown. The refreshment tray I had reluctantly requested from the persistent servants clattered against my arm.
The deepest place… We hoped, but the basement wasn’t it after all.
No, to begin with, there shouldn’t be such a suspicious place in Crowell Castle, where I spent my childhood.
Moreover, I always stayed at Crowell Castle after my prime. Even if I was in a brainwashed state, I should remember if there was such a place now.
…
Maybe we should break the floor of the study?
That might be the definition of a deep place. It’s possible…
Just as I was about to raise my head to speak to Ethan with that thought,
“…?”
In the distance, I saw two figures walking along the path leading to the side gate of Crowell Castle.
Surprisingly, they were familiar faces.
An energetic greeting came from that direction first.
“Ah, hello! Lady Crowell.”
“Young Lord Behemoth is here too. Aren’t you cold?”
It was Benjamin and Ella, whom we had rescued on the way to Crowell Castle. It had been a while since I heard such cheerfulness in Crowell Castle.
“Ah.”
Given the situation, I was wary at first, but soon realized there was only one strange thing. Ethan seemed to have noticed something similar, as his head tilted.
“…?”
“Huh, why are you looking at us like that? Is there something on us? Cuteness, perhaps?”
“Ella. Watch your mouth!”
Benjamin covered Ella’s mouth.
Her remarkably free-spirited way of speaking seemed unchanged.
But that wasn’t the issue.
“…It’s alright, why don’t you both come here and chat with us for a while?”
“Us? We wouldn’t want to disturb you two…”
“Not at all. We have spare chairs. And it’s not that late yet.”
As I nodded towards the empty chairs, the two sat down without hesitation after greeting us. They then proceeded to complain about their legs aching from walking straight from the outer castle.
“Have some cookies too.”
“Ah, thank you!”
As I watched the two take cookies from the refreshment tray up close, I quietly pondered. There was definitely something strange.
Both had sustained severe head injuries, noticeable even to someone like me with no medical expertise.
‘Their wounds have disappeared.’
Not enough time had passed for their injuries to heal, yet there were no bandages, not even a small plaster on their heads.
It seemed unlikely they would have met someone skilled enough to heal them so quickly in a remote place like Crowell territory, and even if such a person existed, there would be no reason to treat these two. What happened?
Sharing my doubts, Ethan, who had been staring at their heads, asked directly.
“How are your injuries? They seemed quite severe when we first met.”
“Ah.”
Ella, with her cheeks full of cookies like a hamster, answered.
“About that. The healer said the wounds were deep and had been left untreated for days, so proper treatment would be difficult… But fortunately, it seems there’s no problem with our heads, so they sent us away to rest.”
It’s impressive how she could pronounce everything clearly with her cheeks so puffed out. As Ella closed her mouth to swallow, Benjamin quickly continued.
“We were sitting in an inn for a while with huge plasters on our heads when a magician in a black hood asked if we were servants working at Crowell Castle, then healed us.”
A magician in a black hood?
🥀
Thank you for reading! ♡
Maybe therion🧐