Chapter 22
“You need to rest. It would be best if the Duke and the young master step out for a while.”
“…….”
The Duke and Berndt didn’t look happy about it.
However, at the doctor’s insistence that Anette needed stability, they reluctantly left the room.
Especially Berndt—he couldn’t take his eyes off Anette until the very last moment.
‘Scary guy.’
Their departure was a relief for Anette. The quiet helped her feel calmer.
The doctor gently laid her back on the bed and checked her condition. He asked several questions—”Do you remember this?” “What about that?”—testing her memory.
Anette only answered what she had read in the novel.
The doctor left some medicine to help her sleep and then exited the room.
He seemed kind, but she found him suspicious.
Everyone in this mansion was suspicious.
There was no way they had any good feelings toward her.
Anette dumped the medicine out the window and pretended to sleep.
Maybe it was because she had seen a lot of detective dramas, but she could sense it—this was a death flag.
‘That medicine is probably poison. Definitely.’
Of course, it was just a normal sleeping pill, but Anette wasn’t thinking rationally.
A little while later, Berndt quietly peeked in, checked that she was asleep, and then left.
“……I should escape.”
After a long time had passed, Anette suddenly sat up.
Finding money was impossible now, so she needed to get back to the temple.
If she stayed here, she would either be beaten or verbally abused.
This place was no different from the orphanage.
Or worse—they might make her work as a servant.
No way. She wouldn’t do that.
Unless they paid her a lot of money, maybe.
“It’s not that high.”
Anette opened the large window and looked down.
It seemed low enough that she could climb down the railing or tie some blankets together.
“Oh! I’ll just use blankets to climb down!”
Tying blankets together to escape—she felt like Rapunzel.
A brave protagonist escaping the Demon King’s castle!
But real life wasn’t a movie or drama. The blankets were too thick to tie properly.
“What the hell? Winter was ages ago! Why are these blankets still so thick?”
She cursed under her breath and gave up on the blanket idea.
Her hands hurt from trying.
There was only one option left—go down using her body.
After some quick stretches, she climbed onto the window without hesitation.
Her stamina was terrible, but her body wasn’t injured, so she could manage.
Luckily, there were railings she could step on, and another one below that.
With all her strength, she carefully made her way down.
“Phew… I did it.”
Her feet touched the ground, and she felt incredibly proud of herself.
But getting back to the temple was another challenge.
However, she had walked the busy streets at night once before, so she had some experience.
Unlike the dark alleys where she had run into weirdos, the area around the mansion was well-lit.
Street lamps were bright, and guards patrolled nearby.
Anette steeled herself and began searching for a way out.
Most of the mansion’s lights were off—it was the perfect chance.
She casually strolled around like she was just out for fresh air, then switched to sneaky spy mode.
Finally, she found a small hole in the fence—big enough for her to squeeze through.
She pretended not to notice it and walked away, making sure no one was watching.
There didn’t seem to be any guards in the garden.
There weren’t any guards.
Or so she thought.
“What are you doing here?”
A voice rang out.
It was Edwin Carte.
Among the knights, he was used to being an outcast. Patrolling the garden at night was a servant’s job, but Edwin did it willingly—for Heine.
Even though Heine was gone, he still did the work.
Tonight, in a bad mood, he decided to stay out longer to clear his head.
When he saw Anette, his expression turned cold.
He hadn’t felt good ever since Berndt had taken her from his arms.
He didn’t know why.
Looking at her didn’t give him any answers, but his gaze lingered on her anyway.
And then it hit him—why was she outside, walking around at this hour?
“…….”
“Good to see you, Edwin.”
That was strange.
She smiled at him.
Anette had never smiled at him before.
She even said his name.
He never thought she even knew his name.
She always called him “filthy mercenary” or “lowly bastard.”
Today had been full of strange events.
And at the center of them all was this woman.
Anette Etheled.
She was messing with his head.
Edwin’s face stiffened in confusion.
Seeing his reaction, Anette smiled again.
Not a warm smile.
A smirk—the same one she used when she threatened Pierre, the guy who bullied Lucy.
They say enemies always meet on a narrow bridge…
She had just run into hers.
Anette put on a pleasant expression and spoke first.
“Thank you for saving me earlier. Thanks to you, I’m alive.”
“…….”
Edwin felt like he’d been smacked in the head.
Her attitude was completely unfamiliar.
Anette never thanked people.
He had never seen her smile before.
He had assumed that even if she did, it would look vicious—but surprisingly, it was bright.
He had no idea how to respond.
She had already thanked him once before she fainted. That had been shocking enough.
Now she was thanking him again—politely, with a smile, and even calling his name.
Anette Etheled wasn’t the kind of person to thank anyone.
Every time he faced her, she made him feel like a bug, not a knight.
So why…?
Anette, meanwhile, was getting annoyed.
This bastard was ignoring her thank-you.
She was sure of it now.
Edwin hated her.
And now her money was missing.
Her injured leg.
Everything pointed to one culprit.
The culprit is you!
Anette forced another smile and asked,
“I’ll ask nicely first. Where’s my money?”
“…….”
She fought back the urge to explode.
She was being nice.
But this guy was silent.
‘Did he suddenly forget how to talk? A minute ago, he had no problem asking what I was doing here. So what, now he’s just ignoring me?’
Even the worst knights in the temple didn’t completely ignore her.
Did people in this world have no sense of basic manners?
These people were obsessed with their stupid noble rankings.
They were clueless about the true power of money.
She, the intellectual here, had to be the reasonable one.
So she asked again.
“You took my money back, didn’t you?”
“What money?”
Oh? Nice voice.
Now that she looked, he was built well.
Like the temple knights.
His chest probably had solid muscles.
Good eye candy, but money was more important.
Edwin frowned at her gaze—it was unfamiliar and unsettling.
“What are you—”
“You keep pretending not to know. But you remember the guy who took my money when you saved me, right?
You’re more than capable of getting it back.”
“…….”
“I’ll ask again. Where’s my money?”
Anette had promised herself to live shamelessly in this life.
It was time to put that into action.
Edwin looked genuinely confused.
Maybe he wasn’t the thief after all.
If so, she was being shameless right now.
Demanding a reward just for being saved.
But her logic was sound.
After all, Edwin hated her.
And he was the reason her leg got hurt.
But his response was completely deadpan.
“I don’t have it.”
…You don’t have it?
That could mean a lot of things.
Not on you? In your room? In a safe?
Her suspicions grew stronger.
“…You don’t have it?”
“No.”
Her eyes narrowed.
He looked completely clueless.
Which meant…
“Alright, fine. Then why were you following me?”
A sharp question.
There was no way a knight of the Lois family just happened to be in that alley.
If he wasn’t stalking her, how else would he have gotten there?
“So you were following me, huh? Like a creep.”
“That’s not—”
“Then what’s your excuse?”
“…….”
“Was it because you’re a pervert? Admit it.”
“Not.”
“Oh! Then there’s only one answer! You were after my money!”
