Seraphie, who was catching her breath while leaning against the building’s outer wall, finally managed to lift her head. The person standing in front of her was backlit by the sunlight, making it difficult to see his face clearly. Instinctively, her gaze lowered, and she noticed the sword sheath attached to his waist. The sheath was adorned with long iris leaves and yellow flowers. Seraphie’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Are you all right?” the man asked again, noticing that Seraphie hadn’t responded. His voice was now tinged with concern.
As her eyes adjusted to the light, the first thing she noticed was his shining silver hair. His yellow eyes, filled with a strong sense of justice, left a very kind and cheerful impression.
Carl. Seraphie thought, recognizing him immediately.
Carl Iris! He was the young master of a marquis family, one of the two great military houses of the Ortus Empire, alongside the Felicia ducal family. He was a significant supporting character in the novel, known for his kind nature, which earned him the nickname ‘Carltriever’ among the readers.
Seraphie had never expected to meet a supporting character before encountering the main ones. It was the first time she met an important character in this world since she had been transmigrated into the novel. The moment was so surreal that it made her forget the exhaustion she had been feeling.
“Lady Vallidus?”
The sense of wonder vanished as quickly as it had come.
“How do you know that I’m Lady Vallidus?” Seraphie asked. It wasn’t an accusatory question, but it was filled with suspicion. She wondered if they were acquaintances, but she quickly dismissed the idea. If that were the case, her existence would have been mentioned in the novel.
“Your hair color,” Carl replied with a smile that reminded her of a retriever. He offered his hand to her.
After hesitating briefly, Seraphie took his hand. Once she was on her feet, she felt much more comfortable than before.
“Light blue hair is rare in the empire.”
…What? A strange feeling crept up the back of her neck.
“That’s not something someone with silver hair should say…”
“The light blue hair is a distinctive feature of the Count Vallidus family,” Carl explained, taking her sarcasm as a joke.
Seraphie, who had been lightly touching her hair, widened her eyes in surprise. Is that a setting?
In this novel, just like in many other stories, characters boasted a variety of hair colors. For example, Carl Iris in front of her had silver hair, and his fiancée had pink hair. Seraphie’s light blue hair should have been considered just as normal.
“…Should I hide my hair, then?” she asked, wrapping her hair in the shawl draped over her shoulders.
Carl nodded in agreement.
Right now, the reputation of the Vallidus family is at rock bottom, so drawing attention wouldn’t do any good. But they’ve probably already noticed.
The stares from the coachman and the librarian who had glanced at her earlier lingered in her mind. If those looks were because of her hair, it would be quite troublesome.
Seraphie briefly caught her breath as she wrapped her hair tightly in the shawl, like a refugee. “Sir Iris.”
A sudden shiver ran down Carl’s spine.
“Thank you for your help,” Seraphie said politely.
Her voice was calm and even, but it made Carl feel as if a sword was pointed at his throat. Instinctively, he rubbed his neck.
“…It’s nothing. But now it’s my turn to ask. How did you recognize me, Lady?” Carl asked.
“The emblem on your sword sheath,” she replied.
The iris leaf pattern represents the Iris family. Carl nodded in understanding.
“Are you busy?” Seraphie asked. “Could you help me with something?”
* * *
[Case Law on Family Matters], [Research Series on Noble Trials], [Noble Encyclopedia], [General Principles of Noble Law]—each of these legal books was heavy, and even just looking at them made one sleepy.
“…Are you really going to read all of these?” Carl asked in disbelief as he brought the books Seraphie had requested.
But Seraphie didn’t respond. She was already engrossed in the books, her head buried in them with all her concentration.
The determination of the thin woman, who had wrapped her light blue hair in a shawl, was enough to startle those nearby. And with Carl Iris standing behind her like a guard, she drew even more attention. However, Seraphie didn’t care about any of that. What mattered wasn’t such trivial things.
So, there’s a separate law for nobles.
Her first impression was that this was a country befitting a class system, followed by a sarcastic remark.
Family, property, titles, honor… Her bony fingers skimmed through countless words as she picked out the important keywords. This is it!
Seraphie suddenly stood up from her seat. The sudden movement made her stagger, and as she looked out the window, she realized the sky had already taken on a reddish hue.
“Are you okay?” Carl asked, supporting her.
Seraphie gave a brief nod. However, she didn’t thank Carl for waiting for her. There was an odd feeling of unease in her chest.
“You have impressive concentration.”
“I suppose,” she replied as if it were someone else’s business, but she was surprised herself.
Seraphie had felt like she was on the verge of death outside the library, but once she was inside, she didn’t even realize how long she had been sitting there. Perhaps this body had great concentration and mental strength.
Now that I think about it. Seraphie tilted her head. Why was it so exhausting?
Seraphie had been tired when she went to the carriage but not to the point of collapsing. However, the walk to the west annex of the library was strange, no matter how she thought about it. It was as if she was about to collapse from sheer exhaustion. Even now, it seemed odd.
She concluded that the trip to the Central Library had been so exhausting that the accumulated fatigue had caused her to collapse earlier.
I’ll work on building my stamina later.
Among the various books spread out on the wide desk, one particular page lay under Seraphie’s hand. The way to become a legally unfilial daughter was literally in the palm of her hand.
Seraphie’s lips curled into a mischievous smile, causing Carl, who was watching her, to swallow nervously.
This is a gamble in its own way. But she had no other choice.
Seraphie quickly began to think. There was only one thing she needed right now.
Time.
* * *
Seraphie managed to leave the library with Carl’s help until the end. This time, she didn’t feel tired or in pain while passing by the west annex. Seraphie was now certain that it had been the walk from the carriage rental station that had caused her earlier exhaustion.
I should build up my stamina a bit.
In the meantime, Carl had rented a carriage himself and helped Seraphie into it. He was just as chivalrous as he had been described in the novel.
“I’m sorry I can’t accompany you all the way to the mansion,” Carl said.
“That’s something I should be saying,” Seraphie replied.
Carl had shown immense kindness to her, a stranger. Seraphie thanked him out of politeness. But, to be honest, she didn’t really want to express her gratitude.
“…You’re going through a tough journey,” Carl said with a bitter smile. He knew what Seraphie had been looking for in the library. Since he had been right next to her, it was impossible not to know.
“Will it be tough?” Seraphie slowly unwrapped the shawl, hiding her hair. Her light blue hair fluttered in the dimming twilight. “It’s better than getting beaten to death,” she said with a smile.
This time, however, there was no response. Carl didn’t even smile. But Seraphie clearly saw the momentary change in his expression as he tightly pressed his lips together.
As I thought. Seraphie’s eyes darkened. He knew me.
It had been strange from the beginning. He recognized her as Lady Vallidus because of her light blue hair?
There were plenty of people with similar hair colors in the library, even if not exactly the same. How could he have recognized and remembered the characteristics of a family that wasn’t even mentioned in the original novel? Moreover, could even a knight be so kind to someone they had never met before?
Carl’s words were a lie. He knew Seraphie and the Vallidus family for ‘another reason.’ He must have known that Seraphie was being abused by Count Vallidus. That’s why he recognized the light blue hair as a characteristic of the Vallidus family.
It must be a well-known fact. Seraphie realized why the coachman and the librarian had looked at her that way.
Those damned b*stards. She let out a small laugh, but inside, she was seething with indignation. Chivalry my foot. Seraphie thought of the bruises hidden on her arm and the scar hidden on her forehead.
“Sir Iris, thank you so much for today,” she said with a bright smile.
Carl’s expression remained dark. “It’s nothing. As a knight, it’s my du—” But Carl couldn’t finish his sentence. He felt ashamed of himself.
“…”
Seraphie looked at him quietly. She had a strong sense that she shouldn’t miss this moment. This was an opportunity.
“Then, ‘Sir Knight,’ may I ask one more favor of you?” Seraphie pulled a necklace out of her pocket.
To hell with the honor of knights. She vowed to use it to her advantage in order to survive.
“A month from now.”
Prepare for the trial, gather the urgent funds, and plan for the future after all that is done.
“Please visit the Vallidus mansion after 8 p.m. and return this necklace to me.”
That’s how she’ll survive.
Soon, the carriage carrying Seraphie began to move. There was no need to wait for an answer.
* * *
Seraphie returned to the mansion and felt immense relief when the butler informed her that Count Vallidus had not yet returned.
“What about mother?” she asked.
The butler, who was overwhelmed with exhaustion and anxiety, replied in a weak voice. “She is resting in her room. The head maid told me she took some medicine a little while ago.”
“I see…” Seraphie glanced at the room where her mother, Countess Vallidus, was staying. There wasn’t a single person in this mansion who wasn’t pitiable, but Countess Vallidus was undoubtedly the most unfortunate of them all.
“Can’t you contact my mother’s family?”
Seraphie had asked the butler the night before. But the response had been bleak.
She’s from a poor, noble family in the countryside.
It was a loveless marriage with her husband’s violence and neglect. And now, she was little more than a broken doll. Overexposed to violence, she couldn’t even muster the will to resist. She was too tired and too hurt to stand on her own.
“Butler,” Seraphie said quietly, still looking at the room where the countess was resting. She spoke in a low voice, only loud enough for the butler to hear.
No one else heard Seraphie’s small murmur. But the butler, standing right next to her, heard everything. The butler’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Milady…!”
“Shh,” Seraphie gently hushed him, then turned away as if nothing had happened and headed to her room.
But the butler remained frozen in place as if he had heard something horrifying. He could only stare blankly at the closed door to Seraphie’s room.
“Sir Butler,” a maid called out to him then. She was the maid assigned to care for Seraphie. “What should I do about the lady’s dinner?”
“…Ah.” The butler, finally snapping out of his daze, quickly composed himself. “She said she wanted to eat quietly in her room, so I’ll bring it to her. Tell the cooks to prepare a light soup.”
A short while later, the butler headed to Seraphie’s room, carrying a steaming bowl of soup.
“Don’t you want to get rid of my father?”
Seraphie’s earlier words echoed in his mind like a haunting memory.
