Episode 71

I was inwardly surprised by her words.

Catherine spoke with sincerity.

“It may be presumptuous of me, but what matters is how much I’ve come to care for you, Sierra.”

She sipped her tea and smiled.

“I won’t be able to see you again once you return to the capital, but even this brief encounter feels like a gift.”

Catherine did not speak of a future meeting.

She likely believed that, at her age, there would be no reason to visit the capital, nor for me to return to the south.

Perhaps, as she thought, today would be our last meeting.

“I’ve always dreamed of it. Just once, before I die, meeting our Isabella.”

“……”

“I yearned so much that I deceived myself, wandering through the streets where Isabella vanished. Like yesterday.”

She spoke with a bitter smile.

“But now, I think it’s time to let her go. Maybe the heavens sent you, Sierra, in her place.”

I knew well about the Chetwind family from the original story, where it was frequently mentioned.

[In the end, the countess passed away in her old age, never having found her missing daughter. And within half a year, the Count of Chetwind followed her.]

This happened around the middle to late part of the original story.

The count and countess passed away almost simultaneously, leaving no direct heirs.

The crucial detail was that their closest relative and successor died mysteriously just a week before the succession ceremony.

The Chetwind family was known for having few descendants, and he was the only rightful heir.

As a result, the situation became quite complicated, drawing attention to Jenna.

The Chetwind family was a distant relative of the Selver family.

Since Arjen, the Selver heir, was excluded, Jenna became the next potential candidate for the title of Countess of Chetwind.

Even the emperor, who wished to see the line of the Chetwind family, which served as a spiritual pillar to the empire’s people, continue, supported Jenna’s claim to the succession.

After much deliberation, Jenna eventually accepted the title of Countess of Chetwind and became the owner of the Holy Sword Kyrios.

The Holy Sword Kyrios had the power to detect dark magic and ominous presences, and Jenna used this ability to turn the Drenihan household upside down.

She revealed that the Orzen family and the Marquisate of Crea had been dabbling in dark magic.

Even a trace of dark magic usage was a capital crime that could lead to the extermination of an entire lineage, so the Drenihan family couldn’t escape the ensuing turmoil.

That event marked the beginning of Jenna’s revenge.

In any case…

‘If the story follows its original path, Catherine has, at most, a year left to live.’

Sadly, just as Catherine said, she will pass away without ever finding her daughter.

But around six months after Jenna inherits the Chetwind title…

A woman claiming to be the long-lost Isabella Chetwind appears.

The Holy Sword Kyrios only resonates with those who bear the bloodline of the first count, and the sword’s reaction to this mysterious woman sets the entire society abuzz.

A woman of unknown origin, yet possessing the blood of Chetwind.

It was undeniable proof that she was, indeed, Isabella Chetwind.

With her distinctive pink hair and violet eyes, reminiscent of the young lady, people had no choice but to believe her.

Jenna warmly welcomed the return of the true young lady and handed over the title and the Holy Sword.

Jenna’s benevolence, in peacefully relinquishing the title upon the rightful heir’s return, became a topic of admiration among the people for some time.

Isabella will return in the end. After Catherine and Harry have passed.

‘I hope she returns before then…’

But the truth was that there was nothing I could do to help, as she would appear out of nowhere like a blessing from the heavens.

Just as I began to feel the weight of that helplessness, I was suddenly struck by a sharp pain that made me clench my eyes shut.

“…!”

A fierce ache shot through my right arm, more intense than the usual tingling.

I’d experienced occasional electric-like tingling before, but this was the first time it came with such severe pain.

Noticing my discomfort, Catherine asked gently.

“Are you all right? Is something wrong?”

“No, no. I just need to use the restroom for a moment…”

“If you open the door and head down the hallway to the right, you’ll find it.”

“Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

I opened the door and made my way down the corridor to the right.

The mansion was so vast that it seemed endless, making it hard to pinpoint where the restroom might be.

It didn’t matter much, though, since my true intention was to take a potion in private.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small potion I always carried.

It was the medicine given to me by the physician when I last complained about the numbness in my arm.

‘The symptoms are worse this time than usual… I hope this potion can calm them down.’

I gulped down the potion and took a deep breath.

Thankfully, the potion worked quickly, and the pain in my arm subsided. My racing heart also began to settle.

‘Isn’t this exactly what Peter mentioned?’

I had cautiously asked Peter about it last time.

I asked him if he had experienced any symptoms before losing the use of one arm.

[At first, it was just a slight tingling, but then one day, the pain became unbearable. And before three months had passed…]

He said that he lost all sensation.

The illness that spreads through the arm reaches the heart within a few years.

And once it paralyzes the heart, the Lisbeth disease inevitably claims the patient’s life.

‘So I might have, at best, three months before I lose the sensation in my arm, too.’

A short sigh escaped my lips.

All I could do now was hope that the medicine Robert and I were working on would progress well.

The confirmation of my fate weighed heavily on me, making it impossible not to feel a sense of despair.

Still…

“Where am I…?”

The count’s estate was as large as, if not larger than, the Drenihan mansion.

Endless corridors and identical doors stretched out before me.

I had walked here, trying to avoid the notice of the servants, and now I was lost.

Even if I tried to retrace my steps, everything looked the same, and I suddenly felt disoriented.

“Wow, I’m really lost.”

There were no servants in sight either.

It seemed I had wandered beyond the main areas of use.

The hallway was eerily quiet, with no hint of anyone nearby.

‘Judging by the empty rooms, maybe this area is where the guest rooms are.’

As I walked down the corridor, I came to a halt.

One of the doors, unlike the others, was wide open.

The room looked like a bedroom, perhaps belonging to a young girl, decorated with a delicate and playful touch.

On one wall hung a large portrait.

Drawn by an inexplicable pull, I found myself stepping into the room.

The girl in the portrait wore the brightest and warmest smile.

She had long, light pink hair, and her violet eyes mirrored those of the Count of Chetwind.

“No way…”

As I mumbled in shock, a voice spoke from behind me.

“There you are.”

Startled, I turned around to find Catherine standing at the doorway.

“Catherine!”

“I figured you might have gotten lost since you hadn’t returned for some time, so I came looking for you.”

She entered the room with a gentle smile.

“This place is so vast that even I sometimes lose my way. And you happened to turn down this corridor by mistake, so it’s no wonder you got lost.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I came into the room without permission…”

“No need to apologize. The door was wide open in the first place, wasn’t it?”

“How did you know that…?”

“I instructed that it should always remain open. I told them never to close the door to this room.”

Catherine spoke, her gaze lingering on the portrait I had been staring at.

“I kept it open because, one day, this child might return.”

“This girl… she must be the young lady of the Chetwind family.”

“Yes, this is Isabella’s room.”

Catherine spoke softly, her eyes fixed lovingly on the portrait.

“Do you understand now why seeing you reminded me so much of Isabella?”

The Isabella Chetwind in the portrait appeared to be about two years younger than me.

But beyond age, it was the atmosphere—the aura that was strikingly similar.

‘There’s no one specific feature that’s alike, yet the resemblance in their presence is uncanny.’

The room, without its owner for over 30 years, was kept spotless, not a speck of dust in sight.

It was a testament to how long Catherine had been waiting for her daughter’s return.

The fact that she had taken such a liking to me, simply because I resembled her daughter, despite meeting just yesterday, spoke volumes.

‘If only she could return a little sooner.’

Where could Isabella Chetwind be right now?