“Really?”
Edith pursed her lips to hide her joy. If she didn’t do that, it was clear she would let out an odd exclamation.
With the help of this mysterious stableman, it seemed she could escape from this place as soon as tomorrow.
“I’ll make sure you don’t regret the decision, Walter.”
She brought her ecstatic face closer to him. Like her voluminous dress, her necklace and earrings, colored in pale violets, swayed elegantly.
Her aquamarine blue eyes sparkled brightly, brimming with joy.
Walter briefly felt as if time had slowed down before returning to reality.
“First, let’s get on the horse.”
Edith resisted when Hans asked her to mount the horse, but she didn’t feel any reluctance when Walter suggested it. He was an ally.
Edith, about to mount the horse as she had learned as a child, hesitated for a moment. She had never worn such a voluminous dress before, so she couldn’t figure out how to swing her leg over.
“Wait.”
“…!”
Walter confirmed once again that there was no one around, then embraced Edith and lifted her onto the saddle.
Edith held her breath as she felt his strong forearm, chest, and the warmth of his body.
Walter smelled like a deep rain-soaked forest. A scent she had undoubtedly encountered before.
『 This is the exact smell every time Isaac hugged me.』
The same scent emanated from Walter, perhaps an extension of the illusion of resemblance or because he had walked through a rain-drenched garden.
“There’s a place we need to visit today, so I’ll talk as we move.”
Walter took the reins and began walking toward the west garden of the mansion.
Seated sideways in the saddle, Edith asked, feeling the horse’s leisurely movements.
“Walter, is there something I need to know to help you?”
“You’ll find out.”
It was a probing question. Walter contemplated for a moment how much he should reveal and how much he should keep concealed before answering.
“I have two vulnerabilities the Viscount is exploiting. One is my memories, and the other is a damn imprisonment spell.”
“Your memories and an imprisonment spell?”
Walter explained that the Viscount had taken him in during his mid-teens as a stableman, and when he awoke in the cabin, all of his previous memories had vanished.
“I had no recollection of anything, and the Viscount had me change my clothes, so I had no belongings.”
“So, it’s amnesia?”
“Externally, yes. But the Viscount always claimed he could restore my memories.”
Edith focused on his words, wondering if he could actually regain his memories. That would be more akin to magic than mere amnesia.
“That bastard Nicholas mentioned needing something to achieve that, and he told me to wait until he finds it…”
“Wait until he finds it… but he came back unconscious.”
Walter acknowledged this with a contemplative expression.
“An imprisonment spell is essentially magic that confines a target within a specific area. When I was first brought here, I couldn’t leave the manor grounds due to the spell placed on me.”
“…Since you were young?”
“It’s been about 7 years up until today.”
“Unbelievable.”
Edith expressed her pity without realizing it. Even she, who had been kidnapped for less than a week, felt like she was losing her mind. But seven years?
“Well… since I’ve kept the Viscount and his wives content as a diligent servant, I could say that despite being like a colt tightly held by reins, it’s been worth it.”
“…”
Has he made them happy? Knowing that Walter was already devoted to sword training and had attacked the Viscount, Edith couldn’t believe it.
She empathized without hesitation.
“Yes. It must have been worthwhile.”
Seeing her reaction, Walter burst into laughter.
“I never thought you would sympathize with me that much.”
“Hmm…”
“I made the choice to protect my memories, so it doesn’t matter. You might think it was a foolish decision.”
Walter replied with an indifferent tone as if he didn’t care. He had been asked the same question by the servants, including Cassius, countless times.
⋙“Walter, if you focused on breaking the barrier and crossing over, it could lead to much greater achievements than clinging to your memories. Wouldn’t it be better to leave this place behind and start a new life, forgetting everything?”⋘
It was a reasonable suggestion, and Walter occasionally found himself amused by holding on to his memories even while sparing the Viscount’s life, an individual who had caused a significant flaw in his life.
However, Edith’s reaction was somewhat different from what he expected.
“I don’t think it’s a foolish decision. Memories, especially those from one’s childhood, can become a driving force in one’s life.”
When she lost her parents and when she worked late nights at the clinic, when she opened her books, Edith drew strength from her childhood memories. It was the same when she was sold to the Viscount, becoming entangled in Sophia’s dirty pregnancy scheme.
Her kind but always bedridden father, her strong mother who was ever-present, and the sudden departure of Isaac and Mrs. Leah, who had arrived like a sudden rain shower…
“…”
After finishing speaking, she sensed Walter’s gaze fixed on her face.
Thinking that she might have offended him, Edith added.
“I’m not saying that not having childhood memories is a flaw. But I believe that enduring pain to protect precious memories is a decision not everyone can make.”
“…”
Instead of answering, Walter just raised his eyebrows. He didn’t seem to dispute the generous assessment that it wasn’t a decision anyone could make.
“Anyway, there are two things you can do. First, you should find the imprisonment spell the Viscount must have hidden somewhere.”
“If I find it, can I use it to leave this place?”
“Originally, the imprisonment spell comes with a release spell. It’s like having a lock and a key. And tell me who you are, the person the Viscount has kidnapped.”
“I’ll do my best.”
It was understandable that he wanted to ascertain her identity since the Viscount had ventured out to help him regain his memories and inadvertently returned with a woman named Edith.
However, as she listened to his words, something troubled her.
『 The moment when Walter was captured is quite similar to when Isaac left.』
The whereabouts of the boy she had a crush on and Walter’s past fit perfectly.
Even if their eye colors weren’t distinctly different, she would have concluded that Isaac had been captured by the Viscount.
──────────✿◦•
“Let’s stop here for a moment.”
Walter tied the horse to a tree and assisted Edith down from the saddle.
Edith looked around, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about this spot except for a small cabin.
“Is this the place we need to stop by?”
Walter nodded subtly.
“Hans’ mission today was to bring you to this cabin. You must be aware that Sophia considers Hans a loyal servant.”
“Yeah. He tried to obey Sophia’s orders last time too.”
Certainly, after being disregarded and trampled by Walter, Hans seems to be listening to him again while pretending to follow Sophia.
Edith held back what she was about to say.
“Also, I heard from another stableman that the busy butler borrowed a horse to use at this time today to explore the western garden.”
Edith couldn’t fully grasp what he meant, but she could sense that he strongly disliked the butler.
“By the way, the butler Whitman is secretly having an affair with Sophia behind the Viscount’s back.”
“…?!”
“Whitman is the only person in this manor who would risk his life to ensure Sophia’s safety, so he must be on his way to directly monitor you, M’lady.”
Edith’s mouth slightly opened. Her head was spinning from the shocking revelation she had just heard.
“Sophia and the butler having an…affair?!”
“Her ambition and execution are commendable, but unfortunately, she isn’t intelligent enough to effectively manage both Fortrion Manor and the businesses on her own.”
“…”
“From the beginning, Whitman never acknowledged the foolish Nicholas Fortrion as the rightful master. So, they have allied themselves to seize control of the entire Fortrion estate.”
“…Oh my god.”
“Well, Sophia is pretending to be virtuous so as not to get caught by the other wives, so it seems they are meeting in secret.”
“Walter, stop.”
Edith cut Walter off. This man seemed to secretly enjoy her shock, and if she didn’t interrupt him, he would likely go on to describe where and how the affair took place between them.
『 How on earth does he know about this?』
She knew that Walter’s information-gathering abilities exceeded those of an ordinary servant, but this was truly a shocking revelation.
If she revealed the fact that Sophia had been involved with another man, especially the butler who had sworn loyalty to the Viscount, it could disrupt her inheritance plan, but right now, the feeling of disgust was greater.
“…That’s useful information. By the way, what do you mean the butler is coming to monitor?”
Walter glanced at the horizon and led Edith to the cabin. It didn’t take much time for him to lock the door and close the wooden-shuttered window.
“The daily orders Sophia gives to the men she sends to you.”
“…”
“Whitman is coming to make sure the men sent by Sophia are properly attending to you.”
Edith swallowed hard. Her expression stiffened from the fear of being discovered if they continued to behave suspiciously.
“Walter, first of all, don’t let the butler see your face… No, if you hide, he might get suspicious and try to open the door and come in.”
What should she do? Edith felt like she wanted to bite her nails. As Walter’s words implied, someone was rapidly approaching beyond the horizon.
Walter, looking at Edith with a blank eye in confusion, made a proposition.
“It seems we have no choice but to put up such a convincing act that the butler wouldn’t dare enter.”
“What kind of act…?”
No way. As Edith’s face turned bright red, Walter spoke calmly.
“Well, as a stableman who doesn’t know anything, I should at least pretend to seduce you, M’lady.”
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
