“Mrs. Leah’s belongings?”
Edith couldn’t help but prick up her ears as she reflexively asked back.
Leah was one of the people Edith missed as much as Isaac. She naturally wanted to see if there were any items related to her.
In response to Lilliette’s inquiry, the butler shifted his gaze slightly upward and replied.
“Yes, the Duke has moved all of Young Lady Leah’s belongings that she used during her lifetime to the attic here.”
Her words drew Edith and Walter’s gazes toward the unseen attic.
Lilliette spoke with a subtle smile on her face, knowing that both Edith and Walter would be interested in Leah’s belongings as members of the Duchy of Lexion.
“Once you get used to the territory to some extent, it would be nice to look around the attic where the belongings are. I won’t be able to open the boxes Unnie has locked with magic, though.”
“I’d love to do that if I had the chance. Thank you, Lady Lilliette.”
Edith smiled softly after her. Thinking that this manor was where Leah’s belongings were kept, she felt her unfamiliarity with the territory’s manor immediately subside.
She had come to the territory almost involuntarily to prevent the child from being affected by magic, but hearing about Leah calmly settled the anxiety that had unknowingly crept into her mind.
Walter, too, paid close attention to the news that Leah’s, his mother’s, belongings were here.
It wasn’t just to relive fond memories of her, as Edith did.
『 She might have left something related to my magic or memories.』
Walter had already taken over Leah’s bank account balance and the vast land she had left for him, but he was glad that he might be able to remember the childhood he and Edith had spent together.
『 Perhaps she left behind a decent solution related to magic outbursts.』
Walter still had no intention of telling Edith that his memories might completely disappear again. No, that would never happen.
╭══════
Name is Edith.
Wavy, rich golden hair; beautiful aqua-colored eyes with long eyelashes; a lively yet elegant voice; lips like ripe fruit; a blue necklace given by my mother.
══════╯
When he looked at the framed note that Elizabeth had brought to prove her loyalty, Walter experienced an uncontrollable shiver in his chest. Sometimes it was a tingling sensation, as if a bow were rubbing a string instrument, and sometimes it was an urgent feeling, like he was running away somewhere.
The anomaly convinced him that the note in his crude handwriting had been scribbled by his younger self to remind him of Edith, just before he lost his memory in a magic outburst.
Edith must have fully guessed that the old Viscount Fortrion had been looking for her because of that note and that she had been brought to that barbarian manor after being sold. But Edith looked at the note as if she were looking at the most lovely thing in the world.
“Were you thinking of me when you lost your memory, Isaac?”
When Edith asked that question in a tender voice, Walter felt as if his throat were clogged and could not say anything.
Walter was tempted to ask her what part of their childhood was so wonderful that just remembering it in the last moment moved her so much.
It was painful for Walter to learn that the note he had written was the beginning of her great misfortune. He felt that Edith should have slapped him in the face and asked him what he was thinking by leaving such a foolish note and putting her through all this trouble.
Yet, when she simply expressed happiness that he thought of her, it made him feel like he might go mad wanting to find his memories.
Now that Walter knew how precious he was to her, he wanted to recall every detail of who she was to him.
And not forget everything he had seen and heard so far just because of a magic outburst.
──────────✿◦•
Time passed quickly in the Lexion Territory. And in the blink of an eye, Edith will quickly become a mother, giving birth in just three months.
Edith and Walter went to the attic of the manor and looked at the items used by Leah Lexion during her lifetime with curious eyes, and also looked at the endless fields of rob-berries in the territory.
The box that Leah had locked with magic could not be opened, and the other belongings were all clothes and jewelry, so they were not of much help to Walter.
But Edith loved everything Leah touched. If any of those items were useful to her now, they were even more special to her.
“I thought you would have to be confined to the manor the whole time, but I’m glad you can still go out.”
Vivian said. After hearing her words, Edith adjusted her clothes with a satisfied look on her face.
“Fortunately, the magic that Walter awakened was perfect for the child. Otherwise, even with a disguised identity, I would have had to stay in this manor made of magic stones all the time.”
“I’m glad that M’lady can have an active daily life thanks to being able to go out. Ah, let me help you with this part.”
Vivian helped Edith put on a dark brown wig, a unique item found among Lady Leah’s belongings.
“It perfectly hides M’lady’s voluminous blonde hair. I still don’t understand how this is possible.”
“I think Mrs. Leah applied some magic spell. She enjoyed pranks, so maybe she used the wig to conceal her identity and surprise people.”
Thinking of it as something characteristic of Leah, Edith adjusted the wig securely.
Thanks to the efforts of Lilliette, who had a strong influence, she managed to obtain a fake identity that would allow her to go outside while pregnant.
Lady Joelle, the niece of Lilliette Lexion’s friend—a woman in her twenties who is seven months pregnant and has beautiful dark brown hair.
Edith was able to go out under the name of Joelle, which she could not do under the name of Edith for fear of endangering the child.
『 Of course, I always have to be cautious and have Cassius as my escort.』
There was a reason why Edith couldn’t give up going out even though she had to wear a wig.
“Oh, Lady Joelle. Long time no see.”
“It would be nice if guests visiting neighboring territories were also as interested in farming.”
Edith was overseeing the collection and shipment of ripe rob-berries.
Edith collected the rob-berries, which had grown to prosperous heights, and observed her reflection in the shipping boxes.
The only way to gather information about Baron Humphrey without endangering herself was through direct contact.
After several weeks of hard work, everyone who worked as a rob-berry farmer in the Lexion Territory got to know a noble lady named Joelle.
“The rob-berries are looking good today as well. We’re almost reaching our target shipment volume, so let’s keep up the hard work, shall we?”
Edith spoke with a friendly tone as she took her place. There was a lot of information she gained from them over the course of a few weeks.
For example, the most influential person among Baron Humphrey’s servants was not the head butler or assistant, but the head maid.
『 They have been farming the same crops as the Humphrey’s farmers for several years, and as I expected, they actively interact with each other personally.』
Initially, Edith had visited the shipping area thinking that, since they jointly held a review meeting every year, there might be acquaintances on Humphrey’s side. However, it unexpectedly turned out to be a lucrative venture.
Both groups were devoted to farming, so it was quite common for them to get married or make friends.
Anyway, the characteristics of Baron Humphrey that Edith had figured out through the farmers so far were as follows.
Usually, if a servant tried to exercise more authority than the master had permitted, the lord had to rein them in.
However, Baron Humphrey found himself in a situation where he suddenly inherited the title due to the death of the previous lord, and he didn’t bother to bring in a lady to fulfill the role of the lady of the manor.
Whether due to a lack of interest or incompetence in managing the territory, Baron Humphrey kept the servants chosen by the previous lord unchanged. Meanwhile, it seemed that the head maid was slowly seizing power in the manor.
『 The head maid seems to have a bright mind, so if I use her, I can find out what mine Baron Humphrey is hiding.』
Edith’s face was serious as she checked the plan. The women in the shipping area looked pleased watching her.
“It’s a little chilly today, so I’ll give you a cup of warm ginger tea. Would you like to try some of these too?”
“Hmm… it’s okay. At this rate, I might end up eating all the berries we need to sell.”
Seeing her shy smile, the women in the shipping area burst into laughter.
If the woman in front of them was someone who only knew how to pick berries, such laughter would never have erupted.
However, she seriously listened to the concerns that not only the women in the shipping area but also the farmers working the fields always had.
At first, they believed her presence near the shipping area was due to accompanying the Little Duke for activities such as hunting or touring the estate, assuming these pursuits didn’t align with her temperament. However, it became evident that she was genuinely serious.
“Even if it’s not a special product, what do you think about freezing the ripe rob-berries with magic and transporting them to the capital for sale? Even if they thaw during transport, the sweetness will still be considerable, so they would be popular for desserts.”
“But how…?”
“I will ask the Little Duke for a favor. With Lexion’s magic and commercial system, it might not be immediately, but within a few years, it should be entirely possible.”
After thinking about it for a few days and coming up with a solution that would allow slightly less marketable products to be sold in other regions, the women had no choice but to completely let down their guard against Lady Joelle.
“We have no idea how grateful we are for Lady Joelle’s support.”
“Oh, how we wish Lady Joelle were the Little Duke’s fiancée. Wouldn’t that be splendid?”
“Uh, give me some ro-rob-berries. I’m suddenly craving them…”
In order to safely give birth to the child, Edith, who had unintentionally embarked on a double life, hastily changed the topic.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
