Episode 71

The carriage provided by the imperial palace was neither overly extravagant nor exceptionally fine, so I sat quietly inside the rattling vehicle, gazing out through the window. My palms were clammy with sweat, and I unfolded my clenched hands, resting them on my knees.

The world beyond the palace passed by quickly, similar yet somehow different from what I remembered. It suddenly struck me how long I had been confined within the palace, rarely venturing out. I mingled with Mary’s group, going out just once or twice a year as if it were a ritual. Apart from joining them for festivals held near the palace, there were few times when I had a reason to go out.

At first, I didn’t understand why, but recently, I realized it was because of the fear I had felt when I faced death. It wasn’t as though I hadn’t thought about the future at all, but I had expected to stay in the palace for at least another three or four years.

Life is said to be unpredictable, but I never thought it would turn out like this. Suddenly, I recalled the meeting I had with Kenneth before I left. It was the tenth day since we had spoken—when I told him that I had declined Igon’s proposal and would remain in the palace. When Kenneth summoned me again, his expression was deeply troubled and uneasy.

My intuition, built up through the years, hinted at what he might say. Assuming that was the reason he called me this time as well, I took my seat.

“The Duke has made a proposal regarding you. I couldn’t dismiss it outright, so I called you to ask once more.”

Kenneth conveyed the point concisely.

There was nothing for me to add, as things had turned out that way. I didn’t know what Igon had wagered on my behalf, but for Kenneth, who was usually so resolute, to speak this way, there must have been a reason. Kenneth wouldn’t have handed me over to him so easily otherwise.

If even the Crown Prince could not refuse, then surely, neither could I. I nodded, reversing the decision I had previously made. I upheld my pride by insisting that, regardless of the outcome, I was leaving by my own choice. Yet, a part of me knew that my decision stemmed from longing.

Amusingly, I missed Igon. And if you miss someone, you should see them.

Every time decisions were made according to his will, it irked me, yet if I truly wished to see him again, this wasn’t a bad opportunity. I packed my modest belongings. Beside me, Mary was quietly sobbing. Like me, she had been a maid living in the palace. Parting like this, neither of us knew when we might meet again in a place where we could speak freely.

“Be sure to come visit. I’ll come visit too.”

The reality was, of course, that neither the imperial palace nor the Duke’s estate were places one could easily drop by. Despite these thoughts crossing my mind, I patted her tightly clasped hands on my shoulders and turned away.

Before I knew it, the carriage had reached the district lined with the capital’s mansions. Even though I couldn’t see it yet, I felt as if the Duke’s estate lay just beyond. I turned my head towards where Count Duran’s mansion once stood. Part of the main building had collapsed, and the firmly closed iron gates were tilted. The garden was strewn with broken statues and fallen ancient trees.

The abandoned mansion, weighed down by the passage of time, exuded a desolate atmosphere. The pitiful state of that once beautiful mansion was heartbreaking. I had heard while working at the palace that the deposed empress had returned to the mansion that once belonged to Count Duran. I hadn’t expected it to be in such a state. It was hard to believe that the once proud and aloof empress was now residing in such a ruin.

“That’s the Duran estate, isn’t it?”

Remarked the official from the palace who was riding in the carriage with me. She, too, frowned slightly at the bleak sight outside the window.

“…Excessive ambition is never wise.”

She muttered, almost as if talking to herself, like sharing a life lesson. It was surprising, considering that most palace officials tended to be tight-lipped. It seemed she was referring to the downfall of the Duran family. That topic remained a hotly debated issue.

Many stories surrounded the ruin of Count Duran’s household. Yet despite the downfall of such a prominent family, no one knew the exact reasons behind it. Every storyteller had a different version. It was said that only the emperor, the crown prince, and the heads of the noble families knew the full details of the incident. Perhaps because the crown prince’s maternal family was involved, they kept the reasons behind the ruin tightly under wraps.

Rumors suggested that the Count had been secretly gathering pieces of magical beasts, and those fragments combined on their own, awakening a new and unseen creature. Other whispers spoke of the Count himself turning into a magical beast or dabbling in forbidden magic.

This was already a completely different beginning from the original story. In the novel, Igon had falsely accused the Count of treason and brought him down. Still, there were hints that Igon was involved in the background of this incident as well.

In all the swirling rumors, Igon was consistently depicted as a hero vanquishing the wicked count and the monstrous creature. It was a perspective easily understood when one considered who stood to gain the most from the fall of the Durans.

The carriage rumbled on steadily towards the Duke’s estate, finally crossing through the unchanged gates of the manor. As I stepped down from the carriage, a woman, likely the head maid, awaited my arrival. I disembarked with my luggage in hand, exchanging a few words with the palace official who had accompanied me.

“This way.”

She gestured after their conversation concluded, and I bid the official farewell. I followed my guide, breathing in the familiar scent that drifted from the lush forest encircling the estate and the profusion of blooming flowers. The fear I felt when I first came here as Evelyn was gone, yet I couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed.

I walked the familiar path, sweeping my gaze over the massive gates and searching for any changes. Crossing through the garden, I noticed that my stride felt different from Evelyn’s. Or perhaps it was just the strangeness of returning after so long. I followed the long path lined with flowers, recalling a memory where he had stood at the far end, and I had walked towards him.

That memory, an irretrievable fragment of the past, struck me like an old wound. The sting made me bite down on my lower lip, just as I sensed a gaze directed towards me from above. I naturally lifted my head.

A breeze blew, carrying with it the delicate flutter of sheer curtains through an open window on the terrace. Between those drifting curtains, a shadowy figure came into view. As the wind slowly died down, the outline of a man, elegant like a painting, emerged.

Unlike Evelyn’s memories, there was no bright smile on his face. The guide beside me followed my gaze, spotting Igon, and bowed deeply. I followed suit, lowering my head in greeting. The indifferent man gave a slight nod in acknowledgment before turning away, disappearing from sight.

I entered the manor with a new face, a new name. Inside, the scent I knew so well filled the air. It was the kind of scent that one might encounter in a long-forgotten library or an ancient relic—nostalgic yet tinged with melancholy. The guide led me upstairs to Igon’s office and soon knocked on the door.

My heart pounded in my chest, so fiercely that I felt an overwhelming urge to turn around and run away. I am a contradictory person. Even as anxiety made my feet itch with the desire to flee, I felt an equally strong pull to stand my ground, to face him, and to look into his eyes.

“Come in.”

A succinct response. The door swung open, revealing the familiar room that awaited me. I took a short breath. Though a considerable amount of time had passed, the arrangement of the furniture and the placement of objects looked exactly the same as when I left. It felt as if time had come to a halt in this room alone.

“My name is Liliana, and I will be working here starting today.”

I introduced myself to him, bowing slightly as I spoke.

“I see.”

His response was brief. He didn’t even spare me a glance. Instead, his pen continued to dance briskly across the paper.

“They said that you worked without any unnecessary fuss, and you had a good reputation at the palace.”

Receiving such a compliment was new to me. Was that true? I had simply carried out my duties without much thought, yet hearing that I was spoken of well brought an unexpected sense of satisfaction.

“For today, I’ll guide you through your tasks, and I’ll be prepared to serve you starting tomorrow.”

“Very well.”

And with that, the formalities came to an end. Yet, I couldn’t shake the question—why had Igon summoned me here? Kenneth had suggested that it was because he knew of my connection to Evelyn, but judging by Igon’s detached demeanor, there was an ambiguity that I couldn’t decipher. He remained as inscrutable as ever.

The guide—who turned out to be the head maid, Hanna—took me to where the other servants had gathered and introduced me. She then briefed me on my responsibilities. The work of the maids in the Duke’s estate wasn’t much different from what I had done at the palace. However, while my tasks in the palace mainly involved organizing and transporting books, the key difference here was my duty to assist the head of the household directly.

I was told to keep in mind that those who served Igon in close proximity—be it maids or other attendants—were either mute or hard of hearing. My predecessor, a man, had also been unable to speak.

He had been tasked with all sorts of odd jobs by Igon, doing whatever was required of him. Before departing, he handed me a note filled with various cautionary instructions. For some reason, his gaze toward me seemed filled with pity. As if to encourage me, he gave my shoulder a reassuring pat, but there was a hint of relief in his demeanor, as though a burden had been lifted from him.

My room was a single occupancy, something the guide mentioned as a privilege for Igon’s personal attendant. Yet, I couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Thoughts crowded my mind, swirling restlessly. It felt unreal to be here, in the Duke’s estate, inhabiting the body of Liliana. After tossing and turning for a while, I got up, picked up a lamp, and left the room.

I descended the stairs and walked down the corridor towards the back door, intending to take a stroll. But suddenly, out of nowhere, someone grabbed my wrist roughly. The force made me spin halfway around, and the lamp slipped from my hand, crashing to the floor. Luckily, I was unharmed, but the hot oil splashed onto my companion’s leg.

Startled, I pulled him into the brighter light of the moonlit window, intending to check on his injury. But when I saw his face illuminated in the moonlight, I froze in place. It was Igon.

“You have no fear, do you?”

He sneered, his expression devoid of any warmth.

“Wandering around in the middle of the night…”

His tone was accusatory, yet the words he spoke next, despite his expression remaining cold, sounded surprisingly gentle.

“Can’t sleep?”

Blinking in confusion, I snapped back to the present and remembered the injury he might have suffered. I urged him, telling him to show me his pant leg so I could check the burn. But Igon pushed me away, widening the distance between us.

“Worry about yourself.”

he said, before turning and leaving me behind in the corridor. And just like that, he vanished, leaving me alone in the dim hallway.