RVMPT Chapter 30

Chapter 30

 

I pressed my hat down tightly as I stood in front of the Anais Guild building.  

The carriage had been parked far away, and to avoid a repeat accident of last time, I walked with a guild member who had been waiting for me.  

 

I made my way through the familiar hallways toward the room where I usually met with the guild master. However, someone else was sitting there instead.  

It made sense; the guild leader had been on a business trip for the past week. I had heard the news, but since I didn’t receive any report from the Guild Master about my issue, so I decided to visit.

 

The Guild Master’s substitute was wearing a black hoodie, with a white mask covering their face.

He seemed intent on keeping his identity a secret. Based on their height and build, I could only assume he was male.

 

“Hello.”  

“……”  

 

The proxy gave a slight nod and picked up a pen with their left hand, beginning to write something.  

 

“– Greetings. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You don’t need to use formalities with me, Duchess.”  

 

“Ah, alright.” 

 

It still felt strange to drop formalities with someone I was only meeting for the first time.  

But what was the reason behind this silence? Couldn’t he speak, or was he choosing not to? Judging by how meticulously he concealed his identity, perhaps he wanted to hide his identity.  

 

The proxy handed me a report.  

After reading through it, a broad smile spread across my face.  

 

‘Ah, money truly is the best.’

 

With my knowledge of the original story, the money I invested was already multiplying itself.

 

Tap, tap. 

Hearing the sound of tapping on the desk, I looked up to see the proxy. Did he have something to say?  

He handed me a sheet of paper.  

 

“– What do you plan to do with all that money?”

 

I blinked at the unexpected question. Though it caught me off guard, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t answer.

 

“Save up as much as I can and live happily with it.”

 

“– Specifically?”

 

“Um……. I haven’t really thought about it in detail…….”

 

My plans were simple: heal Harold, escape to another country where the curse of the original story doesn’t reach, and live under a prepared identity in a new home. That was it.  

Perhaps, If I met someone along the way, I might settle down, but that felt too far in the future for now.

Healing Harold would take years, so I hadn’t really made any concrete plans yet.

“Why ask, though?”  

 

The proxy picked up the pen with his left hand again. His grip on the pen was slightly awkward, so I found myself staring at his hand. Then, something unusual about his fourth finger caught my eye.

‘Is he married?’

There was a distinct ring mark on his ring finger. 

He handed me another paper, and I tilted my head as I read.  

 

“ Just curious.”

 

“About me?”  

 

The pen moved again, this time he was writing a longer response.  

 

“Ever since you married Duke Harold Vissen, your personality has changed drastically. Before marriage, it seemed like your life goal was to marry his younger brother, Kaiden Vissen, as you relentlessly followed him. Now, you’re more knowledgeable about investments than most experts. To someone like me, who deals primarily in information, you’re a fascinating person, Duchess. My interest is purely personal. I assure you, I won’t sell this information.”

 

“But I’m still curious: what do you plan to do with the money you’re secretly saving behind your husband’s back?”

 

The proxy clasped their hands and rested their chin on them as if urging me to answer. 

 

Though his face was hidden by the white mask and his eyes were covered by translucent black fabric, but I could feel their gaze fixed on me.  

 

“It’s just a little extra savings on the side. The more money you have, the better, isn’t it?”

 

The proxy tilted their head slightly before nodding in understanding.  

 

I checked the time. It was the day I’d arranged to volunteer with Lady Meyer, so I needed to leave soon.

 

“Well, I’ll be going now. Take care.”  

 

As I pushed my chair back and stood up, the sound of a pen against paper caught my attention again.  

*Scratch, scratch.*  

The proxy slid another piece of paper toward me.  

 

“ I look forward to meeting you again.”

 

I shifted my gaze from the paper to the proxy’s face.  

The man nodded slightly.  

I mimicked the gesture in return.

---

‘I arrived slightly early for the appointment.’

 

With Anna and my escort knight, I visited the temple for the first time, looking around curiously. The temple was bustling with preparations for the volunteer work. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted from various directions.  

 

‘The scent of this bread brings back memories.’

I felt a faint sense of nostalgia. Still, I had paid more attention to quality this time. This wasn’t the bland, floury bread I’d eaten in the past.

I thought no one would pay attention to me in the midst of the busyness, but a priest in white robes approached.

“May the blessings of the divine be with you. Duchess Diana Vissen, welcome to the temple. I’ll guide you to Lady Mayer.”  

 

“May the blessings of the divine be with you. Please do.”  

 

I followed the priest while continuing to glance around the temple interior.

 

Although I had been reincarnated into the world of The Fallen Noble Lady Captivates the Duke’s Son, a romance-fantasy novel, this world surprisingly lacked the typical magic, divine powers, and spirits one might expect from such a genre.

 

Well, to be more specific, magic had existed in this world but—400 years ago. Records of it and artifacts from that era still remained. While there were no longer any mages who would wield mana, but there were items infused with magical energy, like mana stones, that still existed, and magical engineering remained an active field.

 

Additionally, some swordmasters among the knights could still wield aura blades, though their numbers were far fewer compared to 400 years ago.

‘…Harold can also wield sword energy.’

However, divine power, which is often present in romance fantasy stories, had never existed here—except for me.
Maybe because of this, the temple’s influence was quite weak. Despite the protection of certain rights by a pact made 100 years ago, they had managed to grow steadily, but there were still many non-believers among the nobility.

‘Diana was also a non-believer.’

However, the moment Diana’s mother passed away, Diana visited the temple for a whole month, driven by a desperate desire to hold on to something. After that month, She stopped visiting, but during that time, she even donated all the money she had saved and prayed to a god she didn’t believe in.

 At first, she prayed for her mother’s return, then later for the location of her mother’s body.
On another day, she prayed for her mother to go to a good place, and sometimes, she begged the gods to punish the Countess and her family, who had killed her mother.

On the last day, she prayed to escape from this hell.

As I visited the temple, memories of Diana’s past came rushing back. Though I wasn’t sharing her emotions, but just recalling them made me want to cry for her.

At that moment, I saw Lady Mayer speaking with a priest in the distance. I pushed those painful memories of Diana aside and walked toward Lady Mayer.
She noticed me as she adjusted her glasses, offering a calm smile.

“Welcome, Duchess. If you don’t mind waiting for a moment, I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course, don’t mind me. Please, continue your conversation.”
“Hehe, it’s almost done.”

True to her word, Lady Mayer wrapped up her conversation with the priest and turned back to me.

“Shall we head out now?”
“Yes, we can go together.”
Every two weeks, twenty teams of volunteers were assigned, and I would be going to the same place as Lady Mayer this time.

“Duchess, my husband’s great-grandson is staying at the Marquis’ residence, and he expressed an interest in joining the volunteer work, so I brought him along. I apologize for not informing you in advance.”
“It’s not a problem. Anyone can join. What’s the great-grandson of the Marquis like?”
“…I don’t know him well, but he’s a good person. A bit clumsy, though, and I’m not sure what made him want to come along.”

Lady Mayer furrowed her brow slightly, but since she described him as ‘good,’ I assumed he must be a decent person.
Just then, a loud crash echoed through the air.

“…Ah, he’s over there.”

Following her gaze, I saw the source of the commotion. The temple workers were shouting, 

“Please stay still, Young Master!” 

The man stood up, brushing himself off, and awkwardly laughed. His well-kept red hair swayed lightly.

 “Huh? That’s….”
It was him—the clumsy man from Lady Mayer’s estate.

“…!”
Just then, the man turned around and looked directly at me, a wide, bright smile spread across his face.

“We meet again, Duchess.”