TISND Chapter 125

Chapter 125

There were none.

All records of the servants who had worked in Eskel twenty years ago were gone.

“Just before the lady of the house was born, the estate underwent extensive renovations, and most of the staff were replaced. They left with a decent sum of money, so there were no complaints.”

“They left on their own, yet why are their records completely cut off?”

“Well… It seems they died either from an epidemic or due to unavoidable accidents.”

“All of them?”

At that time, the count hadn’t yet accumulated his current vast wealth. On the contrary, he was struggling financially, to the point where people called him a fallen noble.

Even so, there would have been dozens of servants working at the estate. It was strange that so many had died—all those who had worked around the time of Helena’s birth.

It seemed highly likely that the count had a hand in this. At the same time, it was perplexing. Disposing of dozens of servants was no simple task. What could have driven him to take such a significant risk?

What started as a simple inquiry into Helena’s family medical history had unexpectedly led Caligo to investigate her past. He fell into deep thought.

This was not something that could be ignored. It was only right to verify any suspicious details.

“Even if the servants themselves are dead, their families might still be alive. Check thoroughly to see if any surviving relatives remain.”

“Understood, Master.”

*

Not long after, they managed to find a person who had once worked for the count. In truth, calling it employment might be a stretch, as the period had only been about six months.

The woman had previously worked as a veteran servant for various noble households. However, whether by coincidence or not, after working at the count’s estate, she had completely given up her career as a servant.

Since she had voluntarily left well before Helena’s birth, she had managed to survive.

The elderly woman had settled in a remote countryside, opening an inn and running it alone. Caligo visited her, dressed as a simple farmer.

“Ah, hello.”

The woman, who had been sweeping the inn’s floor, turned pale upon seeing Caligo enter.

“What brings you here?”

“Is that how you greet a guest at your inn? By asking why they’ve come?”

“It’s just… you don’t seem to be here for a drink or a room like the others.”

Her hair was fully white, yet neatly tied up. Despite the passage of time, she had not lost her demeanor as a servant.

What could have made such a woman leave her position?

With her experience, she would have earned a decent wage anywhere. Given that she was managing the inn alone, it didn’t seem like she had left due to health issues.

Would he be able to get the answers he needed from this woman?

After observing her for a while, Caligo finally spoke.

“How did you know?”

“Though you wear a commoner’s attire, your pants’ hems and sleeves are spotless. The collar is crisp too. I assure you, no one in this area wears clothes that well-maintained.”

She was sharp and perceptive.

Had this woman remained at the Eskel estate, she likely would have died at the count’s hands.

Perhaps her keen eye had been the reason she had survived until now.

Caligo let out a small laugh and spoke.

“It seems you’ve guessed at least a little about my identity. Let’s keep it that way—no more than that.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t even ask your name?”

The old woman asked cautiously.

“Is there any reason you need to know it? I understand your curiosity, but I doubt knowing would do you any good.”

“…If that’s the case, you don’t need to tell me.”

She nodded, seemingly accepting his answer.

“Then, may I ask what brought you here…?”

“I heard you worked at the Eskel estate twenty years ago.”

The man before her knew everything.

His straightforwardness, devoid of any attempt to beat around the bush, turned the old woman’s face even paler.

The man standing before her was born to rule.

Despite his young appearance, he was not someone to be underestimated.

Just being in the same space as him made that abundantly clear.

He did not display any particular hostility or wariness, yet his subtle aura of authority was enough to prevent the old woman from meeting his gaze.

Her head bowed low, unable to bear looking him in the eye.

His gaze was cold enough to pierce the soul.

Just as the old woman had recognized Caligo’s status by his attire, he, too, was scrutinizing her.

This was not a man who could be deceived. He would see through a lie the moment it was spoken.

A chill ran down her spine, and cold sweat began to bead on her skin.

“T-that is…”

“I haven’t come to ask you to lie, nor have I come to harm you. I’m only here to uncover the truth.”

“…”

“All you need to do is recount, objectively, what you saw and heard twenty years ago.”

His silver-gray eyes were as cold as moonlight and as sharp as an arrowhead.

Just being under his gaze felt agonizing.

“I cannot soothe you like a bard, nor am I kind by nature. The only promise I can make is that once you tell me the truth, I will leave immediately.”

“What exactly is it that you wish to ask?”

“You left of your own accord twenty years ago. What was the reason?”

He had clearly come here with suspicions in mind. But it was not an easy story to tell.

“It is difficult to speak of. But I can tell you what I saw and experienced in those three months. How you interpret it… that is up to you.”

“That is my role, not yours to worry about.”

Caligo’s firm words put an end to her hesitation.

It was clear that the man before her had no intention of leaving until he heard the full story.

Eventually, the old woman forced herself to open her lips.

“You must already know, but I was primarily in charge of personal adornments and preparations in the Count’s household.”

“Even before the Countess left on her journey?”

“…I did not accompany her on the trip, but yes, that is correct.”

“You left your position after the Countess departed, didn’t you?”

“…”

“And it was also just a few months before Helena Eskel was born.”

The records concerning Helena Eskel had been a mystery even before her birth.

No one knew exactly when the Countess had conceived or when she had even realized she was pregnant.

All that was known was that Helena had been born on a winter’s day.

“Were you aware of the Countess’s pregnancy?”

“A lowly servant like me had no way of knowing the details of the Countess’s condition. However…”

The old woman hesitated, her lips trembling as if the words were too difficult to speak.

“…I did see the blood she shed before she left on her journey. A few months after that… the young lady—no, the current Duchess of Frantor—was born.”

There was no doubt in the old woman’s eyes.

She had already reached her own conclusion long ago.

But it was something too terrifying to speak aloud.

“Around that same time, a child I knew went missing.

She was a girl I had met when I was struggling to adjust to the estate after my arrival.

A lovely child.

Her eyes, especially, shone like glass.”

The woman’s voice trembled.

“And then… one day, she disappeared.

Not long after, I heard she had died.”

After leaving the estate, the old woman had exchanged letters with a fellow servant.

That servant, before departing the household, had by chance seen the Countess.

According to the letter, the child the Countess had brought back was incredibly small.

But it did not seem like a child born prematurely.

Rather, it was a child who had developed fully in a mother’s womb before birth.

“That is all I can tell you.

How you interpret it is up to you.

But this was never an easy story for me to share.”

Their conversation ended there.

The old woman bid him farewell, warning that bandits roamed the roads after sunset, making night travel dangerous.

“Your Excellency, are you all right?”

As Caligo stepped out of the inn, he drew a deep breath, as if he had barely escaped from a fire.

One of his subordinates, noticing his unusually troubled expression, asked him a question.

But no answer came.

At last, he understood.

The meaning behind that sorrowful look she sometimes wore.

The reason for her deep obsession with family and children.

All the clues pointed to one truth.

The Countess’s pregnancy had been shrouded in mystery from the start.

Helena Eskel had been born during the Countess’s travels.

There had been no midwife to testify to Helena’s birth.

The sudden renovations, the disappearance of servants before and after her birth, the woman who had vanished like mist from the estate—

“Hate me all you want.”

Despite the scorn and condemnation of others, she had remained eerily composed.

She had once watched families on leisurely outings with an inscrutable expression.

She had always insisted, almost obsessively, that children deserved a happy childhood.

She had gazed at them with a desperate longing, yet had never reached out her hand.

Helena Eskel—

The woman he had wounded so deeply—

Was the Eskel Count’s illegitimate child.

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