TISND Chapter 135

Chapter 135

For the past year, Helena had been quietly preparing for her final moments.
She had even decided in advance where she would spend her last days.

The sea.

She had never seen the sea in her life. So, closing her eyes while gazing upon the sea she had longed to see didn’t seem like a bad way to go.

She had lived a life far from romance.
At the very least, her end could be a bit romantic, she thought.

That’s why she chose the port city of Horion.
A town with a vast harbor wide enough to accommodate hundreds of ships daily without feeling crowded.

She had heard that the horizon was so expansive that ships crossing the continent looked small in comparison.

A place where the sand gleamed white like pearls, and the crashing of massive waves against rocks created a unique melody.

Helena fabricated a suitable identity and bought a small house there.
To others, she would appear to be an ordinary young woman who had come to recuperate.

“Who will inherit all that wealth from the Count?”

“Don’t even ask. When they went through his assets, he turned out to be penniless.”

“What? So, he acted so high and mighty despite being broke?”

“He might get some money by selling his luxury goods, but all of that will go to the state.”

After leaving the Count’s residence, she rented a modest lodging in the capital. When the day finally came for her departure, she stood waiting for the carriage, holding a bag so light it hardly felt like anything.

Even on the day Helena was leaving, people were too busy gossiping about the trial of Count Eskel.

Of course, Helena’s name occasionally came up in conversation. Unlike Salizar, who was imprisoned alongside the Count, Helena and Rosalith had at least avoided incarceration. They said it was because no direct evidence linking them to Bacchus could be found. Or perhaps it was because they had discovered she was a “Forget-Me-Not.”

In any case, people sneered that, with her wealth and title confiscated, she could no longer live as she had before.

“Isn’t the Duchess of Frantor also an Eskel?”

“Come on, they’ll be divorced soon enough.”

“How could anyone continue a marriage with a woman like that?”

“Exactly. With the Count’s execution imminent.”

“How could you take such a family’s daughter as a wife, let alone as a mother?”

A man snickered as he spoke.
“And what kind of children would grow up under a woman like that?”

“Right. You can only learn if there’s something worth learning. Like how beans grow where beans are planted.”

“If a child is raised by Eskel, they’ll turn out like Eskel.”

“She was probably in on it too.”

Even hearing them speak about her directly, Helena did not feel sad.
Perhaps it was because their words sounded so believable.

She was a wounded, lonely soul.

She had never known love, nor did she have a warm nature like Emma.
She had a stern face that easily drew misunderstanding and a personality that struggled with social interactions.
She was not good with words and didn’t know how to smile sweetly.

Nothing to learn from a daughter of Eskel, indeed.

Helena turned her gaze briefly in the direction of the Frantor estate.

Ironically, when she had left the Eskel mansion, she had thought of returning there.
Life there had never been smooth.

Even so, she wanted to go back.

But it was probably better not to.
Just as she had started alone, perhaps it was best to end alone.

After a moment of hesitation, Helena took off the bracelet she wore on her wrist.

She felt oddly grateful that Jane wasn’t by her side.
If she had heard the men’s conversation, she might have been hurt.

Jane was warm and kind. Unlike Helena, who knew how to let words slide, Jane took everything to heart and might have even shed tears.

Helena closed her eyes as she thought.

‘You have a family to care for. How could you follow me?’

She had given Jane a generous sum of money.

Perhaps with that money, she could live a comfortable life without having to do hard labor.

Maybe she couldn’t afford a grand mansion, but at least a sturdy house—
A home where she could be with her family.

Jane could see the sea anytime she wanted.
Besides, living near the sea might not be easy for her. The sea breeze could be cold, and she might catch a cold.

“Madam! Madam!”

Was it because she had been thinking of Jane so much?

When she suddenly heard Jane’s voice, at first, she thought she was hallucinating.

She assumed the Asehimmo had spread throughout her body, causing her ears to hear things.

After all, although she had left the Count’s residence with Jane, they had agreed to walk separate paths from then on.

“…Jane.”

“I told you I’d stay with you until the end!”

Jane cried out with a face full of tears.

“I told you to stay with your family.”

“No, I won’t! I’ll do as I please. I want to stay by your side, Madam.”

Jane examined Helena’s body, and her face contorted even more.

“You can barely walk now.”

“A cane is enough.”

“I’m better than a cane!”

Jane, seemingly determined not to change her mind, linked her arm with Helena’s.

“If I’m by your side like this, you’ll never collapse, Madam.”

A little while later, the carriage that would take them to Horion arrived. Before Helena could even say a word, Jane moved swiftly. She loaded Helena’s light luggage onto the carriage and then began loading her own.

Jane’s luggage, in particular, was abundant. As if anticipating that Helena wouldn’t have packed essentials like medicine or a comb, Jane brought everything—from blankets to all sorts of necessities.

“Come on, let’s go!”

Even after boarding the carriage with Jane and finally setting off for Horion, Helena felt dazed. She had assumed she would go to Horion alone. She still couldn’t believe Jane was sitting beside her.

“…What are you doing?”

No matter how much she thought about it, it felt unreal, so Helena poked Jane’s cheek, who was sitting close beside her.

“I was checking if you were really here.”

“I’m right here. I told you, I’m not going anywhere!”

Jane playfully exclaimed, clinging to Helena.

Jane no longer had any reason to follow Helena. They were no longer in a master-servant relationship.

Then what were they now? Helena pondered.

…Is this what it feels like to have a friend?

Maybe she hadn’t gained a family, but she had gained a friend.

She had never had a female friend before. Her face reddened slightly.

“Jane.”

“Yes!”

“…Thank you.”

Just a moment ago, she had felt so lonely and desolate. Now, the carriage no longer felt empty.

With a much brighter expression, Helena looked out the carriage window.

Her departing heart felt so much lighter.

—

The children were deeply shocked by Helena’s condition.

They had always been cared for by Helena, never really considering how she was doing.

They had naturally assumed she was healthy, but she was sick.

The saddest part was realizing this only after she had left.

If they had known earlier, they would have cared for her more. With aching hearts, Jeremy and Joshua cried until their eyes were swollen.

And now, they learned yet another secret about Helena.

“Helena was the ‘Forget-Me-Not’?”

“…Yes, she played a critical role in this.”

Caligo said.

“H-how…?”

Jeremy stammered, his eyes trembling. Then he suddenly jumped up and said:

“Bring Helena back right away! Please?”

“Yes, Father. With how dangerous things are outside… She could be in real danger.”

Only a handful of people knew Helena was the sender of letters: Crown Prince Raul, Duke Frantor, Pedro, and the children.

In front of the fallen Eskel mansion, a mob gathered, spitting and protesting as if to vent their anger.

If her identity became known in such a situation, she could be in grave danger.

“Yes, I’ve sent people to find her… She should return soon.”

“Yes! Helena will come back.”

Joshua answered energetically.

“This important task must have been what she felt she had to do. Now that it’s over… She’ll come back, right?”

Their relationship had been flawed from the start.

The three remained silent, holding onto their heavy hearts.

But they believed they could return to how things were.

Yes. Once Helena came back, they would beg for her forgiveness. They would make sure she wasn’t in pain, assign a physician to her, and let everyone know of her brave deeds.

They thought they could return to how things were.

No, they believed they could even build happier days than before.

They had such hopes.

But.

“We did everything we could to find Madam.”

Pedro, who had received Helena’s help on the hill of Felliarerin, was more devoted than anyone to finding her.

However, he couldn’t find her.

“We searched everywhere—from the Count’s mansion to the Eskel estate, and even the annex… She wasn’t there.”

According to those around her…

Pedro’s voice trembled as he spoke.

Every time he saw Caligo and the children’s expressions change with each word, his own heart grew heavier.

“They said she left on her own.”

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