TISND Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Jeremy shouted with all his might.

“You’re mine! So stop hanging out with those worthless, insignificant people!”

“……”

“You’re supposed to stay by my side and pay attention only to me!”

The boy’s possessiveness was intense.

Helena hesitated, unsure how to respond to Jeremy’s declaration.

‘He says I’m his… How am I supposed to answer this?’

Should she say yes? Or should she say no?

After fumbling for a while, Helena finally asked a question.

“Why am I yours?”

“Because everything in the Frantor estate is mine, so you’re mine too!”

“…Is that how it works?”

“Don’t argue with me! If I say you’re mine, then you are!”

Jeremy’s face flushed red like the bud of a rose, as he huffed and puffed with indignation.

“Stop wasting your time chitchatting with others!”

“I may not be your mother, but I’m also the lady of the duke’s household, you know?”

Helena asked innocently.

“Isn’t it my job to look after the estate?”

“…No! Don’t do anything! Just focus on me!”

It was a ridiculous demand.

Still, soothing the sulking child took precedence.

Helena sighed and spoke calmly.

“Alright, I’ll try hiring someone to help with the work. If I get a manager, I’ll have more time to spare.”

But it seemed that wasn’t the answer Jeremy wanted.

Even after her words, the boy’s anger didn’t subside.

‘What does he want me to say?’

Lacking social skills and experience with children, Helena felt helpless.

“Do you want a new set of clothes?”

“Do you think I’m some pauper? I have plenty of money.”

“…Okay, how about something you’d like to eat? Anything from before?”

“The dried persimmons you gave me last time.”

“Alright.”

What Jeremy wanted was surprisingly simple: time with her and a little treat.

When she brought out the dried persimmons she had stored away, Jeremy grabbed them with both hands and began eating.

“I’m not eating this because I want to. I just don’t want to waste food.”

“Okay.”

However, it seemed his sulking wasn’t entirely over.

Even as he nibbled on the persimmons, he kept his lips pursed and avoided making eye contact.

Helena thought for a moment and then spoke.

“Jeremy.”

“What?”

“Is there anything else you’d like to eat?”

“Something I want to eat?”

In the past, she’d often asked if he had eaten, but never if there was something he wanted to eat.

Jeremy, for his part, usually ate whatever was given without complaint.

Seeing Helena extend a hand to reconcile didn’t seem entirely unpleasant to him.

He pouted slightly but looked at her, seemingly pleased by her undivided attention.

“Yeah, if there’s something you want, tell me.”

“Well…”

Jeremy fiddled with the dried persimmons in his hands.

“I think I’d like some strawberries.”

“Strawberries?”

Though it was possible to harvest strawberries in winter, they were difficult to come by in Frantor.
Strawberries, being delicate and perishable, were especially challenging to import from other regions.

To eat strawberries in Frantor, one would have to either harvest them from nearby areas or pick wild strawberries from the surrounding mountains.

“Yeah, strawberries.”

Jeremy innocently responded, unaware of the complexities adults considered. He simply answered honestly when asked what he wanted. After all, he had eaten strawberries quite a bit in the past, but hadn’t had them recently.

“You know, it’s really delicious to spread cream on strawberries and eat them.”

“Isn’t it usually the other way around?”

“No, spreading cream on strawberries is the way to go.”

“Okay.”

In Jeremy’s mind, the thought of sharing strawberries with family was already taking shape.

“Hmm, well, okay, strawberries. I’ll get them somehow.”

Helena remembered hearing about nearby mountain ranges where wild strawberries were picked.

“Really?”

Jeremy grinned brightly, seemingly over his earlier pout, as Helena casually responded.

***

Despite her outward appearance, Helena was quite confident when it came to mountain climbing. She frequently traversed the mountains as if they were her own backyard to gather herbs. Additionally, she had a good grasp of the geography of the surrounding mountain ranges.

She wasn’t venturing too far either. Equipped with a professional-grade rope and sturdy boots, Helena was prepared to climb the mountain range.

“You look busy.”

A voice stopped her as she was gathering maps, a red ribbon, and a coat.

“Joshua?”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just going out for a bit.”

Helena smiled lightly, teasing Joshua.

“Why? Are you trying to spy on me again?”

“No, not really.”

“Alright, then I’ll go.”

Just as Helena was about to walk away, Joshua’s voice stopped her again.

“Do you know why Frantor is called an impenetrable Fortress?”

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“Because it has never been breached.”

“Why hasn’t it been breached then?”

“Exactly.”

At first, it seemed like a random history lesson, but the explanation caught Helena off guard.

The Antarego mountain range wasn’t a particularly formidable fortress-like barrier. While it was cold, it wasn’t so high that it seemed to touch the skies, nor was it rugged to the point of being difficult to traverse.

“It’s due to obsession.”

“Obsession?”

“Yes. The determination to protect the estate at all costs.”

Joshua answered confidently, crossing his arms.

“Obsession is deeply ingrained in the bloodline of Frantor. Once a goal is set, there is no letting go.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because of Jeremy.”

Joshua leaned back with a smirk, speaking with a relaxed demeanor.

“You’re going to have a hard time, so better prepare yourself.”

“Worried about me?”

“No, just making sure you’re aware. Sometimes, confusion can turn into a serious condition.”

Helena chuckled softly, hoisting her bag over her shoulder. She wasn’t dressed in a gown, but in comfortable, practical attire for mountain climbing.

Her appearance and boots seemed natural for the situation.

“Where on earth are you going?”

“To the mountains.”

“To the mountains?”

Joshua’s shout came too late as Helena had already disappeared.

***

Helena had an extensive history of climbing mountains due to her hobby of gathering herbs. The problem was that others didn’t always see it that way.

“Where is she?”

Caligo, having finished training, spotted a worried Emma.

“Is something wrong?”

“For some time now, I haven’t seen Lady Helena.”

Hearing Helena’s name, Caligo’s expression grew noticeably darker.

“It means she’s missing? What do you mean by that?”

The thought of Helena disappearing made Caligo’s heart sink.

He couldn’t help but recall the painful words he had spoken the night before. Perhaps it would have been better if he had never said those things.

A face that seemed resigned to everything. Her image haunted him through the night.

“A while ago, she mentioned going to the mountains.”

Joshua, sensing the commotion, naturally joined the conversation.

“The mountains? Why would the precious lady of the estate be heading to the mountains?”

Emma spoke in a hushed, troubled tone.

“There’s something odd about it.”

Joshua added.

“It seemed like she was going farther than expected. She even changed her clothes, and…”

“She was heading towards the cliffs?”

Emma shouted in horror.

When anxiety sets in, people can imagine the most absurd and ominous scenarios.

Especially when it comes to someone like Helena, who had recently been treated unfairly in Frantor.

Helena, who was once unfairly persecuted, now heading toward cliffs alone was deeply unsettling.

“Surely, Lady Helena isn’t contemplating something beyond comprehension?”

While Helena’s harsh reputation was starting to fade, the lingering resentment from some residents still remained due to her lineage as the daughter of Eskel.

“My goodness, Lady Helena… she seemed troubled in Frantor.”

Joshua hesitated, unable to finish his thought.

Thinking back, it did seem strange for Helena to venture into the mountains.

Though she was skilled in farming, the sudden urge to climb a mountain was unusual.

However, Joshua couldn’t believe she looked ready to throw herself off the cliffs.

But by the time he tried to calm things down, the misunderstanding had grown far too deep.

“Helena…”

Caligo groaned in anguish alongside Emma.

Perhaps his words had driven her to give up entirely and resign herself to fate.

“Summon the entire army at once.”

A terrifying look crossed Caligo’s face, one that was never before seen.