TISND Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Jane seemed to have risen to a fairly high position in the Eskel estate.

“I almost became Lady Rosalith’s personal maid, you see. Dressing her and helping her with her appearance.”

“Almost?”

“Yes, but… Lady Rosalith is currently under house arrest.”

The news from Eskel that Jane brought was just as Helena expected—utter chaos.

“Lady Rosalith’s indulgence has been escalating by the day. Recently, the Count introduced a potential marriage match for her, but she refused to attend the meeting and even staged a hunger strike, saying she didn’t want to get engaged.”

“The match must’ve been a good one. Father would’ve chosen carefully.”

“It was Marquis Gorman, my lady—you must have heard of him! But she rejected him, saying she didn’t like his looks.”

Jane hesitated, as if finding it difficult to say what came next.

“She says she’ll only marry His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Despite his public reputation, the Count of Eskel loved his children deeply. Well, everyone except Helena, that is.

Whatever his children wanted, no matter how expensive, he would get it for them. Even the food they ate was the rarest and most luxurious.

As a result, the Count’s children grew up never knowing what it meant to go without.

Rosalith was no exception. Having been raised without any sense of lack, she couldn’t accept it when something was denied to her.

Eventually, as she grew older, she began to behave in ways that defied the Count’s authority.

“And the eldest son, Salizar, has been causing scandals too—flirting with noble ladies and creating all sorts of trouble. All of this has been weighing heavily on the Count’s mind.”

“Father must be having a hard time,” Helena said sincerely, feeling genuine pity for the Count.

“Because I know better than anyone what my siblings are like.”

It wasn’t just the Count and his wife who had made Helena’s life miserable in the estate.

“I suppose that’s why I was reassigned from Lady Rosalith to serving you, my lady. But I was surprised.”

“Surprised? By what?”

“You’re so different from the rumors.”

Ah! Realizing she had misspoken, Jane quickly covered her mouth.

“Uh, I mean that in a good way!”

“What do the rumors say about me?”

Jane hesitated, but Helena chuckled softly.

“It’s alright, you can tell me. I know at least some of it already.”

“Well, the rumors say… you’re an utter fool and the ugliest woman alive.”

But… as she looked at Helena smiling kindly at her, Jane found herself staring in awe.

“Complete nonsense.”

To Jane, Helena was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

At the Eskel estate, extravagant banquets were held several times a month. Because of this, Jane had seen all the fashionable nobles of the capital.

She had seen Lady Kerrigold with her radiant golden hair, the fairy-like Lady Fairfield, and, of course, Lady Rosalith, who was considered one of the greatest beauties in the capital.

Jane herself had believed that Rosalith wasn’t just the most beautiful woman in the capital but in the entire empire.

But after seeing Helena, her perspective changed.

Helena wore no dazzling jewelry or extravagant gowns like Rosalith; she dressed simply. Yet there was something about her that drew one’s gaze.

It was as if she radiated a quiet, serene brilliance, like a falling star. And her eyes, which seemed on the verge of spilling tears at any moment, held an irresistible charm.

“I don’t know which idiot dared to call you ugly, my lady.”

Oh no! Jane clapped her hands over her mouth again.

“I’m sorry, it’s just a bad habit of mine.”

“It’s fine. Thank you for the compliment.”

How could she be so beautiful when she smiled? Even her voice was calm, as if reading a story directly into your ears.

Looking at this lady, who was so completely different from the rumors, brought another question to Jane’s mind.

Just how monstrous must Duke Frantor be to not fall in love with such a lovely woman? Even as a fellow woman, Jane found Helena utterly enchanting.

There had been rumors in Eskel that Helena and the Duke hadn’t even consummated their marriage. Upon arriving in Frantor, Jane discovered this particular rumor was true. No matter how much they hated each other, wasn’t this excessive?

Was he even a real man?

“Besides, you seem incredibly competent!”

When Jane first arrived in Frantor, the two guards serving Helena had mocked her. They claimed she might have started a business but had no real authority. They sneered, calling her a fool who couldn’t do anything except spend money.

However, Helena’s room was filled with well-used books, evidence of her diligence. She wasn’t as incompetent as the rumors or public opinion suggested.

“Thanks for the generous assessment. Could you tell me more about what’s been happening in Eskel?”

“Of course, my lady!”

Helena was gathering as much information about Eskel as she could.

Having worked there until recently, Jane provided her with useful details, such as how the Count and his eldest son frequently visited a particular city.

Why was she collecting all this information? Was she nostalgic for Eskel? But judging by the coldness in her eyes, that didn’t seem to be the case.

The Count had claimed Helena was the child of his legal wife, born during one of her long travels. Because of this, most people believed Helena was legitimate.

However, the long-time servants of the estate often speculated otherwise. Her personality was entirely different, and she had endured much cruelty in the mansion.

“You still look like you have a lot of questions, Jane.”

“My lady, you seem so different from the other Eskel ladies and gentlemen.”

Helena simply gazed at her with a sad expression.

“Someday.”

“Someday?”

“I’ll tell you when the time comes. There are things you’ll need to know, Jane.”

The sadness on her face didn’t linger long.

“Until then, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Yes, my lady!”

I’ve never met anyone as pure and kind as her, Jane thought.

If it’s someone like her, I’d gladly serve her for a hundred or even a thousand years! Filled with a sense of admiration, Jane beamed at Helena, who was gazing warmly back at her.

—

Spring. A season when people, like new buds pushing through the soil, must be diligent.

Merchants prepared to sell their goods outside Frantor, knights and farmers busied themselves welcoming the new year, and even physicians found themselves with more work.

“Patients always tend to increase during times of sudden temperature changes rather than in extreme heat or cold.”

“Have you seen many patients?”

“Don’t get me started. I even went to the northernmost outskirts. It seems there was an epidemic there last winter.”

“Epidemic?” Helena exclaimed, alarmed. Aiden waved his hand, trying to reassure her.

“It’s not a highly fatal disease. Just a fever that children are particularly vulnerable to.”

“But children are the ones we need to protect the most.”

“Fortunately, it hasn’t reached Frantor yet. Still, just to be safe, I plan to examine the young masters.”

“Yes, please do. I’ll talk to the children beforehand.”

It was a good idea to check Joshua’s condition before he left Frantor.

“What about you?”

“Hmm… it’s not as bad as I thought.”

“What exactly isn’t bad?”

“Just that it’s getting a little harder to move my hands.”

“Hey!”

“If the paralysis is limited to just my hands for now, doesn’t that mean the progression is slowing down?”

“Do you even realize how delicate and sensitive hands are? If your hand nerves are paralyzed, it means the rest of your body isn’t far behind!”

Helena was trying her best to hide it.
Most tasks could be delegated to the servants, but there was no avoiding the discomfort during meals.

She would occasionally drop her fork or spoon. Jeremy had scolded her, saying even he didn’t behave so clumsily, and Joshua might notice soon. At least she had fewer opportunities to dine with Calligo lately, which was some consolation.

“This is already something we know. Next, it’ll probably start with my legs, then my arms, right?”

Helena replied with feigned nonchalance, causing Aiden to clutch his head in frustration.

“I give up. Anyway, I’ll check the twins tomorrow.”

“Yes, please do.”

“But I want to ask something. Why doesn’t Master Joshua let anyone examine him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember when he caught a cold and was bedridden? I tried to check if there were any other symptoms, but he refused, saying it wasn’t necessary.”

“I’ve never heard anything about that.”

Aiden quietly listened before nodding and saying he’d handle it himself.

—

The next day, Helena heard something she hadn’t expected.

“Scars?”

“Yes. He resisted again this time, but I caught a glimpse of scars.”

Aiden’s expression grew serious.

“And the problem isn’t just one or two of them.”

Hello Guys, if you liked my work and want to support me then you can visit this link for tips. As I can’t create Kofi because of the unavailability of Paypal in my country, I’ve made this tier which will be updated every week so that you won’t be charged again till you want to donate again by yourself or you can exit the tier after donating 🙂.

Happy Reading 🩷