TISND Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Early in the morning, Jane brought new information to Helena.

The noble disputes were a battle of wits.
Even if they belonged to the same faction, the decision of whose side to take depended on the opposing forces and the ability to dispose of them.
It was a situation where hastily choosing sides could backfire.

Moreover, Eskel was dealing with Duke Frantor.
Now that his financial resources had been cut off, it was a fight against the most powerful family in the empire.

Yet, the noble faction remained silent.
Did Eskel truly believe he could stand against Frantor?

“Count Eskel has received a warning from His Majesty the Emperor and is currently imprisoned,” Jane reported.

“That’s quite a generous treatment,” Helena commented.

“There is no concrete proof that the Count was directly involved in the usury. The actual administrator was executed by hanging.”

Everyone knew that Eskel had been involved in usury.
However, using the law cleverly, he transferred the title of the usury operation to someone else’s name, avoiding direct punishment.

In the end, the incident was dismissed as the wrongdoing of an underling, and the Count received a relatively light punishment.

Perhaps because of the light punishment, the noble faction showed no different attitude than usual, either supporting or comforting Count Eskel.

“The strangest part is the Imperial faction. No one is protesting or trying to uncover further crimes regarding his actions,” Jane remarked.

Caligo hadn’t expected the time for revenge to come now.
However, there would never be a better opportunity than this to strike at Eskel.
Yet, some in the Imperial faction remained silent about Eskel’s usury case.

“Is there a division within the Imperial faction?” Helena asked.

“That might be the case,” Jane replied.

Indeed, there were limits to gathering information within the estate.

There was likely more Eskel was hiding, but it was difficult to catch even a small clue.
Even if it was a secret, small leaks of information always happened, but why couldn’t she find any?

“By the way, there’s something else that’s bothering me,” Jane said.

“What is it?”

“I heard that someone from Duke Frantor’s side was seen at Count Eskel’s mansion.”

“What?”

Could it be an informant?

“It might be someone sent by the Duke. Don’t jump to conclusions. Please investigate it carefully.”

“I’ll do that!”

“Thanks, Jane.”

“Of course! I’m always happy to help the lady.”

With that, Jane asked, cautiously eyeing Helena.

“By the way, my lady…”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve noticed that you’ve been distant from Aiden lately. Is something wrong?”

Jane seemed to regret her impulsive question and waved her hands in embarrassment.

“No, I’m sorry! You don’t have to answer. I just noticed that you don’t see him as often lately.”

“We fought.”

“Hmm?”

“I think he’s the one who’s angry.”

“Well… shouldn’t you reconcile? The one who’s wrong should apologize.”

“Apologizing is a bit tricky.”

This time, it was Aiden who was avoiding her.
Perhaps he didn’t want to face her until his anger had subsided, as their interactions had come to a sudden halt.

On the other hand, perhaps because of his role as a doctor, he had continued to deliver the medicine to Jane without fail.
This was the first time they were in a cold war like this.

They had often had trivial arguments before, but usually, it was Aiden who would back down first.
However, this time, neither of them could bend their positions.

“By the way, what’s this medicine Aiden keeps giving you?”

“…”

“Do you take it every day? Does it have any special effects, or…?”

Jane hesitated before asking.

“Do you have some kind of illness?”

Helena quietly set her teacup down. It seemed that Jane was right.

Even if she could fool Jeremy and Joshua, Jane, who was helping her closest to her side, might have noticed that something was wrong with her condition a long time ago.

“I’ve been curious about many things for a while now. Why do you take medicine every day, my lady? And why are you constantly trying to investigate your family? I’ve been waiting for you to tell me someday when we got closer,” Jane said.

“…”

“Would it be alright if you told me, as long as it’s not too much trouble?”

It was a difficult topic to bring up.
Until now, she had been too busy hiding her condition to ever reveal it to anyone.
But for some reason, she felt like she should tell Jane.

After all, her condition wasn’t improving—in fact, it was only getting worse.
It would be better to reveal it sooner rather than later, before things got out of hand.

“Jane.”

“Yes, my lady?”

“I don’t have much time left to live.”

“…What?”

Helena delivered the shocking news in a tone so nonchalant it almost seemed trivial.

“I’ve been poisoned by a toxin that can’t be neutralized. At most, I probably have a little more than half a year left to live.”

“My… my lady…”

“The poison slowly paralyzes the nerves, starting from the fingertips. I think it’s almost reached my shoulders now.”

“You must be joking, right?”

“No, I’m really going to die,” Helena replied briefly.

“The medicine Aiden gives me slows the poison’s progression. Sometimes I take medicine to boost my energy. Other times, he tries to make antidotes based on new information he comes across. Most of the time, it doesn’t work.”

It was surprisingly easy to confess her secret.
Perhaps it was because she’d been so focused on hiding it all this time that it felt relieving and liberating.
Eventually, more people would figure it out—Bahen, Jeremy, Joshua, and Caligo, too.
It wasn’t a secret she could keep forever.
Would they be just as shocked or saddened as Jane was?

As Jane began trembling and crying, Helena silently watched her.

“The reason I keep asking you to investigate Eskel is for the same reason,” Helena said calmly. “I don’t have much time left.”

“Does that also include asking me to send that letter to Duke Frantor?”

“Yes. I want to destroy my family, Eskel, before I go. I thought it might help His Grace in some way,” Helena explained.

“Of course, it’s dangerous. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. But I made arrangements to make sure you and your family wouldn’t be affected. Even if I die or something goes wrong, you’ll be safe—”

Before she could finish, Jane suddenly threw her arms around Helena and burst into uncontrollable sobs.

“Why… why are you crying?” Helena asked.

“Sniff… How can I not cry? Why are you so calm when you’re the one dying? How could you handle all of this alone? You’re dying, and yet you’re still preparing all this while everyone else insults you and turns their backs on you…!” Jane sobbed as she patted Helena’s back.

“I told you to stop crying so easily,” Helena said flatly.

“This… this time is an exception! I can’t help it!” Jane wailed even louder.

Her cries were filled with sorrow, guilt, and admiration.
Outside, everyone insulted Helena. Even the master of the household turned his back on her without hesitation.

And yet, she remained steadfast, quietly preparing everything by herself.
Jane felt sorry for not understanding sooner, and her tears flowed even harder.

—

In hindsight, perhaps it would have been better to tell Jane later.

Ever since Helena confessed her condition, Jane had been restless, treating her as if she were a fragile plant on the verge of wilting.

She would cry whenever she made eye contact with Helena and kept apologizing for things she hadn’t done wrong, lamenting over everything she couldn’t do for her before.

For Helena, the situation was far from comforting.
She had hoped that as few people as possible would know about her condition.
Jeremy, Joshua, Caligo… Perhaps it was better if none of them found out.

Perhaps that was why she began keeping a bit of distance from Jeremy, as if to hide her fading body.
She used to enjoy spending time with the boy, pinching his soft cheeks, but now, she stayed far away, afraid he might notice something was wrong.

“This is so bothersome,” Helena muttered, fiddling with the bonnet Jane had insistently placed on her head.

For a lady, wearing a hat and gloves was said to be essential for outdoor activities, but they were nothing but cumbersome when dedicating oneself to farming work.

She thought Jane should just wear the bonnet herself if she was so insistent.

A few days later, Jane brought news that someone frequenting Eskel’s estate seemed highly suspicious. After some thought, Helena had sent this information to Caligo under the alias “Forget-Me-Not.”

Whether it would work or not, she wasn’t sure.
Would Caligo get angry upon receiving the letter?
She just hoped he wouldn’t dismiss it as unbelievable and tear it up.

Still, she couldn’t help but worry.

“Ah.”

Perhaps it was because of the clumsily tied ribbon.
As she fiddled with it out of discomfort, the ribbon eventually came undone.

Her bonnet flew off, carried away by the wind, and rolled along the ground.

Fixing her gaze on the bonnet, Helena followed after it.
How far had she walked? Her gaze fell upon a pair of neatly polished shoes.
The wind-blown bonnet had landed against them.

This felt familiar—like it had happened before. Helena thought for a moment.
Once, the bonnet blown away by the wind had been picked up by him.

“…!”

But this time, Caligo only glanced at her briefly before walking right past.
His shoe left a mark on the fallen bonnet as he strode away.

Helena couldn’t bring herself to raise her head or stop him. She simply let him pass by.

It was only after quite some time that she mustered the courage to approach the fallen bonnet.

The once pristine white bonnet was now soiled with dirt and a shoe print.

Helena stood still for a moment, staring down at it, before reaching out to brush off the dirt with her bare hands.

No matter how much she tried, the stubborn mud wouldn’t come off completely. Instead, the bonnet was left smudged with stains.

In the past, every time she saw him, her heart used to race wildly.
But why? Now, she didn’t know anymore. She wasn’t sure what her feelings were.

As Helena pondered silently, a bitter smile formed on her lips.
She flipped the bonnet back onto her head.
Though it was now a mess, she no longer cared.

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