Chapter 40
I felt dizzy. It was like various colors of paint mixed together, making me feel disoriented.
“Ugh.”
My memories were jumbled up like tangled threads, a mess I couldn’t unravel.
“Are you okay?”
I let out a short groan and staggered, startling the carriage repairman who looked at me wide-eyed.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just skipped a meal today, so I’m a bit hungry….”
I awkwardly made excuses and quickly left after exchanging pleasantries.
The carriage repairman’s memories were as if someone had splashed watercolor on them, incomplete and blurry.
Memories are the essence of one’s life. Even if someone isn’t in their right mind, their memories remain unchanged.
‘How can one maintain sanity?’
It was true that the carriage repairman had a young daughter. That was the only clear memory he had.
But that was it. All other recollections were absent.
Encounters with someone whose face I couldn’t see, conversations that were disjointed and sporadic—it was all chaotic.
It seemed like I was being commanded, but that was just my speculation.
In addition, there was a memory of someone being handed goat horns by Dettor , as if someone had scribbled over it with a marker. Perhaps the carriage repairman was also present in that scene.
But even this couldn’t be followed through till the end; it was soon engulfed in darkness.
‘Is this possible? Can someone intentionally mess up someone’s memories like this?’
Subsequently, the carriage repairman deliberately sabotaged the carriage, as if following orders.
And smoothly, we entered the northern region.
The first thing he did was not to fix the carriage but to make contact with someone in the north.
Of course, that person’s face was also obscured, just like a flipped shadow. And just like that, the conversation was inaudible.
And then, pretending to repair the carriage, he kept breaking it again and again once it was fixed. He continued to make steady contact with someone in the north.
The person he contacted in the north also had an obscured face and unheard words, indicating they were not a normal person either.
That pointed to one thing.
‘There’s a lord in the north.’
Moreover, the person the carriage repairman had consistent contact with wore shoes paid by the employer of Violentus Castle.
The carriage repairman entered the north under someone’s command and made contact with the lord in the north.
‘I must inform Laches immediately….’
As my thoughts reached that point, my hastened steps abruptly halted.
‘What will I do after informing him?’
I stood frozen in the middle of the corridor, unable to move. It felt like my feet were tied up, as stiff as a statue.
‘What will I say if asked how I found out?’
Without revealing my ability to hold hands and read memories, answering was impossible.
But I didn’t even know who the lord was, let alone who planted this. There was no way I could handle it discreetly.
‘…Who could be planting a lord in the north?’
“Why did you plant the small tree? Why did you give the goat’s horns to Dettor? Why doesn’t Detor leave the North and waste time?”
As I tried to calm my excitement, multiple questions surfaced simultaneously.
I halted my steps towards Laches and turned back. Then, I sought out Cream, who was lying down.
Cream greeted me enthusiastically with a vigorous wag of its tail, seemingly willing to help.
“Hey, Cream. Could you lend me a hand?”
Cream responded eagerly, spinning around in place. I then picked up Cheese, who was running around my legs, and held him close.
“Hello?”
“Oh? You’re the one from earlier…”
I approached the carriage repairman once again.
The repairman welcomed me warmly, rising from his crouched position.
“I have a question. Is this your first visit to the North?”
“Yes? Yes, it is. I came here for the first time following the Viscount.”
The repairman replied with a gentle smile.
“You seem to be quite friendly. You’ve just arrived, but you seem particularly close to someone here in the North. Have you become friends already? You seem busy repairing carriages.”
I smiled back at the repairman and loosened Cream’s leash, which I was holding.
At the same time, a subtle crack appeared on the repairman’s face.
“Oh… who are you referring to…”
“Someone you seem to be hinting at.”
The repairman’s bewildered eyes darted around.
I glanced behind me, wondering if someone was there, but all I saw was a neatly trimmed garden.
“It seems like a misunderstanding…”
The repairman awkwardly chuckled and discreetly picked up the hammer that had been lying below.
“He has no intention of speaking, it seems.”
I thought perhaps he would let his guard down and speak freely when approached by a seemingly weak woman, but it seemed like some sort of spell had been cast on the repairman, as he didn’t utter the accomplice’s name.
“It’s better not to say.”
I lightly warned the repairman, gesturing towards the hammer he held tightly. However, he showed no intention of putting down the hammer. He simply held onto it firmly, as if daring me.
“You’ve been quite reckless since last time. Did you check if it was safe to intervene? You came alone, after all.”
The repairman wore a smug smile as if he thought there were no witnesses around.
“Am I reckless?”
“Yes, you are. That’s why you came alone, right?”
The repairman approached me slowly. But I just shrugged lightly, not backing away.
“Let me return the favor of calling you reckless.”
I released the leash of Cream, who was in my arms, entirely.
“Because…”
Cream seemed to sense the tension and stepped forward, baring its sharp teeth.
And even Cheese, nestled in my arms, was growling.
“This dog, half of it is a wolf.”
Cream puffed up its body.
“And you understand my words well.”
“Well……”
“You’re reckless. I don’t know what you’re up to, but if you want to live, you shouldn’t pretend to know.”
“……!!”
“Also, don’t just rush in alone.”
The gaze of the repairman was directed not at me, but at Cream blocking my path. But it was already too late.
“Cream.”
“……”
“Ask.”
Just enough to not die.
At my command, Cream leaped forward vigorously.
“Milord. It’s late at night.”
“I know.”
“……Who are you waiting for?”
Gazing at the candles still burning in the study, I murmured quietly. At the butler’s question, Laches finally tore his gaze away from the documents and looked at the closed door.
“……Hmm.”
It was an ambiguous answer, but the butler understood its true meaning.
“……Forgive me for being presumptuous, but may I ask one thing? Milord.”
“You’re already asking. Go on.”
“If the carriage repairman or Viscount Deberti seems suspicious, wouldn’t that put the maid in danger? You seem to care about that maid very much…”
The butler couldn’t bring himself to say more and trailed off.
“Hmm. That’s right.”
With his chin resting on his hand, Laches tapped the desk rhythmically with his other hand.
“But, on the other hand, if they don’t trust me or see the need for my help, it might make things risky for her.”
“……Do you mean to say that you hope for her safety but also wish for her to be in danger? So that you can intervene when needed?”
“That’s about it.”
Laches, with a casual expression, tried to straighten out the crumpled documents, but when they wouldn’t flatten out, he simply threw them into the trash.
“If they suspect something about the repairman or Viscount Deberti, or if they’re worried about me being in danger because of those two and don’t come looking for me today…”
Laches’ eyes turned towards the door that had remained closed.
“Then it means they trust me enough to think of me first when in danger. But if the door doesn’t open today, it means they ultimately don’t trust me. If they don’t come looking for me right away but start thinking about it, it means they instinctively don’t rely on me. …And they don’t even worry about me being in danger.”
“But if, on the contrary, the maid were to be in danger…”
“She’s not the type to act recklessly. We’ll assess the situation first. …Probably.”
Speaking with conviction, Laches’ voice faltered as he recalled the incident at the lake that had occurred not long ago.
And that wasn’t all. There had been occasions when she collapsed from a fever when she first arrived at the valley.
There were times when she spilled coffee.
“Is it right to reassess the situation and move?”
As he muttered to himself, Laches began to doubt his decision.
Suddenly, he felt suspicious.
“…Have you taken care of everything?”
Lachess tapped the desk and then quietly asked the butler.
“What do you mean by taking care of everything?”
Even though it was obvious who he was referring to, the butler pretended not to know and asked provocatively.
“I told you to keep watch on Count Deberti and the carriage repairman and not to take your eyes off them. Make sure no letters go out either.”
“Yes, of course. I’ve been keeping watch diligently as instructed by His Grace. So, there’s no need to worry about the maid getting into any danger, even if she tries something on her own.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? When did I ever worry about getting into danger?”
Lachess brushed off his collar in frustration.
When he had asked Persor directly, he had given an ambiguous answer, but it was clear that he needed to be careful because of his weak condition.
In the end, that meant he was a terminally ill, just like the rumors said.
“…So, does that mean I’m living on borrowed time?”
“What?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Should he just let everything out as he wanted?
Or should he somehow endure in this suffocating greenhouse for one more day?
“Your Grace. But what if… if the door doesn’t open, will something change?”
“What?”
“Haven’t you already gone out of your way to care for that maid? Would you just turn away if she doesn’t trust you?”
“Butler, you… still have a lot to learn.”
Lachess looked at the butler and shook his head slowly.
“Of course, my attitude will change. If she doesn’t trust me, why would my attitude remain the same?”
It was a firmer answer than he had expected.
“Oh… I underestimated….”
“Now that it’s confirmed she doesn’t trust me, I’ll have to work harder to earn that trust.”
Lachess chided the butler as if to say, ‘Don’t you know that?’
The butler stopped speaking and simply responded with a faint smile.
“Any new rumors lately?”
“No, Your Grace. Since you warned Lord Ronan, there haven’t been any new rumors.”
“Keep a close watch as always. Report immediately if any related rumors surface.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Since you’re frail, you should… special attention…”
“You’ve mentioned keeping an eye on her twice before.”
Though no names were mentioned, it was clear whom they were referring to.
“For my sake, you must ensure it.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“And remember what I said about that woman holding my leash.”
It was impossible for a mere maid to hold the Duke’s leash.
Without further explanation, Laches left his butler with that statement. And the butler, without questioning Laches’s command, followed suit.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
As if it were his duty.
“Has Paro Youngae not come out of her chambers yet?”
“No. She seems afraid a ghost might appear.”
“Then leave her be. She’ll leave soon anyway.”
Laches retorted with a stern tone.
“…And Hilloth Jajak mentioned sending an apology gift.”
“Just send him Cedric’s neck. I barely held back from wanting to sever it myself.”
“It’s been two days since the execution. Wouldn’t decay have already begun by the time it arrives here? The smell would be unbearable.”
“Don’t be so practical.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Please forgive me for offering a realistic response.”
“…I’ll consider it.”
“Understood.”
The butler nodded and stepped back.
Then it happened.
Knock knock.
The awaited knock finally came. Laches and the butler simultaneously turned their heads toward the door.
