Chapter 7
“Nothing is coming through.’’
I’m sure I’m not wearing gloves, and my hand is touching real skin, but no memories are surfacing.
‘What on earth is happening?’
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment in this unprecedented situation.
Could it be that I’m not touching enough for the memories to surface?
I pressed my palm firmly against the cold cheek, but nothing changed.
‘Why? How come?’
This ability was a curse to me.
A curse that prevents me from comfortably touching the person I love, A curse that even prohibits a simple handshake with close friends.
“I’ve wished so many times for you to disappear.’’
But now, that’s not the case!
‘Read it! Read my memories, please!’
It’s despair.
Concentrating, I kneaded the skin in front of me with both hands, like kneading bread dough, vigorously and without thinking.
I forgot that what I was touching was someone’s face.
“My face is starting to hurt.”
“Eek!”
The dough, which was once soft and pliable, suddenly spoke, startling me so much that I pushed my hands away from its face in surprise. In response, my body tilted backward with a jerk.
Thunk.
“Be careful.”
Laches held my waist with one hand and grabbed my hand with the other.
If Laches hadn’t caught me, I would have fallen headfirst onto the floor.
“This is a very classic seduction technique.”
“…!”
Laches bent down, whispering with a warm breath near my ear.
Experiencing this unfamiliar tingling sensation, I forgot the cold, and my entire body heated up.
“N-no, it’s not intentional, Thank you.”
I tightened my grip on the held hand and stood up straight. Although we were holding hands, there was no discernible memory being read.
“Could it be that my ability has disappeared?”
Or perhaps my ability doesn’t work on this man in front of me.
Or maybe I’ve been using my ability on multiple people recently, and it’s taken a toll.
I had never used my ability openly before, so I had no prior knowledge.
“Did you get rid of what was on your face?”
“What?”
“I touched my face because something was on it, didn’t I?”
Laches pointed to his face, causing me to look at it again.
Thick eyebrows and distinct, deep eyes. A face with a prominent nose.
For a moment, I wondered how one could think of those distinct features as soft bread dough.
“I’m sorry, I apologize.”
“Who casually touches my face like this? It’s the first time since I was a child.”
“…I’m truly sorry.”
“If you want to touch my face, just say so. Rubbing it like doing laundry hurts.”
Laches chuckled lightly. Along with the subdued laughter, a faint white breath dispersed.
Is there anyone more suitable for the cold northern region than this man?
Unconsciously, I found myself staring at Laches, and he tilted his head with a smile.
“Denying it, huh? Seems like you did want to touch my face after all.”
“…No, that’s not it.”
I hurriedly lowered my gaze that was fixed on him, Laches’ memories remained unreadable.
“I brought the introduction letter from the Nirielle family’s chief physician. I wondered if there might be a connection, considering that the family’s physician would have witnessed the last moments of Nirielle Yeongae.”
Laches continued, not necessarily waiting for my response, and casually continued his words.
“Pallo Yeongae was subjected to a forced sobriety disposal by the family head, and Count Deverti is facing difficulties as all the investment funds for his recent business endeavors were withdrawn.”
“I see.”
Right now, I am not Repentia Nirielle but just a maid named Leia.
There was no reason to smile and enjoy openly in front of Laches.
After my death, at least these two seemed to receive some sort of punishment.
I struggled to control my facial expression, attempting to lower the corners of my mouth to avoid showing any satisfaction.
“It seems Count Nirielle is planning to formally address this matter, He intends to demand a thorough investigation to inform His Majesty of his daughter’s injustice…”
“What?”
I had not wavered in the face of Detor and Delia’s discussions, but emotions surged as soon as my father was mentioned.
Laches stopped talking and narrowed his eyes.
“Why? Do you know something?”
“No. I was just surprised because what I heard about Count Nirielle seemed different from the others. It seemed like he wasn’t someone who cherished the deceased young lady.”
“Is that so?”
After a casual reply from Laches, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him without hesitation.
The spot where his hand touched suddenly felt hot.
“Suddenly…”
“Your lips looked pale, like you were cold.”
“That means it’s impossible to know whether this man is someone who will kill me or not.’’
‘Did I make a mistake coming to the north?’
Rather than confronting him directly, should I have just run away when I suspected him? Should I hide now where his eyes can’t reach?
Will I be able to survive this time?
No, It’s impossible. There were times when I hastily fled without telling anyone, just opening my eyes and running away desperately because I wanted to live.
But in the end, I couldn’t survive even doing that. So, hiding where this man’s eyes can’t reach would likely lead to the same result.
“I heard that the capital was in chaos. There are rumors that Count Deverti and Lady Palo committed misconduct.”
As if waking up from my thoughts, Raches casually brought up a conversation.
‘I’ve been so busy with recent matters that I haven’t paid attention to the news from the capital. I almost missed such an important event.’
I suppressed any sign of joy and nodded as if it were someone else’s business.
“There are many rumors that you seduced Lady Nirielle and had an affair. Do you happen to know anything?”
“…Me? How could I, a mere maid, know anything?”
“Her lips had turned pale as if it were cold.”
Laches uttered these words and, without hesitation, released the wrist he had been pulling and swiftly buttoned up the thin robe I was wearing. His demeanor, as light as a feather and almost weightless, strangely made people tense.
In an instant, my head, which had been chilling, grew warm, and a fever surged.
“Well, if Count Niryel cared for his daughter, he would have known sooner that those two bastards, who wouldn’t be missed even if chewed up and spit out, were molesting his daughter.”
As if consoling me—or perhaps consoling the deceased Leferentia Niryel—Laches murmured softly with a gentle tone.
It was fascinating how the words I intended to say flowed from his lips.
“Come on, let’s stop here and go inside to rest.”
At the precise moment when the conversation seemed unending and endless, Laches gracefully interrupted. He grabbed my shoulders, turned me around, and, in that position, gently pushed me towards the detached building.
“As for the Marquis….”
“You need a peaceful sleep to work when you wake up, It’s already late even if you sleep now.”
Laches, cutting off my train of thought, turned his body first. Then, after turning towards the residence where he stayed, he took steps.
I bowed my head in farewell, watching Laches walk away.
Step by step, The rough sound of footsteps disappearing with a consistent rhythm. A straightforward gait.
Although a mere sound of footsteps couldn’t reveal much, I desperately clung to it.
Anxiety trembled within me, hoping for the night of sleepless anticipation to come to an end.
‘I must continue to check the news from the capital, as Laches may not be the murderer trying to kill me. I need to stay informed about what happens in the capital after my death.’
Once I confirmed that Laches’s footsteps had completely vanished, I returned to the bedroom.
The maids sharing the same room were still sound asleep. After removing my robe, I approached the bed of the maid next to me.
Carefully, so as not to wake her, I extended my hand with an apologetic expression.
This was the only way to confirm.
“….!”
The maid’s memories flowed like a rushing stream.
The memories were readable.
I quickly let go of her hand, then proceeded to hold the hand of another maid nearby.
“….”
Once again, the memories were read without any issues.
Having confirmed that there was nothing wrong with my ability, I decided to stop reading others’ memories.
Then why.
‘Why can’t I read Laches’s memories?’
Out of so many people, why is it limited to that one person?
“Ah, already morning… Ugh!”
The maid, who opened her eyes, screamed upon seeing me.
“What, what is it!”
To be more precise, she screamed upon seeing me sitting on the floor, hugging my knees.
I greeted the startled maid with a nonchalant expression.
“Hello, Good morning.”
“Why are you standing here?! Your bed is over there! I almost fainted from the surprise!”
“…Yeah.”
“Why is she like this? Your eyes look dark, Are you okay?”
The servant, who always looked down on me, hurriedly came down from the bed after seeing my condition.
My state was visibly bad, to the point where it couldn’t be ignored.
“You didn’t sleep? Are you okay?”
“…Yeah.”
Going outside in just a thin robe yesterday turned out to be a mistake. Despite my efforts to use the flipped blanket to sleep, my body shivered and it was too cold to get any rest.
“It was too cold in my spot…”
I hugged my knees tighter to keep the body heat from escaping. Then, I gestured towards the fireplace in front of me with my chin.
“This spot is close to the fireplace, so I thought of sleeping here. But it’s already morning…”
“Cold? In this weather?”
The servant looked at the window with a refreshing face, having slept well and woken up.
“It’s getting warmer as the season changes. But it’s my first time in the north, so this feels colder than I expected. Don’t worry, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
The servant sighed as if she hadn’t thought about it before. Then, she covered me with her blanket, alternating between looking at me and my spot near the window.
“Sorry, I offered you the remaining spot, but I didn’t think it would be this cold.”
The servant apologized and covered my shoulders with her blanket.
As if that would change anything. I couldn’t help her because I was busy trying to gauge the lady’s reaction.
“Your name is Leia, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“I’m Celia, Since we’re sharing a room, we should at least exchange names. How are your symptoms? Most people suffer from severe body aches when they first come to the north. I should have warned you earlier. I couldn’t take care of you properly, too busy watching Lady’s reactions.”
I hesitated, then answered.
“The maid blushed with embarrassment.’’
If a maid is out of favor with the lord, they face unemployment. Without any reason, if they are dismissed, it becomes difficult to find a new job, threatening their livelihood.
So, it was only natural. I had no intention of looking down on the maids.
“Regardless of the circumstances, Lord, you don’t seem to like taking breaks. Can I handle the work today? Or should I help you a bit?”
The maid, Celly, reached out towards me and took my hand to check my temperature.
“….!”
Simultaneously, unexpectedly, memories from Celly flowed into me.
Surprisingly, I could confirm memories of Laches within Celly’s memories.
“Come find Demaroxin.”
It was an unexpected harvest.
‘Why… is Laches looking for Demaroxin?’
The memories were brief.
At that time, Celly was in the middle of cleaning when Laches ordered her to find a substance called ‘Demaroxin,’ a highly toxic substance prohibited in the empire.
As she had left due to Laches’ command, the subsequent conversation was unknown.
However, just the fact that Laches was looking for Demaroxin made my lips involuntarily tremble with fear.
Facing an endless fear, my face turned as pale as if a blizzard had descended.
“Oh dear, Are you in a lot of pain? It seems like taking some medicine would be a good idea.”
After letting go of my hand, Celly hurriedly woke up the other maids who were still sleeping.
Demaroxin.
A highly toxic substance prohibited in the empire, and one of the causes of many deaths I have experienced.
I don’t know which life iteration this is.
There was a day when I brutally avenged Dettor and Delia, reveling in joy.
I drank the wine brought by the servant, and afterward, writhing in agony, I was poisoned to death.
Upon revival, I confirmed that the wine I drank contained the highly toxic Demaroxin.
Of course, someone had avoided the poison in the wine, but then died trapped in the bedroom due to a fire.
Since that life, I had struggled relentlessly to avoid both alcohol and Demaroxin.
Despite my efforts to find sellers and buyers, I could never find them… ”
“Laques is searching for the poison, right?”
All questions and evidence kept pointing to one person.
The most suspicious person.
“Looks like this one is really in a lot of pain! Are there any hidden medicines?”
“Does anyone have secretly kept medicine?”
“Maybe Layla in the next room has it? I’ll go check!”
I tried to calm my labored breathing while listening to the loud and bustling conversation of the maids.
“If she was so scared to this extent, she should have just jumped off the cliff back then.”
Scolding myself, I wiped my face several times with trembling hands.
“Did that man really betray me?”
Of course, just the situation of searching for Demaroxin doesn’t confirm everything. It doesn’t mean that person is the murderer who killed me.
But I was betrayed by my trusted fiancé and friends. The ones I had spent years with betrayed me in an instant.
Considering that, who could I trust?
I had to doubt everything, I had to constantly question small acts of kindness and unclear reasons. I had to be wary in extreme situations and distrust any gestures of goodwill.
“I have to go to work, so move aside.”
Supported by the maids, I stood up with a trembling body. My body seemed to react instinctively to the fear I felt.
I couldn’t read Laques’s memories. In that case, I could confirm the situation by reading the memories of those around him.
Luckily, I was a maid with a legitimate reason to work and roam freely within the castle.
“The blonde knight who received Laques’s orders. I have to meet and confirm with that knight.”
I quickly left the bedroom, hastening my steps.
“He’s amazing… If it were me, I would have just said I’m sick and took a break.”
“I heard she got the job without an interview, thought she came with amazing connections. Guess not.”
“Why would she come to the cold and harsh North if she wanted to work comfortably? She seems weak to the cold….”
Unaware of the misunderstandings forming behind me, I hurriedly made my way towards my destination.
