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Chapter 14
Croa was said to have collapsed in rags in front of the relief house.
He kept insisting that he was the butler of House Johannes, but no one believed him.
Naturally so. His appearance was that of a man who had lived on the streets for years; no one would ever think he belonged to the noble House Johannes.
On top of that, he often muttered incoherent nonsense, so people treated him like a lunatic.
When Rebecca first slipped into the relief house, it was during a time when famine had suddenly swelled the number of poor.
Because of that, the relief house was severely short on manpower.
Still, the people of Liberta didn’t want the delicately raised Rebecca to do rough work.
But Rebecca insisted, despite their dissuasion.
In the end, her stubbornness won.
Rebecca decided to tend to Croa, the man everyone avoided.
Croa would sometimes let slip anecdotes that only a close confidant of the duke could know.
Little by little, Rebecca began to believe that he truly was the butler of House Johannes.
At that time, Julian had been bedridden for a long while. Even so, he had lived longer than most of the dukes before him.
But Croa, the duke’s most loyal retainer, never gave up on him.
He had wandered all across the land seeking a cure for the duke’s illness—and in the process, he went mad.
To Rebecca, who nursed him with utmost devotion, he told many stories.
Most of what he said was incoherent, but at times he would share fascinating secrets of the ducal house:
the curse of the goddess Depria upon the family, the fact that the duke had fallen ill trying to forcibly break it, and even the tale of the duke’s only sister, whose identity he tried to hide until the end.
Sometimes, in the middle of speaking, Croa would leap to his feet and weep bitterly.
“Ohhh, our poor duke! To die of pity like this—how tragic! I, Croa, will break the curse for you… kuh, kuh…!”
One strange thing was that whenever he tried to mention how to break the curse, he would cough up blood.
As if the very act of speaking it was cursed.
Still, Rebecca cared for him with all her heart.
But one day, Croa fell ill with a fever that refused to subside.
With his last strength, he shouted:
“I—I’ve found it! The way to save the ducal house… But in return, the goddess’s wrath… The method is…!”
Clutching Rebecca’s shoulders, Croa began to pour out the method of breaking the curse.
He repeated the same words three or four times, and then blood gushed from his mouth until his breath ceased altogether.
After Croa’s death, Rebecca remembered every word he had said, without a single mistake.
She wanted to inform the ducal house of it.
But she could never reach them, always on the run from Zeppelin.
Life was hard enough, fleeing while carrying a child.
In that struggling existence, Rebecca gradually forgot about Duke Johannes.
Then the time of birth came.
Afterward, she had no time to think of anything but caring for her child and earning money.
Living such a harsh life, Rebecca ended up dying at Zeppelin’s hands.
If only I had mustered a bit more courage…
Her chest ached sharply.
She vaguely remembered Zeppelin once saying he was going to the duke’s funeral.
There were only two dukes in the empire. As far as she recalled, Duke Latranis had been in the prime of health back then.
The one who had been bedridden was Julian.
So, in the end, Julian died without ever achieving his lifelong wish…
Rebecca recalled his confident stride and arrogant gaze. He had never seemed like someone who would die bedridden.
Though all she had done was listen to Croa’s ramblings, Rebecca felt as if she owed Julian a great debt.
If only she had said a single word, or at least written a letter, perhaps she could have prevented the tragedy looming over the ducal house.
And yet, the thought of using that fact for her own gain weighed heavily on her heart.
But there was no choice.
He was her last straw, and Rebecca desperately needed it.
“Lady Rebecca, we’re almost there.”
Kanna pulled back the carriage curtain slightly as she spoke.
Moments later, the carriage door opened.
“Lady Rebecca!”
All the members of Liberta came out to greet her.
Stepping down to their warm welcome, Rebecca saw the Liberta Relief House standing tall beneath the blue sky.
“How has everyone been?”
“Thanks to you, Lady Rebecca, we’ve been well!”
Everyone seemed eager to pour out the stories they had saved up for her.
Rebecca beamed at the chattering Liberta family.
“Wow… so pretty.”
Then she noticed a little boy staring at her with his mouth agape.
He looked about seven, a cute child with a brown bowl-cut.
“A child I don’t recognize. Are you new here?”
Rebecca gently patted his head. Gloria, the head of the relief house, smiled at the sight.
“He’s not new. He’s Margaret’s child.”
“I’m Jack!”
The boy raised his hand and introduced himself.
Margaret’s…?
Rebecca’s eyes widened.
Jack was a boy she had known in her previous life.
After Croa’s death, when she had left the relief house, she had worked at Margaret’s Lavonne Salon.
Margaret, a skilled pâtissière, had run a booming salon. And this boy had played a big role there.
Jack had a remarkable talent for attracting people.
Back then, he had been a fine young man—but seeing him so young now stirred deep feelings in Rebecca.
“Jack! Jack! How many times have I told you not to run off like that!”
Margaret came rushing in after him.
She stopped short when she saw Rebecca surrounded by people.
“I greet Lady Rebecca.”
She gave a polite bow.
She was, if Rebecca recalled correctly, the daughter of a fallen noble family. Her greeting was impeccable.
Unlike the others of Liberta, Margaret always remained a little distant from Rebecca.
It had been the same in her past life.
She would smile, but as soon as she looked at Rebecca, her face would harden.
Still, she had hired Rebecca as a kitchen assistant, so it didn’t seem like she bore any ill will.
Yet there was always a subtle distance between them.
While Rebecca was chatting with the others, Gloria whispered to her:
“Lady Rebecca, your guest has already arrived and is waiting.”
Rebecca nodded, and Gloria clapped her hands.
“Alright, everyone! Don’t keep Lady Rebecca any longer. Back to your work!”
The group voiced their reluctant protests but dispersed, promising Rebecca they would greet her again before she left.
Once they were gone, Rebecca turned to Gloria.
“Thank you. Ah, and don’t worry about refreshments—we brought some ourselves. I heard Zeppelin reduced the donations lately. I’m sorry.”
“Please, it’s not your fault. Don’t worry. They may not be the expensive confections nobles eat, but Margaret prepared some cookies herself.”
“If they’re Margaret’s, then they’ll surely be delicious. I won’t decline, then.”
Rebecca’s smile made Gloria’s wrinkled face brighten. She seemed glad to be able to offer even a small help.
“This way, please.”
Following Gloria, Rebecca glanced back at Robert—the man Zeppelin had assigned as her “hound” under the guise of protection.
As Kanna had whispered, Robert had been watching her for months.
Come to think of it, even in her previous life, Robert had always been within her radius.
And yet Zeppelin had killed him, accusing him of harboring feelings for her, when all he had done was follow orders.
He must have been used and discarded.
Rebecca looked at him with faint pity.
But when their eyes met and Robert gave her a warm smile, she steeled herself again.
He might look kind, but he was scrutinizing her every move.
He was an enemy now.
Except for her visits to the relief house, no “hound” was ever stationed here.
Just as one doesn’t bother with insects crawling outside the house, Zeppelin had no interest in the relief house.
Still, Rebecca couldn’t rest easy.
So, without letting the others know, she told only Gloria that a guest would be visiting.
Gloria likely assumed it was just a long-unseen relative of Rebecca’s.
Since she knew Zeppelin controlled Rebecca’s outings strictly, she accepted the secrecy without question.
Not even Kanna knew who the guest was or what his purpose might be.
It wasn’t because Rebecca didn’t trust her—but because caution was still necessary.
At Rebecca’s discreet cough, Kanna quickly approached Robert.
“The scones here are wonderful. Care to try some?”
“Scones? Perfect! Think they’ve got coffee too?”
Surprisingly, Robert followed her without protest, even humming as he went.
His casualness only made him more suspicious.
Rebecca watched his back for a moment.
He would sometimes open his mouth like he wanted to say something to her, but never a word came out.
A man whose true thoughts were unreadable.
“Lady Rebecca!”
Gloria beckoned her.
Rebecca took a deep breath and moved forward.
“How rude! To make the duke wait like this!”
Croa grumbled as he munched on a cookie studded with chocolate. Suddenly choking, he thumped his chest and coughed violently.
Julian scowled and handed him a cup of tea.
“If all you’re going to do is complain, why did you come along? And for someone so busy complaining, you’re eating quite a lot.”
Croa gulped down the tea, caught his breath, and let out a deep sigh.
“Are you truly, truly going to go through with this ridiculous contract?”
Julian lowered his gaze for a moment, as if pondering Croa’s words.
“It’s not such a bad deal. Whether it’s gathering rumors from wandering storytellers or entering a contract marriage with a suspicious woman—both are unreliable. Croa, you know better than anyone: if it means breaking this damned curse, I’ll do anything.”
“What if the lady is lying? Isn’t that highly likely?”
“Then…”
Julian lifted his head and gave Croa a crooked smile.
At that mischievous grin, Croa faltered.
“I’ll let myself be deceived.”
