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Chapter 3
The man her grandfather had praised so highly, Grand Duke Gracias, was an absolute scoundrel.
You said he was cold on the outside, but actually kind and gentle.
What kind person would break someone’s arms or legs over something so small?
What kind person would destroy another person’s mansion just because they didn’t like them?
“Could there be another person with the same name?”
She checked several times.
Reality didn’t change.
Could it be that her grandfather had already been suffering from dementia back when he was on the battlefield?
She had heard that some people became confused after experiencing the horrors of war, even from a young age.
No… that can’t be it.
Evelyn shook her head.
The grandfather she had lived with had been perfectly normal.
He had repeated himself more often near the end of his life, but that was all.
Then there was only one explanation.
Even someone as awful as Grand Duke Gracias must have had a kind side, just like everyone else.
But this is a little too much…
How was she supposed to repay a kindness to someone like this?
At this rate, trying to repay that debt would only ruin her own life.
Still… the man in my prophetic dream was definitely him.
Evelyn narrowed her eyes.
She trusted her grandfather.
She trusted him very much.
More than anyone.
But the whole world called Grand Duke Gracias a mad dog.
Grandfather… what should I do?
Repaying a kindness…
Why did it have to be so difficult?
She thought about it for a long time.
Even after returning to the old inn she had rented on the outskirts of the capital, she couldn’t stop thinking.
Then…
She dreamed again.
The scene was exactly the same.
Grand Duke Gracias was in danger once more.
He was supposed to be the greatest swordsman in the Empire.
Yet, strangely, he couldn’t use his strength properly.
Was he poisoned?
Unlike the first dream, she crouched down and carefully watched him being attacked.
Then she woke up.
“I’ve never had the same dream twice before.”
It was strange.
But that strange dream continued for several days.
Then, before long…
She even began hearing a voice.
“Save him.”
It was her grandfather’s voice.
“You have to save him.”
At that moment, Evelyn made up her mind.
Yes… I’ll save him.
And with that…
She stepped onto a path she would later regret.
But…
How was she supposed to save the Grand Duke?
Evelyn thought about it seriously.
Who exactly was Grand Duke Gracias?
He was one of the Empire’s greatest swordsmen.
A man of immense power.
A wealthy noble.
The commander of his own order of knights.
Now compare that to herself.
She was nothing more than an ordinary noble lady from the countryside.
She had neither strength nor authority.
She had a little money, but prices in the capital were unbelievably high.
“I don’t even know what these are.”
Mixed in with the imperial coins were several strange-looking coins.
She had no idea what they were for.
At first, she considered asking at an antique shop.
But she stopped herself.
Her grandfather had warned her that the capital was full of swindlers.
Remember.
This is the kind of place where they’ll steal from you the moment you let your guard down.
No, that’s a bad idea.
She thought and thought.
But no good plan came to mind.
In the end, she decided to visit the house her grandfather had mentioned in his letter.
For now, Evelyn was staying at an inn near the library.
The room wasn’t expensive.
Still, she couldn’t stay there forever.
Thankfully, her grandfather had left her a house in the capital.
Houses in the capital were usually very expensive.
She never imagined he had secretly owned one.
Her grandfather had said he was a soldier when he was young.
He must have earned quite a lot of money back then.
Thinking simply, Evelyn headed toward the address written in the letter.
The house stood on a neat street near the outskirts of the capital.
It wasn’t a rich neighborhood.
Nor was it a poor one.
People with comfortable lives lived there.
Similar-looking houses lined both sides of the clean road.
One of them belonged to her grandfather.
The two-story house with its green roof wasn’t large.
But it was clean and well cared for.
There was even someone managing it.
“Who’s there?!”
The moment Evelyn knocked on the door, a man came rushing out and immediately shouted.
He stared at her with a fierce expression before narrowing his eyes.
“You look familiar…”
“Hello. My name is Evelyn, the granddaughter of Baron Frilly.”
“Baron Frilly? That old man’s granddaughter?”
“…Yes.”
Their first meeting wasn’t very pleasant.
Calling her grandfather “that old man” was one thing.
She could forgive him for shouting at her.
But insulting her grandfather…
She couldn’t forgive that.
Just as Evelyn was about to get angry, the man suddenly shouted,
“The owner’s finally here! My job as caretaker is finally over!”
The caretaker raised both hands in the air with tears of joy.
His trembling hands pulled a key from his pocket.
“Here. Take it. It’s the house key.”
Still confused, Evelyn accepted the key.
The caretaker immediately threw both arms into the air and shook with excitement.
“I’m free! Free! Finally free from that damn old man!”
He looked so ridiculous that Evelyn could only stare at him with her mouth hanging open.
Then…
The caretaker suddenly took off running.
He sprinted down the street and disappeared into the distance before Evelyn could even think about chasing him.
“What was that all about?”
She watched him leave before letting out an awkward laugh.
…He wasn’t talking about my grandfather, was he?
Playing with the key in her hand, Evelyn unlocked the door.
It opened smoothly.
Just as if someone had been taking care of it all this time.
Inside, every piece of furniture was covered with white cloth.
The covers had been placed there to keep dust away.
Not even the cloth itself had any dust on it.
For someone who had wanted his freedom so badly, the caretaker had certainly cleaned the house with great care.
“Let’s see…”
After passing through the living room, Evelyn entered a reasonably sized kitchen.
Next to it was a small storage room filled with food.
Does a caretaker usually do this much?
She wondered about it.
Still, seeing all those supplies made her feel relieved.
At least she wouldn’t have to worry about food for a while.
Next, Evelyn went upstairs.
There were three bedrooms and one bathroom.
Like the first floor, everything was in excellent condition.
Once the white sheets were removed, the rooms could be used immediately.
Then I’d better get started.
She would be sleeping here tonight anyway.
Rolling up her sleeves, Evelyn removed every white cover, folded them neatly, stored them away, and unpacked her luggage.
There was almost nothing to clean.
Because of that, her opinion of the caretaker changed.
Seeing how well he had maintained the house, he must have been close friends with her grandfather.
One of her grandfather’s old friends used to visit their mansion from time to time.
That man always cursed at her grandfather whenever they met.
He tried not to do it in front of Evelyn.
But he was so loud that she heard almost everything anyway.
Yes… they must have had that kind of friendship.
Satisfied with her conclusion, Evelyn nodded.
Then she headed back downstairs.
There was one place her grandfather had specifically told her to check.
She hadn’t explored everything yet.
But there were two storage rooms beside the kitchen.
One held food.
The other was filled with old wooden crates.
Inside the crates were carefully stored bottles of wine.
The important thing…
Was what lay underneath them.
After pushing the crates aside and lifting an old mat from the floor…
A large door appeared.
It led to a basement.
“Go down to the basement. Everything you need will be there.”
That was what her grandfather had written.
How could you possibly know what I’d need?
She had no idea what was waiting below.
Even so…
Her heart began beating with excitement.
It felt just like when she had explored the attic for the first time as a child.
Evelyn carefully descended the stairs.
It didn’t take long before she understood what her grandfather had meant.
A long hallway stretched before her.
Rooms lined both sides of it.
Inside them were all kinds of things.
Some were ordinary.
Others made her wonder why they were even there.
One room at the very end was completely empty.
It looked suspicious.
Unlike the others, it had a heavy metal door.
Iron rings were fixed to the walls inside, as though chains could be attached to them.
“Grandfather… what in the world is this room for?”
A groan escaped Evelyn’s lips.
No matter how she looked at it…
The basement was even larger than the house above it.
And the facilities built inside…
Looked far too suspicious.
