IBWMD 39

~Chapter 39~

Whispers of Serpents and Secrets in the Alley

It was a strange dream, even thinking back on it. I rarely dream in the first place.

“Come to think of it…”

“Come to think of what?”

“I’ve been having some odd dreams lately.”

“What kind of dreams?”

Without much thought, I told Beth, who was helping me up and fixing my hair, about the recurring dreams.

“There’s this snake that keeps showing up…”

I didn’t say it with any particular intent—just thought it was kind of weird.

‘It’s strange, right? The same animal appearing over and over in your dreams.’

Maybe it had been more than twice. Sometimes I’d even feel a snake’s presence half-asleep. It felt like I was dreaming a continuous series.

But Beth’s expression after hearing the whole thing was… odd.

“…My lady, I really don’t want to say this, but…”

“What?”

She hesitated, looking visibly uneasy, then confessed.

“That sounds like a conception dream.”

“What the hell?!”

Now that she mentioned it, it did fit—an animal appears, it talks, it does strange things. It even bit my cheek in the last one.

‘Anyone hearing that would think someone’s about to have a baby.’

And judging by Beth’s suspicious glance, I couldn’t help but shout out.

“It’s not like that!”

I’ve never been more flustered in my life. This sort of thing keeps happening here.

“Isn’t it though?”

“You think I’m the type to fall for someone that easily?!”

“I don’t know what that means, but I get the vibe. Still, you’ve already seen him, haven’t you?”

“He doesn’t even come home! How can you call that a partner?!”

That’s not a ‘him,’ that’s a ‘bastard’!

“Exactly! And here you are, such a cute and precious bride waiting for him. Just because he’s a duke—hmph!”

“Beth, I love you, but that’s nonsense.”

“Our young lady was drowning in marriage proposals even back when you were ‘Master Elan.’”

“No, a lot of families retracted proposals once they heard rumors of the messes I made.”

“And now this monster duke dares neglect our lady? He’s doomed to go bald!”

Beth was furiously brushing my hair, ignoring my protests. Then she casually said something that made my ears perk up.

“Anyway, it’s good that the only suspicious fox hanging around you hasn’t shown up recently.”

“…”

“Isn’t it a relief that he’s been gone these past few days?”

Come to think of it, Karl hadn’t shown his face in days.

‘Right…’

Not since the day that letter arrived.

That day, Karl had practically dragged the old man away mid-sentence. Very rude.

“Wait! There’s a postscript…!”
“Let’s go.”

And he had even spoken rudely to the old man.

Strangest part was—it hadn’t seemed odd at all at the time.

It felt… natural. Like he was born to command others.

‘And then he disappeared.’

I hate to admit it, but I did kind of… miss him?

‘No! Stop thinking like that.’

Also, hadn’t the snake dreams started around then?

The first one happened on my first night in Saint Portou, but still… the timing was oddly aligned.

While I was pondering that strange coincidence, Beth resolutely added:

“Anyway, he probably won’t be showing up anytime soon.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Oh, you probably haven’t heard. That old man… the one Karl dragged off?”

Beth, who had to keep him company while waiting for me, had picked up some gossip.

Apparently, His Grace the Duke is terribly busy. The duchy is no place for leisure.

“Especially with the New Year Festival coming up next month.”

“Oh, there’s one here too?”

“It’s not as grand as the one in the capital.”

Makes sense. Saint Portou isn’t in a state to throw lavish parties in winter. They should be conserving supplies.

“The Duke won’t even return for it. He’s staying at the frontlines.”

“I see…”

“And the local temple doesn’t participate like in the capital.”

“Now that you mention it, it’s odd there’s a temple here at all.”

Well, it couldn’t be helped. Even if the Pope dislikes the Duke, every imperial territory needs at least one temple.

Anyway, the Duke wasn’t coming back.

Beth clenched her fists.

“I wish he’d just come crawling back already!”

“Y-yeah.”

“If he doesn’t, I’m seriously going to mix hair-loss medicine into his wine…”

I would’ve agreed with her instantly, but after all that dream talk and Karl’s odd comments about me “bewitching” him, I felt uneasy.

“Anyway, that’s why the monster hunters are busy too. Gotta reinforce defenses.”

“Makes sense.”

I half-listened, lost in thought.

Should I prepare a gift for the Duke?

Not because I’m weak-willed or anything. But still…

“Giving me a gift before your husband?”
“A hand-prepared present, no less?”

Why did that memory of Karl’s smug comment suddenly pop into my head?

‘No. That’s not it. That’s definitely not it.’

Not sure what “it” was, but I felt a weird sense of crisis.

I hadn’t even gotten my supposed husband a present, but gave something to a mere monster hunter?

‘People might misunderstand.’

What if this turns into some scandalous affair plot?

I need the Duke’s recognition, not suspicion.

‘Maybe I should ask Karl what the Duke likes…?’

The fact that this was my first thought shocked me.

It’s not like I think about that man all day!

‘But really, who else would I ask?’

Anyone else at the Duke’s estate would get suspicious. Jeremy’s warming up to me, but he’s still distant.

‘It’s not like I’m asking Karl on purpose…’

Why do I have to justify this to myself?

Sighing, I washed up and got ready to go out. I ignored Beth’s protests that I didn’t need to go anywhere.

‘It’s stuffy staying inside all day.’

I figured I’d go for a walk and stretch a bit—when I heard a familiar voice.

“…Miss!”

I looked up.

“Huh.”

It was the cheerful owner of the skewer shop.

“What brings you out here… Oh.”

‘I forgot to purify today’s meat.’

I awkwardly scratched my head.

“Something came up. I’ll purify it tomorrow…”

“No rush on that.”

“But you got new meat, right? Don’t you need it purified?”

Customers were finally trickling in.

It had taken a lot of effort to reach this point. I’d often pretended not to see the owner begging people in the marketplace to try a bite.

Thankfully, it worked. My divine power had elevated the skewers from infernal to edible.

The owner also experimented with creative recipes and lowered prices to stand out.

‘My tastebuds were often victims of those experiments…’

But it worked. Some customers were becoming regulars, and even the pickpocket kids helped spread the word.

Still, the owner shook his head.

“I’m not that shameless.”

“It’s not a big deal…”

“Using holy power isn’t easy. I know it’s tiring.”

True. That’s partly why I overslept today.

‘Been spreading my divine power thin lately.’

I had overexerted myself trying to purify extra meat for free distribution.

‘Because I know he gives leftovers to the needy.’

The owner scratched the back of his head, sheepish.

“Besides… all I’ve done is introduce you to one not-so-useful blacksmith.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Actually, about that blacksmith…”

He suddenly started looking around.

Putting distance between us and other passersby, his body language screamed:

“I’m about to share something very secret and important.”