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Chapter 11
“Oh, that was truly a close call. If it hadn’t been for the Dowager Duchess of Baldwin helping me, it would have been dangerous.”
“How did you know that the Baldwin ducal house was in possession of the genuine piece?”
“Pardon? What do you mean… I was the one who nearly got scammed that day. It was all due to my own inexperience.”
“I investigated the Hess Barony’s assets. You did have enough funds to pay the amount stated in the contract. However, if you had paid it, you would have been barely able to afford Lady Hess’s mother’s medical expenses. Large-scale road construction like this would have been impossible.”
Heinrich had not only investigated Nadia herself.
He had thoroughly examined everything related to the Hess Barony.
And he had even analyzed the data to pinpoint exactly where things had gone wrong.
Nadia’s golden eyes looked at Heinrich expressionlessly, but in truth, she could not help but feel admiration inside.
You’ve grown so well, Heini. I knew you were smart, but now you’re truly capable of leading an entire noble house.
This kind of approach might work on careless lords—but it would not work on Heinrich.
Nadia let out an exaggerated sigh as if she had no choice and looked directly at him.
“If Your Grace has gone to such lengths, then I have no choice. Yes, I knew about it.”
“How?”
“That’s a private matter, so I’d prefer not to say.”
This was only the beginning of the conversation. Heinrich was not the kind of man who would back down from something like this.
And as expected, he leaned forward, gripping one knee.
“You will speak, my lady.”
His crimson eyes glowed faintly. Nadia realized for the first time that Heinrich could exert such overwhelming pressure and intimidation on others.
The Heinrich she remembered was always polite, kind, and gentle. A sincere boy who tried to return affection with equal devotion—someone she could not help but love.
For a moment, Nadia was lost in thought, and Heinrich mistook her hesitation for reluctance. He leaned back into the sofa, maintaining distance, and spoke more formally.
“This is a matter of great importance to me. If I receive the answer I want, I may offer compensation.”
“It’s not something that important. It’s purely personal.”
Nadia pretended to think for a moment before speaking hesitantly.
“I don’t actually lack childhood memories. It’s more like they’re covered in a thick fog. But there is one strong memory I can never forget. A noble lady once helped me when I was starving and close to death.”
Of course, it was a lie.
But Nadia was skilled at lying and acting, and she continued in a dreamy voice.
“That noble lady became my friend. That memory never faded. So after being adopted into the Hess Barony, I tried to find her. While tracing her whereabouts, I learned many things.”
“So you are saying that noble lady was the Duchess of Baldwin.”
Nadia nodded with as much sincerity as she could fake, hoping the story would be accepted. For a moment, Heinrich’s crimson eyes wavered—but they quickly turned sharp again.
“I only recently learned about The Emperor’s Bird. I commissioned an information broker after I had some spare funds. But I had no bad intentions.”
“Then what was your intention?”
“Of course—to express my gratitude. I wanted to become someone as wonderful as her. Though I suppose someone who digs into others’ pasts could never become like her.”
It was embarrassing to describe her past self as a “wonderful noble lady,” but Nadia managed it smoothly.
…Or so she thought.
If Heinrich had not been glaring at her so sharply, she might have believed it herself.
“Your Grace?”
“You cannot.”
“What do you mean…?”
“No one can become like my wife. So do not try to imitate her or follow her footsteps. This is a warning.”
Nadia was deeply confused. She had not expected Heinrich to react so strongly.
Could it be that Libenya’s death was truly Heinrich’s deepest wound?
While she was still confused, Heinrich stood up. His heavy footsteps passed right beside her.
Nadia quickly rose and spoke to him.
“Your Grace, about the late Duchess of Baldwin… she did not die because of you. I think she would say the same. She was a kind person.”
At least to you, she tried to be.
Nadia spoke earnestly, hoping her words would reach him.
But Heinrich drew the sword from his waist and pointed it at Nadia’s neck.
His pale face looked like that of a reaper. It seemed as if he might strike her down at any moment.
“How dare you speak of my wife—”
His voice was feral, like a beast.
But Nadia’s gaze did not waver even once.
“…I was rude. I apologize.”
Her apology was as calm as still water.
Her golden eyes reflected only Heinrich. It was a gaze both warm and desperate, as if trying to embrace all his sorrow, rage, and despair.
Slowly, Heinrich sheathed his sword.
“Do not appear before me again. You are unpleasant.”
Even after such harsh words, Nadia only smiled bitterly, showing no sign of distress.
Heinrich left the reception room without waiting for a servant to open the door.
As he boarded his carriage after passing through the shabby hall, a sense of self-loathing washed over him.
Why do I see Libenya in that woman?
They were nothing alike.
Age, height, hair, eyes, voice—everything was different.
And yet, the way she entered a room, the way she straightened her clothes when sitting, the way she looked directly at others while speaking, the way she maintained distance yet remained perfectly polite—every single gesture reminded him of Libenya.
“I wanted to become someone as wonderful as her.”
If that was true, then she was imitating Libenya.
That was unforgivable. There could never be two Libenyas in this world.
But what he could not forgive even more was—
“Your Grace, about the late Duchess of Baldwin… she did not die because of you. I think she would say the same. She was a kind person.”
The fact that those words had comforted him.
Libenya was dead and buried in cold earth, and yet he had found comfort in a woman who imitated her.
He could not forgive himself for that.
After Heinrich left the baron’s estate, Nadia locked herself in her room and did not move.
Voices could be heard outside her door—Baron Hess and a maid whispering.
“…Did Nadia not eat dinner after all?”
“She said you would worry, so she had a little soup.”
“She has always had a small appetite… I’m even more worried. Please take good care of her. I’ll stay with my wife, so call me if anything happens.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Baron Hess’s voice was full of concern.
Normally, Nadia would never have done anything to worry her adoptive father.
But today, she could not even think that far.
No one can become like my wife.
How dare you speak of my wife—
Heinrich’s furious, almost self-destructive expression would not leave her mind.
To Nadia, the man who looked like a beast looked more like a child who had been abandoned.
She sat by the window long into the night, lost in thought.
She was not staying up simply to think.
Knock, knock. Knock, knock.
Before dawn broke, she heard a rhythmic tapping at the window.
Nadia stood and opened it.
A dark shadow slipped into her room and knelt before her.
“Did you call for me, Lady Nadia?”
“You came quickly, Conrad.”
At her praise, Conrad slightly lifted his head.
His single eye looked straight at her.
“Since you were here, I remained nearby.”
“Thank you. And get up. I’m no longer a duchess, so formalities like that are exhausting.”
Nadia smiled and extended her hand.
Ironically, even such a simple gesture carried an undeniable noble elegance.
Conrad stood without mentioning it.
Nadia returned to her chair.
“Today, Heini came to the Hess estate.”
“…Yes.”
Conrad already seemed to know.
Since Nadia had only recently returned, he was likely monitoring every detail closely.
“He was strange. I thought he would be saddened by my death, since he was such a kind child. But today… it didn’t look like simple mourning.”
The more she spoke about Heinrich, the more Nadia’s expression hardened.
“Ten years. Ten years is enough time to bury any death. But he acted as if Libenya Baldwin had died just yesterday. I know that feeling. That is not grief—it’s guilt over someone’s death.”
Conrad knew exactly who she was referring to.
Nadia—no, Libenya—had also never easily recovered from her own mother’s death…
“…”
Conrad stayed silent, worried, but Nadia was not focused on her emotions.
“Conrad… was the carriage accident that killed me really just an accident?”
