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Chapter 16
On the day Nadia left the Hess territory, all the territory’s residents gathered in front of the manor gates.
So many wreaths had been gifted by the children that a tower of flowers had formed on top of Nadia’s red crown of hair.
Old man Fow shook his wooden cane and scolded the children loudly.
“You brats! How dare you be so rude to Lady Nadia!”
“Old man Fow, it’s okay. I actually want to wear them all—they’re so pretty.”
Nadia smiled and stopped him. Thanks to her, the children didn’t lose heart and continued speaking excitedly.
“Lady, you have to come back soon, okay?”
“If you’re late, the Baron will cry his eyes out!”
“You little—! Since when were you friends with the Baron!”
When a boy teased him, Old man Fow immediately chased after him again, scolding him fiercely.
Even though Baron Hess and his wife treated the territory residents informally, the reason their relationship remained so ideal was entirely thanks to Old man Fow.
Nadia took his hand and sincerely thanked him once more.
Old man Fow smiled warmly, as if understanding everything in her heart.
“Lady, don’t worry about the territory. Go to your debutante and return safely. I will protect everything here.”
“Thank you, Fow. Truly.”
“Don’t mention it. Just bring back a handsome, kind young man from the capital. This old man wants to see a child who looks just like you.”
“I’ll try my best.”
There was no way something like that would easily happen, but Nadia still nodded instead of correcting him.
A nearby resident laughed softly and said,
“You don’t need to try that hard. With how beautiful you are, you’ll have men lining up for you to choose from!”
At that, everyone burst into laughter in agreement.
Nadia looked around the cheerful faces of her people.
They had only slightly escaped poverty, but all of them looked bright and happy.
And among them, Nadia’s own face was just as bright.
Receiving their warm farewell, Nadia boarded the carriage.
The Hess territory still had no proper roads, so the carriage jolted heavily for a while. Just as her seat began to feel numb, they reached the road connecting the capital and the ducal domain of Baldwin.
Unlike Nadia, who sighed in relief, Vivian reacted dramatically with excitement.
“If we had stayed any longer, my tailbone would’ve shattered.”
Nadia chuckled at her exaggeration.
But the relief didn’t last long. The carriage, now running smoothly on the well-paved road, suddenly came to a halt.
When Vivian stepped out, the coachman also got down and explained the situation.
“It seems the wheel loosened from the rough road. I’ll fix it right away.”
“Can it be fixed quickly?”
“Yes, yes. Of course. This isn’t the first time.”
The coachman spoke confidently, as if used to it.
But reality was less kind. He struggled with the wheel for a long time.
At this rate, they might not reach the village before nightfall and would have to camp outdoors. Though the road connected to the capital, meaning bandits were unlikely, sleeping in the cold night air was not ideal.
As the coachman panicked, Nadia shook her head calmly.
“It can’t be helped if the carriage is old. But right now, I only trust you, so stay calm.”
Her words seemed to steady him slightly.
But the situation did not improve.
Then, the sound of horses and wheels approached from afar.
Fortunately, it was getting closer.
“This is a road merchants often use! I’ll go ask for help!”
The coachman ran toward the approaching carriage.
But when he got close, he collapsed to the ground in fear.
Even from afar, the carriage looked massive and luxurious.
If it belonged to nobility, he would not dare ask for help.
However, surprisingly, the carriage stopped in front of him, and a familiar figure stepped out.
“Alison?”
Though distant, she recognized him immediately. It was undoubtedly Alison, Heinrich’s secretary.
Alison spoke briefly with the coachman, then returned to the carriage.
The carriage soon departed, revealing the crest of its house clearly.
“Oh my god, it’s the Baldwin carriage!”
Vivian shouted in shock, but Nadia said nothing.
She looked calm—but in reality, she was frozen in place from shock.
Nadia clenched her left arm tightly.
She had braced herself for Heinrich ignoring her in her moment of crisis—prepared herself to accept it as natural, so she wouldn’t be hurt.
But contrary to her expectations, the Baldwin carriage stopped in front of her.
Alison once again stepped out and approached her.
“You are Lady Nadia of House Hess, correct? I heard from your coachman that your carriage broke down. May our driver take a look?”
Alison was Heinrich’s retainer, but also a viscount.
So Nadia politely bowed her head.
“Thank you for your help. I was in a difficult situation as night approaches.”
“It is not I who deserves thanks. Please express your gratitude to His Grace, the Duke of Baldwin.”
Following his suggestion, Nadia approached the carriage.
But when Alison reached for the door, she slightly shook her head.
Even though she had said they should never meet again, he likely could not simply ignore a woman in distress.
However, she did not want to overstep in the name of gratitude.
Nadia lifted her skirt on both sides and bowed deeply.
“Thank you sincerely, Your Grace the Duke of Baldwin. I will not forget this kindness.”
There was no reply from inside the carriage, but Nadia remained bowed for a long moment.
Then she slowly straightened.
Through the carriage window, she could see Heinrich’s sharp profile.
His blood-red eyes were emotionless—so still they seemed lifeless.
Compared to the anger he once directed at her, this emptiness felt even colder.
‘Heini… I’m happy now. What about you? How are you?’
‘If you’re unhappy because of me, then I can’t be happy either.’
In the capital, would she find clues about Livenia’s death?
No—she had to find them.
After bowing slightly to Alison as well, she turned away.
Her face was set with firm determination.
The marriage between Livenia and Heinrich had been a popular topic in high society.
A marriage where the man was twenty years older than the woman was common, but a woman eight years older than the man was extremely rare.
Because Livenia did not want Heinrich to be pitied for marrying an older woman, she strictly maintained boundaries.
She and Heinrich had separate bedrooms, and a servant was always present when they met alone.
Even at night, they rarely saw each other’s faces.
She ensured that vulgar rumors would never approach the young duke.
Because of this, she rarely met her young husband—but she didn’t dislike this life.
Avoiding the constant harassment of Count Pshilin’s couple and the nightmares of her deceased mother allowed her to work all day without fatigue.
Of course, that was only her misconception.
Soon, Livenia began suffering nosebleeds from overwork.
It happened while she was silently dining with Heinrich.
Hastily pressing a handkerchief to her nose, she explained,
“It’s nothing. The air has been dry lately because I’ve been burning a lot of firewood.”
At the time, magical stones were expensive, so heating was often done with firewood.
Of course, Heinrich’s room was heated with magic stones, but Livenia did not want to waste the Baldwin estate’s resources for her comfort.
So her explanation was not entirely wrong. She had indeed been overworked, and the dryness was real.
The only problem was that the blood soaked through the white handkerchief, turning it eerily red.
For an eight-year-old boy, it must have been a shocking sight.
“Lady!”
Heinrich immediately stood and rushed to her side.
His small face—slightly taller than her seated height—had gone completely pale.
“Your Grace, I’m truly fine. This is nothing…”
She had pulled all-nighters like this at the academy countless times before.
Though not for this long, of course.
Dizziness overtook her, and she swayed even while seated.
Heinrich grabbed her arm tightly with his small hands, trying to support her.
His face remained pale, but his voice toward the maids was surprisingly calm.
“Take the lady to my bedroom! Hurry!”
Though young, his voice already carried the authority of a duke.
That seemed to snap Livenia briefly back to awareness.
“No. Take me to my room… my room…”
The maids hurriedly supported her.
As she was led out of the dining hall and up the stairs—unsure whether she was walking or being carried—Livenia lost consciousness, believing her wish had been understood.
