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~Chapter 61~
“When do you think they’ll be able to get out of bed?”
“It’s hard to say, but maybe in about a month.”
“Do your best. I want them to join the western front as soon as possible.”
“I honestly want the same. They’re so noisy—getting pestered from both sides is driving me crazy.”
Brother Matthew and Sister Judith tried to win Gilbert over whenever they could.
Even if he refused and pushed them away, they kept coming back.
Whenever he almost got angry, their wild eyes reminded him of wild animals he’d met in the mountains as a child. It made his back go cold.
They were like unleashed wild dogs.
If only Brother Vincent would stop his subordinates…
But he was no help at all.
Gilbert kept his distance because Vincent always smiled strangely and wandered around, giving off a creepy vibe.
No one could tell what he was thinking.
‘Of course, the scariest one isn’t even him.’
Gilbert looked at the man sitting across from him with a blank, expressionless face.
He looked like he didn’t care about anything in the world.
But Gilbert couldn’t forget the Duke’s expression when he reported Elicia’s poisoning.
It was so bad, it still haunted his nightmares.
The Duke, meeting Gilbert’s eyes, spoke.
“The barbarians from the Holy City offered you quite a reward, I hear.”
“You don’t need to test me. My lady is much richer than they could ever be.”
“Hm.”
“And whatever you might think of me, I’ve sworn loyalty to my lady. She was the first to recognize my value.”
The worth of a polished jewel is obvious. Anyone can see it from above.
But to spot a rough stone, you have to get down to its level and see with your own eyes.
No ordinary noble would ever do that.
“My lady is that kind of person. People might misunderstand her now, but one day everyone will see.”
“That’s true. She’s a kind person.”
“…Excuse me?”
“That’s all. You can go now.”
The Duke dismissed him, and Gilbert bowed his head.
The cold air in the hallway hit him deep in the lungs, waking him up from his daze.
Still, he felt strange, like he was seeing things.
Maybe he was imagining it, but for a moment, when the Duke called his lady “kind,”
it looked like he was swallowing back tears.
I was bored out of my mind.
There was no Nero, no books, not even my lucky gold coin.
I was trapped in a gloomy inn.
The local doctor said I was worn out and needed at least a week in bed.
Every time I got up, Baron Comte and Ramon fussed over me like I was dying,
and Gareth, the Duke’s aide, even stood guard at the door.
“Madam, I brought you some thin soup for your stomach.”
“…”
Even the food was miserable.
Fish soup, smoked fish soup, salted fish soup, and sometimes, as a “special treat,” fish pie.
Everything was fish.
Was I being treated this badly just because I was hiding my real identity?
“Madam, I thought you might be bored, so I brought you something to read!”
Maybe Ramon had noticed how low my spirits were.
He finally did something that made sense.
“It’s a report from Bellamare’s officials about local issues!”
“….”
I took back what I said.
What a useless thing to bring me.
How could he call this “something to read” for fun?
I glared at Ramon, and the clueless administrator finally realized he’d messed up and started backing away.
“Please rest, Madam. I’ll take my leave.”
“You call this something to read, huh?!”
I threw the stack of papers at him, but I was too weak, and they just slid off my hand.
The report fell open in my lap,
so I ended up reading the first page by accident.
[Report on Road Repairs and Supply Distribution in Bellamare]
I wasn’t reading it because I wanted to, but because it was right in front of me.
…But still, I found myself flipping through the pages faster and faster.
By the time I reached the last page—
“Damn.”
I felt like my blood pressure was about to kill me before my travel sickness did.
They blamed all Bellamare’s problems on the collapsed roads and handed this to me as their “investigation.”
It was the peak of incompetence. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Did I come here to enjoy the sea breeze or to work? I suffered enough at the castle—why am I getting dragged into work at a vacation spot too?!”
No. I’ll ignore it.
I saw nothing.
“It’s so hot. Getting mad just made me sweat more.”
They’d stoked up the fireplace for the “patient,” so the air was stifling.
I was waving my hand to cool myself down, feeling annoyed, when I heard the sound of waves.
Mesmerized by the dark sea, I opened the door.
“Madam?”
Standing guard in the hallway, Gareth met my eyes.
I lowered my voice and whispered,
“Where are Ramon and Baron Comte?”
“They were bored and went to bed early.”
Good. No more busybodies.
Gareth grabbed a blanket and offered it to me.
“It’s cold in the hallway. If you need anything, please go back inside…”
“How good are you?”
“…Pardon?”
“If you’re the Duke’s aide, you must be decent at least.”
Gareth nodded calmly at my sudden question.
“If it’s sword fighting, I’m not bad.”
“….”
His eyes spoke louder than his words.
Usually, he looked slow and dull, but now, his eyes were sharp—like someone who had held a sword for years.
“Good. I want to go for a walk. You’ll escort me. No arguments.”
I walked through Bellamare’s dark streets with Gareth.
We sometimes ran into other people, but because I borrowed the innkeeper’s clothes, no one paid us any attention.
If anything, we looked like a young couple out at night, which made some people snicker and whistle.
“They probably think I’m a barmaid.”
“If the Duke heard that, he’d erase Bellamare from the map.”
“Let them think what they want. Who’d imagine someone like me would be out like this at night?”
Just a change of clothes, and my noble status disappeared.
After a while, the sea wind made my legs ache and my body feel chilly.
“Let’s rest for a bit.”
“You don’t look well. Should we go back?”
“My feet hurt.”
I sat on an old, dry fountain.
I thought walking would clear my head, but it just made my thoughts even messier.
‘There are two main trade routes in Lombard.’
The southern bridge into the interior,
and Bellamare’s western sea port.
The port was especially important, since it shipped out Lombard’s main export—minerals.
‘What has the governor even been doing here?’
There were too many problems.
If they refined the minerals locally before exporting, it would make more jobs and profits,
but there wasn’t a single refinery in Bellamare.
Food imports were another issue.
‘Because the north has long winters and poor soil, they rely on imports for food.’
But supplies stored at the docks and warehouses seemed much lower than the reports said.
Maybe there were rats on the ships, or maybe there were other “rats” stealing.
If I really wanted to fix things, where would I even start—
‘Wait.’
Why was I even thinking of fixing things?
I came here just to relax!
“Madam.”
“I—I wasn’t thinking about anything!”
“…?”
My endless thoughts stopped when Gareth called me quietly.
We had left at night, but now the sky was turning pale with early dawn.
Just as I was about to head back, Gareth pointed out a crowd silently gathering nearby.
