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Chapter 55
Meanwhile, Rachel was walking down the road, her face twisted in anger.
The afternoon sunlight was merciless.
Under the blazing sun, without a single shadow to shield her, she trudged down the open road all alone.
The Grand Duke’s household hadn’t even lent her a carriage—nor a servant to carry her luggage.
So she had no choice but to walk the long, wide road by herself.
“Damn it…!”
Curses slipped constantly through her tightly clenched teeth.
Rachel gritted her teeth and hefted her heavy bags again.
Her usually neat hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat, and beads of perspiration trickled down her temples, tracing her wrinkled lips.
“How dare they—how dare they treat me like this! Aaagh!!”
Unable to contain her fury, she screamed, only to stumble on a loose step and nearly fall.
Dust billowed up to her chin.
That wretched woman…!
Rachel clutched her skirt and looked down at her shoes, now covered in grit.
Her steps had never once faltered before.
She had always walked with pride and confidence.
But now—
“You ruined everything.”
She muttered darkly under her breath.
But there was still a long way ahead, and no time to spill out all the filth pooling in her chest.
So Rachel dragged her heavy baggage and forced herself onward. Once she reached the city, she could at least rent a carriage.
She just had to endure until then.
“Haa… damn it…!”
Biting her lip, she quickened her pace.
Her bundle kept slipping from her hands, and the gravel made her stumble again and again.
Then, as she passed a thick patch of brush along the road, a chill crawled up the back of her neck.
Step. Step.
Heavy footsteps echoed somewhere behind her.
Before she could turn, she saw three long shadows stretching over the ground.
One was hers. Which meant the other two were—
Rachel swallowed hard.
No way…
“—!”
The moment she turned her head, two masked men appeared, surrounding her.
“Well, well~ Aren’t you a brave lady, walking this road alone without even a carriage?”
A sly voice called from behind the mask. It sounded familiar yet foreign, and Rachel frowned.
“Haha! Hand over the luggage!”
The other man, chuckling coarsely, slung his sword over his shoulder.
They were both large, solid men. Not the sort of petty thieves you’d expect—they looked like trained fighters.
But before she could think further, the men closed in.
Rachel trembled and instinctively begged for mercy.
“P-please, don’t hurt me! I don’t have any—!”
But one of the men snatched the bag from her hands before she could finish.
She tried to resist, digging in her heels, but it was useless.
“Well, well. Seems like you do have quite a lot.”
He began pulling out handfuls of jewelry and gold from her bag, whistling in delight.
“Trying to carry all this alone? Greedy, aren’t we?”
Necklaces, bracelets, and rings slipped through his thick fingers, scattering onto the ground.
Rubies, emeralds, and sapphires sparkled in the sun before landing in the dust.
When even the hidden jewelry from her silk pouch spilled out, the man grinned, satisfied.
“Looks like we’ve caught ourselves a very fine guest today.”
Rachel’s eyes widened.
“No—no! You can’t!!”
Those were her most treasured jewels, brought all the way from Sertia—her secret collection, made from the funds she’d stolen from her maids and Edith’s personal savings!
The man chuckled, slinging the bundle over his shoulder, and whispered to her,
“Should’ve done more good in your life, lady. Then you wouldn’t meet folks like us.”
“You bastard!!”
Rachel lunged, but the other man grabbed her wrist and twisted it sharply.
A scream rose to her throat—but froze when she saw the glinting blade near her neck.
“If you resist again… next time, what we take won’t be your belongings.”
The knife grazed the trembling skin of her throat.
Rachel finally raised her hands, shaking.
“P-please… just spare me. You can take it all.”
“All of it?”
“Y-yes!”
Only then did the man release her wrist.
The robbers casually packed up the stolen goods while Rachel watched helplessly. Then, like stray dogs, they disappeared into the forest.
It had all happened in an instant.
Left alone, Rachel collapsed to her knees.
Fatigue, humiliation, and fear crashed over her all at once.
“…Why? Who would do this to me…?”
Her trembling fingers brushed the ground until they found a broken trinket. She clenched it in her palm.
There was still a long way to go before she reached the Sertia estate.
After Rachel’s departure—
Peace seemed to return to the Grand Duke’s manor.
But—
“Fetch the physician! Quickly!”
“Head chef! Prepare something nutritious, easy to digest, and strong enough to make an ill person sit up at once!”
The entire estate had fallen into sudden chaos.
Edith, who had been going about her day as usual, suddenly collapsed and began burning with fever.
Perhaps the tension she’d been holding back all this time had finally broken loose.
The fever wouldn’t subside, and she didn’t open her eyes all day.
Lying there, half-conscious and delirious, Edith drifted into an old, familiar memory.
A faraway time—inside a vaguely familiar room.
A small figure was curled up on the floor.
It hurts…
The midsummer sunlight poured through the window, faintly illuminating the child’s red hair.
Her face was slick with sweat, strands of hair clinging to her pale cheeks.
Her small lips moved.
“Rachel… Daddy…”
It was young Edith.
She gazed up at the ceiling with hazy eyes.
She thought she was calling out loud, but what escaped her lips was only a faint whisper, more like a groan.
Her head burned, and her ears buzzed like she was underwater.
Her throat hurt—each swallow felt like swallowing needles. Even the smallest movement made the world spin.
Am I… going to die?
They’d said her mother had fallen ill for a long time before she passed away.
If she stayed like this, maybe she’d see her mother again.
The thought made tears well up—but she didn’t even have the strength to wipe them away.
…But I promised, didn’t I…?
A place where the sea sang—
where white sand met crashing blue waves.
She’d promised to go there with her mother.
“Mom…”
Edith braced herself against the floor and tried to rise.
Her wrists were so thin and frail they looked as if they’d snap with a touch.
Her vision swam, and dizziness came in waves, but she took a careful step forward.
Staggering, she made her way toward the door.
But—
It’s too high.
The doorknob was far above her reach.
Her small hands flailed helplessly in the air before falling limp.
The room was silent. No one came in. There wasn’t even a sound outside.
In the end, Edith leaned weakly against the door and slid down.
“Is… anyone there?”
Her trembling lips barely formed the words.
She called again and again—for her father, for Rachel—the only two names she knew.
Until her vision blurred completely.
Then, faintly, she heard footsteps.
They grew closer, step by step—
And Edith opened her eyes.
Her heavy eyelids lifted, and through her dizzy vision, she saw the faint outline of someone.
A cool towel lay on her forehead, and a warm hand was holding hers.
“…Denok…?”
She couldn’t see the face, but she whispered his name without thinking.
