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Chapter 21
“What? All of this? I’ll hold on to it in case you need it later.”
“It’s fine. I memorized it all. No good comes from leaving behind loose ends.”
“You memorized everything in that short time…?”
“Mm. Isn’t that what people usually do? What’s strange about it?”
“N-no, nothing. I’ll burn it.”
“Good. By the way, where’s Zeppelin right now?”
“The Count left early this morning for a council meeting.”
“Perfect. He won’t be back until late in the afternoon, then. I need to step out for a bit.”
“You’re still not fully recovered. If you have business, I can go in your stead…”
Rebecca threw off her blanket and set her feet on the floor. Then she hopped in place and even trotted a few steps.
Kanna’s eyes went wide.
“The truth is, I wasn’t seriously hurt. Just a minor sprain.”
“But didn’t the doctor say you’d need to stay bedridden for at least two months?”
“The physicians in this house act like even a cold is a death sentence. They’re just afraid that if something happened to me, they’d fall out of Zeppelin’s favor. I’ve been examined by them for years—pretending to be worse off than I am is second nature to them.”
Rebecca opened her wardrobe and frowned.
“All of these are so uncomfortable. I want to wear something as simple as possible…”
Just then, noise outside drew her eyes to the window.
Grace was shouting at the gardeners.
No doubt one of them had done something to offend her perfectionist nature, which demanded she inspect even the smallest twigs.
Rebecca watched Grace for a moment, then shifted her gaze to the gardeners, who were sweating nervously.
Her sharp eyes swept over their plain clothing—garb that wouldn’t attract attention anywhere—and suddenly gleamed.
“Click, click. None of you have any craftsmanship.”
Finishing her long scolding, Grace turned to leave.
She felt the stares burning into the back of her head, but she didn’t care.
If you wanted a job done perfectly, this kind of grumbling was nothing unusual.
That was when she spotted Kanna hurrying out the door. Her steps were so fast, Grace couldn’t follow even with her eyes.
If she’s headed that way, that’s where the male servants’ quarters are…
Something about it made Grace uneasy, but she let it go.
Kanna had quickly earned her favor since arriving.
Unlike the other maids, she never muttered complaints and always completed her tasks flawlessly.
From the beginning, she’d seemed like a girl who needed no instruction.
Not the type to cause trouble.
With that, Grace dropped her suspicion and turned toward the servants’ back door.
Then, feeling someone’s gaze, she lifted her head.
Rebecca was watching her from the second floor.
When their eyes met, Rebecca quickly looked away.
Though she vanished from sight, Grace continued staring coldly at the spot where she had been.
“This way out.”
Robert shifted a few bricks, revealing a hole just big enough for a person to crawl through.
“And here—what you asked for.”
He handed over a heavy paper envelope.
Rebecca peeked inside and nodded.
“You’ve found excellent goods. Thank you.”
Robert looked her over—dressed in a commoner’s rough clothes with a clumsy cap pulled low.
“So you weren’t actually ill. And that outfit…”
“It’s incredibly comfortable. I can’t believe you lot have been the only ones to wear such things—I’m almost jealous.”
“Why do you keep speaking so formally? It feels awkward.”
“You’re older than me, Robert. About my father’s age. I couldn’t possibly.”
He started to argue further but held his tongue. In the past few days, he’d learned many surprising things about her.
She was livelier and more curious than he’d expected. And stubborn as a bull.
Robert sighed quietly.
“In any case, you must return as quickly as possible. The Count won’t be back until late at night after his trip to the capital, but there’s always a chance something could happen.”
“I understand. Watch over Kanna for me.”
“Since you’ve always been confined to bed, no one will suspect anything. But I’ll stay alert regardless.”
At that moment, Kanna—wearing a blonde wig—was lying in Rebecca’s bed, just in case someone entered unexpectedly.
Robert glanced around, then leaned toward her as she slipped into the hole.
“Be careful on your return. I’ll be here at the appointed time, but things don’t always go as planned. Above all, avoid being seen by the head maid—or the Count’s other hunting dogs.”
Rebecca gave a short nod and disappeared through the hole.
“Haa…”
She had only climbed over a wall, yet the air already felt fresher than inside the Count’s manor.
“It seemed taller from the inside.”
To her, the manor’s walls had always felt like an impenetrable fortress.
But standing outside, they were nothing more than ordinary walls.
At first, it felt strange to walk freely where her feet carried her.
Soon, however, her cautious steps grew quicker—until she was running.
Her not-quite-healed ankle ached dully.
But no one was there to stop her. The sweetness of freedom made it impossible to halt.
A carefree smile spread across Rebecca’s lips.
“Thank you!”
Rebecca jumped down from the cart, greeting the merchant in a cheerful voice.
The Count’s manor was far from her destination.
She could have taken a comfortable carriage, but she didn’t want that.
This was a rare moment of freedom.
Dressed in men’s clothes, she thought—why not try the things I’ve always wanted to?
On impulse, she had flagged down a passing merchant’s cart.
It reminded her of childhood trips with her father, when they often hitched rides on carts like this while backpacking.
She spun a dramatic tale about searching for her runaway father.
The lie rolled off her tongue so easily, it surprised even her.
With her face smudged with dirt and dressed in carefully chosen ragged clothes, the merchant gladly let her aboard.
The cart was loaded with sacks of coffee beans, and the whole way she was surrounded by their fragrant aroma.
When they arrived, she didn’t forget to ask:
“Mister, what’s your name?”
“Haha, no need to repay me. Consider it the Goddess Dephria granting a handsome young man a bit of luck today.”
“Still, may I know your name?”
“You’re a stubborn one. My name’s Adolf. I run a coffee bean shop in the city center. Drop by someday, I’ll treat you to a cup.”
“Yes! I’ll repay your kindness someday. Thank you!”
After the cart rumbled away, kicking up a cloud of dust, Rebecca stood before a shabby building in the middle of nowhere.
Weeds choked the yard, and rusted signboards creaked in the wind.
<Eustaph’s Botanical Research Institute>
Under the large painted letters were plastered countless warnings:
<Do Not Disturb>
<If You Disturb, I Can’t Guarantee What Will Happen>
<Something Really, Really Scary Will Happen>
Some scary warning, that is.
Even the scrawled handwriting hinted at why he’d earned a reputation as an eccentric in her past life.
Eustaph McFinn.
He would one day be the botanist to discover the properties of the demon’s claw.
Famous for being a recluse, he had no family and cared for nothing but his research. That also meant he had no weaknesses.
Zeppelin had tried every trick to recruit him but failed in the end.
Rebecca knocked firmly on the door.
As expected, no response.
“Mr. McFinn!”
She persisted, pounding until at last the rotting door creaked open amid a stream of curses.
“Didn’t you read the sign? Don’t bother me—get lost!”
Ugh, cigarettes.
Rebecca wrinkled her nose at the thick smoke. Eustaph leaned in the doorway, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
His silver hair, tied back, fell to his waist. Taller than she expected, his frame was lean but solid.
Tired gray eyes glared at her.
Caught off guard by his unexpectedly handsome features, Rebecca quickly gathered herself.
“Hello, Mr. Eustaph. I’ve come with a proposal.”
His face twisted with irritation.
“A proposal? Don’t tell me you’re another one of that Count’s lackeys? I said it already—I won’t dance for nobles’ profit. They promise research freedom at first, but in the end they’ll twist it to suit their whims. Get out!”
With a slam, the door shut.
Rebecca clutched Robert’s paper envelope to her chest and called through the wood.
“Then I suppose you won’t want the gift I brought either?”
“…”
“Fresh spring potatoes, just dug up from Monferr…”
“Come in.”
At the word potatoes, Eustaph immediately reopened the door.
Rebecca smiled warmly and stepped into his chaotic laboratory.
“You actually managed to get real potatoes. These days they’ve been crossbred so much they’ve lost their original flavor.”
Eustaph devoured the freshly boiled, fluffy potatoes, blowing on them hastily.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Only when Rebecca cleared her throat did he remember his manners, awkwardly holding one out.
“Want some…?”
Rebecca shook her head at the dusty sofa and the table piled high with old books.
It seemed he used this one room as sitting room, study, and bedroom.
Elsewhere, huge plants took up nearly all available space.
Surrounded by them, Rebecca felt as though she were sitting in the middle of a jungle.
“So, what’s this proposal of yours?”
Now that his stomach was partly satisfied, his expression softened.
Rebecca’s eyes skimmed over the titles scattered across the table.
Encyclopedia of All the World’s Dyes. Plants Named After Demons. Everything About the Demon’s Claw…
