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Chapter 46
Helbern’s method of gaining power could be looked into later. For now, he was simply an obstacle for Nikolai.
The only option was to confine him.
Thus, Helbern was forcibly locked in the underground.
It wasn’t exactly a prison sentence, though.
Inside, there were luxurious beds and sofas, a table, and delicious food was provided constantly.
At that moment, a knight brought a tray with his favorite protein-rich fried eggs.
“Please, enjoy.”
“I don’t need that! Just take it away!!”
“Please, don’t waste your strength. You’ll be released after a few days, as promised.”
Aaaah!!
He had finally gained power, and now…
Not only was it frustrating to have his power questioned, but being imprisoned on top of that was unbearable.
Helbern felt like he was going to die from the frustration.
Helbern is in prison?
“Serves him right.”
I didn’t know the reason, but it was certain he had offended Nikolai.
Helbern was the type to do just that and more.
[It’s so unfair. That crazy guy even went all the way to the border for you, didn’t he?]
Since that day, Zhunnel had begun to think favorably of Helbern.
He often suggested visiting him, saying it had been hundreds of years since someone had dominated the Blood Sword.
“You should just go to him.”
[Well, I’m just saying. Could it be that he’s imprisoned because he incurred Nikolai’s wrath over that incident?]
Because of me?
“Unlikely.”
[If not, there’s no other reason.]
I wanted to believe that, but a sense of unease remained.
“Little Mistress, would you like some tea?”
Then Mei suddenly brought tea.
“What’s this for?”
“Actually, the Great Mistress sent this as a gift to thank you, Little Mistress.”
Francesca?
I had already felt guilty for making her cry over the onions. I hadn’t expected to see her sobbing so much. Seeing her trembling and sniffling made me worry, so I sent her ginger tea… but a gift like this was unexpected.
“The Great Mistress must really like you. Just like I do.”
“You’re flattering me too much.”
“It’s true.”
Mei smiled warmly as she poured the tea.
When holding the dried leaves under the warm sunlight, it smelled like autumn.
The crisp, clear weather outside matched perfectly with the tea.
A hint of honey drifted through, whetting the appetite.
“What a lovely aroma.”
What kind of tea was this?
I was used to only barley tea, cassia tea, and omija tea, which my mother-in-law insisted on every day. This aroma was unfamiliar.
“It’s Rooibos tea. The Great Mistress enjoyed it when she was pregnant,” Mei explained.
“I see…”
I wondered why she mentioned pregnancy, but the scent was wonderful.
The cup she served it in was also beautiful, making me feel honored.
“Mei, do you have another cup?”
“Huh? Yes, yes.”
I poured the tea into it and gestured toward the chair across from me.
“Let’s drink it together.”
Mei looked at me as if I had gone mad.
I anticipated that reaction, so I pulled her over and forced her into the chair.
“It’s lonely drinking it alone.”
If only I enjoyed it myself, Mei wouldn’t understand. So she had to share in the taste.
“B-but…”
“Go ahead and drink.”
After hesitating for a while, Mei slowly lifted the cup and sipped.
Her eyes widened.
“It’s really delicious. I’ve never tasted tea with this aroma before.”
“Right? Isn’t it a bit unusual? It smells a little like tree bark too.”
Mei nodded while sipping again.
“You truly have a refined palate, Little Mistress. I wouldn’t have noticed, but you remembered immediately.”
“Oh, you’re flattering me too much.”
Mei’s cheeks were flushed as she drank the tea.
I poured more into her now-empty cup.
“Why do you give me all of it?”
“I prefer a more earthy taste.”
I guess I really am a Korean at heart. After drinking barley tea for so long, nothing else suited my taste.
“But the Great Mistress drank this tea diligently while bearing the young masters, so it must carry strong, positive energy. You should drink it and gather strength to bear your own child, Little Mistress.”
“Huh?”
I hadn’t realized the deep meaning behind this gift—it was encouraging me to have a child.
Pregnancy…
Then I remembered someone I had forgotten: Aunt Michelle.
I had been so focused on surviving here that I had completely forgotten life in the village.
‘She must be looking for me.’
It had already been about two weeks since leaving the village.
She must be worried, having had no contact.
‘I can’t just leave without doing something.’
But I also couldn’t ignore Michelle’s worry. I needed to find a way to contact her.
The village near the Kalrai market.
“Halara, where did you go?”
Michelle was distressed to see Halara’s house suddenly empty.
Halara had disappeared overnight.
If she had fled with her belongings, Michelle could have assumed she left willingly, but the kitchen still had the market-bought ingredients untouched.
For two days, she waited, expecting her to return soon. But the ingredients began to rot, attracting flies, and Halara did not return. Instead, a flock of black crows circled the area.
The constant cries of the crows frayed Michelle’s nerves.
“Dr. Thomas, have you heard anything about Halara while going around?”
Thomas, who had just returned, shook his head.
He had asked patients about Halara, but no one had seen her.
Thomas suddenly remembered someone he had met.
“By the way, Michelle, didn’t some noble lady offer you a nanny position?”
“A nanny? What are you talking about at a time like this?”
“No, nothing.”
Thomas tried to erase that thought. If she hadn’t sought Michelle, she would have looked for someone else.
Then it happened.
Bang bang—!
The door was being pounded with such force it seemed it would break. Michelle screamed and rushed to open it.
“You nearly made me lose the baby because of you!”
A man in a white robe suddenly held a sword to her neck.
“Wh-why are you doing this?”
“Answer my question.”
“P-please spare me.”
He threatened even a pregnant woman with death.
“Answer truthfully, and you will live.”
“I’ll answer, just please spare my life.”
Michelle trembled as Thomas tried to stay calm. The man raised his sword closer.
“We live in the same house, but where has that woman gone?”
“Ha… Halara?”
After a tense moment, the man confirmed.
“She’s been gone from the house for over ten days. Tell me where she is.”
“We don’t know!”
Michelle shouted, trembling.
Thomas added, carefully evading, “We were just as concerned, but that’s all we know.”
The man’s white sleeve fluttered as Michelle shook violently.
As Thomas stepped forward, the man pressed the sword closer.
Thomas froze, raising his hands.
“Spare me.”
“Do you know her?”
“No, she’s just a neighbor I sometimes see.”
Thomas answered immediately.
Michelle glanced at him with a shaky gaze, but Thomas signaled her not to say a word.
“Have any strangers been coming to her house?”
“Unknown men came and went, too many to identify.”
Thomas evaded the question.
The man said nothing.
The silence made Michelle feel like she might faint.
“Erase the fact that I came from your memory. Speak carelessly, and I will kill you.”
With that, the man vanished.
“Haah…”
Michelle collapsed to the floor once the cold blade left her neck.
“I… I almost lost the baby.”
She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Without her husband, she might not have survived to give birth.
“We need to start investigating. This is dangerous.”
“Halara…”
First Halara disappeared, and now a suspicious man showed up.
‘What kind of dangerous trouble has she gotten herself into?’
