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Chapter 30
The Count’s estate was smaller than the capital’s Ducal estate, but it looked quite harmonious, from the main building built in a square ‘ㅁ’ shape in the center and the long, straight-structured buildings on either side, to the small detached houses placed in between.
Between the buildings, which could have seemed stiff, large and small gardens were charmingly situated, adding visual pleasure, making me think it was understandable why Lilliana wanted to show it off.
“Here it is!”
Lilliana, who had been dragging me all over the Count’s estate all morning, pointed with her hand towards a small greenhouse behind the main building.
“This is Mom’s favorite place. Nice, right?”
I nodded at the small greenhouse that resembled the scenery I had seen from Grandfather’s room.
“It’s very pretty.”
As I looked at the greenhouse, thinking of Aunt Michelle, who even shared similar tastes with Grandfather, Lilliana, her face flushed with excitement, stepped towards the greenhouse.
“Inside there, it’s super…”
But as if to interrupt Lilliana’s plans, swollen with pride, a maid naturally blocked our path.
“Young Lady, it’s almost mealtime.”
“Lunch?”
“Yes.”
At the maid’s words, who kindly looked after her, tilting the parasol she was holding slightly towards Lilliana, Lilliana pouted her lips like a duck.
“I want to play more.”
“Is the Madam waiting?”
Lilliana, who had been puffing out her breath with a dissatisfied face, nodded her head as if there was no other choice.
“Fine, we can just play more after lunch. Let’s go!”
Then she grabbed my hand.
I didn’t know when we had become so emotionally close, but I didn’t mind it.
No, rather, I liked it. Because it felt like having a real friend.
‘It seems like I’m meant to be happy in this life.’
I liked these moments that felt like luck was following me, so I smiled brightly and nodded.
“Yeah!”
* * *
Lunch with Aunt Michelle was set not in the main dining room of the Count’s estate, but in a small room used only by family. Sunlight poured in very pleasantly through the glass windows that occupied four of the eight sides of the octagonal space.
And as Lilliana had boasted, the food was very delicious.
“Delicious, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmph!”
At my straightforward answer, Lilliana, seeming pleased, raised the bridge of her nose and nibbled on a small piece of meat with her fork. Her puffed-up appearance was cute, making me chuckle.
It was nice to see the loveliness of a young lady raised with abundant love.
I heard Aunt Michelle didn’t have a political marriage but married someone she truly loved.
It seemed that aspect was fully reflected in Lilliana.
“Eat quickly.”
“Okay.”
At the words of the cold-faced Lilliana, I nodded and picked up a piece of meat with my fork.
Looks delicious.
Just as I was about to put it into my open mouth, Aunt Michelle looked at me.
“I heard. You have a special ability.”
I nodded at the question, which I thought she might ask around the time we finished the meal and were drinking tea.
“Yes. I can read the Ancient Language.”
“And?”
“I’m also good at Imperial Language and mathematics.”
“And?”
“Hmm.”
Until now, that alone was considered great, and no one had asked about anything else.
Should I say something else? I tilted my head and put down my fork.
“Other than that…”
As I trailed off and raised my head, I felt Aunt Michelle’s gaze, which had been staring at me with cool eyes, shift towards the back of my hand.
‘Ah.’
Only then did I realize that what my aunt was curious about was whether my ability resembled my father’s, and I shook my head.
“There’s no Aura. It doesn’t seem to be that kind of ability.”
“…I see.”
Michelle nodded, clenching and unclenching her right fist.
For hands that had lived a lifetime as a noble, and even as the only direct lineage daughter of the Essier family, they were rough and not pretty. Rather, their shape resembled those of lady knights. I looked up at them.
‘It seems the story I heard in my past life was true.’
There was a brief rumor when Aunt Michelle was young that she might have the ability for Aura.
They said an ability similar to that of the eldest son, Sharier, had been discovered in Michelle, the direct descendant.
Everyone unanimously called it a blessing, but in conclusion, Aunt Michelle’s ability wasn’t a special power but effort.
She held and swung a sword until her palms were torn and tattered.
Every night.
But her efforts were not recognized for the reason that the ability they had mistaken for didn’t exist.
It was such tremendous effort that everyone had mistaken it for a special ability.
They said no one had seen Aunt Michelle pick up a sword since that day.
Sometime in my past life, Dad had looked at my aunt and said it was a wasted talent.
“I see.”
At my aunt’s cold reply as she picked up her water glass, I couldn’t find anything else to say and turned my head to look down at my plate.
Then I picked up the fork I had put down and put the meat in my mouth.
Children should pretend not to know.
It was good to be six years old, when you don’t have to say anything special at times like this.
Or say something completely out of place for this situation.
“Finished eating?”
Like Lilliana, who was staring at me with sparkling eyes.
Seeing her pupils, seemingly impatient to go play quickly, I gently put down the fork I was holding.
“Y-yeah.”
“Then let’s go!”
No sooner had my words fallen than Lilliana got down from her chair and looked up at Michelle.
“Mom?”
At Lilliana’s belated request for permission, Michelle, who had been looking at me for a moment, nodded.
“I’ll have snacks sent up to your room, so go up and rest.”
“Yes.”
“Have a good time, Letitia.”
It was the first kind voice I had heard from Aunt Michelle.
* * *
And so, after eating lunch, we went up to Lilliana’s room and had snacks. Then, after quite a while of having a fashion show with Lilliana’s clothes and playing with her dolls, I was finally able to leave the Count’s estate.
“Sigh.”
But it was as if all my energy had been completely drained; I couldn’t move a finger, yet the sun was setting.
There was also no telling when I would be able to come out again.
‘I have to go.’
This was essentially the reason I came out.
“Hail.”
“Yes.”
“Um…”
“Right, that carriage behind us is a bit strange, isn’t it?”
At my drawn-out words, Hail, who had been glancing out the window, turned her head.
“It’s been following just our carriage slowly since in front of the Count’s estate. It has no family crest, and it seems somewhat suspicious, no matter how you look at it.”
Was it because I remembered the struggle with Arina this morning? I felt like a cold sweat was breaking out on my back.
It didn’t seem like Hail was saying this for no reason.
So, at her words, I tilted the rear window to look, and sure enough, one suspicious carriage was following us.
Saying we just happened to be going the same way felt unconvincing, especially since she said it had been following since in front of the Count’s estate.
‘If they were people Grandfather assigned, they wouldn’t follow so secretly.’
It might be an overreaction, but the carriage’s movements were suspicious. I looked back at Hail.
“Tell him to go towards Ohne.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s see if that carriage follows us.”
“Yes, understood.”
Hail nodded in agreement with my words, told the coachman to head to Ohne, and then sat back down.
And at the fork in the road that split towards the Silbeng region, where the Ducal estate was, and the residential area of Ohne, the carriage without hesitation followed our carriage and turned its horses towards the Ohne residential area.
“It’s following us.”
Hail bit her lip, looking worried, and watching her made me feel uneasy as well.
We need to shake off that carriage.
“Hail, tell them to stop the carriage. Let that carriage go ahead. We might have been mistaken.”
“Yes.”
At my calm words, Hail, her face still stiff, called for the coachman.
“Sir, please stop. The Young Lady says she’s feeling unwell.”
“Oh dear, alright.”
The coachman, who peeked inside through the small window, shook his head and quickly pulled on the reins.
He stopped the carriage on the roadside shoulder, and feeling the fading vibrations, I pulled aside the curtain covering the carriage window.
‘As expected.’
Will it pass?
What if it doesn’t pass?
I’m six years old, and it’s just Hail and the coachman. What if they intend to harm us?
Is my life ending here, in this lifetime?
I was just starting to feel happy…
Hundreds of thoughts flashed through my mind, and I bit my lip.
“They’re slowing down.”
Hail whispered anxiously.
At her voice, I looked up. The carriage, which had been slowing down, suddenly sped up and passed our carriage. It was a black carriage without a family crest, nor was it ornate like a rental carriage; even the windows were covered with black curtains, so the inside was completely invisible.
“It’s my first time seeing a carriage like that.”
“Indeed.”
Of course, it could have been my overreaction. I might have suspected an innocent carriage.
But somehow, it didn’t feel right.
‘Getting to the auction house seems harder than I thought.’
I thought I should also consider other plans to secure the item, as I looked up at Hail.
“Let’s hurry back home.”
I said, with a face that looked utterly drained from exhaustion.
