WHPR 18

Chapter : 18

When Jenaida entered the Grand Duke’s castle, she felt tense for a reason different from before her regression. Just like with Kaiden, she was plagued by guilt over having sold out the people of the Grand Duke’s domain.

Passing through the iron gates that still bore the marks of time, she stepped inside to a familiar sight.

A landscape that smelled of people.

As if they had already been notified that the knight order was returning, the path the procession took had been neatly swept. Upon spotting the Grand Duke and his wife, the residents stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads.

Jenaida glanced around with a strange sense of fondness, when her eyes met those of a small child who alone had not lowered their head.

“Hello!”

Jenaida waved back at the child, who greeted her brightly. A smile naturally spread across her face—but only for a moment. Soon, bitterness welled up at her lips.

Hadn’t she responded to people like this with betrayal?

Her chest suddenly hurt, as if pricked by a needle. Overcome with shame, Jenaida hurriedly turned her head away and stared straight ahead.

Inside the castle, they were greeted by several familiar faces.

“Welcome back!”

The tone and smiles were too warm to describe them simply as master and servants.

Fern, the butler who managed the castle, quickly brought the knights and servants to order. Only then did they properly observe courtly etiquette and offer greetings.

Kaiden wore a more relaxed expression than ever and let out a soft chuckle. Standing a step behind him, Jenaida forcibly pulled down the corners of her lips that were threatening to rise.

Before her regression and now—it was the same. She didn’t belong there.

The only thing she could do for them was to quietly disappear.

Once Kaiden was free from the threat of death, she planned to withdraw.

Seeing him become happy with another woman, though…

She swallowed the nausea of unknown origin when someone approached her with a bright smile.

It was someone Jenaida knew very well.

“Hello. I’m Laura, the one who will be attending to you as the Grand Duchess.”

Laura.

She had been Jenaida’s personal maid even before the regression.

In her previous life, she was also the one who helped Jenaida adjust after coming to the North.

“H-Hello. Nice to meet you, Laura.”

“Please speak comfortably.”

Laura treated her warmly and leaned in to whisper.

“His Grace is busy catching up with the others, so would you like to go upstairs? I’ve had a bath prepared.”

“Shall we, then?”

Laura smiled brightly and accompanied Jenaida up to the second floor.

There were quite a few steps, and even as they climbed, Laura continued chatting nonstop.

“The Niveus region is cold, but the snow here is cleaner than in other areas, so if you’re in a hurry, you can even use it as drinking water. Don’t be too surprised. Also, in summer there are periods when the sun doesn’t set for days, and in winter when it doesn’t rise for days. Please don’t worry too much…”

Most of it was trivial information about Niveus—its climate and local knowledge.

“And monster invasions happen often, so everyone—whether butler or servant—knows swordsmanship. Since Your Grace is a knight as well, this doesn’t surprise you, right?”

Laura laughed as she pointed to the mace strapped to her back.

“Ah, yes. I mean—yeah.”

In truth, before her regression, Jenaida had failed to hide her expression when she first saw that all the servants were fully armed.

“Still, we’ll make sure Your Grace never has to step in. Don’t worry!”

Laura’s clear smile, clearly meant out of concern for her, made Jenaida respond with a smile of her own.

It was only an awkward, clumsy smile—but Laura looked genuinely delighted.

She opened the door to the room located at the very center of the second floor and ushered Jenaida inside.

“I’ll help you change.”

With Laura’s help, Jenaida changed into a bathrobe and headed to the bathroom.

Inside, hot water awaited her, filled with the rich scent of roses.

She stepped straight into the bathtub. As if it still wasn’t enough, Laura sprinkled more rosewater over her.

The water overflowed slightly, dampening the floor.

With a satisfied smile, Laura bowed her head.

“Please call for me anytime if you need anything.”

Left alone in the spacious bathroom, Jenaida let the tension drain from her body. The accumulated fatigue seeped into the water.

She slowly closed her eyes.

‘How long has it been since I rested this comfortably?’

In the capital, she had been constantly on edge, afraid of making a mistake around Kaiden. On the journey to the Grand Duke’s castle, she had never been able to relax, fearing monster attacks.

And now—this sudden peace. Her mind felt as though it were clearing.

Her resolve became sharper.

‘Thank goodness. That I was given another chance, even now.’

Hope bloomed—hope that she could avoid a miserable ending.

She had distanced herself from Kaiden as planned, escaped the emperor’s grasp, and come north.

Soon, the Pope would arrive here.

‘All I have to do is deceive the Pope perfectly.’

The Pope was someone who could deceive even the emperor with his silver tongue—but since she knew the future, she wouldn’t let him have his way.

She submerged her entire face beneath the water. Her ears filled, the world growing muffled.

A soundless calm continued.

‘But why did the Pope want revenge in the first place?’

At the moment of Jenaida’s death, the Pope had asked her to help him take revenge.

He died after saying she needed to summon a demon, so she didn’t know the exact circumstances—but according to books she had studied during her training as a holy knight, summoning a demon required a living sacrifice.

‘He probably used demon summoning after killing me.’

With divine blessings said to be a great power, what could he possibly have lacked to resort to something like that?

What was he missing—so desperately?

‘If he hadn’t been driven by revenge, would things have been peaceful?’

A pointless hypothesis.

If that were the case, he wouldn’t have taken her in at all.

Ah… still.

‘Then Kaiden wouldn’t have met me.’

She might have been cursed as someone damned by God—but she wouldn’t have died such a foolish death.

Perhaps it was because this would be the first time she faced the Pope since her regression. Meaningless questions kept surfacing.

Jenaida rose above the water and slowly opened her eyes. Steam filled her vision, making it hard to see clearly.

Not long after arriving at Castle Niveus, the Pope paid a visit.

When the Pope—the representative of God—appeared in such a barren land, the people erupted in cheers.

It was a welcome similar to the one Kaiden had received when he returned as lord of Niveus.

However, there was exactly one person who could not welcome the Pope.

“Welcome.”

Jenaida greeted him while hiding her true feelings. The Pope smiled benevolently and pulled her into an embrace.

Startled by the sudden physical contact, Jenaida couldn’t bring herself to push him away. Her hands hovered awkwardly in the air.

After wandering aimlessly for a moment, they finally came to rest stiffly on the Pope’s back.

It had been the same when the Pope offered her as a sacrifice to a demon.

Seeing his silver hair up close and sensing the scent that now felt nothing but repulsive made bile rise in her throat.

Jenaida squeezed her eyes shut to avoid making a mistake.

‘Nothing has happened yet.’

The Pope won’t kill me until much later.

The people of the castle are still alive. Kaiden is still alive.

Not yet.

She had barely managed to calm herself when the Pope whispered softly so that only she could hear.

“I’ve been hearing some interesting rumors lately.”

Even without her responding, he continued.

“That you slaughtered all the assassins… that you boldly told His Majesty to halt the assassination operation.”

Although the interior was kept warm by mana stones, it felt as though a chill had seeped in from somewhere.

A suffocating silence settled between them.

Jenaida chose to remain silent.

He wasn’t asking because he wanted an answer. She absolutely couldn’t get drawn into this.

The moment she did, she would become nothing more than a puppet to the Pope.

After studying her reaction, the Pope glanced at her and then stepped back.

Despite having just spoken such sharp words, he wore a harmless smile.

As if nothing had happened, he brought up something trivial.

“I’m sorry. I really wanted to attend your wedding.”

Words he clearly didn’t mean.

Jenaida responded with a polite, fabricated smile.

“You’re on an official tour, aren’t you? Would I dare interfere with my father’s duties as your daughter?”

At her reply, the Pope paused. He looked surprised—then gazed at her with deeply moved eyes.

“…Father. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that. I regret that you only called me that once when you were young.”

At his words, pain she had forgotten resurfaced.

“Father, please spare Priest Liam! I—I was just the one who insisted on going out!”

Her face turned pale as a creeping sense of disgust welled up. She turned her head away.

It felt filthy—like she was about to vomit.

She wanted to flee immediately, but as Grand Duchess, she had a duty to see guests through to the end.

‘I was doing so well holding it in.’

Why wouldn’t these cursed memories disappear?

Why—?

Just as her palms grew damp—

“I apologize for being late, Your Holiness. I had matters that required my attention.”

Kaiden appeared and stepped beside Jenaida. Naturally, he pulled her closer to him and calmly took control of the conversation.

“Since you’ve come all this way, I’ll personally guide you through the castle.”

He smoothly sent Jenaida toward Laura. Laura, who had been watching her closely, quickly supported her.

“Are you all right, milady?”

Instead of answering, Jenaida nodded faintly.

Laura tried to hurry her back to her room, but the Pope stopped them.

“However, my daughter.”

“……”

“There’s still something left to discuss. Won’t you stay and talk with me?”

The Pope immediately turned to Kaiden and asked for his understanding.

“It’s been a long time. I’d like to speak with my daughter a bit longer. Would it be all right to postpone the castle tour?”

Though his tone was polite, it was difficult to refuse. After all, who could stop a father wanting to catch up with his daughter?

Fortunately, Jenaida had regained her composure. She approached the Pope with a faint smile.

“Of course, Father.”