At that moment, a young woman standing behind Karina suddenly jumped out.
"Ah... No! That person was mistaken!"
The woman grabbed Karina's hand, who was standing still, and linked arms with her as if they were close friends.
"She's my friend!"
"What? No?"
The escapees murmured at the young woman's denial.
"Who's right? Answer me."
No one there could easily open their mouths at the leader's question.
When no one spoke up, the leader drew his sword.
He aimed the tip of the sword at the old man and asked again.
"You say it again."
"Yes, yes...?"
The old man turned pale and stammered as the sword was thrust into his throat.
"Is that woman the Grand Duchess or not?"
"That...That...That's right!"
The old man terrified that his head would be blown off if he didn't answer, answered in a trembling voice.
"Are you sure? Huh?”
“Huh... I’m sure. A few days ago, when His Highness the Grand Duke came to inspect the city, I... clearly heard the knights calling her Grand Duchess.”
“Is that so?”
The boss curled the corners of his lips at those words, then looked at the young woman.
The young woman who was staring at him was startled and urgently retorted.
“No! I’m a maid working for the Grand Duke’s household. I know the Grand Duchess better because I often see her face. I’m right!”
“...!”
Karina turned to the woman next to her.
Not only the escapees, but everyone in the room was looking at her.
“You’re the Grand Duke’s maid? Is that true?”
“If you don’t believe me, check with the Grand Duke’s household. My name is ‘Jen.’ I’m a mid-level maid working at the Grand Duke’s laundry.”
Karina looked at Jen’s face again at the word 'the Grand Duke’s maid.'
‘Jen? So this is the maid I was going to meet?’
Karina turned her head and looked at the maid’s face.
But somehow, the maid’s face seemed familiar.
“Uh...?”
A voice leaked out of Karina’s mouth.
Jen and Karina’s eyes met.
Seeing those eyes that she had seen before, a memory from the past before her regression came to mind.
One cloudy afternoon when the sun was covered by clouds.
Karina was sitting on a bench in the corner of the garden, feeling very intimidated and powerless.
After a while, a young maid spoke to her.
“Excuse me...”
“?”
She thought she had deliberately come to a corner where people wouldn’t notice her.
Still, she was a little surprised that someone was talking to her.
“Would you like to try this?”
The maid, who had spoken to her hesitantly, held out a piece of candy wrapped in a pure white handkerchief. It seemed to be the leftover from a failed attempt at making candy, and its shape was odd and uneven.
“They say that when you’re depressed, eating something sweet makes you feel better.”
A teardrop was clearly visible under her wide-open left eye.
As Karina stared blankly down without accepting, the maid glanced at her and added,
“It’s not quite enough for the Grand Duchess, but this is all we have now...”
Even so, the maid’s face seemed to be embarrassed inside.
It seemed as if she was worried that Karina might be upset because she had recommended something like this.
To be honest, Karina wasn’t upset at all.
Rather, she was barely holding back the tears that were about to burst out. She couldn’t say or do anything because she was afraid that the maid would burst out crying if she opened her mouth, so she just bit her lips quietly.
She felt so wronged and frustrated that the maids only interpreted her words and intentions negatively and treated her with ill will. She was vaguely sad, not knowing what to do.
The old man and Jen’s faces turned pale at the boss’s words.
You could see them trembling with fear and horror.
A suffocating tension filled the room.
“You answer.”
The boss gestured to Karina with his chin.
“You’re the Grand Duchess, aren’t you? The life of one of them depends on your answer.”
The boss smiled wickedly as he said that.
A few of his teeth revealed through his thick beard, gleamed gold.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Karina raised her head and glanced around.
In addition to the escapees who were looking at her with an excited expression, the hostages were all looking at Karina.
In particular, the old man and Jen next to her were looking at Karina with extremely tense expressions.
Karina read the desperation, fear, and impatience in their eyes.
In the silence so quiet that even their breathing could be heard, Karina calmly opened her mouth.
“One of our lives depends on my answer?”
“Yes.”
Karina snickered, raising one corner of her mouth at the boss’s answer.
“That’s funny, really.”
“What?”
The boss’s eyebrows twitched at the unexpected answer that wasn’t what he wanted.
“You said you were going to kill one hostage every hour. If you’re going to kill them all anyway, which one do you want me to choose?”
Karina repeated what the escapee had said and pointed it out.
“Kuhahahaha.”
The boss began to laugh viciously.
“You’re a smart bitch. Did you remember that?”
It was obvious from his tone that he was joking around, treating human lives like flies.
Karina calmly accepted the boss’s sarcastic remarks and looked down on her.
“I’m smart. Unlike those idiots who forget what they said.”
“Huh!”
The people around them gasped.
They knew who the ‘idiots’ Karina was referring to.
The escapees looked dumbfounded at Karina’s blunt remark.
“Is she crazy?”
“Did that bitch make her head spin because she was scared?”
One of the escapees drew a circle with his finger next to his head.
The others snickered at him.
“You’re the crazy ones, aren’t you? If you’re going to take someone hostage, you should use them as a hostage. What’s the point of killing them?”
"Just listen to her talking. You have to rip out her tongue to make her quiet, right?”
The boss standing in front of Karina threatened her with vicious words.
“I caught so many because of arrogant people like you. I wanted to kill them one by one. That way, they would be scared and listen to me.”
“I don’t understand. What are you afraid of when you’re going to die anyway?”
Karina said calmly.
“Oh, if you’re so confident, I’ll kill you first. Let’s see if you can still hold your head up high and swear like you are now, even if a knife is put to your throat.”
Karina continued to speak without flinching even under the direct threat of the boss.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll be the only one to die. If you get caught by the Northern Knights, you’ll all die too.”
Karina sneered.
“You’re an escaped prisoner with nowhere to run, so you’re even taking hostages without any plan. And in the Northern lands ruled by the Colesbergs.”
The atmosphere in the room changed when Karina mentioned the word escaped prisoner.
“What... What?”
“How did you not know?”
The man who was the boss shouted at the bewildered escaped prisoners.
“What kind of idiot is talking like that in front of the hostages?”
It seemed that they mistakenly thought that she knew their situation because she had overheard their conversation.
Karina ignored the boss’s irritated shouts and continued.
“Do you think the Grand Duke’s family would just accept the demands of the escaped prisoners if they kill the hostages one by one?”
“...!”
The escapees became agitated when Karina pointed out exactly what they were worried about.
The leader’s expression in particular hardened.
He roughly grabbed Karina by the collar.
It choked her and made it difficult for her to breathe.
Nevertheless, Karina did not lose her composure.
“Who are you? Answer me properly before I kill you.”
Karina opened her eyes wide and answered the man who was growling with a murderous air.
“I am the Grand Duchess. The new mistress of the Grand Duchy who married the Grand Duke of Colesberg. Did that answer your question?”
“...!”
Mikhail returned to the Grand Duke's mansion after finishing his errand.
“Huh? Something feels a bit chaotic?”
"Ah... No! That person was mistaken!"
The woman grabbed Karina's hand, who was standing still, and linked arms with her as if they were close friends.
"She's my friend!"
"What? No?"
The escapees murmured at the young woman's denial.
"Who's right? Answer me."
No one there could easily open their mouths at the leader's question.
When no one spoke up, the leader drew his sword.
He aimed the tip of the sword at the old man and asked again.
"You say it again."
"Yes, yes...?"
The old man turned pale and stammered as the sword was thrust into his throat.
"Is that woman the Grand Duchess or not?"
"That...That...That's right!"
The old man terrified that his head would be blown off if he didn't answer, answered in a trembling voice.
"Are you sure? Huh?”
“Huh... I’m sure. A few days ago, when His Highness the Grand Duke came to inspect the city, I... clearly heard the knights calling her Grand Duchess.”
“Is that so?”
The boss curled the corners of his lips at those words, then looked at the young woman.
The young woman who was staring at him was startled and urgently retorted.
“No! I’m a maid working for the Grand Duke’s household. I know the Grand Duchess better because I often see her face. I’m right!”
“...!”
Karina turned to the woman next to her.
Not only the escapees, but everyone in the room was looking at her.
“You’re the Grand Duke’s maid? Is that true?”
“If you don’t believe me, check with the Grand Duke’s household. My name is ‘Jen.’ I’m a mid-level maid working at the Grand Duke’s laundry.”
Karina looked at Jen’s face again at the word 'the Grand Duke’s maid.'
‘Jen? So this is the maid I was going to meet?’
Karina turned her head and looked at the maid’s face.
But somehow, the maid’s face seemed familiar.
“Uh...?”
A voice leaked out of Karina’s mouth.
Jen and Karina’s eyes met.
Seeing those eyes that she had seen before, a memory from the past before her regression came to mind.
***
One cloudy afternoon when the sun was covered by clouds.
Karina was sitting on a bench in the corner of the garden, feeling very intimidated and powerless.
After a while, a young maid spoke to her.
“Excuse me...”
“?”
She thought she had deliberately come to a corner where people wouldn’t notice her.
Still, she was a little surprised that someone was talking to her.
“Would you like to try this?”
The maid, who had spoken to her hesitantly, held out a piece of candy wrapped in a pure white handkerchief. It seemed to be the leftover from a failed attempt at making candy, and its shape was odd and uneven.
“They say that when you’re depressed, eating something sweet makes you feel better.”
A teardrop was clearly visible under her wide-open left eye.
As Karina stared blankly down without accepting, the maid glanced at her and added,
“It’s not quite enough for the Grand Duchess, but this is all we have now...”
Even so, the maid’s face seemed to be embarrassed inside.
It seemed as if she was worried that Karina might be upset because she had recommended something like this.
To be honest, Karina wasn’t upset at all.
Rather, she was barely holding back the tears that were about to burst out. She couldn’t say or do anything because she was afraid that the maid would burst out crying if she opened her mouth, so she just bit her lips quietly.
She felt so wronged and frustrated that the maids only interpreted her words and intentions negatively and treated her with ill will. She was vaguely sad, not knowing what to do.
She was so grateful that the maid approached her first and treated her with kindness.
“Ah... I’m sorry.”
The maid, misunderstanding Karina’s frowning expression as she held back tears, apologized and quickly left the place.
“Ah...!”
Karina wanted to stop the maid who was about to leave and explain.
However, she couldn’t do so because her tears were streaming down her face.
She quickly wiped away her tears and looked for the maid again, but she was already far away.
She thought that she would clear up the misunderstanding when they met again later.
However, that day never came.
It was because Caroline had fired the maid.
The reason for her dismissal was that she had intentionally broken the frame that decorated Karina’s beloved wedding bouquet, pretending it was a mistake, and had spread malicious rumors about the Grand Duchess behind her back. She later found out that the maid who had been kicked out without even receiving a letter of recommendation was the maid who had offered her candy.
‘This child is definitely... that child from back then.’
Karina couldn’t take her eyes off Jen, who had grabbed her arm.
‘Why is this child...’
Karina didn’t show it on the outside, but she was secretly surprised.
Jen’s actions, who had reached out to her first, were exactly the same as before.
Right now, she was just the Grand Duchess of the Grand Duchy, who had never spoken to the maid in person.
‘Does she do this because she believes the Grand Duchess will come to save her?’
Karina’s eyes sank deeply as she thought.
‘It doesn’t matter what the reason is.’
It didn’t matter why Jen had helped her.
Karina wanted to return the favor she had received from the maid who had approached her first and shown her a small favor in the past.
“One said yes, and the other said no.”
The boss’s voice pulled Karina out of her thoughts.
“So one of you is lying right now?”
The boss looked back and forth between the frightened old man and Jen.
The other escapees watched the situation with interest.
“The one who lied should die, right?”
“...!”
“Ah... I’m sorry.”
The maid, misunderstanding Karina’s frowning expression as she held back tears, apologized and quickly left the place.
“Ah...!”
Karina wanted to stop the maid who was about to leave and explain.
However, she couldn’t do so because her tears were streaming down her face.
She quickly wiped away her tears and looked for the maid again, but she was already far away.
She thought that she would clear up the misunderstanding when they met again later.
However, that day never came.
It was because Caroline had fired the maid.
The reason for her dismissal was that she had intentionally broken the frame that decorated Karina’s beloved wedding bouquet, pretending it was a mistake, and had spread malicious rumors about the Grand Duchess behind her back. She later found out that the maid who had been kicked out without even receiving a letter of recommendation was the maid who had offered her candy.
‘This child is definitely... that child from back then.’
Karina couldn’t take her eyes off Jen, who had grabbed her arm.
‘Why is this child...’
Karina didn’t show it on the outside, but she was secretly surprised.
Jen’s actions, who had reached out to her first, were exactly the same as before.
Right now, she was just the Grand Duchess of the Grand Duchy, who had never spoken to the maid in person.
‘Does she do this because she believes the Grand Duchess will come to save her?’
Karina’s eyes sank deeply as she thought.
‘It doesn’t matter what the reason is.’
It didn’t matter why Jen had helped her.
Karina wanted to return the favor she had received from the maid who had approached her first and shown her a small favor in the past.
“One said yes, and the other said no.”
The boss’s voice pulled Karina out of her thoughts.
“So one of you is lying right now?”
The boss looked back and forth between the frightened old man and Jen.
The other escapees watched the situation with interest.
“The one who lied should die, right?”
“...!”
The old man and Jen’s faces turned pale at the boss’s words.
You could see them trembling with fear and horror.
A suffocating tension filled the room.
“You answer.”
The boss gestured to Karina with his chin.
“You’re the Grand Duchess, aren’t you? The life of one of them depends on your answer.”
The boss smiled wickedly as he said that.
A few of his teeth revealed through his thick beard, gleamed gold.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Karina raised her head and glanced around.
In addition to the escapees who were looking at her with an excited expression, the hostages were all looking at Karina.
In particular, the old man and Jen next to her were looking at Karina with extremely tense expressions.
Karina read the desperation, fear, and impatience in their eyes.
In the silence so quiet that even their breathing could be heard, Karina calmly opened her mouth.
“One of our lives depends on my answer?”
“Yes.”
Karina snickered, raising one corner of her mouth at the boss’s answer.
“That’s funny, really.”
“What?”
The boss’s eyebrows twitched at the unexpected answer that wasn’t what he wanted.
“You said you were going to kill one hostage every hour. If you’re going to kill them all anyway, which one do you want me to choose?”
Karina repeated what the escapee had said and pointed it out.
“Kuhahahaha.”
The boss began to laugh viciously.
“You’re a smart bitch. Did you remember that?”
It was obvious from his tone that he was joking around, treating human lives like flies.
Karina calmly accepted the boss’s sarcastic remarks and looked down on her.
“I’m smart. Unlike those idiots who forget what they said.”
“Huh!”
The people around them gasped.
They knew who the ‘idiots’ Karina was referring to.
The escapees looked dumbfounded at Karina’s blunt remark.
“Is she crazy?”
“Did that bitch make her head spin because she was scared?”
One of the escapees drew a circle with his finger next to his head.
The others snickered at him.
“You’re the crazy ones, aren’t you? If you’re going to take someone hostage, you should use them as a hostage. What’s the point of killing them?”
"Just listen to her talking. You have to rip out her tongue to make her quiet, right?”
The boss standing in front of Karina threatened her with vicious words.
“I caught so many because of arrogant people like you. I wanted to kill them one by one. That way, they would be scared and listen to me.”
“I don’t understand. What are you afraid of when you’re going to die anyway?”
Karina said calmly.
“Oh, if you’re so confident, I’ll kill you first. Let’s see if you can still hold your head up high and swear like you are now, even if a knife is put to your throat.”
Karina continued to speak without flinching even under the direct threat of the boss.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll be the only one to die. If you get caught by the Northern Knights, you’ll all die too.”
Karina sneered.
“You’re an escaped prisoner with nowhere to run, so you’re even taking hostages without any plan. And in the Northern lands ruled by the Colesbergs.”
The atmosphere in the room changed when Karina mentioned the word escaped prisoner.
“What... What?”
“How did you not know?”
The man who was the boss shouted at the bewildered escaped prisoners.
“What kind of idiot is talking like that in front of the hostages?”
It seemed that they mistakenly thought that she knew their situation because she had overheard their conversation.
Karina ignored the boss’s irritated shouts and continued.
“Do you think the Grand Duke’s family would just accept the demands of the escaped prisoners if they kill the hostages one by one?”
“...!”
The escapees became agitated when Karina pointed out exactly what they were worried about.
The leader’s expression in particular hardened.
He roughly grabbed Karina by the collar.
It choked her and made it difficult for her to breathe.
Nevertheless, Karina did not lose her composure.
“Who are you? Answer me properly before I kill you.”
Karina opened her eyes wide and answered the man who was growling with a murderous air.
“I am the Grand Duchess. The new mistress of the Grand Duchy who married the Grand Duke of Colesberg. Did that answer your question?”
“...!”
***
Mikhail returned to the Grand Duke's mansion after finishing his errand.
“Huh? Something feels a bit chaotic?”
Unlike usual, the servants were noisy and distracted.
They were even whispering among themselves.
However, it was only yesterday that Lord Genon was murdered and the maid was found dead. So it was not a strange situation.
Without thinking much about it, Mikhail headed straight to Karina’s room.
“I’m home!”
There was no one in the room.
“Huh? Is she going to eat breakfast?”
The errand took longer than expected.
Mikhail lit a fire in the fireplace to warm up the room, which had become cold.
So that when Karina returned, warmth would greet her.
Then he went down to the dining room to find Karina.
They were even whispering among themselves.
However, it was only yesterday that Lord Genon was murdered and the maid was found dead. So it was not a strange situation.
Without thinking much about it, Mikhail headed straight to Karina’s room.
“I’m home!”
There was no one in the room.
“Huh? Is she going to eat breakfast?”
The errand took longer than expected.
Mikhail lit a fire in the fireplace to warm up the room, which had become cold.
So that when Karina returned, warmth would greet her.
Then he went down to the dining room to find Karina.
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