Secret (4)
Three days after I returned from prison. Sierra's punishment was decided.
As I expected, she was sentenced to death.
This was the result of the crime of instigating the assassination of the Guardian, and the additional crime of inducing the nanny to use the forbidden item, Sirok, on me.
She claimed that the nanny had acted on her own, but this was not accepted.
No matter how serious the crime was, nobles were usually sentenced to hard labor in the mines.
Given that, Sierra's punishment was not ordinary.
This is because the Coelho family, which was supposed to save Sierra, had no influence at all due to internal issues.
Two days later, Sierra's execution took place unofficially.
She drank lethal poison in a cold solitary cell, in front of bailiffs, guards, and a doctor who would confirm her death.
From what I heard, it seemed like she made quite a fuss about not drinking the poison.
She was forced to drink poison while her limbs were held by the guards, and it is said that it took quite a long time for her to die because of that.
The day Sierra was executed, I told my father that I wanted to stay for a few days at Ivida Cleaster's mansion for the first time in a long time.
My father gave his permission without hesitation.
It seemed that he thought I was probably feeling uneasy because of Sierra, so he hoped for me to recover by spending time with my old friend, Ibida.
Naturally, the purpose of my visit to her mansion was not to soothe my mind, which had been in turmoil due to Sierra's execution.
I just needed a safe place to stay until I could take the memory-restoring drug and come to my senses.
Of course, I gave Ibida a rough idea of why I wanted to visit.
She knew that I was staying with Rahon for a few days because I needed to receive healing without my family knowing.
So I visited Ibida's mansion with Nadia.
"Thank you, Lady Ibida. It must have been a difficult request."
"Please say whatever you want. I'm glad you asked me to do it instead of someone else."
"I feel better when you say it like that."
Ibida's cheeks turned bright red.
"That's... To be honest. I have a bit of malicious intentions."
"You mean you're black-hearted?"
"You say the 'Savior' is coming to? I heard he's so beautiful. Is that true? Will I be able to see him this time?"
"Aha."
She missed you, Rahon.
I found it cute that Ibida would call that little thing black-hearted, and it made me laugh.
"He will arrive sometime in the evening. Let's have dinner together."
"Really? Is that okay?"
Suddenly, there was a loud burst of laughter.
"This is Young Lady's mansion. Of course, the owner should lead the meal."
"Ah... Yes, now that I think about it, that's true."
Ibida smiled bashfully and then carefully grabbed my hand.
"I will show you to the guest room."
"You don't have to do that."
"I want to do it, so let's go together."
"Thank you, Young lady."
The mansion was larger and more luxurious than I expected.
It seemed that Count Clester paid special attention to the place where his beloved only daughter stayed while studying in the capital.
"I don't know if I can ask this question..."
"It's okay."
"I heard that the Great Rift is coming soon. I heard that it won't be long... Is that true?"
"That's right. There's a little over two months left."
"Two, two months!"
Ibida's face became pale.
Her father, Count Cleaster, is a Margrave and will likely participate in the Great Rift, which is why she seems even more worried.
"Don't worry. We'll win."
Ibida let out a deep sigh.
"Whew, honestly I was worried, but I feel relieved when the first walker says that."
"But it looks like the rumor has spread."
"Everyone is keeping quiet, but everyone who needs to know knows. These days, whenever I meet young ladies, that's all we talk about."
"If the nobles show signs of agitation, the people of the empire will become even more confused. I ask you to refrain from spreading this information too much until His Majesty announces it."
"Of course, of course... Oh, look at my mind. You say you'll guide me, but you only ask questions. Come this way."
Ibida guided us to the guest room on the second floor and then stepped aside.
"If there is anything uncomfortable, please tell the maid right away. Then, get some rest and I will see you at dinner."
"Thank you, Young lady."
The guest room was comfortable and elegant. The owner's attention to detail was evident.
Thud.
Nadia asked, putting down her bag.
"Miss, are you really going to take the medicine?"
"That's why I came here."
"I'm kind of like that. I wonder if there's any point in trying to recall old memories now... Why don't you just take it easy and go?"
"You haven't said anything until now?"
"I didn't know that Lord Rahon could really make such a medicine."
Nadia pouted, saying.
"I thought it would fail, but it worked like a charm."
I pulled Nadia to sit next to me. When I rested my head on her shoulder, she let out a deep breath.
"People don't only have good memories What if bad memories come back to me too? Not just any ordinary bad memories, but memories that are so bad that they leave scars on my heart."
"Still, I have to take the risk."
"Is this so important to you, Miss? So much so that you would sneak into someone else's house and take medicine without anyone knowing?"
"..."
Until recently, I was obsessed with picking out benefactor candidates.
So I asked Rahon for a drug that would restore my memories.
Because I was confident that if my memory returned to normal, I would be able to narrow down the list of three candidates to one.
But at some point, my mind changed.
'Since when?'
Yeah, it must have been after I received help again from three men at the banquet a while ago.
At that time, for the first time, I thought.
"Do I really need to find a benefactor among the three men?"
The reason I seek out a benefactor is so that I can do everything I can.
Then shouldn't I repay the favor not to just one person, but to all three men who saved me?
Still, the reason I try to find memories is simply curiosity.
Why on earth did that happen?
Who on earth could it be that came all the way to hell to beg me?
"Please don't die"
Even amid the scorching heat, I vividly remember the warmth of his fingertips moving across my palm.
I wanted to find the owner of those fingertips. The one who held me as I was losing my breath and trembled all over.
"Yeah, it's important."
"Oh my... How can I win against you, young lady? But please remember this one thing."
"What is it?"
Nadia grabbed my shoulder.
"It's absolutely not your fault, Miss."
I was speechless for a moment at the serious expression on her face.
"... Did I commit any crimes when I was young?"
Nadia snorted with a look of incredulity.
"Young lady, you've been through a lot, but you're not the type of person to harm others. Do you know how upset I was?"
"Aren't you exaggerating when you say I don't remember?"
"Exaggeration! One time..."
Nadia listed off my dark past one after another. Looking at her excited expression, I think my anxiety has eased a little.
As I kept in sync with Nadia's words, the sun began to set. It was around that time that Rahon arrived.
"Millenia."
Rahon came into the bedroom and plopped down next to me.
"Those damn old men insisted on seeing me off, and they ended up dragging me all the way to the outskirts of the capital."
"Well done. What did you say to Father Nicola?"
"I said I wouldn't be able to come in for a few days because I had to get some herbs."
Rahon looked at me, his neck cracking from side to side. I naturally Iowered my head and avoided eye contact.
"Are you going to do it tonight?"
"That's right."
"Eat a good dinner. You might not be able to wake up until tomorrow."
"Yes, I've decided to have dinner with Lady Ibida. Is that okay?"
"Or so."
Just then the maid announced that it was mealtime.
Out of habit, I reached out to grab my cane.
At that moment, Rahon put away my cane and grabbed my hand.
"What are you doing when I'm here?"
"Ah. Thank you."
Rahon snickered and pulled my hand.
"Let's eat."
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment