Today was D-Day.
Stella cherished Marie in her previous life. She even considered her her only friend. That is why she remembered the date she met her. However, it happened to be the day Skyle had the day off.
"Kendrick, I'm planning to go for a walk today."
Kendrick nodded. He was unfortunately unable to accompany her due to Lanedict's work and business. However, Skyle and Rincasta, who were standing beside him, sprang to their feet as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Where shall we go? Shall we go play over there in the valley? If you come with me, you can even enter the Imperial Palace flower garden."
"I know a popular walking spot among teenagers these days. I'll guide you."
There was enthusiasm in the eyes of the two men. Stella was flustered.
"No... I'm trying to go to the hill near the Duke's mansion."
She doesn't know the exact reason, but Marie had collapsed there.
"Why? There are plenty of better places."
"I just want to go there."
At Stella's suggestion, the place for the walk was decided to be the Duke's Hill. As the weather grew chilly, the leaves turned from green to red. Stella kept looking around. Beside her, Rincasta chattered away.
"Lady Stella, I think you have such a great personality. You're also very considerate."
"I?"
"So that's why good connections gather around Lady Stella, right?"
Even as Stella rolled her eyes, searching for Marie, she found it puzzling. It would have been different if it were back in her previous life when she had recklessly wounded herself and bothered those around her.
"I thought I lived this life doing whatever I wanted."
It was ironic to hear this. She had written what she hadn't been able to do before because she was constantly worried about what others thought, and she had even established an orphanage. She had even done the absurd thing of installing a recording magic device in Sia's room, yet her relationship with Sia had improved significantly. Stella was not particularly aware that she was, by nature, a kind person who disliked bothering others. Skyle also chimed in, supporting Rincasta's words from the side.
"Princess Sia returned to the Imperial Palace thanks to you, too."
"Have you ever met Sia?"
She used to exchange letters with Sia from time to time, but even that had become infrequent lately.
"I've seen her in passing. She looked really busy."
As he said, she seemed too busy, so Stella also decided to refrain from contacting her until Sia had settled well into the imperial family.
"I see."
Stella looked up after walking for a while. If her vague memory served her right, Marie must be lying collapsed somewhere among those big trees. Stella quickened her pace.
"Walk slowly."
"You're going to fall over like that."
Skyle stopped abruptly. It seemed as though something had collapsed in front of him. Unlike Stella, who spent all her time writing and studying in her room, he possessed excellent athletic abilities and an animalistic instinct. Stella, finding this strange, asked.
"What's the matter?"
"No. I think there's something over there. Stella, you stay here. I'll go check."
"I'll go with you, too."
Rincasta followed Skyle, fiddling with the scabbard at his side. Stella felt uneasy. If they found Marie first, Rincasta might cut her down with his sword, or Skyle might send her away.
"For a moment!"
Stella called out to them urgently.
"Why?"
Skyle and Rincasta turned around. Stella had to come up with an excuse to stop them. No, beyond that, she needed to come up with a reason for Skyle and Rincasta to leave for a moment. Faced with this situation so suddenly, her mind went blank.
"I'm hungry."
"We agreed to go downtown to eat later."
Stella shook her head.
"No, the air is nice. I want to eat a sandwich here.
"Then wait a moment. I think there's something over there, so I'll be right back."
Stella, growing anxious, frowned and placed her hand on her stomach.
"Stella, are you alright?"
"I'm really, really hungry. Maybe it's because I ate too little for breakfast."
Skyle seemed puzzled, but the two returned to Stella.
"I know. I told you to eat plenty."
At this, Rincasta said with an innocent face.
"Then I'll go buy something to eat. You stay here, Master Skyle."
Stella shook her head hurriedly.
"No. It's been a while since I've been out, so I want to have some time to myself. Skyle, you go with Rincasta too."
Deep down, Skyle wanted to stay on the hill with Stella, but pushed by her insistence, he headed downtown. Watching him trudge along with uncharacteristically disheveled steps, Stella noticed that he was feeling hurt. However, her interest was fleeting, and Stella moved on to where Marie might be.
Thanks to her memories from her previous life, finding Marie wasn't difficult. As she walked through the dense trees, she saw a person lying collapsed in the distance.
"Marie."
She walked toward her as if running.
'It's just like my last life.'
Bronze skin, large eyes with double eyelids, a gaunt body covered in scars. Just as before, Stella bent down to check if she could hear any breathing. Fortunately, she heard a groan, and the eyelashes fluttered.
'Thank God.'
Because Marie is still alive.
Stella put her arm around Marie's shoulder and supported her. Marie was barely unconscious, so her toes dragged on the ground. It was a good thing Marie was shorter than Stella.
'In my last life, I asked a bodyguard to support me, but...'
Since she was going out with Skyle today without a knight accompanying them, Stella had to carry her to the Duke's mansion herself this time. She had to get into the carriage quickly before Skyle and Rincasta arrived with food.
'Skyle might tell me to leave this child behind.'
He was not the kind of person to mistreat children, but Marie was a child of the Elton tribe, known as barbarians. He would notice this fact at a glance because of the tattoos visible through her torn clothes.
As Stella approached the carriage, the waiting coachmen frowned.
"Ah, I found her collapsed on the hill, so I brought her here. I'm going to treat her."
"It looks dangerous. Let go of that hand immediately."
It was a look of seeing something terrible.
"It's alright. Let's go to the Duke's estate now. Let's call doctor Harald as well."
Stella put Marie in the carriage with an indifferent expression. The coachmen still looked uneasy.
"Um... Young Master Skyle hasn't arrived yet. May we leave?"
It seemed as though they did not want to take Marie with them at all costs. When Stella suggested that one of them stay behind to relay a message to Skyle while the other drove the carriage, they followed with a look of utter reluctance. They were wary, considering even the act of driving a carriage carrying barbarians to be ominous. It was not that the coachmen were being overly fussy. Many people in the Empire disliked the Elton tribe.
"Please treat this child."
Harald moved her to the auxiliary bed without showing any particular displeasure. Harald spoke as if taking a breather after treating Marie.
"It seems like you've been creating a lot of interesting things lately, Lady Stella."
Stella agreed with him. For some reason, there were more incidents and accidents than before the regression. Still, she didn't feel bad, as it seemed like her life had become more valuable as a result. As Stella sat quietly in Harald's room, the door burst open.
"Stella!"
Rincasta came in after Skyle.
"I was so surprised you suddenly disappeared. Where on earth did you go?"
"Lady Stella..."
Skyle was angry, and Rincasta placed his hand on his chest, as if finally calming down. Skyle strode in and checked the extra bed.
"What?"
He furrowed his brows as he looked at Marie.
"Are you saying you left to bring her?"
Seeing his crumpled expression, she thought it was a good idea to bring Marie. It seemed Skyle also had a prejudice against the Elton tribe.
"The child is dying, what am I supposed to do then?"
Stella unnecessarily avoided Skyle's gaze. Harald spoke up, as if to lighten the mood.
"Hmm... Seeing that she isn't opening her eyes, it looks like she's really tired."
In her previous life as well, Marie couldn't open her eyes for quite a long time.
'She won't be able to get up for three days.'
And Marie opened her eyes exactly three days later.
"I will contact you as soon as she wakes up, so you may go and rest. It will be more convenient for me to provide medical care that way."
At Harald's words, Stella, Skyle, and Rincasta came out of his examination room. Skyle grabbed Stella's wrist as she was about to head straight to the study.
"You said you were hungry."
Eventually, Stella went straight down to the dining room and put the chef's dish and the sandwich they had bought into her mouth. Skyle sat beside Stella, resting his chin on his hand and staring intently at her. Then, he suddenly grabbed her left hand.
"How did you lift that kid with these small arms?"
No matter how he looked at it, Stella's arms were too thin. It was to the point where he wondered if they were even allowed to be that thin. It was in stark contrast to Skyle's arms, which were sturdy and well-built from exercise.
"I know, right. You should have waited just a little longer until we arrived."
Rincasta chimed in from the side, supporting Skyle's words. She thought as she munched on her sandwich.
'It's a relief that he didn't tell me to send Marie out.'
They weren't scolding her for bringing Marie, who was of the Elton tribe. Stella was worried about the struggle she had gone through bringing that child all by herself.
"I heard you brought someone along?"
"That's right. I brought her here because I felt sorry for her lying collapsed on the hill."
The same was true for Kendrick.
"She doesn't look like she has anywhere to go. I'm thinking of making her my lady-in-waiting when she opens her eyes."
Around this time in the previous life, a cold atmosphere hung between Stella and Kendrick. However, things are different now. Thinking that Kendrick, concerned for Stella's safety, might order Marie to be sent away, she sealed the deal first.
"I was bored after Sia left, too."
"Yes."
"Are you really okay?"
'Is it okay knowing that she is an Elton?'
There was a hidden meaning that...
"If you brought her, you must have had a reason for doing that."
Stella froze at his words.
In the past, she was always a nuisance to those around her, causing nothing but trouble. Stella herself knew this all too well and was tormented by it. She still felt anxious sometimes about whether she was doing well, but Kendrick's words resonated with her anew.
'I'm glad things have changed a lot.'
She felt with her whole body the fact that she had lived a better life than her previous one. Stella thought that even if she were to die of loneliness, she would have no regrets.
"And speaking of Sia."
Stella suppressed her emotions as much as possible, worried that her voice might get watery.
"Yes."
"I heard a letter came from the Princess.'
Kendrick handed the letter on the table to Stella.
She didn't say a word for a while after reading the letter. Then, hearing a sigh, Kendrick turned his head to look at her.
Stella's face was full of a bright smile.
"What on earth is it about that makes you so happy?"
Stella cherished Marie in her previous life. She even considered her her only friend. That is why she remembered the date she met her. However, it happened to be the day Skyle had the day off.
"Kendrick, I'm planning to go for a walk today."
Kendrick nodded. He was unfortunately unable to accompany her due to Lanedict's work and business. However, Skyle and Rincasta, who were standing beside him, sprang to their feet as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Where shall we go? Shall we go play over there in the valley? If you come with me, you can even enter the Imperial Palace flower garden."
"I know a popular walking spot among teenagers these days. I'll guide you."
There was enthusiasm in the eyes of the two men. Stella was flustered.
"No... I'm trying to go to the hill near the Duke's mansion."
She doesn't know the exact reason, but Marie had collapsed there.
"Why? There are plenty of better places."
"I just want to go there."
At Stella's suggestion, the place for the walk was decided to be the Duke's Hill. As the weather grew chilly, the leaves turned from green to red. Stella kept looking around. Beside her, Rincasta chattered away.
"Lady Stella, I think you have such a great personality. You're also very considerate."
"I?"
"So that's why good connections gather around Lady Stella, right?"
Even as Stella rolled her eyes, searching for Marie, she found it puzzling. It would have been different if it were back in her previous life when she had recklessly wounded herself and bothered those around her.
"I thought I lived this life doing whatever I wanted."
It was ironic to hear this. She had written what she hadn't been able to do before because she was constantly worried about what others thought, and she had even established an orphanage. She had even done the absurd thing of installing a recording magic device in Sia's room, yet her relationship with Sia had improved significantly. Stella was not particularly aware that she was, by nature, a kind person who disliked bothering others. Skyle also chimed in, supporting Rincasta's words from the side.
"Princess Sia returned to the Imperial Palace thanks to you, too."
"Have you ever met Sia?"
She used to exchange letters with Sia from time to time, but even that had become infrequent lately.
"I've seen her in passing. She looked really busy."
As he said, she seemed too busy, so Stella also decided to refrain from contacting her until Sia had settled well into the imperial family.
"I see."
Stella looked up after walking for a while. If her vague memory served her right, Marie must be lying collapsed somewhere among those big trees. Stella quickened her pace.
"Walk slowly."
"You're going to fall over like that."
Skyle stopped abruptly. It seemed as though something had collapsed in front of him. Unlike Stella, who spent all her time writing and studying in her room, he possessed excellent athletic abilities and an animalistic instinct. Stella, finding this strange, asked.
"What's the matter?"
"No. I think there's something over there. Stella, you stay here. I'll go check."
"I'll go with you, too."
Rincasta followed Skyle, fiddling with the scabbard at his side. Stella felt uneasy. If they found Marie first, Rincasta might cut her down with his sword, or Skyle might send her away.
"For a moment!"
Stella called out to them urgently.
"Why?"
Skyle and Rincasta turned around. Stella had to come up with an excuse to stop them. No, beyond that, she needed to come up with a reason for Skyle and Rincasta to leave for a moment. Faced with this situation so suddenly, her mind went blank.
"I'm hungry."
"We agreed to go downtown to eat later."
Stella shook her head.
"No, the air is nice. I want to eat a sandwich here.
"Then wait a moment. I think there's something over there, so I'll be right back."
Stella, growing anxious, frowned and placed her hand on her stomach.
"Stella, are you alright?"
"I'm really, really hungry. Maybe it's because I ate too little for breakfast."
Skyle seemed puzzled, but the two returned to Stella.
"I know. I told you to eat plenty."
At this, Rincasta said with an innocent face.
"Then I'll go buy something to eat. You stay here, Master Skyle."
Stella shook her head hurriedly.
"No. It's been a while since I've been out, so I want to have some time to myself. Skyle, you go with Rincasta too."
Deep down, Skyle wanted to stay on the hill with Stella, but pushed by her insistence, he headed downtown. Watching him trudge along with uncharacteristically disheveled steps, Stella noticed that he was feeling hurt. However, her interest was fleeting, and Stella moved on to where Marie might be.
Thanks to her memories from her previous life, finding Marie wasn't difficult. As she walked through the dense trees, she saw a person lying collapsed in the distance.
"Marie."
She walked toward her as if running.
'It's just like my last life.'
Bronze skin, large eyes with double eyelids, a gaunt body covered in scars. Just as before, Stella bent down to check if she could hear any breathing. Fortunately, she heard a groan, and the eyelashes fluttered.
'Thank God.'
Because Marie is still alive.
Stella put her arm around Marie's shoulder and supported her. Marie was barely unconscious, so her toes dragged on the ground. It was a good thing Marie was shorter than Stella.
'In my last life, I asked a bodyguard to support me, but...'
Since she was going out with Skyle today without a knight accompanying them, Stella had to carry her to the Duke's mansion herself this time. She had to get into the carriage quickly before Skyle and Rincasta arrived with food.
'Skyle might tell me to leave this child behind.'
He was not the kind of person to mistreat children, but Marie was a child of the Elton tribe, known as barbarians. He would notice this fact at a glance because of the tattoos visible through her torn clothes.
“Madam. What on earth...?”
"Ah, I found her collapsed on the hill, so I brought her here. I'm going to treat her."
"It looks dangerous. Let go of that hand immediately."
It was a look of seeing something terrible.
"It's alright. Let's go to the Duke's estate now. Let's call doctor Harald as well."
Stella put Marie in the carriage with an indifferent expression. The coachmen still looked uneasy.
"Um... Young Master Skyle hasn't arrived yet. May we leave?"
It seemed as though they did not want to take Marie with them at all costs. When Stella suggested that one of them stay behind to relay a message to Skyle while the other drove the carriage, they followed with a look of utter reluctance. They were wary, considering even the act of driving a carriage carrying barbarians to be ominous. It was not that the coachmen were being overly fussy. Many people in the Empire disliked the Elton tribe.
"Please treat this child."
Harald moved her to the auxiliary bed without showing any particular displeasure. Harald spoke as if taking a breather after treating Marie.
"It seems like you've been creating a lot of interesting things lately, Lady Stella."
Stella agreed with him. For some reason, there were more incidents and accidents than before the regression. Still, she didn't feel bad, as it seemed like her life had become more valuable as a result. As Stella sat quietly in Harald's room, the door burst open.
"Stella!"
Rincasta came in after Skyle.
"I was so surprised you suddenly disappeared. Where on earth did you go?"
"Lady Stella..."
Skyle was angry, and Rincasta placed his hand on his chest, as if finally calming down. Skyle strode in and checked the extra bed.
"What?"
He furrowed his brows as he looked at Marie.
"Are you saying you left to bring her?"
Seeing his crumpled expression, she thought it was a good idea to bring Marie. It seemed Skyle also had a prejudice against the Elton tribe.
"The child is dying, what am I supposed to do then?"
Stella unnecessarily avoided Skyle's gaze. Harald spoke up, as if to lighten the mood.
"Hmm... Seeing that she isn't opening her eyes, it looks like she's really tired."
In her previous life as well, Marie couldn't open her eyes for quite a long time.
'She won't be able to get up for three days.'
And Marie opened her eyes exactly three days later.
"I will contact you as soon as she wakes up, so you may go and rest. It will be more convenient for me to provide medical care that way."
At Harald's words, Stella, Skyle, and Rincasta came out of his examination room. Skyle grabbed Stella's wrist as she was about to head straight to the study.
"You said you were hungry."
Eventually, Stella went straight down to the dining room and put the chef's dish and the sandwich they had bought into her mouth. Skyle sat beside Stella, resting his chin on his hand and staring intently at her. Then, he suddenly grabbed her left hand.
"How did you lift that kid with these small arms?"
No matter how he looked at it, Stella's arms were too thin. It was to the point where he wondered if they were even allowed to be that thin. It was in stark contrast to Skyle's arms, which were sturdy and well-built from exercise.
"I know, right. You should have waited just a little longer until we arrived."
Rincasta chimed in from the side, supporting Skyle's words. She thought as she munched on her sandwich.
'It's a relief that he didn't tell me to send Marie out.'
They weren't scolding her for bringing Marie, who was of the Elton tribe. Stella was worried about the struggle she had gone through bringing that child all by herself.
"I heard you brought someone along?"
"That's right. I brought her here because I felt sorry for her lying collapsed on the hill."
The same was true for Kendrick.
"She doesn't look like she has anywhere to go. I'm thinking of making her my lady-in-waiting when she opens her eyes."
Around this time in the previous life, a cold atmosphere hung between Stella and Kendrick. However, things are different now. Thinking that Kendrick, concerned for Stella's safety, might order Marie to be sent away, she sealed the deal first.
"I was bored after Sia left, too."
"Yes."
"Are you really okay?"
In her words,
There was a hidden meaning that...
"If you brought her, you must have had a reason for doing that."
Stella froze at his words.
In the past, she was always a nuisance to those around her, causing nothing but trouble. Stella herself knew this all too well and was tormented by it. She still felt anxious sometimes about whether she was doing well, but Kendrick's words resonated with her anew.
'I'm glad things have changed a lot.'
She felt with her whole body the fact that she had lived a better life than her previous one. Stella thought that even if she were to die of loneliness, she would have no regrets.
"And speaking of Sia."
Stella suppressed her emotions as much as possible, worried that her voice might get watery.
"Yes."
"I heard a letter came from the Princess.'
Kendrick handed the letter on the table to Stella.
She didn't say a word for a while after reading the letter. Then, hearing a sigh, Kendrick turned his head to look at her.
Stella's face was full of a bright smile.
"What on earth is it about that makes you so happy?"
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