C103
The first life of Liena. I only knew fragments of that life.
This is because at the beginning of the novel, Liena meets Duke Cassius, who comes to the orphanage to adopt a child after Liena has already died and returned.
The orphanage where Liena grew up was sponsored by the late duchess, and her wish was to adopt her third child there.
Liena, who resembles the duchess and is intelligent, quickly captures the duke's heart and successfully enters the Cassius family.
"After that, her old life was only occasionally described through Liena's memories."
In the first life, Liena, who was originally a shy girl, is afraid of Edman, who is rumored to be the Devil Duke, and hides when he visits the orphanage.
Because of this, she had no connection with the duke's family, and after a while, she was adopted by another family.
However, it is said that her adoptive family abused her, and Liena, who couldn't bear it and ran away from home, worked as a maid and servant.
The unfortunate first life of Liena was to encounter a thief on the street and suffer an unfortunate death.
"Is this the moment I saw right after Liena ran away from home?"
If we say that Liena, who had nowhere to go, was indebted to her friend Ethel, the situation would roughly fit.
Still, there are some questions. If we set aside the minor details, two questions remain.
First, how did Ethel and Liena become friends?
Second, how was it possible for Ethel to know Duke Cassius?
Firstly, it was somehow understandable to imagine that Ethel, who left home to escape the harassment of the Wallace family, met Liena by chance and shared a bond of sympathy.
"First of all, the Ethel I saw in my dream seemed to live alone somewhere other than Count Wallace's residence."
But the second one, I'm not sure.
The first time I met Leandro in this life was because his sister wanted the Andala Mine.
The same goes for the second time, which didn't materialize due to my transmigration.
In other words, it was unlikely that Ethel knew and befriended Duke Cassius or Leandro in the first episode where Liena didn't become their sister.
Although the Cassius family and Ethel are noble families, aren't their living standards very different?
"What the hell is this?"
It would be easier if I just dismissed it as a dream, but I couldn't, so my mind felt confused.
"Ethel."
At that moment, Terence snapped me out of my idle thoughts.
"Is the food not to your liking?"
His eyebrows slightly arched as he looked at the freshwater fish he had caught and cooked himself.
From clear soups to fish dishes. Four days quickly passed as the menu of the food he prepared changed.
In a panic, I quickly stabbed the fish meat with the fork and put it in my mouth.
"How could it not be possible? It's really delicious."
"Then I'm glad."
"But what if I feel sorry? In the end, I left all the work to Terence."
"Please relax. Of course, a patient needs proper rest."
Every time I tried to do something like cooking or cleaning, he would suddenly appear and stop me, so I had to focus on resting quietly for the past four days.
"Thanks to you, the pains in my body have completely disappeared, and now I'm full of energy!"
When I spoke bravely, he smiled and suggested.
"Would you like to go for a walk together after we finish eating?"
"Of course, I'd love to."
After a while, we walked along the shore of the lake, not far from the tourist accommodation.
"Oh, hi!"
Then I ran into a familiar face.
It was the neighbor who guided us to the mine.
"Hello, are you going for a walk too?"
The girl cheerfully nodded at my question.
"I'm on my way to run errands."
"Come to think of it, there was a basket with food in front of the door. Did you bring it today too?"
"Yes."
We still received about one in three meals a day from our neighbors.
Firstly, Terence had no other choice because the number of dishes he could cook was limited, and the cooking facilities in the traveler's accommodation were inadequate.
Secondly, it was a place prepared for travelers taking a short break.
"Why did you only leave the basket this time?"
I stroked the girl's head.
"As before, come in, talk to me, and then leave."
It was very nice to see a little girl chatting as if fascinated by a stranger.
But the girl's expression clouded.
"My mom scolded me. I shouldn't keep bothering you two like that."
"Why?"
"The newlyweds want to be alone day or night."
"......"
There was an awkward silence. Now that I think about it, the people in the village knew Terence and me as a couple.
When we first arrived in this village, Vinetta suggested that we reveal this to anyone who asked.
"They should act like a couple on their honeymoon, traveling to see the world, and I will act as their escort. That way, it will seem less suspicious."
I was willing to accept the suggestion because it sounded more plausible than the excuse of a mining exploration club that I came up with...
"I never thought there would come a time when I would feel so embarrassed!"
After that, the girl continued talking about various things and left the lake shore.
"Haha... she's very adorable. Oh, shall we sit there and rest for a while?"
I led Terence to a fallen log near the water.
We sat on the log, serving as a makeshift chair, and enjoyed the peaceful scenery of the lake.
The water's surface shimmered, reflecting the sunlight, a family of ducks wading calmly in the water, and fish occasionally splashing to the surface.
It was at the moment when I was admiring the unexpectedly beautiful natural scenery.
"Ethel."
He called me softly.
"If you have any concerns, you can consult me anytime."
"...what?"
"I mention it just in case. Everyone has worries sometimes."
He looked at me and smiled faintly.
"You mentioned that you had something to confess to Vinetta and me in the mine. If that promise bothers you, you can postpone it for later."
I realized Terence knew everything. The fact that these past few days, I've been thinking about other matters besides the promise I made to them.
"I hid it because I was afraid he would worry about it."
How can he know my heart so well? How can he be so considerate?
On the other hand, I was a coward.
I just promised myself that I should tell the truth and kept postponing it day by day. I made excuses, saying I was waiting for Vinetta to come.
At that moment, I finally made a decision.
"Terence."
I had to tell everything without hiding anything.
Whether he believed it or not, and no matter how he saw me, it was a result I had to accept.
"In reality, I...!"
At that moment, Terence, whose expression suddenly changed, placed his hand on the ground.
"I can feel vibrations."
His hand went to the sword.
"There are at least a hundred people. And even horses. They definitely aren't the residents of this village."
He wasn't the only one who felt something abnormal.
"Mistress!"
The divine beast I left in the bedroom came running from afar, waving its arms.
"Someone with greed is coming this way and brought many humans with them! I can feel it!"
Soon there was commotion in the village that I could hear even with my ears.
"What's happening? Should I evacuate first? But Vinetta should be back soon."
The divine beast, seeing my complicated expression, reassured me.
"Don't worry. No matter how weak I am, I can protect my mistress."
Terence also said.
"I'm here too. And from what I've heard, there doesn't seem to be any armed conflict with the villagers yet."
"...Let's go see what happened."
I made a careful decision.
"And somehow, I think I know who's here."
I put the divine beast in the pocket of my clothes so that I wouldn't be seen and headed towards the village entrance with Terence.
The place was noisy, and the residents were gathering.
As Terence said, there didn't seem to be an armed conflict, but anxiety was evident on people's faces.
Among them, I found the neighbor's mother.
"Hello."
"Ah, it's you."
"What happened?"
"People say that the lord has arrived."
The current lord of this place was Viscount Cainbert.
"This has never happened before in my life, so why did he bring soldiers here...?"
No matter how much of a lord he was, he would order his subordinates to do it, but it was rare for him to come to a small village like this and manage the territory himself.
We advanced through the noisy crowd of residents.
Then, soldiers surrounding the village entrance came into view, and a noble-dressed man stood in the center.
I knew it without anyone explaining it to me. That man was Viscount Cainbert.
The viscount was not who I had imagined. Just when I thought my expectations were wrong.
"What? Are they here already?"
When a person approached the viscount and said something, Viscount Cainbert shouted to his soldiers.
"Hey, you there! Make way now!"
The soldiers next to the viscount hesitated and stepped aside. A black carriage entered the road.
It was a carriage that was very familiar to me. As expected, my prediction was not wrong.
Soon, the door of a luxurious carriage, very unfamiliar to this simple village, opened.
"Oh my, they're here!"
Viscount Cainbert, with his arrogant gaze, greeted the old man who was coming out of the carriage with an unusually friendly attitude.
The old man, exuding unusual authority, blatantly ignored the viscount and reached his arm into the carriage.
"My little bunny, wasn't it tiring after riding in the carriage for so long?"
...With a voice difficult to imagine given his rough appearance.
"I'm fine. In fact, it was nice to be able to spend more time with my grandpa!"
Liena Cassius, as usual, came out of the carriage holding the old man's arm.
Liena's grandfather, the former Duke Cassius, was so pleased with his granddaughter's response that he was about to die.
"I'm also happy to be with my little bunny. It would have been better if she had come to a place other than this remote place."
"Hey, this place is beautiful and nice too."
Liena took a walk through the village, comforting her grandfather, and found us.
Red eyes resembling those of a rabbit filled with surprise. Her eyes soon widened like crescent moons.
---
'Ko-fi o 'Buy Me A Coffe' for Advanc3 Ch4pt3rs
(Up to '20' more ch4pt3rs)
Publication of up to 3 to 4 chapters per week, thank you.