Chapter 15

‘Edwin? Why are you standing in my yard like that?’

‘There was a cat…’

It was a day not long after my parents passed away, when rain poured down in sheets.

I had gone outside because I was afraid the grave might collapse in the heavy rain. That was when I saw Edwin standing in one corner of the yard, looking troubled.

At his feet lay a tiny kitten that seemed as if its eyes had only just opened.

It had clearly been abandoned by its mother. It looked filthy, as if several days had passed already.

‘If we leave it like this it will be bad. We need to dry its wet fur first. Will you help me?’

‘The house is a mess…’

‘But the kitten is trembling.’

After losing my parents and being betrayed by the relatives I trusted, I had not been in my right state of mind.

I should never have let the young Lombard heir do such chores, but I simply left the door open and sat huddled in a corner while watching him work.

Edwin poked around the brazier to coax the embers back to life, found a towel, and dried the kitten’s soaked fur.

Once its body warmed, the kitten immediately flipped onto its back and fell asleep, acting as if it had never trembled at all.

It was so brazen I almost laughed.

Just then, as Edwin stroked the kitten, he turned to look at me.

‘We should give it a name. Any good ideas?’

‘Asking me something like that is…’

Embarrassed, I suggested Nero without thinking too hard.

Edwin blinked.

‘Nero?’

‘Its fur is black. Nero means night in an old language.’

‘Good.’

‘What… what suddenly.’

‘It suits him. Nero.’

I wondered if giving such a hastily chosen name was all right, but Edwin genuinely seemed satisfied.

Only then did I truly take in my surroundings.

A home that had been silent and cold was now filled with the sound of crackling firewood and the warmth of life.

The floor, which had been torn apart as the relatives rummaged for anything valuable, was cleaned spotless.

‘…This is embarrassing.’

Feeling guilty, I quietly sat beside Edwin and reached out a finger toward the kitten.

It was thoughtless, instinctive.

But Nero let out a soft cry in its sleep and latched onto my finger, sucking it desperately as if it were its mother’s milk.

A strange emotion took hold of me.

It had not been long since my parents died in the carriage accident. The way the kitten clung to me, as if begging me not to leave it alone, struck me to the core.

Edwin watched me silently and then suggested that I raise Nero.

That was how he became family.

I blinked, pulling myself out of the memory.

‘How is Nero here?’

But that was not the important part now.

I crouched low to reassure the kitten cornered against the wall and held out my hand.

He cautiously raised his head and rubbed his cheek gently against the back of my hand.

My chest ached at the pitiful sight.

“You people have no heart. How could you dare think of hitting such a tiny fluffball.”

“With respect Madam, we were the ones who got hit…”

One of the servants, looking like he had survived a battlefield, spoke carefully.

Naturally I scoffed.

“You were hit by the cat? At least lie reasonably.”

“It is true, Madam. That wretched cat grabbed my collar and slapped me silly with its front paws!”

“Enough. You should be ashamed of yourselves as humans. He is a sweet thing. How frightened must he have been.”

“I, it is the truth. We all saw it with our own eyes.”

His manner of speaking had gotten odd.

But seeing people who normally could not meet my eyes suddenly talk like this made me suspicious. I glanced down slowly.

“Meow…”

Nero was trembling with tears welling up.

Of course. Miserable liars. How dare they accuse a defenseless animal.

“I will raise this cat. I will name him Nero.”

“M, Madam!!”

“What is all this commotion?”

As the servants flinched in horror, the sharp sound of heels echoed from downstairs.

Lady Olden appeared, her expression stiff as she took in the chaotic corridor.

‘Here we go again…’

The truth was, she had been overly attached to me.

I sensed it the first moment I woke up in this body.

Lady Olden cared about everything. The robe I wore, every piece of food I ate, even the path I walked. She inspected and interfered with everything in excessive detail.

As someone who had lived alone almost all my life it was suffocating.

But I knew nothing about the relationship between royalty and their attendants, and I had heard rumors in my past life that Lady Olden was like a foster mother to Elicia, who had lost both her parents early.

So at first, I tried to go along with her attachment.

Eventually, I just got better at avoiding her.

After a moment of silence, Lady Olden finally spoke.

“Madam, do you truly intend to take that creature in?”

“Is there a problem?”

“It is far too dirty and lowly to be near you. If you want a cat, allow me to find a suitable one.”

“Watch your words. Dirty and lowly.”

Every creature of fluff in this world was equally precious. There was no high or low in this soft and fuzzy universe.

I made a point of gently scratching Nero’s chin.

“He is so sweet and calm.”

“Meow…”

Nero’s eyes sparkled adorably.

He was cute enough to squeeze my heart, but Lady Olden remained firm.

“Madam.”

“…”

Suddenly, I felt something indescribably strange in the air.

Though Lady Olden stood in a perfectly poised and noble manner, her expression was full of irritation and weariness.

Her gaze felt like that of someone scolding a disobedient child.

I had never seen her wear a face like that.

‘Is this even allowed?’

Even if she was a long serving attendant, a maid should never behave like this toward her mistress.

At first I wondered if I was mistaken, but the uneasy feeling was unmistakable.

Lady Olden was trying to control me.

And she was used to doing so.

I slowly stood up with Nero in my arms and faced her.

“You seem to be overstepping.”

“I have served you longer than anyone. It means I am the only one who can speak boldly when you make the wrong choice.”

“Say it correctly. What you just did was not bold counsel but overreach. Do I, the Duchess of Lombard, look like someone who needs permission for my decisions?”

“…”

The way she looked at me was frightening.

‘What was Elicia thinking, keeping someone like her so close?’

How could the former Elicia trust such an arrogant maid enough to let her handle the duchess’s authority.

A strange discomfort gripped me.

Then Lady Olden stepped back.

“You should have your meal first. We will speak of this later.”

“…Fine.”

Now that she mentioned it, I had skipped breakfast.

Lounging lazily in bed earlier made me forget my hunger.

And since I wanted to avoid doing anything too different from the former Elicia, I decided to go along with her for now.

Just as I turned to return to my chamber—

Steward Berthold came hurrying across the disastrous hallway.

“Greetings, Madam.”

“What brings you here?”

Ignoring the servants’ disastrous appearances as if he could not see them, Berthold spoke.

“My lord urgently requests an audience with you.”

“The duke is asking for me?”

“Yes, Madam.”

My eyes narrowed slightly.

Why would the duke want to see me. What good could possibly come from a face to face conversation between two people who only pretended the other did not exist.

Surely the confinement tower was not finished already.

Perhaps my suspicion showed because Berthold added hurriedly.

“Please come to the reception room with me. There is a guest waiting.”

* * *

I carried Nero as I headed to the reception room.

Normally I would have left him in the bedroom to rest, but since Lady Olden clearly disliked him, I did not want the two of them alone together.

She might secretly throw him out, then say he ran away.

The other maids were all her people too, so I could not trust anyone.

For the first time, I realized I needed someone who was genuinely on my side. Someone outside Lady Olden’s influence.

Berthold stopped in front of the reception room.

“Madam has arrived. Inform them inside.”

“Yes.”

The Lombard knight guarding the door bowed.

Across the hall stood unfamiliar knights clad in heavy armor. But their emblem was one I knew well.

A radiant chalice and two crossed swords.

‘Why is the Order of the Holy Knights here…’

I could not help but be shocked.

The Order of the Holy Knights served directly under the pope. Their presence here meant that the guest in the reception room carried a papal decree.

This had never happened before.

‘What business could they have…’

As if responding to my curiosity, the door opened at that very moment.