Chapter 22

* * *

Fortunately, the morning bird was not badly hurt.

I treated it carefully, fed it until it was full, and released it in the garden. I even pretended to eat deliciously so Nero would not feel disappointed. After that, I ignored Lady Olden’s attempts to pry into what the duke and I talked about last night.

Only after I safely entrusted Nero to Berthold did I drag myself into another worn-out, exhausting day.

“How did the task I ordered yesterday go?”

“We sent all the Alnor laborers back and are recruiting new workers from Lombard.”

“Good. Make sure the construction does not fall behind.”

As the site supervisor said, many territory residents had gathered outside the inner wall gate.

They wrote their names and ages, then moved to whatever work suited them.

The residents looked brighter now that they had a stable source of income during the hard off-season.

“Today I am buying meat from the market. The kids will be thrilled.”

“I need to fix my roof first. I cannot keep patching it because I am broke. Every time it rains or snows, I stay up all night dealing with it. It is miserable.”

“I do not know why something good like this suddenly happened, but thanks to it, I can get through this winter without worrying, haha.”

I watched them quietly through the carriage window.

Seeing their bright faces made me genuinely feel…

‘I am proud.’

…then I snapped the window shut in horror.

This cursed mindset.

I was not the same person I used to be. I would no longer sacrifice myself and break myself for some noble cause while resisting the cartel.

Lonely, thankless sacrifices.

I only needed my own life to be easy and enjoyable. Why should I care about the lives of the territory residents?

The carriage lurched forward at the coachman’s signal.

“Ugh, this damn road!”

Baron Conte, seated across from me, slammed his head again against the carriage wall as it rattled violently.

I did not bother holding back and laughed outright.

Of course, he could not say a word in protest. Rank was a cheat code.

After bumping along the rough road, the carriage finally arrived at the monastery.

“Madam, you are here?!”

Carpenter Thomson, who happened to be outside, spotted the carriage and ran toward me with a bright face.

I stopped him from alerting everyone else and told him to quietly bring only Gilbert.

Meeting too many people only drained energy. It was best to finish what I needed and return quietly.

“How is the infirmary construction?”

“It is going smoothly. The building was so old that we had to rebuild some parts almost from scratch. It should be finished in a few days.”

“Good work.”

I patted Thomson’s shoulder.

Construction workers, patients, and volunteers who passed by spotted me and rushed over to kneel, but I waved them away, telling them to continue with their tasks.

It made me feel cold toward myself, but I had already used up all my energy because of the morning-bird incident.

Gilbert arrived soon after. He looked exhausted, likely from caring for patients all night.

“You have worked hard.”

“It reminded me of my days as a trainee. Though honestly, this is still better for my mind than sitting uselessly in an empty clinic.”

“There will be a bonus waiting for you. Keep it up.”

“That is the best thing I have heard all day. It is encouraging.”

I looked through the tents where patients were temporarily moved.

A few physicians tended to patients under Gilbert’s direction.

They all looked worn out, yet strangely, their expressions were different now.

Their eyes held satisfaction, accomplishment, even a sense of calling.

“But why are there so few physicians here?”

“This infirmary’s situation is mostly stabilized, so I sent the others to different sites.”

“They followed the reassignment willingly?”

“They requested it themselves. They asked to be sent where they were needed.”

Something about it felt strange.

Even if greed and power blinded them, physicians trained at the academy apparently had at least some sense of duty left.

‘Or maybe they are afraid of me glaring at them.’

Either way, it would help the poor residents beyond the outer wall.

After finishing my inspection, I headed quietly to a secluded corner.

It was time to address the real reason I came all the way to the far outer wall in my tired, worn-out state.

“There is something I want to ask the two of you.”

“What is it?”

“Tell us anything.”

Sensing my subtle tone, Gilbert and Thomson answered immediately.

Indeed, I trusted no one in Lombard more than these two. Even so, one never knew what could happen, so I slightly altered the reason as I began speaking.

“I have not been in Lombard long, so I am still unfamiliar with local matters.”

“Did you perhaps hear something unpleasant?”

“Do I look like the sort of person who cares about that nonsense?”

Both men immediately shook their heads.

As they should.

“I think it would be good to bring in someone familiar with Lombard’s affairs as a maid, but it is not easy to find someone suitable. Do either of you know anyone?”

“It would be wonderful if Madam took interest in Lombard’s circumstances. We would be very grateful.”

“In fact, there have been many discussions among the residents about Madam’s attendants.”

“What discussions?”

Gilbert scratched his chin awkwardly.

“Sir Berthold prepared several candidates for Madam, but everyone says you refused them all because you did not want any lowborn Lombard natives near you.”

“Hm.”

That certainly sounded like the old Elicia.

She filled her surroundings entirely with attendants from the capital and prevented anyone from Lombard from approaching.

Even people who had no issue with her at first eventually complained that she sat in the lady’s seat acting like a Valdin imperial princess.

But since I had no shame whatsoever, I pretended this was the first I had heard of it.

“There are always ridiculous rumors. If you react to each one, you will not survive long.”

“My apologies…”

Thomson murmured miserably, remembering that he had once acted out based on that so-called rumor. I ignored it and moved on.

“In any case, I need a trustworthy maid from Lombard. Can you find one?”

“I believe we know the perfect candidate.”

Gilbert spoke after thinking for a moment.

“Thomson has several daughters, and they are all skilled and quick at their work. They handled every errand I gave them flawlessly.”

“Really? Then why did you not say anything, Thomson?”

“Well, it is embarrassing to brag about my own daughters.”

He hesitated, then his face brightened with pride.

“To be honest, my daughters scolded me plenty. They said it was shameless to accept wages when Madam already forgave my rudeness. They lectured me loudly.”

“I was not the one who paid. It was our generous donors.”

“Yes, I told them that and they immediately quieted down. They even urged me to accept more. They are exactly like Mad… ahem, never mind.”

Their firm sense of financial responsibility made me like them even more.

“How old is your eldest?”

“She turned twenty-two this year.”

“Perfect. I will write a pass for her. Once construction ends, bring her to the administrative building. She will be paid generously.”

“To think someone from my household would become Madam’s maid… I will never forget this blessing!!”

High-born noblewomen did not hire commoners as personal attendants, not even as maids.

Let alone someone from the poor outer-wall district.

For one of his daughters to become a maid to the duchess was basically opening every path for her future. Thomson bowed again and again, overflowing with gratitude.

‘No, I should be thanking him.’

All of my current attendants were Lady Olden’s people.

Everything I did went straight to her ears.

I desperately needed breathing room. Thomson’s daughter seemed sharp and reliable, so I was confident she could play the role I needed.

Gilbert added as if he had just remembered.

“Since you came all the way here, would you like to meet Filio? The Abbot has been wanting to thank Madam personally. If you leave now, he will be disappointed.”

“Well, I cannot ignore the Abbot’s sincerity.”

I left the infirmary area and headed toward the monastery entrance.

Just as I reached it, someone exiting the building bumped into me.

“Ugh!”

“I am s-sorry! Are you alright?”

For a moment, I thought I had hit a wall.

I looked up and saw a man as tall and broad-shouldered as the duke.

With a physique one might mistake for a knight, he was wearing the robe of a lower-ranked priest.

Thick glasses covered half his face, and his long red hair reached down his back.