Chapter 5

* * *

After returning from the castle office, I shut myself in my bedroom and spent my days idly.

Peaceful days continued to the point of boredom.

I ate the delicious meals the maids brought on time. I used my adorable companion gold coins as cushions while I read through mountains of books.

It was like living in a dreamlike heaven, but even then something inside me felt oddly hollow.

“I wonder how they’re doing.”

As a child, and still now, I had been deeply distrustful of people.

Instead, I often played with stray animals. The warmth of the puppies and kittens who snuggled into my arms had been a great comfort to the lonely little me.

And now, since I was not free to visit my parents’ graves, the desire to check on those little ones grew stronger by the day.

‘But I need an excuse.’

Simply checking on them was not a problem.

What mattered was to do it naturally without attracting the attention of inquisitors.

‘Elicia hates animals…’

Among her infamous behaviors, the most notorious story involved a canary.

A few years ago, her cousin, the First Princess, gifted her a tiny bird.

For reasons no one understood, Elicia snapped the bird’s neck, tore off its wings, and sent it back.

The princess saw the canary and fainted in terror.

And this happened during the Founding Festival banquet.

‘Why did she have to hate animals…’

If she had hated people instead, I could have acted accordingly.

Still, since I was always clever, I quickly came up with an excuse to check on them and even a way to care for them regularly.

I hid all the books scattered across the bed and casually pulled the bell cord.

“You called, Madam.”

“I’m tired of lying around every day. I want to go out.”

“I will accompany you.”

“No, that’s fine. Go bring me someone from the castle office. If they’re slow or hesitate, tell them I’ll pluck out every hair on their beard.”

* * *

“Madam, are you truly sure about this?”

I turned away from the rapidly passing scenery outside the window.

Baron Conte, who had rushed over the moment he heard my summon, perhaps to protect his mustache or even to switch allegiances entirely, asked with great caution.

“Perhaps it would be better to change your destination to the inner wall.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Once we passed the gates and entered the outer wall, the carriage jolted more violently.

Even the finest carriage in the empire could not fully absorb the shocks of an unmaintained road.

Baron Conte clung to the carriage handle like it was his lifeline and continued.

“But the people living in the outer wall are crude and vulgar beyond imagination. They are not the sort you should deal with directly.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to interact with humans.”

“H, humans… Ah, yes! Of course, absolutely!”

I watched him scramble to match my words and smirked with satisfaction.

‘Even trash can be useful if used correctly.’

It was a strange feeling.

Baron Conte was moderately corrupt, held moderate authority, was blatantly weak to the strong and strong to the weak, and in the midst of stubborn Northerners, he had relatively decent flexibility and adaptability.

I never imagined a day would come when I would find his traits useful.

I rested my chin on my hand as I recalled the phrase ‘use it once then throw it away.’

“I hear the territory residents curse me endlessly.”

“T, that is…”

“I am not blaming them. It’s only natural.”

I looked away with an expression of bitterness.

In truth, I was thinking about burying my face into a cat’s fluffy forehead, but the memory of an inquisitor’s eyes helped me hold myself together.

“That is why I want to visit the monastery today and show myself as a kind and compassionate mistress. Since I married into this land, I should make an effort.”

“Then the food you told me to prepare separately… what will it be used for…”

“Wouldn’t it help my image if the mistress loved animals?”

Even with only a few words, Baron Conte immediately understood my intention.

Tour charity institutions in the outer wall to build a kind reputation, and show affection to animals on the way to raise my favorability.

‘Well, that’s the official reason. The truth is I just want to play with my fluffballs.’

Monastery clerics cared for not only people but also animals, so many strays gathered near the monastery.

That was why I chose it.

It was the place with the highest chance of meeting the wandering animals of Lombard.

Baron Conte, unaware of my real goal, began praising me out of nowhere.

“As expected. Madam is truly brilliant!”

“Right? So cooperate properly. If things go well, the reward won’t be small.”

“Reward? No, impossible! Serving you is my only honor and joy!”

Ignoring his shameless lies, I thought of my beloved furballs.

‘I only meant to feed them…’

But judging from how I worried about them moments before death, I must have grown far more attached than I realized.

A faint bitterness twisted my lips.

I remembered the sound of their excited paws whenever they saw me near the village entrance.

* * *

The carriage stopped before the monastery in the outer wall.

Compared to the inner wall monastery, this one was worn and desolate, yet the moment I stepped down, a feeling washed over me.

The monks and nuns here had cherished me deeply when I lost my parents at a young age.

I remembered their affection as though it had happened yesterday.

“We greet Your Highness, Princess of the Valdin Empire.”

“You may call me Madam. I belong to Lombard now.”

Taken off guard without prior notice, the monks bowed with bewildered expressions.

Representing them was the elderly abbot who stepped forward.

“I am Filio, entrusted with the care of this monastery. Thank you for your gracious visit.”

How many times had a country monk received a noblewoman this high-ranking?

The way Filio awkwardly kissed my hand made it painfully obvious.

Of course, his stiffness was not only because of my noble birth.

‘How could I cause trouble in front of Filio…’

He was practically like a grandparent to me.

Seeing me stand quietly instead of causing a commotion surprised him, and the relief in his expression was clear.

“Then what brings you to such a humble place, Madam?”

“As the mistress of Lombard, I came to see the lowest places and serve them. I wish to fulfill my noble duties. Yes, for that simple reason.”

A tiny pinch of guilt screamed inside me, but I ignored it.

“Ah, service…”

Someone behind him muttered with a sour voice.

The monastery in the outer wall often doubled as a place for treating the sick.

So that mutter basically meant “Do you really think you can care for the ill?”

I smiled sweetly.

“Do not worry. Assign me any task.”

“Thank you. Madam, please come inside.”

Of course they would never assign hard labor to the duchess. Everyone knew it.

I planned to spend a suitable amount of time helping, then slip out to find my fluffballs.

As Filio guided me inside, the gathered people parted in two to make way.

‘…Their stares are intense.’

If air could take physical form, it would have shredded my skin.

No one spoke aloud, yet their eyes were sharp enough to tell me exactly what they were thinking.

‘We are busy and she dares wander in to get in the way.’

‘Does she think no one can see through her fake kindness.’

‘I already hated her. What if we accidentally toss a bandage soaked in pus at her.’

‘Imagine her screaming and running off. She will never come back. Ha.’

They were definitely thinking things like that.

Their hostility was so blatant that even Filio and Baron Conte stiffened beside me.

But I did not mind.

I might be Elicia now, but in moments like this, I separated her from myself entirely.

They were insulting Elicia, not me. That made it easy not to feel angry.

If anything, it made me want to step in and insult her with them.

“This way, Madam.”

“Yes.”

Once inside, I rolled up my sleeves and washed my hands thoroughly.

I scrubbed between my nails with soap and rinsed carefully.

Filio watched me, his pupils trembling awkwardly.

“Ah, Madam?”