Chapter 7

‘Offering labor instead of money… no, fulfilling a noble duty through service.’

Most noble ladies chose donations because it was the easiest way to win the people’s favor.

But I came here in person.

Because I wanted to protect the precious wealth I had finally gained.

It was so dear and lovely to look at that giving it away felt like cutting off a piece of my own flesh.

Others might not feel that way, but I certainly did.

‘Calm down… breathe…’

With trembling hands, I removed the jeweled pin from my hair.

Then I unclasped my necklace and brooch.

I even took out my pouch of companion gold coins that I had only brought along because I wanted to hold them and cherish them.

Even though I had dressed as simply as possible for the sake of serving with my own hands, the thought of all this being taken away made my chest ache and my eyes sting.

Born selfish, even doing something good still felt wasteful.

I grabbed a passing monk and held out everything with shaking hands.

“Use this to buy the medicine and bandages you need immediately. This is all I have right now.”

My eyes were glistening as I turned away.

I could not be the only donation angel.

“Baron Conte, did you bring any money by chance?”

“M, me?”

I subtly encouraged him to donate with me since I did not want to die alone. But the baron, annoyingly perceptive, immediately shook his head.

“No no, unfortunately I have no money on me.”

“…”

I narrowed my eyes.

As if that thick waistline was all fat. Who did he think he was lying to.

Unable to withstand my silent pressure, the baron handed over his pouch of silver coins with tears in his eyes.

Becoming donation angels together made me feel a bit better.

“Is this enough to handle the urgent needs?”

“Th, thank you so much. This will be more than enough to cover the miners’ medical costs.”

“That is good. But if it is still not enough, do not hesitate to send someone to the castle. Ask for Berthold.”

I mentioned the Lombard steward on purpose.

That way the additional funds would come out of the duke’s personal purse.

Public funds would eventually be invested anyway, but it would be wasteful if only I suffered… no, it would be wonderful if we all became donation angels.

‘Farewell, my darlings.’

My beautiful companion gold coins were gone and would never return.

Even so, I felt a pang in my heart thinking I would miss them.

But then I noticed the strange looks people were giving me.

If I interpreted their eyes correctly, they all said exactly this:

‘This does not match the rumors at all.’

The rush of adrenaline faded, and I was thrown back into harsh reality.

I remembered the iron maiden I had glimpsed once during a childhood inquisitorial trial.

The agonized screams inside, the clanking of the lid, the pool of blood dripping through the seams of the floor.

A chill shot through my spine.

Forget the patients. My own life suddenly felt more urgent.

‘Am I seriously supposed to act like a tyrant in this situation?’

Among people on the brink of death?

Neither the mood nor my conscience allowed it. The thought alone made my stomach sting.

What should I do. I paced nervously in my mind.

Then—

“Hurry and strap it down! We need to move the patients fast!”

“Whine, growl…!”

I spotted several men trying to force a huge dog into a cart. The poor thing struggled desperately.

My mind went blank.

‘How dare these humans torment a cute, lovable, precious dog…!’

And unfortunately for them, that was not the end.

The bastards forced the dog into the cart and lifted a whip when it resisted.

“You want to die?! You filthy useless pieces of XXXX!!”

The curse tore out of me without touching my brain.

Baron Conte barely stopped me from grabbing collars and throwing punches.

“Madam, Madam, right now you look less like a kind animal lover and more like a berserker!”

But my fury refused to calm.

“Touch that dog again and I will break all your limbs!”

The terrified workers quickly released the dog and bowed repeatedly.

“Good grief, my heart almost stopped. Now this is the infamous viciousness.”

“I thought the rumors were false for a moment.”

People whispered behind me, but I decided to ignore them.

* * *

Cleanup took until sunset.

The physicians from the inner wall rushed over and worked hard under my intense supervision. Thanks to the donations from me and the baron, they finally had enough bandages and medicine.

There were still many patients who needed overnight observation, but at least the immediate crisis was averted.

‘I am seriously going to die…’

My body was wrecked after working nonstop all day against my plans.

My neatly styled hair was completely undone, and my modest yet expensive dress was filthy from dirt and patient blood.

I was soaked in sweat and looked nothing like a noblewoman.

‘Still… my heart feels lighter.’

If I had not come here, the clinic would have repeated the tragedy of the past.

Filio would have been blamed alone for the many deaths, and the monks would have suffered from guilt and the people’s scorn.

‘So this is what power feels like.’

With just a glare or a single command, problems disappeared.

Back then no one listened even when I submitted perfect reports day and night…

Drunk on the sweet taste of power, I grinned stupidly, when someone approached timidly.

“Madam, are you all right?”

It was Joseph, the trainee monk.

With a worried expression, he held out a rough wooden cup.

“Your lips have been twitching for a while… I think it is from exhaustion, so you should drink some water.”

Startled, I looked up and saw the others watching from behind him.

It seemed Joseph was chosen as their representative.

Embarrassed, I quickly straightened my expression and accepted the cup.

“Ahem, it is not twitching, but anyway thank you.”

“Y, yes!”

Hearing me say thank you, his face brightened instantly.

‘I never imagined territory residents would worry about me.’

The former Elicia could never have dreamed of such a thing. She would have been driven out of the clinic with stones.

Feeling oddly dazed, I turned the cup in my hands. Seeing that, Joseph added nervously:

“I am sorry! The monastery is poor so most of our cups are like this. It must look shabby to someone as noble as you…”

“No, thank you for thinking of me.”

The cup was rough, but not cracked or chipped. He must have chosen the best one they had.

Baron Conte said I should not drink anything of unknown origin, but I ignored him and drank it.

“It helped, thank you.”

When I smiled and handed it back, Joseph’s ears turned bright red.

Thinking sunset must be reflecting on him, I glanced outside, but the sky was already darkening.

“It is time for me to return. Baron, prepare the carriage…”

I stood up but my legs suddenly gave out.

Joseph reached out, but an even stronger arm caught my head first.

“To throw yourself at me the moment we meet again, how overwhelming.”

That cursed voice—

I stared around desperately for water to wash my ears.

The duke stood before me in full armor, probably having come straight from the Northern Wall.

Of course, considering how serious the incident was, the news would have reached him.

I simply had not expected him to come personally.

He looked me over, examining my disheveled appearance with a strange expression.

“I heard you were caught in trouble at the clinic, but it seems it was worse than I imagined.”

“You are quite skilled at sarcasm.”

“That was not my intention.”

I brushed his hand away immediately.

I knew I was being overly sensitive, but I could not help it.

Even if I now lived warmly and safely, the memory of being betrayed and left to die painfully was not so easily buried.

‘You were so kind back then.’

The glowing iron brand, the stench of burning flesh, and Elicia’s triumphant voice resurfaced vividly.

‘How did you get the duke’s ring…’

‘Look closely. This is his ring. A symbol of the family head that cannot be taken off until death. Why do you think it is in my hand, hm? Who do you think threw you to me?’

‘No, that cannot be. The duke… Edwin would never…’

‘Shut up. What is more important, a lowly official or the honor of the great Lombard family?’

The Lombard family ring had been in Elicia’s hand. A ring worn only by the duke.

It was impossible to steal or forcefully remove from a warrior like Edwin.

It meant he had entrusted my fate to Elicia.

‘He knew how loyal I was to Lombard. One word from him and I would have stayed silent…’

Yet he let me die in agony to protect the family’s honor and eliminate any risk of secrets leaking.

Knowing he abandoned me hurt more than anything.

‘Of course this was all in the past.’

Returning from the memory, I casually wiped the place he touched.

Anyone else would have felt insulted, but the duke looked around as if nothing had happened.

Noticing how quickly the clinic had been stabilized, he narrowed his eyes.

His gaze lingered especially long on the physicians who, despite being overworked, still secretly glanced my way.

At this rate, the duke might realize I was smarter than I pretended to be.

“Ever heard the phrase justice is far but a fist is near?”

I spoke before he could think too much.

“A fist can turn impossibility into possibility. It can make inefficiency efficient. You should keep that in mind next time.”

“Y, your lordship. That is not what happened. The madam simply…”

“Ssh.”

I silenced Joseph with a sharp glare and shrugged.

“I have done my part. The rest is yours.”

Snapping my words like a whip, I hurried out of the clinic.

The coachman spotted me and bowed deeply.

Watching him rub his hands like a fly on a window made me think Baron Conte had truly brought a man just like himself.

“Where is the carriage?”

“The front of the clinic was too chaotic, so I moved it to the open lot behind. A single scratch on such a fine carriage would be disastrous.”

“Bring it immediately. I want to return to the castle and rest.”

Before the duke arrives.

I tilted my chin toward the inner yard. The coachman understood right away and dashed off.

‘Good grief, it is freezing.’

Lombard was cold to begin with, but once the sun set the wind felt like blades cutting through skin. My tired body made it even worse. My hands and feet felt like they would fall off.

My patience, always thin to begin with, reached its limit quickly.

How long had I waited. As I stomped my feet, a long shadow fell over my head.

“Why are you so late? I almost froze to dea—”

“I do not recall saying we would return together.”

My face twisted automatically.

It was not the coachman.

It was the duke, standing right in front of me.