Natasha refrained from asking the crude question of whether you were that god. It was pointless and pathetic to ask trite questions when faced with a critical juncture in life.

‘You were destined to die.’ As she pondered the god’s answer, she noticed a strange part.

“It seems I won’t die this time either.”

‘Because there is someone who doesn’t wish for your death.’

“Could a life be saved simply by someone’s wish?”

‘Anytime, if there’s a price. It’s not such a big deal, happening only once every hundred years.’

Hmm, it was difficult to understand the meaning. Natasha nodded as if she roughly understood.

‘So how was it? The happiness you encountered after a long time.’

“Perhaps because I knew the end was predetermined, at some point the excitement faded.”

‘But it must have been good.’

“…”

‘You must have missed it.’

Natasha couldn’t bring herself to deny those words.

The voice laughed faintly as if understanding her silent response.

‘This will likely be truly the last time. So regain the happiness you lost.’

“…That’s not something I can regain on my own.”

Seemingly quite upset, Natasha dared to retort even to the god’s words. After all, she bore no responsibility for losing her happiness. It wasn’t a future that could be changed no matter how hard she tried.

A faint laughter mixed into the voice, as if understanding the woman’s frustration.

‘Well, who knows this time. For someone complaining so much, you were living a sufficiently improved life.’

“That’s…”

‘Don’t take it too seriously. I’m just saying to strive as you have been and achieve what you desire.’

Obtaining happiness…

It was an excessively abstract teaching. Unable to confidently affirm it, Natasha simply kept her mouth shut.

Still, she vaguely realized one thing.

That the lingering attachment she didn’t have until grabbing the doorknob suddenly sprouted anew the moment she encountered the forgotten happiness.

She didn’t want to die like this. As the god said, her life had improved from before, was hopeful, and at times even happy. If such days continued, it seemed she might easily reach the goals unfulfilled in her past life, it was that peaceful.

‘Yes, that will do.’

The god whispered as if having read her thoughts.

Soon after, the pedestal glowed. The smoke surrounding Natasha scattered into the air as if blown by wind, then enveloped the pedestal.

As if entranced, Natasha stood up and moved. A strange quality shimmered faintly, gleaming atop the pedestal.

Suddenly, the leaping quality invaded Natasha’s hands. The ‘thing’ that she thought would slip through her fingers instead began to seep densely into her skin.

‘No! Don’t accept it!’

‘It’s that bastard’s scent!’

‘Traitor! Heretic giving flesh and blood to that bastard again!’

As Natasha accepted it, the voices of her family that had been quiet burst out again. Howling like beasts, they concealed their identities once the quality fully penetrated the woman’s hands.

Following the fading voices, her consciousness gradually blurred.

“Ugh…”

Her dry lips parted wide, cracking. The voice slipping between her teeth split into several strands and burst forth.

“Uugh…”

Soon screams erupted all around. The ensuing busy footsteps stopped in front of Natasha’s bed.

The maids leaned their heads close to check the patient’s condition. Between her narrowly opened eyes, bright red irises stood out.

“My lady? Can you see me?”

“…”

“If, if you can see, could you blink once?”

Two maids asked in succession.

After a moment, the red eyes disappeared. Though slow, she raised her eyelids again. Given the circumstances, it was clear the owner of the body had regained consciousness.

“The, the lady has really woken up!”

The maid’s booming voice spread throughout the entire mansion along the corridor. Not long after they delivered the news, most of the mansion’s staff gathered in the infirmary.

The attending physician who examined the duchess’s condition delivered the good news that she had improved significantly. Soon sighs of relief burst out from all around.

“Contrary to our concerns, her condition is fine. But since she was unconscious for a long time, it would be best to rest for the time being. Outdoor activities should be minimized as much as possible, and meals should be taken well.”

The kind physician explained the precautions until the end before leaving, but Vanessa and Meliana rushed over to check on Natasha’s condition as soon as he left.

Of course, up to that point, it wasn’t behavior that violated the ‘absolute rest’ the physician had mentioned.

However, hugging Natasha tightly while sobbing uncontrollably might perhaps be crossing the line of ‘absolute rest’ that the physician had warned about.

“It’s alright, so you don’t have to worry too much…”

“Sob, how can it be alright! Your face was deathly pale as you lay for three days! Do you know how worried we were? I, I was really scared thinking you might pass away.”

“Lady Wiltz is right. So our words… Thank goodness you’re safe.”

The two crying sorrowfully provided a fresh shock.

Just because she had been bedridden for a few days, because she looked ill, others were saddened for her? This concern she was receiving for the first time in the duke’s household tickled her heart.

“Thank you for worrying. But I’m really fine, so you don’t need to worry too much. The physician also said my condition was good before he left.”

Ahem, Natasha cleared her throat inwardly before reassuring them in a graceful voice. Only then did they seem to set aside their worries.

Afterwards, the two explained in detail the events that occurred after Natasha collapsed.

According to a thorough investigation, what Natasha drank was an exotic poison lethal even in minute quantities. The culprit was revealed to be the priest who managed the chalice, and it was added that he received punishment of exile of his entire family from the empire and confiscation of property, as the attempted murder was thwarted.

The gruesome story of the culprit’s wrists and tongue being cut off was deliberately not disclosed for the sake of the patient’s stability.

“I see. Then where is His Grace?”

“Oh, are you asking about Duke Asthart?”

“His Grace is… Um… That is!”

Vanessa and Meliana showed signs of embarrassment at the casually thrown question.

“He’s at the temple.”

“Yes, because there are many matters left to handle.”

The two exchanged glances behind her back as they coordinated their answer.

“By the way, I think this is the first time you’ve asked about His Grace’s whereabouts first, my lady!”

“It must be because His Grace always told you first without you asking, and arrived at the appointed time?”

After roughly glossing over the answer, they deliberately changed the subject.

This time, Natasha was selected as the new protagonist of the conversation.

Thinking carefully, as they said, it was as if she had shown interest in the man first. Even if it was an unconscious question, the fact that she had inquired about Sieghart’s whereabouts first gave her an enormous shock.

“…It’s not like that.”

It’s just that she was curious why the man who would be desperate to look good to her hadn’t shown up despite hearing the news. She was just glad she didn’t have to see the detestable side of the man pretending to be happy that Natasha had woken up.

It’s really just that.

After that, the two who had been keeping her company to relieve Natasha’s boredom said that she probably needed rest too, and promised to return after preparing dinner before leaving the room.

Left alone, Natasha decided to read the books and newspapers placed on the couch. While it wasn’t bad to enjoy solitude, now was the time to shake off the things in her head as much as possible.

‘I’ve already read this one. That one, it wasn’t to my taste…’

The books were no good at all. She decided to choose other reading material.

‘Hmm, this newspaper is too old. This one too, and this one as well?’

For some reason, the newspapers were dated quite a while ago.

A striking headline caught Natasha’s eye as she was flipping through the reading materials.

“The Romance that Saved the Duchess of Asthart!”

It was yesterday’s newspaper.

‘Romance?’

To say that romance saved her. It was an unsuitable modifier.

The publication was none other than the Daily Beacon, too prestigious to use such a sensational headline merely to attract readers’ attention. It was a newspaper with plenty of readers without having to fabricate non-existent scandals or exaggerate articles.

What saved Natasha was not romance, but divine grace. From their perspective, it would be the physician’s excellent skills or a miracle.

Her dry gaze scanned the main text of the article. With each downward glance, her pupils grew larger. And when her eyelids were fully open, unable to expand any further, her gaze returned to the top.

“At the recent coronation, an unfortunate incident occurred where the life of the Duchess of Asthart was threatened. When the duchess ingested a lethal dose of poison and sustained critical injuries, putting her life in danger, it is known that Duke Asthart used the holy sword to save her. Many were shocked that the holy sword exhausted its power in just one day…”

However, even upon rereading, the information her brain had processed did not change.

‘Sieghart used the holy sword to save me?’

The pain she experienced when drinking the poison was no different from the pain of the past ten times. Natasha also clearly remembered the feeling of her life fading away. What awaited her was undoubtedly death, and the end.

‘This will likely be truly the last time. So regain the happiness you lost.’

The god’s final mercy saved her. It was absolute agape for a pitiful lamb.

‘Because there is someone who doesn’t wish for your death.’

“Could a life be saved simply by someone’s wish?”

‘Anytime, if there’s a price. It’s not such a big deal, happening only once every hundred years.’

Though it was clearly stated that someone had saved her, she had let it go in one ear and out the other, utterly unable to interpret it. Was the ‘someone’ the god referred to really Sieghart Asthart?

‘Then the past ten lives were…’

What on earth was that?