While receiving Riona’s sharp gaze, Yuri said.

“I’m sorry. The work was exhausting, so I fell asleep in the barn and woke up late.”

“Oh, if someone heard that, they might think I’m assigning cruel tasks to the head maid.”

Yuri’s back was covered in cold sweat at her seemingly mocking tone.

“That’s not possible. It’s just because my body is weak.”

Riona Klaus, she was not originally the Duchess of Klaus.

A figure who caused a great stir in social circles as the mistress of the previous Duke Klaus.

The reason she managed to divorce the Duke and his wife and confidently take the position of the mistress was because her schemes were excellent.

She chased out even the children of the original wife from the family, and put her youngest son Callian in the position of Duke.

To her, Yuri still appeared as nothing more than a novice.

Knowing that an awkward response would only fuel more suspicion, Yuri immediately knelt down.

“To me, the Duchess is my benefactor, and since leaving Esika to stand by your side, I have vowed to follow you for life.”

“Hmm, compared to how earnestly you plead to me…”

Riona said coldly, crossing her legs.

“Your actions don’t match, so how can I trust you?”

At Riona’s words, Yuri’s tightly clenched fist twitched slightly.

Yuri had eventually confessed to Callian that it was Riona who had whipped her.

If she hadn’t, she would have incurred Callian’s anger, so she had no choice but to sell out Riona with tears to gain his sympathy.

“If you wait just a little longer, I will show you my loyalty again, please wait.”

It’s important to regain Riona’s favor.

If she could at least get some of the cut-off jewels back, things might improve a bit.

Although she had sent a letter to the baron’s house fabricating Esika’s circumstances, it might take some time.

“…Loyalty? How can I trust you who has betrayed me once?”

However, Riona’s eyes were still cold.

Yuri continued speaking, her red eyes darkly glowing.

With a gaze that seemed to have not an ounce of shame.

“If you suspect that I harbor other intentions, you may cut my hair right now.”

At those words, Riona smirked and picked up the scissors from the box on the table before approaching Yuri.

Then she grabbed Yuri’s hair and lifted it, making her look up at her.

Yuri’s chin trembled as she looked up at Duchess Riona.

“The reason I keep you by my side, and the reason I can’t trust you even though I keep you close, is because you resemble me.”

Riona snipped off a chunk of Yuri’s hair ends that she had grabbed.

Yuri’s red pupils shook violently.

She thought that if Riona had caught her with Callian last night, it might not have been her hair that was cut, but her neck.

“…”

Fortunately, the scissor-cutting was just a threat, and only the ends of her hair fell to the floor in clumps.

Riona looked at Yuri and coldly moved her lips.

“Watch your behavior, Yuri.”

At Riona’s words, Yuri nodded with a chilled heart.

She thought she had sufficiently grasped Riona’s devilish venom while being by Esika’s side, but every time she experienced it directly, she felt the woman’s ruthlessness.

“I understand, Duchess.”

Still, Yuri could not give up the position of Duchess Klaus.

The hand of Duke Klaus, which had been at an unreachable height, was finally within reach, and she had even been embraced by him.

The power and wealth she had longed for so much had come into view, how could she turn away from it?

She will chase that annoying Esika out of the Duke’s mansion, someday get rid of this irritating devil, and make the enviable Klaus her own.

“Please believe me.”

**

The day had come for Esika to pick up the dagger she had previously ordered from the weapons shop.

Since Hans had provided a carriage for her, the journey was comfortable.

Three helpers within the family. Hans, Hemos, Cela…

Thanks to them, not only the food but also the props and clothes provided were gradually changing to better quality.

What she was wearing now was a dress worn by middle-class commoners, which Hans had sent when she asked for something less conspicuous than a maid’s uniform.

Thus, Hans was steadily cooperating with her daily life and proving his usefulness.

‘The fish are gathering, so all that’s left is to reel them in.’

Knowing the predicted future is quite enjoyable.

Esika was looking at the scenery outside the carriage with a readily pleasant expression.

Her inner strength was accumulating at a faster rate than she had initially expected.

Of course, this doesn’t mean she has regained her previous power.

Regrettably, she was still far from reaching the ranks of martial arts masters.

And one variable was.

Esika recalled what she had heard from Shupert yesterday.

“It was when you were eight years old. It was a chaotic and tumultuous time as the country’s war had not been settled. I don’t know everything, but you disappeared from Hasetch.”

Shupert Bright, the eldest brother three years older, and Servin Bright, the second brother two years older… They often played at Hasetch port with Yuri, who was the same age.

Keeping it a secret from the adults, that is.

Then one day, Esika, who was playing hide-and-seek, couldn’t be found.

All the employees of the family came out to search Hasetch, but Esika was not discovered.

Shupert and Servin went around looking for Esika until their voices were hoarse.

It was exactly a day after Esika had disappeared like that.

Shupert, who couldn’t even take a spoonful of soup due to worry, was calling Esika’s name again in Hasetch as soon as the day broke, when an abandoned warehouse caught his eye.

“There were countless bodies of armed men piled up in the warehouse. And you were there. Holding a blood-soaked sword with unfocused eyes. That sword was taller than you. It seemed to be one of the swords of those corpses.”

Shupert looked around once and continued in a low voice.

“A boy from the Class 1 wanted poster at the time was crouching behind you. He seemed to be about my age, with eerie eyes.”

Class 1 wanted posters were the highest level of wanted notices, usually used to find traitors or their direct descendants.

It was a time when the Turessian royal family, who had lost the capital Torres, had just reclaimed the country and was issuing wanted notices excessively to catch and kill forces that had cooperated with the enemy.

“He was a boy with black hair. His hair was shaggy so I couldn’t see his face… Anyway, when we tried to reach out to the boy, you started speaking in a strange language.”

“A strange language?”

“Yes, a language we couldn’t understand at all. And then… you collapsed. Shortly after, people from the royal family came and took the boy away, and our family was investigated.”

It was a principle that one shouldn’t even exchange words with a Class 1 wanted person, but since Esika had been with the boy for a full day, the entire family was investigated.

“What happened to the boy?”

“As far as I know… he was probably executed. That’s usually the fate of Class 1 wanted persons.”

“…Maybe not.”

“…What?”

Esika, having somewhat guessed the boy’s identity, felt uneasy inside.

Her first meeting with Resban Deon Lucein was, as expected, not at the Klaus Duke’s mansion.

And the fact that she started speaking strange words probably means that the spirit’s consciousness had briefly awakened.

‘There, what did I… do to him?’

She had lived as Esika, but her memories of exactly that period in her life were cut off.

She knew from her family that something had happened in Hasetch, but she didn’t know it was related to Resban.

‘In the end, the only way is to either recover my memories or get answers from him.’

Remembering Resban’s golden eyes staring at her, her heart started beating a little faster.

Soon after, the carriage arrived in front of the weapons shop.

Esika, getting off the carriage, shook off her distracting thoughts and entered the weapons shop.

Unlike when she had visited before, the inside of the weapons shop was noisy.

She was about to ask for her sword quickly, but it seemed some unpleasant individuals were causing trouble.

“This cheap thing costs 500 ling? Stop trying to rip us off.”

“Here’s 100 ling. Take it!”

“But then we won’t even cover our costs. Isn’t 100 ling too little?”

“Shut up!”

The leader of a group of about six people threatened the clerk while drawing the sword he had received from the weapon shop.

“Oh no, sir…”

“How dare you try to overcharge us, huh? Do your business properly!”

The clerk looked distressed and didn’t know what to do, and Esika watched the situation with a small sigh.

Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be mercenaries from outside, and they looked like low-quality humans.

“I’ll take this one as a bonus. It’ll be good for skinning rabbits.”

The group’s leader picked up Esika’s slightly shorter sword next to the clerk.

The clerk tried to stop him.

“Oh no, you can’t. This belongs to another customer. They said they’d come to pick it up today, so please return it…”

“Looking at its shape, it doesn’t seem to belong to someone skilled. Tell them to come find us if they have a problem. Hehehe.”

Esika’s eyebrow twitched as she watched him laugh unpleasantly.