Chapter 14
Croa was said to have collapsed in front of the Poorhouse, looking like a beggar.
He insisted he was the butler of the Johannes family, but no one believed him.
Understandably so. His appearance was that of someone who had been living on the streets for years, so no one would have thought he was a member of the noble Johannes family.
Moreover, he often spouted incomprehensible nonsense, leading people to treat him like a madman.
Rebecca infiltrated the Poorhouse during a time when the number of impoverished people had suddenly increased due to famine.
As a result, the Poorhouse was suffering from a severe labor shortage.
Even so, the people of Liberta didn't want Rebecca, who had been raised so delicately, to do hard labor.
However, despite their dissuasion, Rebecca wanted to work.
In the end, her stubbornness won.
Rebecca decided to care for Croa, whom everyone else avoided.
Croa would often inadvertently reveal anecdotes that only someone close to the Duke would know.
Because of this, Rebecca gradually began to believe that he was indeed the butler of the Johannes family.
At the time, Julian had been bedridden for a long time. Still, he was said to have lived longer than any previous Duke Johannes.
But Croa, who had been the Duke's confidant, didn't give up on him.
Croa traveled all over the country to cure the Duke's illness. In the process, he went mad.
He told Rebecca, who cared for him with utmost devotion, many stories.
Most of what he said was incoherent, but occasionally Croa would tell her interesting secrets of the Ducal family.
The Ducal family and the curse of the Dephria Goddess, the fact that the Duke had fallen ill trying to forcibly break the curse, and the story of the Duke's only sister, whose identity he had tried to hide until the very end.
Croa would often burst into tears in the middle of speaking.
'Oh, our poor Duke. To pass away from pity. How can this be so lamentable! I! This Croa! Will break the curse for you..., cough, cough...'
One strange thing was that he would vomit blood whenever he mentioned how to break the curse.
It was as if he was cursed for the very act of speaking.
Still, Rebecca cared for him with all her heart.
Then one day, Croa developed a fever. The soaring heat wouldn't subside.
Croa mustered his last strength and shouted.
'I, I have found out. The way to save the Ducal family... But in exchange for the goddess's wrath... The way is...!'
Croa grabbed Rebecca's shoulders and began to recite the method to break the curse.
After repeating the same words three or four times, he vomited a torrent of blood and soon breathed his last.
After Croa died, Rebecca remembered the secrets he had told her, word for word.
And she tried to inform the Ducal family of this fact.
But Rebecca couldn't go to the Ducal family because she was avoiding Zeppelin.
It wasn't easy to make a living while running away with a child in her womb.
In the midst of her struggling life, Rebecca gradually forgot about Duke Johannes.
And the time for childbirth approached.
After giving birth, she was too busy taking care of the child and earning money.
Living such a hectic life, Rebecca died at the hands of Zeppelin.
'If only I had been a little more courageous...'
Her chest ached sharply.
She vaguely remembered Zeppelin saying he was going to the Duke's funeral.
There were only two Dukes in the Empire. As far as she remembered, Duke Latranis was full of energy at the time.
Julian was the only Duke who was bedridden.
'So Julian eventually died without fulfilling his long-held wish.'
Rebecca recalled Julian's confident gait and arrogant gaze. He didn't seem like someone who would meet his end in bed.
Even though she had only listened to Croa's rambling, Rebecca felt like she owed Julian a great debt.
If she had said just one word, or even written a letter, she might have been able to prevent the tragedy that had befallen the Ducal family.
Moreover, she felt uneasy about using him as a means to an end.
But she had no choice.
He was her last straw. Rebecca desperately needed that straw.
"Rebecca, we're almost there."
Canna said, slightly parting the carriage's curtains.
Soon after, the carriage door opened.
"Rebecca!"
All the members of Liberta came out to greet Rebecca.
Receiving a warm welcome, Rebecca stepped out.
The Liberta Poorhouse, standing tall under the blue sky, came into view.
* * *
"Has everyone been well?"
"We've been well thanks to you, Rebecca!"
Everyone seemed eager to tell Rebecca the stories they had missed.
Rebecca smiled broadly, watching the Liberta family chatter incessantly.
"Wow..., she's really pretty."
Then she spotted a little boy staring at Rebecca with his mouth agape.
He must have been about seven years old. He was a cute child with a brown bowl cut.
"I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?"
Rebecca gently stroked the child's head. Gloria, the head of the Poorhouse, smiled at the sight.
"He's not new. He's Margaret's child."
"Jack!"
Jack raised his hand high and introduced himself.
Margaret's?
Rebecca's eyes widened.
Jack was someone she had known in her previous life as well.
After Croa died, the place where Rebecca left the Poorhouse to work was Margaret's Labonne Salon.
Margaret, who was a skilled patissier, ran a very successful salon. And this child had played a big role in that.
Jack had an amazing talent for attracting people.
He had been a fairly handsome young man back then, so seeing him so young now filled Rebecca with emotion.
"Jack! Jack! I told you not to run off like that!"
The sound of Margaret running in followed.
Margaret stopped when she saw Rebecca surrounded by people.
"Please greet Rebecca."
And she bowed politely.
She was said to be the daughter of a fallen noble family. Her greeting was impeccably neat.
Unlike the other people of Liberta, Margaret was aloof towards Rebecca.
It had been the same in her previous life.
She would smile, but as soon as she saw Rebecca, her face would harden.
The fact that she had hired Rebecca as a kitchen assistant suggested that she didn't particularly harbor any ill feelings.
But there was always an invisible distance between them.
While Rebecca was chatting with the people of Liberta, Gloria whispered to her.
"Rebecca, your guest has already arrived and is waiting."
Rebecca nodded, and Gloria clapped her hands.
"Alright, everyone, don't bother Rebecca and go back to what you were doing!"
Everyone made regretful noises at Gloria's order to leave.
Only after promising to greet Rebecca again before she left did the people of Liberta finally disperse.
Once everyone had disappeared, Rebecca turned to Gloria and said.
"Thank you. Oh, we've brought refreshments, so don't worry about it. I heard that Zeppelin has reduced the donations lately. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Rebecca. Don't worry. It may not be the expensive pastries that nobles eat, but Margaret has prepared cookies herself."
"If Margaret made them, then the taste is definitely guaranteed. Then I won't refuse any further."
Rebecca smiled brightly, and Gloria's wrinkled face bloomed.
She seemed genuinely happy to be able to offer Rebecca even a small amount of help.
"Then this way."
As Rebecca followed Gloria, she glanced at Robert, whom Zeppelin had assigned as her escort under the guise of protection.
According to what Canna had subtly told her, he had been assigned as one of Rebecca's Hounds a few months ago.
Come to think of it, Robert had always been within Rebecca's radius in her previous life as well.
He had only been by Rebecca's side on Zeppelin's orders, but he had been falsely accused of admiring her and killed.
'He probably used him as much as he needed and then discarded him.'
Rebecca looked at Robert with a slightly pitiful heart.
But when he met her gaze and smiled at her, she refocused her thoughts.
He was smiling kindly, but he would be meticulously watching Rebecca's every move.
He was the enemy now.
There were no Hounds at the Poorhouse except when Rebecca visited.
Zeppelin didn't pay attention to the Poorhouse, just as he wouldn't care about a bug crawling outside his house.
Still, she couldn't completely relax.
That's why Rebecca had subtly mentioned to Gloria, without the other Poorhouse members knowing, that a guest would be visiting.
Gloria probably thought of Julian as a welcome relative whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
Knowing that Zeppelin strictly controlled Rebecca's outings, Gloria easily accepted this secret meeting.
She hadn't told Canna who Julian was or what his purpose was.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Canna.
But it was still a stage where she had to be careful.
When Rebecca cleared her throat, Canna tactfully approached Robert.
"They have excellent scones here. Would you like to go and have some?"
"Scones sound good! Do they happen to have coffee too?"
Unexpectedly, Robert followed Canna willingly. He even started humming.
His nonchalant appearance was all the more suspicious.
Rebecca stared at Robert's back for a moment.
He would occasionally look at her as if he had something to say, moving his lips.
But no words ever came out of his mouth.
He was a man whose inner thoughts were impossible to fathom.
"Rebecca!"
Gloria gestured.
Rebecca took a deep breath and moved her feet.
* * *
"How rude! To dare to make the Duke wait!"
Croa complained, munching on a chocolate-studded cookie. Then, as if he had suddenly choked, he coughed repeatedly and pounded his chest.
Julian frowned and handed Croa some tea.
"Why did you come if you're just going to complain like that? Besides, you seem to be eating too well for someone who's just complaining."
Croa gulped down a cup of tea and caught his breath. Then he let out a deep sigh.
"Are you really, really going to make this ridiculous contract?"
At Croa's words, Julian lowered his gaze as if lost in thought.
"It's not a bad deal. Gathering rumors from storytellers or entering into a contractual marriage with a suspicious woman are no different in terms of being untrustworthy. Croa, you know very well that I'll do anything if it means breaking this damn curse."
"What if the woman is lying? Isn't that a high possibility?"
"In that case..."
Julian raised his head. And he crooked the corners of his lips towards Croa.
Croa hesitated for a moment at that playful smile.
"I'll just play along."
