Chapter 18

“Why are you here?”

Grace asked quietly.

Although her voice was low, Nicole could feel the sadness and hatred engraved under it.

“I came here to see how you’re doing, but apparently you’re doing well.”

“Yes, now that you’ve checked, then all is good. I don’t think Grand Duke Valentine should be in a position to directly monitor retirees. What’s going on in this area?”

“There have been some incidents around here.”

Raul replied briefly.

Soon, Raul’s confidant, Bastard, answered instead.

“It seems like one of the officers who pocketed the money from the emperor did the money laundering in a city around here. We’re going to stay in a nearby city for a while to investigate it.”

Grace seemed convinced.

“I understand. There’s no way he’ll remember my daughter’s death anniversary. She must have been just one of his pawns he’s thrown away.”

“Isn’t it her fourth death anniversary? It’s too late for condolences”

“Grand Duke, the fourth anniversary is special. It’s said that this is the year they go to heaven.”

Bastard said with some embarrassment. He seemed to be considerate of Grace’s feelings.

“You’d better move on.”

Raul said peacefully.

Grace’s countenance changed. If Nicole was among the people upstairs, even she would have noticed.

Raul’s confidant knights also showed a bewildered look.

‘What are those scary people looking at?’

Nicole realized that Grace was a greater person than she thought.

Only a relatively young knight among them was pretending to whistle nonchalantly. Nicole knew him. Was he called Estok?

“Move on from what?”

Grace spoke softly after a while.

“Siena died on duty, so it’s an honor. That’s why.”

“There is nothing strange or regrettable about my daughter’s death. Isn’t that right?”

“I’m glad you know.”

Grace laughed briefly. Then she paced around the table, picked up a bottle of water, and threw it at Raul.

Clink!

Raul didn’t budge and turned his head to avoid it.

The water bottle fell on the wall with a loud noise and the floor was wet.

“Madam Grace, no matter who you are, he is still the Grand Duke.”

“What should I do? Do you want me to stop her?”

Estok stepped forward and said, pulling out his sword. Raul beckoned impatiently.

“Seeing that you’re angry, your blood pressure seems normal. You’re also maintaining your muscle strength.”

Clang clang. Clang!

“You say that? You?”

Grace threw out a teacup and kettle this time. The knights groaned.

But Raul was calm.

And Nicole realized this was Grace’s ‘signal’. It meant to run away.

Nicole took off her shoes and ran barefoot toward the end of the warehouse. Inside, there was a small space with a door that could barely fit a single person.

The space was dusty enough to make her frown at the mere sight. Nicole stopped breathing and went up the staff stairs.

Now she was on the second floor.

Nicole also knew there was an outdoor staircase leading to the backyard.

“Heuk, Heuk…”

Nicole walked barefoot down the iron stairs.

Then she came out of the backyard. It was the site of Siena’s memorial altar.

Then Nicole felt a sign of activity. For a moment, Nicole hid herself behind the altar.

“Is this the memorial altar? It’s decorated very beautifully.”

“It’s a pity. I can’t believe that such a high-ranking person lives in such a remote place. I’m glad her mental illness doesn’t get worse. Madam Grace also showed violent tendencies that’s why she retired…….”

Raul usually brought several knights. A couple of knights seemed to be waiting outside the house and patrolling.

‘I’m going to get caught at this rate, what do I do?’

Then there was a sound from the barn.

“There was a sound over there.”

They headed towards it. Meanwhile, Nicole stepped on the altar and got up.

‘I’m so sorry, Siena. I’ll definitely pay you and your mother back..….’

She didn’t forget to apologize to Siena.

Growing up in the forest, it was natural to know how to climb trees. Nicole climbed on a big, sturdy branch and curled up.

‘Please, may the lights go out quickly.’

Grace, who loved her daughter very much, installed lights everywhere that responded when people came.

This kind of lamp was more expensive than normal lamps. And if there was no movement, the lights would go out.

Soon the darkness colored the surroundings again. Nicole closed her eyes and prayed that this time would end quickly.

She didn’t want to be caught by Raul.

But…… It was fortunate that he was alive. It’s only natural that he’s alive in this timeline.

‘This is not the time to think so carefreely.’

Nicole, who thought so without realizing it, quickly came to her senses.

In the past, Raul found the hiding place of the Yveschapel family, or my family, earlier than the imperial family because he was staying in a nearby city.

This time Isabel doesn’t know the secrets of the YvesChapel family yet, so she won’t tell the Imperial family like she did then.

It was dangerous just to be near him.

Nicole felt her heart tighten.

꧁꧂

“Calm down, Madam Grace.”

Bastard earnestly said to Grace.

Grace’s seizures do not last for just a day or two.

Grace refused to escort them and shut herself up in the countryside, as if she had received them on the day of her death.

Rumors were rampant that she was out of her mind, and there was nothing they could do about it.

“What should we do? Should we fight?”

And even Estok was staring at Raul. Bastard had a headache.

“Quiet.”

Then Raul said.

“There’s someone in there.”

Stairs are usually attached at right angles to the innermost wall of the hall of these kinds of houses.

Usually, a warehouse is built in such a space.

Raul was staring exactly at the warehouse under the stairs.

“Are you even going to search my house now?”

Grace’s eyebrows trembled slightly, but she spoke calmly.

“Do as you please. I’ve already regretted dozens of times that I shouldn’t have picked up a guy like you, but what’s the difference?

Grace’s words wrinkled Raul’s brow.

He beckoned quietly to Estok.

Before he knew it, Grace was blocking the warehouse.

“I didn’t think much of it at first, but I’m curious now because of your actions. Who the hell did you hide in there?”

“What kind of ridiculous imagination are you having? You think I’m going to get in trouble at this age.”

“If you have a young man in there, I will bless you. In the case of Master however, young women are much more dangerous.”

Raul plodded down the stairs.

Grace had no more justification to stop him.

“If it’s a rat, I’ll hunt it down!”

In addition, Estok was approaching with his eyes sparkling.

Bump. Raul opened the warehouse.

There was a pair of old, small shoes neatly placed in it.

When Raul beckoned, Bastard lit the inside of the warehouse with an electric light.

A hidden door inside a warehouse The wind was coming in as a small door opened that seemed to barely pass by a child or a woman.

“Poor thing. It seems that a poor, light-footed guest stayed.”

The shoes were clean, but it was almost sunset.

“She is a child from the farmhouse who comes to play sometimes. I just ordered her to leave quietly through the back door because I was afraid something would happen.”

“Grace, a former senior official in the Imperial Intelligence Service, should regularly report on the relationships around her. So I need to know who this is.”

“…….”

“Usually, hidden employment leads to sponsorship. Fortunately, I ordered the back door to be locked. I have to help my Master because she shouldn’t have to care about such trivial things.”

Grace said as if she was dumbfounded.

“Do you have to treat a child from a poor farm as if she was being hunted like that?”

“I decide how to handle it. We’ll interrogate her if necessary.”

Grace knew that taking sides too much could provoke Raul. So she had no choice but to shut up.

꧁꧂

Even on summer nights, the wind began to blow little by little.

The temperature in the mountains was fickle.

‘It’s cold…’

Nicole closed her eyes and was on the tree.

She couldn’t breathe much because the light would react and turn on again if she moved too much.

‘Shall I go out the back door now?’

No matter how much she waited, it was quiet everywhere.

Nicole took her breath away and climbed down the tree.

It was then.

Just like that.

Something was thrown to the altar. Nicole looked at it reflexively. It was a little pine cone.

‘Oh, what?’

Nicole came down the tree and fell to the floor with a snap. She didn’t want to make a sound.….

The altar lights turn up brightly. Nicole fell into a pile of flower beds surrounding the altar.

“Are you here now?”

A man was looking down at Nicole in the light that decorated the altar.

Nicole scrambled to her feet.

Then something cold touched Nicole’s chin. It was a sword.

Nicole looked up at the black and shiny boots and looked up.

Raul was looking down at her.

Unlike his indifferent eyes, there was a faint interest around his mouth.

“Well, I….”

“I was waiting for you to come down. If you were a little late, I’d have shot you with a shotgun. That’s the perfect way to wake up the sleeping animals in a night hunt.”

♥♥♥

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