Chapter 91

“Haa.”

I left the greenhouse and immediately went to find Annie.

“Annie.”

“Lady Chacha…?”

Annie, who was deeply asleep in the adjacent room, rubbed her eyes and woke up at the sound of my voice. I felt sorry for disturbing her sleep, but I didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on that apology. I handed Annie the letter and the document envelope. Checking the items in her hands, Annie looked at me, completely awake.

“Lady Chacha, are you leaving now?”

Annie seemed to finally notice my tear stains and got out of bed with a hardened expression. She immediately came over and helped me prepare for my departure. She meticulously fastened the commoner’s clothes and cloak around me, checked once more to ensure I lacked nothing for my journey, and then spoke to me with a worried face.

“I will leave soon too, Lady Chacha.”

Annie and I had decided to leave separately. Although the Nine who didn’t love me wouldn’t likely search for me if I left, there was a possibility he wouldn’t let me go as long as he believed I was carrying his child. My act of running away could also heighten his suspicion. Therefore, we had to leave the North without being discovered. Since two people would leave a clearer trail, we decided to leave separately to minimize the risk.

“Yes, I’ll go first.”

I hugged Annie and opened the secret passage in the Duchy connected to my room. Since I had familiarized myself with the secret passages in the castle while serving as the Duchess, leaving the main estate itself was not difficult.

After passing through the dark, long passage, I emerged into a small stable on the outskirts of Iclea. Confirming that no one was around, I took out a communication tool from my subspace bag and made contact. Since it was almost midnight, an irritated voice came through the communication tool.

—Who on earth is contacting me at this hour?

“Sorry, Helena.”

Helena, who seemed to have just gone to bed, frowned. Just as she was about to voice more complaints, she looked at the communication tool and exclaimed in surprise.

—Wait, you! What kind of state are you in?

“Haha.”

Laughter escaped me at Helena’s candid exclamation, which was no longer bound by etiquette, befitting a true friend.

But the laughter was short-lived, as I could only close my mouth, unable to answer Helena’s subsequent question.

—What happened all of a sudden?

I had been in regular contact with Helena, but I had never told her about Nine’s amnesia or the cold treatment that resulted from it. Now that I needed her help, the words wouldn’t easily leave my mouth. After I struggled to speak for a while, Helena, sensing my discomfort, spoke.

—As I thought, something happened recently, didn’t it? Do you think I wouldn’t notice? We can talk about the details later when you can.

Helena pulled the cord for the bell while holding the communication tool. She gave some instructions to the maid who entered and then sat on the sofa, stretching widely, and said to me,

—So, what can I help you with?

I smiled faintly, grateful for her outstretched hand of assistance without further words. My throat was slightly choked up, but I calmly composed myself and asked for her favor.

“I left the divorce papers for Nine. I left without anyone knowing, and I need to hide for a while… You were the only person I could think of to ask for help.”

The places I could go were limited. I wanted to be somewhere Nine wouldn’t find me even if he looked, and the Blueberry Count family wasn’t a good option for that. In that regard, asking Helena for help was the best choice I could make. Helena would not be intimidated by Nine, and since she was from another Ducal family, Nine couldn’t rashly approach her either.

—Hmm?

Helena raised one eyebrow at my words. Her expression seemed puzzled, perhaps even displeased. Just as I thought it might have been too sudden and forced a smile.

—Really? I don’t know what happened, but he must have done something wrong. Isn’t this a chance to hit the Eclipse Duke where it hurts?

Helena smiled devilishly, looking like a villainess. I blinked at her genuinely delighted expression, and then a knock was heard through the communication tool.

—Perfect timing. Come in.

At Helena’s words, someone entered the room and stood rigidly a few steps behind the sofa where she was sitting.

—Did you call, my Lady?

It was Alvin Shamide, the commander of the Green Reindeer Knights, who had now become completely loyal to Helena. I was surprised by his presence, realizing the extent of Helena’s transformation, and tried to calm my heart. To bring a man into her room in the middle of the night—it was unimaginable for the Helena of the past. It was something the Duke wouldn’t have tolerated either. But now, their interaction was utterly natural. I could tell just by looking that the two trusted each other.

‘That’s good.’

Although my own situation was urgent, I was also relieved that Helena had found a trustworthy ally.

Helena wasted no time and quickly began planning. She provided generous assistance, preparing the things I requested and setting up a new route that would leave no trace.

‘After all, twisting the original story wasn’t a bad choice.’

I was happy that Helena had realized what she truly wanted and started living a life different from the original story. Helena’s changed appearance seemed to prove that I hadn’t made only bad choices. I felt a lump in my throat, somehow comforted.

“…Thank you.”

—Don’t mention it. I’ll send everything you asked for through your family’s merchant guild as quickly as possible. For now, just find accommodation. The North is cold.

Helena, who responded as if it were no big deal, yawned with her hand covering her mouth but didn’t hang up the communication tool. I chuckled, sensing that she was worried and wanted to see me settled into accommodation before going back to sleep, and headed toward the city center.

“How are things these days?”

—Same as usual, I guess.

I had a trivial conversation with her as I entered a high-end hotel in Iclea. As it was a luxury hotel where nobles and merchant guild executives stayed, the manager greeted me kindly despite the late hour. This might also be due to the false identity card I created to help with the merchant guild’s work when I was younger.

‘Anyway, I can spend the night comfortably.’

Helena only turned off the communication tool and went back to sleep after confirming that I was inside the room. I put down my few belongings and quickly lay down on the bed. Nine or someone from the Eclipse family would notice my absence at the earliest the next morning, so I planned to get up early and leave at dawn. I intended to fall asleep quickly for that purpose, but this space, different from the Blueberry Count family and the Eclipse Duchy, felt incredibly unfamiliar. The bedding was clean and luxurious, but it didn’t feel cozy or soft at all. I tossed and turned for a long time before I could finally fall asleep.

***

The next day, I woke up at dawn and headed to the Iclea branch of the Ortrancia Merchant Guild. If I were to use the portal alone in Iclea, the passengers who used it at that hour would be remembered, no matter how much I disguised myself and used a false identity card. I didn’t want to leave even the slightest clue that could be used to track me, so I decided to stop by the merchant guild and rent a cargo wagon.

At first, they looked at me strangely for showing up so early, but that look vanished the moment I presented my false identity card. This was because the false identity card I possessed belonged to someone with a high position within the merchant guild. Furthermore, since the person had a surname from a collateral branch of the Blueberry Count family, the guild members immediately adopted a favorable attitude toward me upon confirming the ID. Since I arrived just in time, I was able to quickly board the cargo compartment of a departing wagon.

‘From here, I’ll go to a small city and take the portal.’

Just then.

Neigh!

The horse let out a loud cry, and the wagon shook violently.

“Aack!”

“R-Run!”

The merchants screamed and scattered in a frenzy. Surprised by the panic-stricken voices, I quickly jumped out of the wagon and drew the sword stored in my subspace bag.

‘There were no reports of bandits appearing near this area?’

I bit my lower lip, recalling the work reports I had skimmed as the Duchess. Tension rose at the unexpected situation, and cold sweat dripped down.

‘If it’s not bandits…’

Only one thing in the North could cause such pandemonium among people.

A booming voice resonated through the crowd of merchants.

“It’s a monster!!!!”