IDIBC Chapter 28

Count Enehaz’s Evening Party (1)

What book was I reading then? I probably read him beautifully packaged myths about how cruelly the gods treated humans.

Though he had grown much taller now, he closed his eyes and covered them with his arm just as he had back then. I slowly opened to the very first page of the book.

“On a deep night when even evil spirits seemed to have fallen asleep, in a corner of the silent Imperial Palace corridor……”

Leaving behind the whirlwind of thoughts and hazy memories, I read the text spread before my eyes. The only future that the Eastern Kingdom’s witch, who couldn’t even read or write, had changed was learning to read and write. I had thought it was merely a desperate struggle to escape a predetermined fate, but looking back now, perhaps…….

I thought that maybe I had learned it to put Ricardo to sleep.

He truly fell asleep before I even finished reading the first page. After covering Ricardo’s body with the blanket Angela had brought, I stayed by his side for quite a while.

And I didn’t leave the library until evening approached.

****

Having returned from the library and gone to bed early, I was engulfed in a nightmare as if paralyzed by sleep.

[You have a chance.]

A voice like a thin, drawn-out moan. It was the same dream again. Me writhing in agony inside the miserably blazing flames.

[The girl from the Eastern Kingdom who couldn’t even read or write was ultimately burned at the stake.]

The whispers of people that had only been heard from afar now rang in my ears from close by.

[How dare a witch try to take the place of the saintess—that is her great sin.]

Frivolous laughter, giggling and cackling, was layered over those voices. The cruel voices laughing while watching someone burn to death didn’t know when to stop.

“Give me a chance. Whatever it is, give me that damn chance.”

And again, without fail, that person appeared. A man walking steadily into those tremendous flames where flesh melted and blood congealed.

Seeing him, my heart collapsed once more. So calm it was almost unbelievable, so quietly, he moved only toward me.

He came much closer than in any previous dream. Somehow, fear crept over me.

“Don’t come.”

Whoosh, fire spread over his body.

“Don’t come, I said!”

Please, don’t do that. Even in my dying moments, I wanted to stop him from approaching me. If only I could stop him, it felt like I could burn away even a soul that had already been reduced to ashes in the fire.

“Miss.”

“Get away! Get away. Please…….”

“Miss, are you alright?”

At the sensation of someone grabbing and shaking my shoulders, I was instantly brought back to reality. Huff, huff, huff, I sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily the breaths that wouldn’t come while engulfed in flames, and looked around wildly.

Ah, it’s my room.

“What nightmare did you have to sweat this much?”

I heard Angela’s worried voice, but my rough breathing didn’t easily subside. My heart was pounding from a dream that was unusually vivid compared to other days.

“This won’t do. I’ll go call the physician.”

“No.”

I quickly snatched the hand of her who was about to rush out.

“I’m fine, really fine.”

“But…….”

“I just had a nightmare I have often. Really. Don’t call the physician.”

Angela propped a pillow behind my back with a worried face and drew the curtains. It was morning; sunlight streamed long into the room.

“The Duchess is looking for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. But I wonder if I should tell her you need to rest.”

“No. It’s just a nightmare.”

As if I could dare refuse the Duchess of Rochester’s summons.

To meet her, I would have to go through that lengthy preparation process I had done last time. Though the process was daunting, I hurried to get up.

Since Ricardo didn’t want an engagement with me, I had to devise another method. Though he mentioned six months yesterday, Fennel’s existence could be exposed to the Emperor within that time. To receive the Rochester family’s protection whenever I left this house, falling out of the Duchess’s favor would be unwise.

“Shall I open the window a bit?”

“Yes, please.”

“You need to eat first. People will come rushing in soon.”

Angela opened the window and prepared a simple breakfast on the table. I wanted to wash up first, but now wasn’t the time to worry about order.

“But you really did drop the formal speech today.”

“Ah……. I promised the young master yesterday.”

“Yes, now I feel more comfortable. But I was really surprised yesterday.”

“Why?”

“It was the first time I heard Young Master Ricardo laugh so loudly. If I’d been closer, I could have seen his face too…….”

She smiled innocently with a truly regretful expression. Hearing that, I recalled his breathtakingly handsome face smiling brightly yesterday. I wonder how long he slept……. The library was a bit cold.

I was debating whether to ask what Ricardo was doing when I had just barely finished one piece of bread. There was a commotion outside and people rushed into the room to help with preparations.

Being pulled here and there frantically, I suddenly felt something was a bit strange. The preparation process was quite different from last time.

Before my first audience, I mainly learned about behaviors that were acceptable and unacceptable in front of the Duchess. But for some reason, this time they only spent time on grooming.

I whispered softly so only Angela could hear.

“Am I going to see the Duchess, right?”

“Yes, that’s definitely what he said.”

“Who?”

“The butler.”

While we were talking, maids appeared with a dress, saying it was what I would wear today. Angela also tilted her head upon seeing those clothes. It was a gorgeous and beautiful evening dress I’d never seen before in my life. So deeply cut in the front and back that I couldn’t tell which was which.

“Th-they want me to wear this?”

“I know, right? This is evening party attire. Could the Duchess be taking Miss somewhere? But I haven’t heard anything about the Duchess going out.”

Right now, I was in the position of hiding inside the Duke’s castle.

No matter that it was an outing with the Duchess, wearing such a glamorous dress—where on earth would we be going?

I squeezed my eyes shut once and opened them, but nothing changed. It was a splendid silver dress. The bodice was made of satin material with a sheen, and the not-too-flared hem sparkled like a moonlit lake.

The decorations attached along the side seams of the skirt were all blue. So this did seem to be a dress meant for me…….

“There must be some mistake.”

I pushed aside the maid who was diligently applying powder to my face and stood up from my seat. I couldn’t wear such a brilliant dress without knowing why.

Just as I was about to go out to find Freddy, he entered the room.

“The Duchess has arrived.”

I froze where I stood.

“You mean she came here? I’m not going to see her?”

“That’s correct.”

Before I could confirm again, the Duchess burst into the room. She who had told me to wear a glamorous dress was actually dressed in everyday clothes. Terribly elegant and neat indoor wear.

I lifted my skirt with a hair roller still fixed to one side of my hair.

“I greet the Duchess.”

“Ah, you haven’t finished preparing yet. Forgive my rudeness in visiting so urgently, Lienne.”

“Not at all.”

“Oh, this is the dress.”

She smiled brightly upon seeing the dress the maids were holding. While graciously praising the lady-in-waiting she had brought along. “The dress came out very well, just as you said.”

So that meant those clothes were definitely a dress the Duchess had bestowed upon me.

“Lienne, the reason I asked to see you today is because I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor, you say?”

“There’s an evening party at Count Enehaz’s house today.”

“An evening party……?”

“That’s right.”

The chaotic atmosphere was organized at once by the Duchess’s calm voice.

“Count Enehaz’s house is about three or four hours away by carriage from here.”

I listened to her words with a feeling of ‘surely not……’

“Ricardo already left for there two hours ago.”

“I see.”

“But today Ricardo left without the family handkerchief.”

“The family handkerchief……you say?”

According to her explanation, there were several rules for the banquet held annually by Count Enehaz’s house.

That banquet only invited adult nobles. And the men of each family had to pin a handkerchief embroidered with their family’s crest to their chest.

“Ricardo will be quite troubled having left without the handkerchief.”

“I suppose so.”

It would be troublesome having broken the rules, but what did that have to do with me?

“So I was hoping Lienne could deliver this.”

She held out the handkerchief with a slightly apologetic smile. On that item, Rochester’s lion crest was indeed fiercely opening its jaws.

I too couldn’t close my gaping mouth and just stared stupidly at the handkerchief.

But I didn’t ask foolish questions like ‘does Ricardo really need that handkerchief?’ After all, there was no way the heir of Rochester wouldn’t be allowed to enter the banquet hall just for not bringing a handkerchief.

Moreover, Ricardo had left the Duke’s castle two hours ago, and I had started these unusual preparations from the morning.

So the fact that he had left without the handkerchief embroidered with the family crest meant it had no particular significance to the situation I was now facing.

Still, there was something I had to ask.