Chapter – 11
“Ah… I’d rather just kill her….”
Luciena, who had been lying in bed, suddenly sat upright and muttered in a low voice.
“M-Miss…! Wh-What a frightening thing to say…!”
Startled, Fioda and the other maids stared at Luciena with worried expressions.
“Are you alright? Did you have a terrible nightmare?”
“Yeah. A damned nightmare where I fell into a well in the middle of winter and froze to death… Haah.”
Seeing that Luciena’s condition didn’t seem normal, Fioda dismissed the other maids before bringing her a cup of tea.
“Here. Please have some herbal tea and try to calm yourself.”
Luciena took a sip, but it did nothing to soothe her mind.
Her thoughts were filled with nothing but the desire to make Reshuna and Chelin suffer the exact same death she had endured.
“…By the way, Fioda, what day is it today?”
“It’s Wednesday.”
Wednesday.
Exactly one day before she would freeze to death in the well.
Luciena fell into thought.
What should I do now? How can I avoid that cursed death this time?
After organizing her thoughts, she spoke quietly enough that only Fioda could hear.
“Fioda, there’s something I need you to check….”
“Of course. Just tell me, Miss!”
After sending Fioda on an errand, Luciena collapsed back onto the bed.
“Miss Luciena should experience the same thing herself.”
…Chelin, what exactly did you mean by that?
What have I ever done that you said I deserved the same fate?
It wasn’t unusual for servants to dislike the same people their master disliked.
But Chelin’s feelings seemed to go beyond simple dislike.
It felt like something much darker.
Something closer to outright malice.
In my entire life, I’ve barely even spoken to Chelin…. So why…?
Luciena’s expression suddenly hardened.
Could it be… the one who pushed me down the stairs on my birthday night was…
A new possibility had appeared.
And it was a very likely one.
But even if that were true, it changed nothing.
Even if Chelin really had murdered Luciena that night, it hadn’t happened in this current timeline after all her regressions.
There was no way to hold her accountable.
If she hated me enough to push me down the stairs and kill me… framing me after destroying the vegetable garden herself would be nothing to someone like her.
While Luciena was lost in thought about Chelin, Fioda returned and knocked on the door.
“Miss, I’m back.”
“How’s the garden? It wasn’t destroyed yet, was it?”
“Not at all! It’s perfectly fine. And just as you instructed, I securely covered the well with its lid.”
Luciena gave a brief nod at Fioda’s clear answer.
If the same events repeated themselves, she needed to eliminate every possible cause of death.
She couldn’t fill in the well immediately, so the next best thing was making sure no one could fall into it by sealing it shut.
“…Then… does that mean it’ll happen tonight?”
“Happen? What do you mean?”
“Someone is definitely going to destroy that garden during the night.”
“So I need your help, Fioda.”
Late at night.
The moon hung high in the sky as even the servants who worked until late finally prepared for bed.
Wrapped in heavy winter clothes, complete with gloves and hats, the two quietly slipped outside without letting anyone notice.
Their destination was Reshuna’s secret vegetable garden in one corner of the estate.
Knowing the garden would be vandalized during the night, they had decided to stay awake and watch it until morning if necessary.
About three meters away from the garden, behind a pile of logs, they found the perfect hiding place.
To catch the culprit, they couldn’t even use a lantern.
Every breath they exhaled turned white in the freezing air.
Chelin… just let me catch you.
The moment you’re caught, you’ll be fired immediately.
Luciena and Fioda endured the bitter cold as they kept watch over the garden.
But time passed mercilessly, and not a single person appeared.
Watching the unchanging darkness in complete silence made time seem unbelievably slow to Luciena.
“What time is it?”
“It’s three in the morning. Since it’s still the middle of winter, it’ll stay dark until around seven, but… we only have four more hours to endure.”
Four more hours.
It was a long time to remain in this freezing darkness.
But if it meant catching the culprit, it would be worth it.
Especially if she could expose the shameless Chelin, who had falsely accused her.
The painfully slow hours eventually passed.
Before they realized it, dawn was breaking and the darkness began to fade.
Rustle…
Crunch…
Shuffle… Rustle…
The sounds coming from the garden snapped Luciena’s half-closed eyes wide open.
Turning her head, she saw Fioda—who had confidently declared she’d handle everything—nodding off with her head bobbing.
Luciena immediately jumped to her feet and ran toward the noisy garden.
“I finally caught— Huh?”
The moment she saw the culprit…
She was speechless.
“M-Miss! I’m so sorry! I accidentally fell asleep…!”
Fioda, startled awake by Luciena’s shout, hurried after her.
But it was already over.
The garden had been completely destroyed.
“The garden… Where’s the culprit?”
Instead of answering, Luciena silently pointed.
In the corner of the garden…
Two small deer were happily munching on the plants.
Luciena and Fioda returned to the room.
“You’ve worked hard, Miss. Even though we couldn’t catch a single deer…”
“…Sigh. It can’t be helped.”
The way her expectations and plans had missed the mark left her feeling completely drained.
“You should wash up. I’ll prepare some hot water.”
“Alright. Oh, and ask the servants who came to catch the deer to stay on alert once more. And Fioda, make sure you do exactly what I asked you to.”
“Of course.”
Fioda busied herself running errands and preparing hot water.
Catching the deer at the scene would have been ideal.
But if she had done that, Luciena might have ended up repeating another absurd death.
More disappointing than anything else was the matter concerning Chelin.
Although Chelin had clearly accused Luciena out of malice without any evidence…
It was now equally clear that Chelin hadn’t been the one who destroyed the garden and framed her.
Until dawn, Luciena had been convinced every act of malice directed at her was Chelin’s doing.
Now…
Every certainty she had was beginning to crumble.
As Luciena lay on her bed, lost in thought—
Bang!
Someone pounded violently on the door.
Then Reshuna’s furious voice echoed from outside.
“…Come out, Luciena! Right now!”
So it finally begins.
Having already prepared herself mentally, Luciena went to greet Reshuna.
The moment she opened the door, she saw Reshuna glaring at her with blazing anger.
“Sister, what’s wrong—”
Before Luciena could finish speaking, Reshuna raised her hand to slap her.
Thud.
But Reshuna’s hand was stopped by Luciena.
I already know what’s coming.
There’s no way I’m going to stand still and get slapped twice.
Although she failed to strike Luciena, Reshuna said exactly what she had in the previous timeline.
“How disgusting….”
“What are you so upset about?”
“You… you’re unbelievably shameless. I’ve always thought so, but now that I think about it… you were like this even when we were children.”
Just as Reshuna reached out to shove Luciena in the chest—
Luciena calmly twisted her body and avoided her hand.
Instead, Reshuna nearly lost her balance and stumbled.
“Why did you do that to my garden?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you think pretending not to know will save you? I have a witness. Just come with me.”
Even though Luciena already knew exactly what had happened, she silently followed behind Reshuna.
Reshuna’s vegetable garden looked exactly as it had that morning—
Completely trampled and ruined.
“You did this.”
“There’s no way I did, Sister.”
“I told you not to bother denying it! I have a witness!”
The moment Reshuna finished speaking, Chelin stepped out from behind a large tree beside the garden.
“I saw everything. A few days ago, Miss Luciena was acting suspiciously around here and pulling out winter herbs.”
Everything unfolded exactly the same as in her previous life—
Except for Luciena’s reaction.
“I did pass by here while seeing Erteo off that day. But I never pulled out any winter herbs like you claimed. Just because I happened to pass by once doesn’t make me the person who destroyed this garden. At least say something that makes sense.”
Without the slightest panic, Luciena answered calmly and confidently.
“Then why did you suddenly panic and run away the moment you saw me? Weren’t you scouting the place before carrying out your plan?”
“I left because you were staring at me with the same filthy look you’re giving me now. I wasn’t running away. More importantly, the fact that we happened to meet here that day isn’t proof that I destroyed the garden.”
A tense silence settled between Luciena and Chelin as they glared at one another.
Finally, Reshuna spoke.
“This is my garden.”
“I cultivate it to grow ingredients for magical potions. The herbs that survive the harsh winter are stronger, rarer, and far more valuable. Chelin has cared for this place with great devotion every single day.”
“That’s right. I’ve tended this garden every year, and this is the first time anyone has deliberately ruined it. Right after Miss Luciena started lurking around here a few days ago… this happened.”
Luciena curled one corner of her lips into a mocking smile.
They’re saying exactly the same things as before.
How predictable.
“Fine.”
“If, just as your maid claims, I really am the culprit…”
“I’ll leave this house.”
Reshuna’s eyes widened in complete shock.
“But if I’m not the culprit…”
“Then that maid will have to pay the price for insulting me.”
The gentle look that usually filled Luciena’s eyes vanished.
In its place, her gaze became cold and razor-sharp.
