ECD 10

Chapter 10

I Died, and Everything Changed

“Why is he entrusting this matter to me?”

The day after Henry left, Grandfather gave me another task.

Elliot conveyed Grandfather’s words to me.

“It seems he had a discussion with His Highness the Prince regarding the mine. The head of the family wants you to look deeply into this matter and solve it.”

It seemed Henry had had a serious discussion with Grandfather about the broken engagement negotiations before he left.

What a pointless thing to do.

I had intended to do nothing, but in the end, I was working for Mergen again. It did not make me happy.

“You want me to move even though the documents have not even been stamped yet. That means you expect things not to go smoothly.”

“That is correct.”

“You want me to secure the mine even if the contract falls through.”

“Yes.”

“Who is the leading candidate to remove Mergen?”

“Then as now, the most likely candidate would be Grand Duke Lahan.”

I nodded.

At this point, I had no choice but to admit it.

Was it my fate to finish what I had started because I was the one who caused it?

If this was God’s will, it was rather cruel.

“If it has been decided, then I suppose I have to move. Kalin.”

I called Kalin.

“Yes, Miss.”

Kalin, who was not far away, quickly answered.

“Get ready to go out.”

“Go out?”

Kalin’s eyes widened in surprise.

“We might have to go somewhere quite rough, so I’ll need comfortable shoes.”

“Somewhere rough all of a sudden?”

I smiled at Kalin, who looked confused.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you come out like this since I came here, Miss.”

A reddish color spread across Kalin’s clear cheeks.

“I suppose this body was not suited for something like this.”

It had not even been long since we left the mansion, yet my body was already exhausted.

It was not simply that I lacked stamina. At this rate, I must have some kind of illness…

‘That’s right. This body was sick.’

A congenital condition whose name I could not even produce, despite it being only one syllable.

It was a disease that affected only a very small number of people among the Mergen bloodline.

It was sometimes called the family’s curse, received in exchange for possessing the power of the forest.

‘The power disappeared long ago, yet only the curse remains. That is rather unfair.’

Why did it have to be Irene?

Of all the foolish people in Mergen.

“Is that really the only unfair thing in the world?”

“Yes? Miss?”

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

As I started walking again, the sunlight felt especially hot.

In fact, my arm had turned reddish.

The swollen red area felt itchy.

“Does this happen to you too?”

I raised my reddened arm and showed it to Kalin.

“Oh my! You were always sensitive to sunlight, but I guess it’s especially strong today. What should we do…?”

Kalin grabbed my arm and anxiously stamped her feet.

“Should I go get a parasol?”

We had already come out, and going back would take quite some time.

Besides, I did not like either sending her alone or going back together.

Just then, I spotted a general goods store.

“Going back would be troublesome, so let’s buy one there.”

“Oh! Then I’ll hurry and go…”

“I’ll go choose one.”

“Yes!”

Kalin and I headed toward the general goods store.

A long display stand had been set up in front of the store.

“Miss, go inside.”

“No. I’ll choose one here, so go bring the owner.”

“Here? Yes, yes!”

Kalin ran into the store.

Meanwhile, I looked over the parasols lined up on the display stand one by one.

As expected of a famous general goods store, there were many different kinds of items.

As I walked along the display, following the parasols arranged from light colors to dark colors, I came across hats and gloves.

They were goods displayed and sold on a street stand, so they were not made of the finest fabrics used by nobles. Still, for some reason, my hand was drawn toward the neatly folded gloves.

Just as my hand was about to touch the black gloves, my arm bumped into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

I had bumped into another person.

The man who had bumped into me apologized, so I gave a small nod and told him it was fine.

I took my eyes off the gloves and returned to the parasols.

I saw parasols made from various materials.

There were ones made of soft silk or decorated with elaborate lace, as well as simple ones made of paper.

My hand reached toward the paper parasol.

“If they cost the same, the ones beside it would be better.”

I heard the voice of the man I had just bumped into.

When I turned my head, I saw his face.

A handsome man with neatly combed black hair, sharp features, and red eyes like rubies beneath his deep-set eyes.

‘This man…’

Grand Duke Lahan.

I finally learned the identity of the man whose face I had not recognized when we bumped into each other.

“Were you speaking to me?”

At my question, Lahan gave a slight nod.

“A young lady from a noble family should not be carrying such a cheap parasol.”

“It sounds like you know who I am.”

His tone was far from a polite suggestion.

That was right. Lahan was the kind of person for whom acting arrogant came as naturally as breathing.

I ignored his words and picked up the paper parasol.

Just to prove my point.

“The person who needs an item should be the one to decide its value, shouldn’t they?”

“Are you sure you have an eye for such things?”

“With these delicate arms, something light made with bamboo ribs is more suitable. At least, this street is not a place for me to show off something heavy and expensive.”

“You’re a pragmatist, contrary to your appearance. You could have your maid carry it.”

“She has better uses.”

As if he knew anything about me.

He had never even had a proper conversation with Irene.

The Grand Duke’s eyebrow twitched at my answer.

He was clearly interested.

“You, on the other hand, seem to be looking at something that does not suit you.”

I looked at the gloves in his hand.

They were the black gloves I had been about to touch.

They had an elegant appearance, but as was usually the case with items displayed on street stands, they were not of a quality that would satisfy a high-ranking noble.

Even if the quality were good, nobles would hardly like something covered in the dust of the street.

“It sounds like you know who I am.”

He returned my own words to me.

“Since it seems we already know each other, we can skip the troublesome formalities.”

Lahan Vahel.

The current Emperor’s half-brother and the man who had inherited the Vahel family name.

Unlike what one would expect from someone of the Imperial bloodline, he possessed a free spirit.

His father was the former Emperor, and his mother was an illegitimate daughter of the Vahel family.

Though he was the Emperor’s illegitimate son and had no position within the family, he had swallowed up the entire Vahel family through his own abilities.

He was also known for his cruel nature. There was even a saying that the blood spilled during the process of taking over Vahel had dyed the river beside the family red.

From the moment he abandoned the Imperial name in order to take Vahel for himself, it was clear that he was no ordinary man.

“I also happen to be someone who likes practical things.”

“Is that so?”

For an ordinary member of the Imperial family, buying something from a street stand like this would be unimaginable.

Of course, as the Grand Duke had said, I probably looked the same way to other people.

“So when are you planning to tell me what you want?”

I asked the Grand Duke while holding the parasol I had chosen against my arm.

“You’re asking me what I want when we just happened to meet?”

The Grand Duke curled the corner of his lips as if he found this situation amusing.

I lowered my gaze and alternated between looking at his pocket and his hand.

“You already have a valuable pair of gloves, yet you deliberately lingered in front of a display stand where you knew someone. If you have no business with me, I cannot think of any other explanation.”

My mind raced, wondering whether there had ever been any point of contact between Irene and the Grand Duke.

“Hmm.”

The Grand Duke crossed his arms and leaned to one side in front of me.

“More importantly, I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Considering the time when I had lived as Deborah, the Grand Duke’s schedule must have been far too busy for his time to be guided by coincidence.

He certainly would not have had time to stand around chatting with someone he happened to meet on the street.

“Shopkeeper.”

Grand Duke Lahan’s gaze passed over me.

When I turned around, I saw Kalin and the shopkeeper.

“Welcome, Your Grace!”

“Ring me up.”

“Yes! It’s been a while. How was the shoe brush you took last time?”

The shopkeeper greeted the Grand Duke with familiarity.

“It was useful. The grain of the wood felt smooth in my hand.”

“Just say the word, and I can have it delivered to your mansion!”

He came here often?

Thinking about what had just happened when he mentioned coincidence, I found myself uncomfortable.

‘Did he really not approach me on purpose?’

I thought the situation might become embarrassing.

Well, there was no reason for Lahan to approach Irene.

Even if he knew her face, they were not on the kind of terms where he would deliberately seek her out and pick a fight, as he had with me when I was Deborah.

I was still thinking about my current situation as if I were still Deborah.

That was my mistake.

“Have that parasol included as well.”

The Grand Duke looked at me as he spoke.

“You don’t have to…”

“Let’s create a reason for neither of us to feel awkward. I only wanted to show a small act of kindness.”

“……”

He seemed determined to make me feel embarrassed.

The Grand Duke’s lips curved into a broad smile.

“Well, then.”

After quickly paying for everything, the Grand Duke left the front of the display stand.

Just as he had appeared beside me like an accident, he disappeared just as pointlessly.

“Miss, did something happen?”

Kalin shook me as I stared blankly at the Grand Duke’s back.

“Huh? No, no.”

Perhaps because we were the kind of people who would growl at each other as if we wanted to devour one another whenever we met, this dull encounter simply felt awkward.

Had I still not fully realized that I had changed bodies?

“Let’s go. At this rate, I’ll be too tired to even see the mine.”

I looked at the back of my still-red hand and gazed resentfully at the sky.

I had never known in my life that the spring sunlight could be this cruel.