ECD 07

Chapter 7

After I Died, Everything Changed 

Elliott Leflaine. With the support of the Mergen family, he had graduated at the top of his class from the Imperial Academy and had become a loyal servant of the Mergen family.

Among other things, he had worked to assist me with my duties, so he could be considered my personal aide.

Being in a situation where I faced him like this was very familiar to me, but the fact that the person he had come to see was Irene made this scene feel very unfamiliar.

“What is it?”

Even when I tried to imitate Irene’s usual polite way of speaking, my voice came out flat and somehow strange.

No matter how much my body had changed, there was no way my speech and habits could change along with it.

“The family head has summoned Lady Irene.”

“Grandfather?”

Why was he looking for me?

“You must come with me right away.”

Without giving me any time to think further, Elliott urged me on.

I suppose I have no choice.

Since I had no idea why he was calling me, I had no choice but to go and find out myself.

Elliott stepped aside beside the door, and I left the room at a neither-fast-nor-slow pace.

A long corridor stretched out before me.

The path to where my grandfather was waiting was extremely familiar to me.

It felt strange to be walking this path, which I must have walked hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times, with Irene’s feet.

Elliott walked ahead of me.

“What was his mood when he gave the order?”

“He was calm.”

“Who did the family head meet before that?”

“No one. While summoning you, he also summoned Young Master Abel.”

“Abel.”

Receiving information this quickly while on the way to see my grandfather had become a habit because of my busy schedule.

Many of the things I did were handled like this while I was walking from one place to another.

“Is he with his retainers?”

“He is alone.”

Elliott, who had been answering my questions one after another, suddenly stopped walking.

Naturally, I stopped as well.

Then he slowly turned toward me.

“Why?”

I asked him.

Usually, Elliott was so quick to answer that it would have been strange to see him hesitate like this.

After staring at me for a long while, he finally opened his mouth.

“Lady Irene seems to be…”

He looked like he was carefully choosing his words.

It was an unusual sight for me.

“You seem to have changed.”

That seemed to be the best words he could finally come up with.

Still, I felt strangely proud of Elliott for noticing the changes in this body.

Ah. Is that dangerous for me now?

He was sharp, so he must have quickly noticed my changes.

Elliott was completely on my side.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the only person I could tell about my true identity.

But not yet.

The situation had changed, so I had to consider every possible variable.

“Let’s go. Grandfather must be waiting.”

The area in front of the family head’s office was unusually quiet.

There were none of the ministers who usually followed my grandfather.

It seemed he intended to tell us something secret.

“Abel.”

Abel, whom I met in front of the door, was dressed comfortably.

At my call, Abel’s eyes briefly turned toward me, but it was only for a moment, like a passing glance at a weed in the grass.

“Seeing that you came here too, I suppose it isn’t anything important.”

Well, look at him.

I thought he was treating me like a pebble on the roadside, but apparently he had decided to act childish.

“Well, it seems you were hoping for that.”

Abel did not answer.

His stiff head remained fixed on the door, showing no sign of moving.

How boring.

“They said you may enter.”

A servant opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, I entered before anyone else.

Soon, I heard footsteps following behind me.

“Come in, both of you.”

Grandfather welcomed us while sitting in his chair.

Judging by the large stack of papers in his hands, it seemed to be about work.

“I greet the family head.”

At my greeting, Abel, who was standing beside me, also bowed his head.

“Sit.”

At Grandfather’s gesture, Abel and I took seats opposite each other at the round table.

We could now clearly see each other’s faces.

“The reason I called you two is because I need your help.”

“Our help?”

He wanted Irene and Abel to work?

Had he really been that short-handed?

“Yes. Since we cannot immediately fill the position Deborah left vacant, you two will have to help the family.”

Grandfather handed each of us a stack of papers.

Abel looked at the documents placed before him, and I also scanned the papers in front of me.

I spotted a familiar contract.

“This is…”

“I want each of you to handle these matters.”

There was a mining rights contract in front of me.

It was a contract with the Imperial Family.

“Are you asking me to handle Deborah’s annulment procedure?”

And that was related to Deborah—in other words, my engagement.

“You recognized it right away.”

I never thought I would be the one to settle this matter.

Well, since I was resolving my own problem, perhaps this was only natural.

“What is Abel’s assignment?”

I was curious.

What kind of task had been given to Abel?

“Reorganizing Mergen’s private army.”

“……”

Mergen’s private army had been stationed there to prevent the barbarians from the desert region from crossing the border.

That was also a duty bound by a contractual relationship between Mergen and the Imperial Family.

Mergen in the north, and Beluze in the east.

The soldiers were already organized according to an almost fixed system, so saying that they needed to be reorganized was practically just wordplay.

What Grandfather really wanted was probably…

He wants to swallow Abel’s soldiers in one bite.

Put nicely, it looked as if he were giving Abel an opportunity.

But if Abel showed even the slightest weakness, all of them would become part of Mergen.

For Abel, the risks seemed much greater than the benefits.

What will you do?

If he wanted to become the heir, he would have to accept in order to win Grandfather’s favor.

But if he wanted to safely secure his own interests, he should refuse.

Abel remained completely still, looking only at the documents.

He must have been quite troubled inside.

Then, at that moment.

Abel’s eyes, which had been fixed on the documents in front of him, met mine directly.

His violet eyes revealed no emotion, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

What answer will he give?

Either way, it was nothing more than an interesting show for me.

“I will do it.”

Unexpected.

Abel had agreed to play right into Grandfather’s hands.

He had acted as if he had no interest whatsoever in Mergen’s affairs, but perhaps that was not actually true.

The corner of my mouth lifted at Abel’s choice.

Ah, is this too obvious of a mocking smile?

“Then I suppose only you have to decide now, Irene.”

“I will do it too.”

Seeing Abel’s decision, I also made up my mind.

Honestly, I had no desire to help Mergen with its affairs.

But this was not just any matter. It concerned my engagement, so it made sense for me to settle it myself.

Besides, I no longer had to struggle for Mergen’s benefit, so there was nothing difficult about it.

“It’s nothing difficult.”

All I had to do was exchange a few seals with the other side and be done with it.

I wonder if I’ll get to see a familiar face.

“You should be able to do the same, Abel.”

Though watching what happened on his side seemed more entertaining.

I smiled at Abel.

“That is an unexpected choice.”

“Are you talking about me?”

After leaving Grandfather’s room, I walked down the corridor and spoke to Abel.

I had no intention of deliberately irritating him.

I was simply curious about his interesting choice.

“It seems the family head is about to start pheasant hunting.”

Pheasant hunting was a common activity among nobles.

They could release falcons to hunt the pheasants, or release dogs to drive them out and then hunt them with bows.

The Mergen bloodline was particularly fond of pheasant hunting.

“I wonder whether we will become the falcons or the dogs.”

At my words, Abel, who had been walking ahead of me, stopped.

He slowly turned around.

His eyes were still emotionless.

Whenever I saw those eyes, I felt like provoking him.

“Do you think what he handed you is an opportunity?”

Perhaps Abel, who had spent so much time on the battlefield, was ignorant of these kinds of matters.

Surely I could at least give him this much advice.

“Conflict does not only exist on the battlefield. Especially in Mergen. If you act carelessly, everything will be taken from you.”

“Are you giving me advice?”

“Well, that depends on how you take it.”

It did not matter what he thought.

“I did not accept this task to win Mergen’s favor.”

“Hmm.”

Then why would he deliberately take on such an unpleasant task?

“This is a place where Lady Deborah’s will remains. I simply want to put things in order myself rather than let others ruin it.”

“……”

His answer was completely unexpected, and I found myself unable to speak.

A place where my will remains.

“So stop with your ridiculous interference. It is a feeling someone like you could never understand.”

Abel turned and walked away.

While I stood there blankly, he gradually disappeared into the distance.

“…I thought winter had returned after driving spring away.”

What a freezing wind.

“Lady Irene, shall I arrange a meeting with the Imperial Family?”

Elliott, who had been following me, asked.

I nodded and started walking again.

I walked along the same path where Abel had disappeared.

What feelings did that child have when he returned here?

He did not seem like the kind of person who would dance to someone else’s foolish tune.

Did he really return because he wants the position of heir?

Where was Abel heading?

Does the path you are walking have a destination?