IBWCD 18

IBWCD

Posted by Haans, Released on July 18, 2026

Chapter 18

She concluded her thought with a long, defeated sigh.

“Anyway… it’s true that I need him now.”

Now that she was free of the Countess, all she had to do was make sure her mother was alive and well and that the curse was broken once and for all.

If she could exact revenge in the process, so much the better, but all she wanted was a life of peace, unlike her last, fierce one.

Evelyn fiddled with the dress for a long moment before finally closing the closet door.

“I must go to Adelheim.”

If she remembered correctly, Adelheim should be full of traders by now.

There were few better places to get information than the marketplace.

“If I’m lucky, I might be able to find out the ingredients of the drug used in the spell.”

When the mind is busy, the body is the answer.

Evelyn tugged lightly on a string on the wall.

* * *

With the help of her maid, Evelyn got ready to go out, and instead of using the Orpheus family carriage, she hired a private carriage.

The family’s black carriage, densely decorated with magic stones, was enchanted with a teleportation spell that allowed for quick travel, but it was conspicuous wherever it went.

With their relationship still undisclosed, it would be awkward for her to show up in House Orpheus’ carriage.

“Ah, cool.”

Evelyn waited for the carriage, enjoying the breeze rushing under the porch.

It had been a long time since she’d felt a breeze, and it seemed to blow away the clouds overhead.

Suddenly, she heard a shout from behind her.

“Miss!”

Gilbert, the manor’s butler, had come running down the stairs, having heard the news late.

As he reached the porch, he spoke in his usual calm tone.

“You’ve called for a carriage? If you’re uncomfortable with the family crest, I’m sure I can arrange for an ordinary carriage.”

She gave him an awkward smile.

“Ah… I didn’t know there were ordinary carriages.”

“His Highness would be very unhappy if he knew.”

The smile was as benevolent as ever, but the embarrassment was palpable.

But it would only be an embarrassment to the grand duke’s consort, and the owner of the manor would not care.

Evelyn tugged at the long, knotted strings of her bonnet as she listened to the carriage draw nearer.

“Well, then, next time, I’ll do you a favor. I wouldn’t want to send the coachman off in vain, so I think I’ll take that one today.”

Gilbert nodded, as if he had no choice, and glanced at her unassuming attire.

A dress with puffed sleeves that showed half of her white calves.

It was comfortable enough for Evelyn, but it could have been seen as immodest by the butler, who valued nobility’s dignity.

The glasses perched on the bridge of his nose glinted in the reflected light.

Skillfully concealing his displeasure, the butler asked meekly.

“I see you’ve borrowed the maid’s child’s clothes. Didn’t you hear the announcement that your dress was ready?”

“Oh, that was…”

Embarrassment washed over her face.

If she had a private wardrobe in the mansion, even the butler would be aware of “the lady’s” existence, so why the hell was he suggesting this?

Evelyn pursed her lips and decided to answer the question bluntly, rather than make an awkward excuse.

“It’s against the law to take a master’s clothes without his permission, and they’re as clean as new, so it’s hard to touch them.”

As the butler scratched his head in disbelief, the carriage arrived.

“Goodbye, then.”

As Evelyn turned and climbed into the carriage, a muffled voice called after her.

“With all due respect, miss, that closet has no owner.”

* * *

“Don’t be offended, they are new and have never been touched by anyone.”

As Evelyn climbed into the carriage, she gazed blankly into space and recalled the butler’s addition.

If they hadn’t been burned by anyone’s hands, then why on earth did he have a closet full of dresses?

Even the dresses were consistent in size.

Something told her Kalian was saving them for his future wife.

It certainly wasn’t for her, for according to the maid, the wardrobe had been there for a long, long time.

Her head tangled even more. Shaking her head, Evelyn desperately tried to clear it.

She didn’t know why she was so agitated by the butler’s words, too frightened to control the presence of a woman whose face she didn’t recognize.

‘Perhaps it is the butler’s effort to conceal his master’s transgressions so as not to cause a disturbance.’

But she couldn’t think of an answer. Her doubts and confusion would have to be resolved alone.

Adelheim’s Great Square was not far from the mansion, so she arrived quickly, and the first thing she saw when she stepped out of the carriage was the spring flowers in full bloom.

“I think it was around this time…”

Evelyn searched her memory and turned into a manicured alleyway.

There was no trash on the sidewalks, and the air smelled delicious from the open-air restaurants.

“Mmm, this looks too good to eat alone.”

Unable to resist the temptation, Evelyn popped a skewer into her mouth and waddled out of the alleyway, eventually emerging into an open plaza.

Cheerful music blared, and exotic vendors with skin as healthy as well-cooked oats lined up their wares on colorful carpets.

“Looks like I’ve come to the right place…”

These are the traders who come and go through the western port of Litsev once a month, and whenever their ships come in, they set up shop in Adelheim’s Great Square for five days.

Their wares consisted of medicines, trinkets, and spices rarely found in the Empire.

“The source of strength for northern men! Tiger spider sap from the continent of Nora, across the sea. If you think this drug will make you talk…”

“Here’s a drug that can make even a jilted wife come back. Extracted from the scrotum of a ghoul…!”

Evelyn strode through the square, listening to the boisterous voices of the hawkers.

But as she turned calf-deep, she could find no trace of the herb used in the curse.

‘It’s a little heavier than this one, and it’s a different color…’

Well, it was used in witchcraft, so it should be easy to find.

If she could find the ingredients, she’d find the shop that brought it in. There must be someone who traded in large quantities.

A lot.

She picked up all the medicinal ingredients and focused all her attention on sight and smell.

“Uh…?”

Finally, Evelyn found what she was looking for in a shop at the end of a ramshackle alley.

The purple cone-shaped pillar with its tiny roots emitted a foul odor that could have come from an old sewer.

“What is the name of this herb?”

Evelyn pointed at the herb with her fingertips. The old woman, whose eyes were a different color on each side of her face, stared at it, then opened her mouth.

“Iblis’s Horn, an ancient elixir obtained from a demonic beast inhabiting the Nora Continent. It’s a very mysterious herb, despite its ugly appearance.”

“Perhaps you could tell me from which upper realm it came?”

“If I tell you, what will you give me, young lady?”

The old woman’s sudden question caught her off guard. Goosebumps sprouted in her grave eyes, and she laughed, a gravelly laugh that went straight to her ears.

“Just kidding, just kidding! If you want to know where our medicines come from, you can go to the top of the Parminion.”

“Parminion?”

“Have you been living under a rock?”

Evelyn bought the herbs and left the store with an unexplained reluctance.

The top of Parminion was a place she knew very well.

It was the fiefdom to which the village of Litchev belonged, and it was ruled by Kalian’s maternal grandfather, the Duke of Parminion.

While this might seem like a great opportunity to others, the Duke of Parminion and the Grand Duchess were not on good terms.

It’s safe to say they were on bad terms.

Mountains over mountains.

With a long sigh, Evelyn continued on her way, sending a letter to Reah.

Reah was a member of the Fang Clan, an imperial family from the continent of Nora.

Count Bernard, who was granted a noble title in exchange for his exile, but not a manor, was living in Parminion and serving as a councilor.