Chapter 3

The man her grandfather had praised so highly…

Grand Duke Grasias was an absolute scoundrel.

“You said he was cold on the outside, but actually kind and gentle.”

What kind person breaks someone’s arms or legs over something so trivial?

What kind person destroys someone else’s mansion simply because they don’t like it?

“Could there be another person with the same name?”

She checked several times.

Reality didn’t change.

Could Grandfather have already had dementia while he was on the battlefield?

She had heard that some soldiers suffered memory problems from the horrors of war, even when they were still young.

No… that can’t be it.

Evelyn shook her head.

The grandfather she had lived with had been perfectly clear-minded.

Near the end of his life, he repeated the same stories more often, but that was all.

If that was true…

Then there was only one explanation.

Even someone as awful as Grand Duke Grasias must have had a kind side that other people couldn’t see.

…But this is a bit much, isn’t it?

How was she supposed to repay a favor to someone like this?

At this rate, she’d ruin her own life trying to repay her grandfather’s debt.

Still… the man from my prophetic dream was definitely him.

Evelyn narrowed her eyes.

She trusted her grandfather.

She trusted him a great deal.

More than anyone.

But the entire world was calling Grand Duke Grasias a mad dog.

Grandfather… what should I do?

A favor.

Why did something like that have to weigh so heavily on her?

Evelyn spent a long time thinking.

Even after returning to the old inn she had rented on the outskirts of the capital, she couldn’t stop thinking.

Then…

She dreamed again.

***

The setting was exactly the same.

Grand Duke Grasias was in danger once more.

He was supposed to be the Empire’s greatest swordsman.

Yet, for some reason…

He couldn’t properly use his strength.

Was he poisoned?

Unlike the first dream, she crouched down and carefully watched the attack.

Then she woke up.

“I’ve never had the same dream twice before.”

It was strange.

Even stranger…

The same dream continued for several days.

Then, eventually…

She began hearing a voice.

“Save him.”

It was her grandfather’s voice.

“You have to save him.”

At that moment…

Evelyn made up her mind.

All right.

I’ll save him.

And with that decision…

She stepped onto a path she would later regret.

***

But…

How was she supposed to save the Grand Duke?

Evelyn seriously thought about it.

Who exactly was Grand Duke Grasias?

One of the Empire’s finest swordsmen.

A man of immense political power.

Incredibly wealthy.

The commander of his own order of knights.

Now compare that to herself.

She was just an ordinary country noblewoman.

She had neither strength nor influence.

She had a little money…

But prices in the imperial capital were outrageously expensive.

“I don’t even know what these are.”

Mixed in with the imperial coins were several strangely designed coins.

She had no idea what they were for.

At first, she considered asking at an antique shop.

But she decided against it.

Her grandfather had warned her that the capital was full of swindlers who cheated people as naturally as they breathed.

Remember.

This is the kind of place where they’ll steal your nose while your eyes are closed.

That’s definitely not a good idea.

Evelyn thought and thought.

But no matter how hard she tried…

She couldn’t come up with any good solution.

So she decided to visit the house her grandfather had mentioned in his letter.

At the moment, she was staying in a small inn near the library.

The room wasn’t expensive.

But she couldn’t stay there forever.

In that situation…

The house her grandfather had left behind in the capital was a blessing.

Housing in the capital was usually extremely expensive.

She had no idea her grandfather owned a place there.

He had once told her he had been a soldier in his younger days.

Apparently, he had earned quite a bit of money back then.

Thinking simply, Evelyn headed toward the address written in the letter.

The house stood on a neatly maintained street on the outskirts of the capital.

It was a neighborhood where ordinary, respectable people lived.

The roads were clean, and similar-looking houses lined both sides of the street.

One of them belonged to her grandfather.

It was a modest two-story house with a green roof.

It wasn’t large.

But it was tidy.

It even had someone managing it.

“Who’s there?!”

The moment Evelyn knocked on the door, a man hurried outside.

Instead of greeting her, he immediately shouted.

Then he stared at her with narrowed eyes.

“…You look like someone.”

“Hello.”

“My name is Evelyn.”

“I’m Baron Frilly’s granddaughter.”

“Baron Frilly?”

“That old bastard’s granddaughter?”

“…Yes.”

Their first meeting wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Calling her grandfather “that old bastard” was unforgivable.

She could overlook the fact that he had yelled at her.

But insulting her grandfather was another matter.

Just as she was about to get angry…

The man suddenly shouted,

“The owner’s finally here!”

“My job as caretaker is over!”

The caretaker raised both hands into the air with tears of joy.

His face was filled with overwhelming relief.

With trembling hands, he pulled a key from his pocket.

“Here.”

“This is the house key.”

Evelyn accepted it without thinking.

The caretaker immediately threw both arms into the air and shook with excitement.

“I’m free!”

“Finally free!”

“I’m free from that damn old man!”

He looked so ridiculous that Evelyn could only stare with her mouth hanging open.

Then…

The caretaker suddenly took off running.

He sprinted down the road.

Within moments…

He disappeared into the distance.

Before Evelyn even had a chance to stop him.

“…What just happened?”

She watched him blankly before giving an awkward smile.

Surely… the “damn old man” wasn’t talking about my grandfather…?

Turning the key over in her hand, she inserted it into the lock.

The door opened smoothly.

As though someone had been maintaining the house the entire time.

***

Inside, all the furniture was covered with white sheets.

They had been placed there to keep dust away.

And judging by how clean everything still was…

Someone had been regularly cleaning the house.

For someone who had wanted his freedom so badly…

The caretaker had certainly done his job diligently.

“Let’s have a look.”

Passing through the living room, Evelyn entered the kitchen.

It was a comfortable size.

Next to it was a small storage room.

It was completely stocked with food.

Does a caretaker normally take care of things like this too?

She couldn’t help wondering.

Still…

Seeing it made her feel relieved.

At least she wouldn’t have to worry about food for a while.

Next, she went upstairs.

There were three bedrooms and one bathroom.

Like the first floor, everything was in excellent condition.

Once the sheets were removed, the rooms could be used immediately.

Then I’d better get started.

She would be sleeping here tonight anyway.

Rolling up her sleeves, Evelyn removed every white sheet, folded them neatly, and stored them away.

Then she unpacked her luggage in one of the bedrooms.

There was almost nothing to clean.

Because of that, her opinion of the caretaker improved considerably.

Someone who maintained a house this well must have been close to her grandfather.

One of her grandfather’s old friends used to visit their estate from time to time.

He always cursed whenever he saw her grandfather.

He tried not to do it in front of Evelyn…

But his voice was loud enough that she heard almost everything.

Right…

They must have had that kind of friendship.

Satisfied with her conclusion, Evelyn nodded to herself.

Then she went back downstairs.

There was one place her grandfather had specifically told her to check.

She hadn’t explored everything yet.

But the kitchen had two storage rooms.

One held food.

The other was filled with old wooden crates.

Inside the crates…

Well-preserved bottles of wine.

But what mattered wasn’t the wine.

It was what lay beneath.

After moving the crates aside and lifting an old floor mat…

A large trapdoor appeared.

It led underground.

Her grandfather had written:

Go down to the basement. Everything you’ll need is there.

How could you possibly know what I’d need?

She had no idea what awaited her below.

Yet her heart began to pound.

It felt just like when she had first explored the attic as a child.

Carefully…

Evelyn descended the stairs.

Before long…

She understood what her grandfather had meant.

A long hallway stretched ahead of her.

Rooms lined both sides of it.

Inside were countless items.

Some were familiar.

Others made her wonder…

Why is something like this here?

At the very end of the hallway was an empty room.

Unlike the others…

It looked suspicious.

Its door was made of thick metal.

Iron rings for fastening chains were attached to the walls inside.

“…Grandfather.”

“What in the world was this room used for?”

Without realizing it, Evelyn let out a groan.

No matter how she looked at it…

The basement was actually larger than the house above it.

And the facilities built down here…

Looked more than a little suspicious.