TDVIATD 28

She couldn’t help but think how remarkable it was that he had entrusted such a large and successful gambling house to someone else, abandoned his life there, and set out on a journey.

(Even now, I’m trying to recruit him to travel again…)

After Leah had died, what had he done?

Had he continued traveling, or returned to the imperial capital?

If, by some chance, she were captured by slave traders, she wanted him to save her—but she couldn’t force him too strongly to travel with her. Leah was prepared to leave the country alone if necessary.

“Running a gambling house is fine, but traveling across different countries isn’t bad either. I’ve already made more than enough money.”

Werner leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head.

“But Leah, maybe in that prophetic dream, you had no choice but to leave the country—but doesn’t that mean you could choose a different path too? Make sure you don’t regret your decision.”

“A different path?”

“Yeah. It’s your life—think it through and decide.”

“……”

Since regaining her memories, Leah had acted differently in some ways—meeting Werner earlier and working with him—but otherwise, she had been living the same life as before.

It wasn’t as if she felt no inner conflict.

The thing that troubled her most was Sieghardt.

Leah cherished the time she could spend with him and wished for that time to last as long as possible.

(But what happens with Lord Sieghardt isn’t something I can decide with my feelings alone.)

In her previous life, he had chosen another woman. The pain and wound from that still remained deeply etched in her heart, even after being reborn.

A quiet breath slipped from her lips.

“I’ve already decided to go on a journey. That is my fate.”

Werner ran a hand loosely through his hair.

“Well, if you’re fine with that, then it’s fine. …But about that prophetic dream you’ve been talking about all this time—do you still not know what kind of monster it was that killed you after you made a contract with it?”

That was another of Leah’s worries.

“I don’t know…”

“If you don’t know what kind of monster it is, there’s nothing we can do.”

Leah had tried countless times to remember, but she couldn’t recall it clearly.

If anything, her already vague memories of her previous life felt like they were fading even more.

(I should have written everything down as soon as I remembered…)

But at that time, she had been with Sieghardt, and she had been deeply shaken.

Even after returning home, it had been too painful to write anything down.

“I think I had a very good relationship with that monster after making the contract…”

“Then the first thing we need to do is figure out what that monster is.”

Originally, that had been the reason she came to consult Werner—but since she couldn’t remember, they had made no progress.

She had wanted to prepare for the future, but for now, she still hadn’t found a way to avoid being killed by that monster.

Still, she was glad that she had been able to build a connection with Werner before setting out on her journey.

“Then why not just not make a contract with any monster?”

Leah shook her head.

“I want to meet that monster. I just don’t want to be killed by it.”

“You must be pretty attached to a monster you only saw in a prophetic dream.”

“Yes.”

Surely, if she set out on her journey, she would meet it again.

She hadn’t been killed immediately after forming the contract, so there should be time to deal with it after they met.

When she glanced outside, the sun had already begun to sink toward the west.

“I should be heading back now.”

“I’ll walk you out.”

They opened a hidden door and passed through a secret passage to exit outside.

Werner had warned her to be careful—if anyone saw her coming and going from the gambling house, it would invite unnecessary speculation.

That was why she always disguised herself as a commoner and used the secret passage when she came here.

“Well then, Werner, see you.”

“Yeah.”

As if telling her to leave before she was spotted, Werner waved his hand.

If he escorted her all the way back to the mansion, it would only draw more attention, so they always parted here. After a short walk, she would reach the main street.

Leah waved back and started walking toward it.

As always, she had asked her maid Irma to cover for her absence today.

Whenever she went into the city, Irma helped her slip out quietly.

Leah was deeply indebted to her.