Chapter 7
There is no need for the substitute princess to have any regrets.
Since it was early morning, most of the servants and knights of the duke's household were likely asleep.
It was also a time when the attention directed towards me within the duke’s residence was relatively minimal.
“This secret passage is still here.”
Muttering briefly as I slipped out through the same secret passage of the duke’s estate that had been there three years ago, I reflected on its unchanging presence.
Indeed, a secret passage exists precisely because it is meant to remain concealed. It was amusing, though, that after three years in the duke’s residence, I had never discovered it.
After finding April, whenever staying at the duke's residence became stifling, I would occasionally use this passage to escape.
Sometimes, I would head to the shrine, and at other times, I would take a horse to venture into the suburbs.
Yet now, with April not even present at the duke’s residence, I felt stifled.
The mere expectation that I should ‘quietly’ remain without being informed about April was highly irritating.
Wearing the artifact I had brought from home around my neck, I headed towards the carriage rental station.
“It’s odd.”
The entire duke's residence was peculiar, but the most peculiar was Baron Hill Rise.
He must have had a quarrel with the duke and, as was his usual practice, should have come to cause a commotion afterwards.
“It’s surprising.”
He had left the mansion that very day and had not returned since.
Although it was late, some shops in the town still had their lights on, and a few newsstands caught my eye.
Among them, one headline particularly drew my attention.
—“The Unfortunate Carriage Accident of Lady Rise.”
It was a flashy headline on the front page beneath the newspaper’s logo.
As I stared intently, the newsstand owner, rolling up the newspaper, tapped the stand.
“It’s 5 cents. Pay up if you want to read it.”
I paid the 5 cents, took the newspaper, and quickly skimmed through it.
The article was a monotonous account of how the lady had suffered a carriage accident on her way to her villa a month ago and was currently recuperating there, with her fiancé, Ferpone, never having visited.
“So, she’s at the villa.”
Was it for treatment?
Even though the article was not amusing, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Indeed, after three years, there was always a reason why someone would call upon me.
I had never once thought they called me due to regrets over the past.
The reason they tried to persuade me for a week became clear with this revelation.
It also revealed that the people of the duke's household had not changed.
Both I and the people of the capital knew well that April had a strong affection for Crown Prince Ferpone, so the duke's household must have been anxious.
Asking me to act as a substitute for a year indicated that April was injured far worse than expected.
Using divine power might heal her quickly, but it would certainly lead to more gossip.
“The Crown Prince might demand an annulment.”
“What?”
The newsstand owner looked at me in surprise at my words.
“No, it’s fine. I’ve seen enough of the newspaper.”
I roughly put the newspaper back on the stand and walked briskly towards the carriage rental station.
The Emperor’s consort, Rozian, did not want the duke’s daughter to become the Crown Princess.
Since Rozian could not produce an heir, to maintain her power after the Emperor's death, she needed to install a noblewoman from an influential family within her influence as the Crown Princess.
The duke’s household was among those places where her influence did not reach, including the great noble houses of the empire.
Therefore, hearing about a severe injury would prompt Rozian to find a pretext to demand an annulment.
What puzzled me, however, was that it didn’t seem like Ferpone to not send even a single letter concerning his injured fiancée.
Shortly after arriving at the carriage rental station, I handed money to the driver.
“Please take me to Daryl Village.”
The driver’s eyes widened at the gold coins I handed over, and he opened the carriage door wide.
“Please get in. I will assist in getting you there faster than other drivers.”
Leaving the smiling driver behind, I climbed into the carriage.
* * *
“Ah…”
A rough hand, scarred from many injuries, reached for the medicine bottle in front of him.
For a person, sleep is one of the basic needs, yet Alan, plagued by nightmares whenever he slept, bit the inside of his cheek.
It had been two years since he began living here, and simultaneously, two years since his body, previously in a dreadful state, returned to normal.
Though he hoped that taking sleeping pills might help him sleep without dreams, that was not the case.
As soon as he closed his eyes, his memory always recalled three years ago.
Fortunately, he had escaped from the shrine and, by meeting Irina, had healed his body damaged by the shrine's drug experiments, but the trauma from his experiences at the shrine remained.
Knowing that divine power could heal all physical wounds but not mental ones was something he realized two years ago.
As Alan reached for the stimulant, having given up on restful sleep, the sound of a bell suddenly snapped him out of his trance, and he quickly left the pharmacy.
“I’m here.”
Alan’s face, filled with fatigue and irritation, brightened instantly upon seeing the person who had entered the store.
The one who had made it possible for him to continue living despite the hellish times.
His one and only savior.
“Miss!”
The light beige hair with a hint of sunset color flowed and cascaded down as Irina’s sunset-toned gaze met his directly.
“It’s been a long time.”
The benefactor who had saved him two years ago when he had fled from the shrine.
Irina Devin.
Alan’s gaze shifted briefly to the artifact hanging around her neck.
“I’ve really missed you, Miss Irina.”
‘Miss Irina.’
Every time I heard my name from someone who resembled my mother, I would instinctively flinch.
Seeing Alan, who had dashed out of the pharmacy and was smiling, I took off the robe I was wearing.
I fiddled with the artifact around my neck.
It was an artifact that allowed me to take on the appearance of my deceased mother.
Although the appearance had been perfectly changed, it was a pity that the voice remained the same.
“Why haven’t you come here for so long? Have you grown to dislike me?”
Alan’s playful joke made me slightly frown.
Alan, who was a bit taller than me and had a grin like a large dog, made me shake my head.
It didn’t seem like he had acted like that when I first found him.
“You’re being silly.”
When we were alone, I allowed him to call me ‘Irina,’ but I did not use that name in front of others.
This was also part of the education I had received from my real father and Alicia for a long time.
To be precise, it was something my biological father, Daniel, had told me the night before entering the duke’s household.
“Never mention our parents’ names in front of others, Irina.”
“Once you enter the duke’s household, you must consider those people as your true parents.”
“Irina, I will give you my divine power. Never use this power for anyone else, and do not show this ability in front of others.”
“You must use this power solely for yourself.”
It was one of the few strong moments shown by my weak biological father.
Whether it was because it was the last night with my father or because of the shock of his confession as a fugitive, I remembered it vividly even after so much time had passed.
“By the way…”
I asked Alan, who was staring at me blankly.
“Who exactly is calling for me?”
It was a question to change the topic, but Alan looked somewhat disappointed.
With his Persian cat-like appearance and large dog-like behavior, he had often acted like a servant.
Drinking a sip of water from the table and taking off my robe, he took it as if he were a butler.
I never expected that the meeting with Alan, whom I had picked up on my father’s memorial day two years ago, would last this long.
He had seemed like a wild beast ready to bare its teeth when approached, but now he had transformed into such a large dog.
“Please let me repay your kindness. I will be of help in your work.”
Though my father had told me not to use divine power for others, it was ultimately something I had to use.
Supporting two women was very difficult.
Due to lingering discrimination against beast-people, there were not many places willing to employ Alicia, and I had not earned any money while living as a shut-in.
During the year I was confined to home after being expelled from the duke's household, the interest on the debt incurred from my father's medicine grew like a mountain of snow.
Alicia was the only one barely managing to keep it at bay.
The divine power my father had instructed me to use only for myself was a useful means to repay the debt and sustain our livelihood.
“Well, we haven’t met for three months, and you’re already getting to the point?”
Alan, with his lips puckered like a fish, grumbled briefly.
What else should I say? I came here because of work.
Alan’s face showed considerable disappointment, with an expression of not knowing what to do.
“I thought you would ask how I’ve been, how I’m doing, that you missed me, or if I’ve been seeing anyone lately.”
“Those things can be said later.”
Why is it so urgent?
Besides, exchanging idle chatter often fosters interest and affection.
Although it has been nearly three years since I’ve been with Alan, there is still much I do not know about him.
“Who is this person searching for me, as mentioned in the letter?”
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