CHAPTER~26
“Haah……”
Night had fallen, and after tossing and turning without being able to sleep, I finally slipped out.
The maid had worried, saying, “If you go out now, you might catch a cold!”
But comforting my heart came first.
If I didn’t, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep even when dawn arrived.
“Good, it’s open.”
The place I headed for, with nowhere else to go, was the greenhouse garden.
Thankfully, the door was unlocked, so I could enter easily.
The maids had insisted on accompanying me, but I refused and came alone.
Maybe that’s why the quiet felt both awkward and calming at the same time.
At night, the greenhouse was silent, as if no one ever walked there.
I went to the spot where the night sky was the clearest, sat down, and tried to settle my mind.
The memories of the day kept stirring inside my head.
“……Her name was Grimora, right? The new nanny.
Why does that name sound strangely familiar?”
Long story short, Aunt Artemene had scolded me harshly.
The nanny had suddenly shed tears and knelt before me even though I never asked her to.
And angered, my aunt took her side.
She was so furious she didn’t even give me a chance to explain.
She even warned me that if something like this happened again, she would punish me.
Even afterward, the frustration didn’t go away, so I tried to get answers from Mela—but she, frightened, wouldn’t say anything.
The frustration didn’t go away even as time passed, and eventually I came here to calm myself with the moonlight.
I always came to this greenhouse whenever my heart felt heavy and suffocating.
Five years ago, and even now.
Some habits don’t change with time.
I was smiling bitterly to myself when—
“……”
A strange set of footsteps echoed inside the greenhouse where I should’ve been alone.
Realizing those steps were getting closer, my shoulders stiffened.
“Evlyen.”
“Kya—! Mmph!”
At the same time, someone’s hand touched my shoulder.
I tried to scream, startled, but a large hand covered my mouth.
While I struggled desperately, the owner of the hand finally revealed himself.
“It’s me, Evlyen.”
The voice that reached me was one I knew well—Frezen.
“Puh—! Duke?
What brings you here at this hour?”
His sudden appearance made me stare in confusion.
I never imagined he would appear at such a time and in such a place.
“……Well.
For some reason, I couldn’t sleep tonight.”
Frezen answered calmly, turning his gaze forward.
“My training ended later than usual.
And for various reasons.
So what about you?
Why are you here alone in this weather?”
“Wait, you already resumed training?
It hasn’t even been long since the subjugation ended.
Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“Are you… worried about me?”
I had answered without thinking, but his unexpectedly gentle question caught me off guard.
Facing those unexpectedly hopeful eyes, I quickly turned away.
“Not at all.
I meant the knights.
I’m tearing up thinking about how much they must be suffering.”
“Why are you worrying about those bastards?
……Don’t tell me you’ve been getting close to any knight other than me, Evlyen.”
“Ha.
What if I have?”
“Then I’ll cut off his head immediately.
Stay here for a moment.”
Taking my words too seriously, Frezen grabbed his sword hilt as if ready to decapitate someone.
“N-no!
I was joking!
Put the sword back!
What are you going to do, have a sword dance under the moon!?”
Once I frantically stopped him, he thankfully sat down again—though his expression was still dead serious.
Stopping him snapped my mind fully awake.
I let out a breath and went back to gazing at the moon.
“I heard about what happened today.
Aunt Artemene scolded you.”
“Yes.
Somehow she knew and came right away.
I think one of the maids told her.
Seriously, this place is full of people you can’t trust.”
I had forgotten for a moment.
You can’t trust people so easily here.
Even though I learned that lesson five years ago.
Anger and bitterness washed over me as I spoke.
“And also—why didn’t you tell me Nanny Quina was driven out?
The new nanny feels off.
Mela was scared when she saw her too.”
I glanced at him carefully, wondering if I’d be scolded again.
But to my surprise, Frezen simply nodded.
“Right after Nanny Quina left, the new nanny arrived with her two children.
She has the deep trust of the Elder Council.
Especially Aunt Artemene.”
“Why?”
From the way Aunt protected the nanny, they seemed rather close.
And now I learned she had strong backing.
No wonder she acted that way toward me and Mela.
Frezen continued quietly.
“Aunt Artemene is in a very fragile state now.
Not physically—but mentally.
Most of her immediate family passed away.”
“I didn’t know… something like that happened to her.”
“You must’ve heard something from Fennel—at least why Nanny Quina was expelled.”
I nodded.
Frezen continued.
“Her only grandson died from poisoning at a young age.
So only one granddaughter remains.”
“……”
“That child witnessed her brother’s seizure and death all alone.
After that, she suffered severe insomnia and couldn’t sleep.”
The truth was far more shocking than what I had heard earlier from Fennel.
I couldn’t speak.
“But from what I heard, Nanny Grimora cherished that child—Reia—very deeply.
Whenever the nanny visited, the girl who couldn’t sleep would fall asleep peacefully.
So Aunt Artemene naturally came to trust her.”
To Aunt Artemene, that nanny must have seemed like a savior.
No wonder she cherished her.
And I had sprung at her, demanding answers.
Of course Aunt was furious.
‘So I’m completely marked now, huh? Haha……’
I wasn’t even surprised anymore.
The moon above me felt more bitter than ever.
Yet something continued to feel wrong.
“At the time, I was participating in the monster subjugation on the western continent.
I learned everything through letters.”
“But you could’ve corrected it after returning.”
“There wasn’t enough evidence.
Nanny Quina herself admitted guilt and accepted her punishment.”
“……Then what about you, Duke?
Do you truly think Nanny Quina poisoned the child?”
“……”
Even though my time with Quina was brief, the Quina I knew would never do something like that.
She always smiled and cared for children lovingly.
“Hard to say.
People have their reasons.
She might have truly done it.
The nanny said she would accept her sin and punishment.”
It felt like something struck me on the head.
His answer once again differed from what I expected.
I thought at least this time he would think like I did.
“Maybe she had no choice but to accept it.”
“……”
“When you realize no one believes you… it’s exhausting.
You feel like giving up everything.”
Maybe that was why.
Why Nanny Quina accepted everything and left quietly.
I could never truly know what she felt.
But maybe everything felt blocked to her.
“She must have been incredibly lonely.
Especially when people closest to you don’t believe you.”
Just like I was five years ago.
By the time I finished that thought, the moon had vanished behind clouds.
I stood up.
“Anyway, I’ll go first, Duke.
The moon is especially bright tonight, so you can continue admiring it.”
Without even glancing at Frezen’s face, I turned and left.
* * *
Emotional moments never end well.
Given time, they almost always bring regret.
“Ugh! Why did I say something like that……”
The first thing I felt the next morning was regret.
‘She must have been incredibly lonely.
Especially when people closest to you don’t believe you.’
I spoke emotionally because Nanny Quina reminded me of myself.
Frezen must think I’m strange now.
I clutched my head and screamed internally.
While I was struggling dramatically, a maid suddenly entered without being called.
“My lady, it’s time for your bath.
The water is ready, so please come before it cools.”
I lifted my head at the familiar voice—and froze.
There stood someone I knew very well.
“Loren!?
Loren, is that really you?
How are YOU here…!”
“Merchant loooord!”
It was Loren.
Loren, who should’ve been at the trading company.
“Ugh, Evlyen! I missed you so much!”
“But seriously, what happened?
Did you get a job here or something?”
My confusion lasted only a moment before happiness overwhelmed me.
I hugged Loren tightly.
“About that, Evlyen.”
Loren rubbed her tears roughly and whispered.
And what she said was completely unexpected.
“It’s thanks to the Duke!”
