Episode 17
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“Grandma! How could you say something so awful!”
“Otherwise, why would he go so far to help our village like this?”
“There must be another reason! Even if that were true, I don’t care! Absolutely not! I’d rather the world end than that happen!”
At Hilde’s question, Ranie flared up. Rumors had started to spread that the lord and she were in some sort of relationship, and unable to bear it any longer, she had finally gone to Jerval’s mansion herself.
Two men were standing guard in front of Jerval’s residence. Ranie approached them and gave a polite bow.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Ranie Fillet, granddaughter of the deputy chief of Leclere Village. I’ve come to see the lord.”
“If you’re Ranie Fillet…”
As they repeated her name, both men’s faces went pale.
“The lord is inside, isn’t he? Please let him know I’m here.”
“W-well…”
Since the day a certain man had visited the mansion, Jerval’s subordinates had been given three absolute orders.
First, never lay a hand on any resident of Leclere Village.
Second, never even let Ranie Fillet see you.
And now, the two guards had already violated the second rule. Cold sweat ran down their backs as they remembered the sight of their master being beaten mercilessly.
Determined not to offend her, they bowed deeply with utmost politeness.
“…We are very sorry, but Lord Jerval cannot receive visitors right now.”
“I won’t take much of his time. Couldn’t I just see him for a moment?”
“…Our apologies.”
“Huh? You don’t have to apologize like that.”
“We are truly, deeply sorry.”
Ranie gave them a puzzled look at their sudden change in attitude. Apologizing? For what?
“I’m not here to throw apples at him or anything… I just want to talk for a minute.”
“Lord Jerval has suffered great emotional shock and said he will not meet anyone for the time being, choosing to rest instead.”
“…Emotional shock?”
“He was also physically shocked.”
What could possibly shock someone like Jerval? Born into a good family, living in luxury all his life — a spoiled noble through and through.
“However, he said he would continue to pay close attention to Leclere Village, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Ranie’s expression said she didn’t believe a word of it.
“Then, if I can’t see him, may I at least ask some questions?”
“If it’s something we’re able to answer…”
“Did a man visit a few days ago? Specifically, the day after the lord came to our village.”
“…”
“What did that man do to make the lord change so suddenly?”
The third order: never reveal the identity of the man who visited or what was discussed.
That command hadn’t even come from Jerval. It had been delivered directly by the man himself — his eyes cold and filled with murderous intent.
The sight of Jerval being beaten half to death haunted the guards in their nightmares. To survive, they had no choice but to feign ignorance.
“…We know nothing of that matter.”
“You really don’t?”
“…That’s correct. We are merely guards. We don’t understand what you’re referring to…”
“So you really don’t know?”
“…Our apologies.”
No matter how persistently Ranie questioned them, the guards avoided answering to the very end. They had no choice. One wrong word and their heads would roll.
“We’ll escort you back to the village, Miss Ranie Fillet.”
The two guards, faithfully obeying their orders, respectfully helped Ranie into a carriage and took her all the way to Leclere Village’s entrance. To an outsider, it might have looked like they were escorting a noble guest.
Ranie frowned as she watched Jerval’s men drive away.
“What’s with them, seriously?”
She had mustered all her courage to visit the mansion, yet returned without learning a single thing.
What on earth had happened to make everyone so nervous? She was, of course, glad things had turned out well for the village — but not knowing how it had happened was incredibly frustrating.
Just as she scratched her head with a sigh, a familiar voice called from behind her.
“Ranie, where have you been?”
It was none other than Celine. Ranie quickly composed her face and shook her head as if nothing was the matter.
“I just had something to do. What about you, Celine? Why are you out here?”
“Lilia’s been looking for you all morning.”
“Lilia?”
Ranie’s gaze shifted to the little girl peeking out shyly from behind Celine. Lilia was clutching her pink rabbit doll tightly, her eyes darting nervously.
Normally she’d shout “Auntie!” and run into her arms, but today she just stood there, awkward and timid. Ranie bent her knees to meet the girl’s eye level.
“Lilia, aren’t you happy to see me today?”
“Uh-huh, I’m really happy.”
“Then why are you hiding?”
Lilia hesitated before stepping out from behind her mother. She looked so adorable that Ranie had to resist the urge to hug her right away, waiting patiently for her to speak.
“…Auntie, are you very busy?”
“No? Not at all.”
“Then… can you come play with Lilia?”
“Play?”
Lilia nodded. Only then did Ranie realize what must have happened — the girl had probably told her mother she wanted to play with her aunt and been scolded, making her timid.
When Ranie glanced up, Celine looked apologetic.
‘Guess I really did seem too busy lately.’
Busy she was — or rather, mentally preoccupied, constantly being pulled around by the villagers.
But she wasn’t so busy that she couldn’t play with Lilia.
“Of course I’ll come. I’ve been wanting to play with you anyway.”
“Really?”
“Of course. But when you say play, you mean you want to go outside the village, right?”
Nod, nod. Lilia bobbed her head enthusiastically this time. Playing with her wasn’t the problem — getting Celine’s permission was.
Since moving to Leclere, Celine had never once left the village. Every time she tried, fear overwhelmed her, and Ranie always had to go fetch the supplies instead.
“I was planning to go to the market soon anyway…”
“Lilia wants to go too!”
“…Would that be alright with you, Celine?”
Celine didn’t look entirely comfortable. After a moment’s hesitation, she forced a small smile.
“Of course. Lilia’s so excited about it.”
“But…”
“If you’re worried about my health, it’s fine. I’m feeling much better now. Everyone’s been helping me a lot during these hectic days.”
Celine had fallen ill during the recent turmoil in the village — as she did every year, for no clear reason — and unfortunately, the timing had coincided.
Ranie had usually been the one to help her, but lately she’d been too distracted. This time, the villagers had stepped in instead. Though they hadn’t shown it openly before, they were finally beginning to warm up to her.
‘That’s a wonderful change… but that’s not really the point right now.’
Celine smiled brightly, insisting she was fine. Lilia, overjoyed that they could go out, broke into a huge grin.
Well, seeing her that happy…
Ranie sighed softly, then smiled back.
“Alright, let’s go.”
The next morning, just after sunrise, several villagers, along with Ranie and the Grewell mother and daughter, set out for the nearby town’s market. The group had grown because they needed to buy ingredients for the upcoming Harvest Festival.
Every year during the festival, Leclere’s residents cooked and shared food together. Times were hard this year due to the poor harvest, but precisely because of that, they’d decided to keep the tradition alive — even if modestly — to strengthen their sense of unity.
“Market, market! We’re going to the market!”
Lilia sang an odd little tune as they walked toward town, her voice full of excitement. Ranie, however, couldn’t shake her unease.
‘It’ll really be okay… right?’
In the novel, there had never been an episode where the Grewell mother and daughter left the village before the male lead appeared.
Had the story changed? Or had that part simply been omitted?
Watching Lilia’s pure joy, Ranie relaxed for a moment — but quickly steeled herself again. She reminded herself that the safety of the Grewell family was directly tied to the peace of Leclere Village.
The market in the neighboring town was smaller than last year’s. Most southern villages had suffered great damage from the typhoon, so this was no surprise.
Even so, Lilia’s eyes sparkled like countless stars in the night sky as soon as they entered. It was her first time outside the village, and every sight was new and wondrous.
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