IMTVD| Chapter 16

Episode 16

Emilia was about to turn down the sudden dinner invite.

She wanted to get along with people, but she just couldn’t shake off the fear of being around them.

Even the friendliest faces would stiffen up the moment she showed up. After a few experiences like that, she wanted

to fix her image somehow, but the name “Herman,” which had never once protected her, was always the problem.

No matter what she did, that name followed her around like a curse.

But nobody here knows me now, right?

Back in the capital, there were too many people who recognized her, so no matter what she did, she was shut out. But

here, nobody seemed to know her.

She hesitated.

Turning down the village chief’s son Leo’s dinner invitation didn’t seem smart, especially when she had just started

settling in.

And honestly, she didn’t really want to refuse.

After a bit of thought, she decided to accept.

She’d taken a little too long to answer though, and worried he might take it the wrong way. But Leo just smiled,

happy told her “See you tonight,” handed her a hand-drawn map, and left.

Watching him go, Emilia started worrying again.

“What if I mess up or something?”

It had been ages since she’d eaten with someone else.

At the Herman estate, the Marquis and Henry might join her, but that was maybe once a month at most.

And after she went to the Casper estate, she always ate alone.

“Feels like I’m starting my life over from scratch here.”

From the beginning again She was experiencing everything one step at a time.
But it didn’t feel entirely pleasant.

“…I wanted to do all this with him.”

Her thoughts flashed to the little things she’d wanted to do with Edwin, and the bitter taste in her mouth spread.

It stung that she was now doing all those things alone.

That evening, Emilia arrived at the chief’s house.

It wasn’t hard to find—partly because it was bigger than most houses, but mostly because Leo’s map was so detailed.

“No trouble getting here?”

Leo came out to greet her, scanning her to make sure she hadn’t gotten hurt on the way. She smiled.

“It’s only been a few hours since we last met.”

“Well, you never know when wild animals might show up. And you’ve only been here a few days, so of course I’d be

worried.”

After a quick glance to make sure she was fine, he smiled like usual and led her inside.

“Mmm… smells amazing in here.”

The warm, delicious scent eased her tension a little.

Leo smiled and showed her to the dining room.

“You’re here.”

“Yes, Father. This is Miss Amy.”

“I see.”

Remembering how the chief had helped her before, Emilia greeted him politely.

“I’m Amy. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Hansen. Like I said before, welcome to our village.”

The chief seemed to like her manners. He offered his hand, and she shook it before sitting where Leo indicated.

“The soup has wild boar my son caught today. Hope it’s to your liking.”

“Thank you for having me. It smells wonderful.”

She wasn’t just being polite—she really meant it. She’d heard that wild boar could smell pretty gamey, but she

couldn’t detect any bad odor at all.

Seeing her enjoy the soup relaxed the chief.

From the way she carried herself, she was clearly from high nobility—Leo hadn’t said it outright, but it was obvious.

He’d been worried, though. Even if wild boar was fine for the villagers, cooking it well enough for a noble lady on such

short notice was another story.

Why’d this kid suddenly arrange a dinner anyway…

Leo would eat just about anything, but a noblewoman wouldn’t be the same. In the end, the chief had gone with soup.

Lucky for him, Emilia wasn’t picky either, but he didn’t know that.

Watching her eat heartily still keeping a noble’s grace, but clearly enjoying herself, made the chief relax.

She really did look like someone who hadn’t had a good, warm meal in a while.

Leo, meanwhile, couldn’t stop smiling as he watched her, forgetting his own soup was getting cold.

“Miss Amy, are you enjoying the food?”

“Yes, Inspector. I think this might be the most delicious meal I’ve ever had.”

“…I see. My father will be pleased to hear that.”

Her words made his emotions swing wildly—happy because she was being genuine, but also a bit… unsettled.

What kind of food has she been eating until now if this is the best she’s ever had?

If it were flattery, he’d know, but she was clearly enjoying herself. Unsure whether to laugh or feel sad, he just

started eating his soup again.

Sensing the mood shift, the chief cleared his throat.

“As the village chief, I wonder—do you have any questions about our village?”

She didn’t want to seem like she was asking for too much, but she also didn’t want to waste the chance.

“How can I get along well with the villagers?”

She genuinely wanted to fit in.

She had no plans to make enemies here—her goal was to get along and stay for a long time.

Both men paused to think.

“You don’t really need to worry. I’m sure everyone will welcome you.”

“As long as you don’t put up walls first, no one here will dislike you.”

“But… no matter where I go, people dislike me because of my face.”

Leo already had a good idea of what she’d been through, but the chief didn’t.

He studied her face and could see she did have a naturally cold expression.

Realizing what she was worried about, he said bluntly:

“There are plenty of people with cold expressions in Grand Forest. Even I do, don’t I? So don’t worry about it.”

He encouraged her to focus on her future here.

Feeling grateful, Emilia thanked them both and finished her meal.

After she left, Leo and the chief stayed for tea.

“Inspector? What was that about?”

“I had to hide my identity. I had an old badge in my pocket, so I just used that.”

“I still don’t get how a noblewoman from the capital fell for that.”

“Me neither.”

The chief found the disguise ridiculous, but what baffled him more was that Emilia had actually believed it.

“She’s not picky with food… Maybe she’s from a fallen noble family that never made it into high society?”

It was a reasonable guess—she didn’t mind food most nobles would reject, and she didn’t seem to recognize anyone

she should have met in the capital’s parties.

Leo chuckled.

Fallen, yes… but she was the lady of the Empire’s most powerful duchy.

He found it amusing that the chief thought she was from some minor house.

Realizing he’d guessed wrong, the chief sighed.

“So… she’s really trying to get along with the villagers. Should we just let her?”

Leo shrugged—she wanted to, so why interfere?

Still, the chief couldn’t help feeling worried.

But for Leo, life here in Cardinal was far better than the capital.

Partly because this was his old hometown. But mostly because he’d found something new he’d never seen before.

I wonder what her ex-husband’s doing back in the capital right now.