~Chapter 7~
This was one of the downsides of living life a second time—Blood relatives just didn’t feel like real family anymore.
Raniel was a noblewoman who had talent but was held back by her family’s problems and society’s judgment.
She eventually ran away.
And honestly, stories like that? Not that rare.
To me, Raniel was just one of those people.
Just a girl I felt a little sorry for.
Maybe slightly more than others, since we did grow up together.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because it doesn’t really add up.
You’re out here, risking your life, trying to find your nephew—just because he’s your nephew? That’s it? You didn’t even tell anyone where you were going.
Isn’t that a little strange?”
His sharp gaze locked onto me.
Jin rubbed his chin like he was thinking deeply and continued.
“From what I know, Raniel Estella committed suicide.
Her body was found recently, but the autopsy said she died at least two years ago.”
“…”
“If what you said is true, then your nephew would’ve been around five years old when she died.
Suicide, really? Doesn’t add up.
If she was going to kill herself, wouldn’t she have left the child with you first?
But instead, she tells you she had the Crown Prince’s illegitimate kid, then just kills herself?
Leaving behind only his name and expecting you to find him?”
He shrugged like it all made no sense.
“It doesn’t add up.
And she left him with a stolen Estella heirloom before dying? Why would she do that?”
The more he said, the clearer it became what he was suggesting.
A chill ran down my spine.
“It honestly sounds more like a murder disguised as suicide… Lady, are you sure finding your nephew will solve everything?”
“…What?”
I couldn’t help but ask dumbly.
Raniel didn’t kill herself? She was murdered?
Of course, Jin’s theory had plenty of holes.
First off, Raniel never contacted me.
And second, I’m the only one who knows who the male lead really is.
But Jin wasn’t totally wrong either.
Why would Raniel kill herself in the first place?
In the original story, the Crown Prince never found out he had a son.
So it seems like she disappeared as soon as she found out she was pregnant.
And then after five years of raising him, she just… kills herself? At that random timing?
I furrowed my brows, trying to recall a scene from the original story.
Ah! There was a part like this—
“Damian, don’t lose this necklace. Promise me.
Mommy loves you, okay?”
“…!”
Right, I remember now.
There was a short flashback—Raniel personally dropped Damian off at the orphanage.
Was she running from someone? Or planning to kill herself right after?
Either way, I couldn’t ignore Jin’s idea that it might’ve been murder.
Even though I was sure I was the only one who knew about the male lead, the affair between Raniel and the Crown Prince wasn’t exactly a secret among nobles.
It was whispered about in small circles—even if only a few people knew.
“Lady, just tell me straight.
Are you really doing this just because he’s your nephew?”
The mood inside the carriage suddenly turned ice-cold.
Jin’s calm attitude didn’t match the quiet anger I saw in his expression.
Why was he looking at me like that?
“Most nobles say they value family, but they usually rank people by usefulness and treat blood like a resource.”
“Kind of a bold thing to say in front of a noble, don’t you think?”
I replied in a deliberately calm voice, trying not to escalate things.
“Well, I’m pretty good at reading people.
And since you’ve been kind enough not to scold me, I figured it’s okay to speak freely.”
Jin smiled—but it was more of a cold, polite smirk than a real smile.
I didn’t let it shake me.
“So you want me to have some secret motive? Like some power-hungry noble?”
“It’s always better to be honest when working together, Lady.”
That really bugged me.
He was sharp—annoyingly so.
And yeah, I had been pretty careless.
But that couldn’t be helped.
Hiring him wasn’t part of the original plan.
“Well, for the record, I’m not interested in the throne.”
“…”
Jin raised an eyebrow like he didn’t believe me.
“And no, I wasn’t all that close to my sister either.”
“Then why?”
He tilted his head, confused, and I let out a long sigh.
“Imagine you’re in my nephew’s shoes. One day you learn the truth:
Your mom was ignored by her own family and died alone.
You grew up an orphan with no help from anyone.
Who would you blame?”
I shrugged.
“He’s royal blood, no question.
And yeah, like you said, it’d be much easier to just tell my father and have him eliminated quietly.
That’s what most nobles would do—to avoid future problems.”
“But I’m not interested in that.
I’m doing this for one reason only:
I couldn’t just let my nephew die over something like that—something he had no control over.”
And hey, while I’m at it, maybe I can save my own life too.
Jin frowned weirdly and tilted his head again like he still didn’t get it.
But finally, with a face full of doubt, he slowly nodded.
“Alright, got it. I mean… I don’t totally get it, but I’ll roll with it for now.”
That little back-and-forth gave me a headache.
The guy was too sharp for his own good.
Hopefully, he’d use that sharpness to actually find the male lead.
Otherwise, I’d die for nothing.
—
The Capital.
I’d been here a few times with the Count, but never outside the party venues.
I quickly looked around—thankfully, no signs of being followed.
That’s why I loved her the most.
Catherine had managed to shake off the knights and spies the Count had following me.
I looked at her with admiration and affection.
“…My Lady, are you sure about this?”
“This is Jin Blake.
The mercenary I hired.”
Catherine’s face scrunched up in disbelief.
She looked Jin up and down, then whispered to me,
“He totally looks like a slacker! Are you sure he’s a real mercenary?”
Jin, standing confidently beside us, leaned in and grinned at her.
“Hey, Miss.
That kinda hurts, y’know?”
Then he clutched his chest like she had offended him for real.
“If you’re still not sure, how about visiting my office? Top floor of a fancy building in the city center.
Not shared, mind you—my own personal…”
I cut him off.
We didn’t have the time—or money—for his life story.
“I’ll go to your office on my own later.
Catherine, what about the stuff I asked for?”
Catherine glanced around nervously, then let out a sigh.
“I sold some of the jewelry you brought and used the funds the Count gave us.
We’ve got enough money for now.
Here.”
She handed me a magic scroll carefully.
“Also, I’m planning to stay here in the capital for a while.
I’ll check out Lady Raniel’s old house.
If I find anything, I’ll contact you right away.”
“Good.
If you’re just sitting around doing nothing, people are bound to get suspicious.
Just stall for time.
Oh, and one more thing—about the marriage offers…”
I glanced at Jin, who was listening in with a curious look.
Well, it was fine to tell him this much.
“Now that I’m in the capital, there’ll probably be a bunch of proposals.
I can’t stop them, so if I have to go on meetings, focus on neutral families.
Ones without power, but with solid finances. New nobles are even better.”
“New nobles… who aren’t too powerful?”
Catherine frowned, confused.
“Yeah.
But they must have enough money to marry into the Estella family.
That way, if I do end up getting married, I’ll still have the freedom to do what I want.”
