[CHAPTER 64]
One and a half hours later.
Even though I followed the map, I got lost in the middle, so I arrived later than expected.
Bruten Village was small and quiet.
There weren’t many people on the streets, but there were plenty chopping firewood in their front yards.
I approached them with a friendly smile and tried to talk.
But maybe because I was an outsider, none of them answered or even glanced at me.
Still, I didn’t give up and kept asking around the village.
Hello, do you happen to know Greta?
You don’t know Greta?
She’s my friend and she said this village was her hometown.
I’m looking for anyone who knows Greta.
Is there anyone?
Eventually, tired out, I went into a small restaurant I happened to spot.
I ordered a simple soup and a drink, sat down, and removed my hooded robe.
Phew, finally, I can breathe.
I untangled my slightly messy hair with my fingers.
There was one other table of customers besides me.
A group of men drinking even though it was still daytime.
I didn’t pay them any attention and focused only on the warm soup in front of me.
That was when it happened.
Pretty lady, did you come alone?
One of the men, the one who looked the least rough, swaggered over.
I looked at him once, then ignored him and took a spoonful of soup.
It was my way of telling him I didn’t want to talk, but he dragged out the chair next to me and sat down anyway.
If you’re alone, you must be lonely.
How about joining us?
Sorry, but I have a weak stomach.
Huh? What does that have to do with anything?
I throw up when I see something ugly.
Especially the kind of rude creatures who go wild whenever they see a woman.
The man understood my meaning a beat too late, and his face flushed red with anger.
He slammed his foot into the table.
Ha! Think you’re all that because you’ve got a pretty face?
I’ll call the guards.
Oh yeah?
Go ahead!
My fist’s faster than the guards!
The man raised his hand threateningly.
I grabbed my fork and prepared to counter.
But luckily, before we clashed, the restaurant owner smacked his head with a pot.
Aagh!
You brat!
How dare you raise your hand at a woman?!
Get out of my place!
All of you, out!
She waved the pot threateningly at the man’s friends as well.
Muttering complaints but clearly intimidated, the men left.
With a fierce expression, she watched them go before turning to me with concern.
Goodness, are you alright, dear?
Yes, thank you for helping me.
Don’t mention it.
But I haven’t seen you in our village before.
What brings you here?
Not many travelers come this way.
Oh, my friend is from here, so I came to visit.
Do you know Greta?
I asked without much hope.
But the woman widened her eyes and answered warmly.
Oh my, of course I know Greta!
Gasp… you know Greta…?!
This was the first positive response I’d heard since I arrived nearly two hours ago.
I sprang up without realizing it, looking at her with bright, eager eyes.
She smiled and nodded.
Yes, she’s my daughter.
…!
I hurried to straighten up and bowed politely.
Hello, Mother.
I’m Jena, Greta’s friend.
Nice to meet you, Jena.
I didn’t know our Greta had such a lovely friend.
But where is Greta?
You didn’t come together?
Ah, actually, I came secretly… There was something I wanted to ask about Greta.
Secretly…?
Why?
I hadn’t expected to meet her mother, so I had to choose my words carefully.
If I worded it poorly, I’d just sound suspicious.
Greta and I grew close while working together, but lately she seemed to be thinking about changing jobs.
I want her to stay, so I came to ask if you’d heard anything.
The woman tilted her head.
Oh my, that’s the first I’ve heard of that.
Greta worked so hard since childhood to become a knight.
She wouldn’t quit so easily.
Knight.
My heart thumped at the word.
She really was a knight.
Then why is she working as a maid now?
Maybe her mother knew something.
She seemed to want to work as a maid.
Are you sure you didn’t hear anything?
No way.
That doesn’t make sense.
You’re her coworker, so you should know how hard it is to get into that place.
That place?
I didn’t know, so I just smiled awkwardly.
The woman waved her hands and said:
I’ve bragged everywhere that she became a duke’s knight.
Greta was so proud of it too.
Quit being a knight to be a maid?
No chance.
…A duke’s knight?
Yes, the White Tiger or whatever that order was called.
The White Wolf Knights.
The name popped into my mind.
Greta wasn’t from our house.
She was a knight of the Kalrad Ducal House.
A chill ran down my back, like someone had poured ice water over me.
There was so much I wanted to say, but her eyes held a hint of suspicion, so I had to keep calm.
Ah, yes, I know.
The White… the White Wolf Knights.
Her expression softened again.
Exactly, the White Wolf Knights!
Then are you a knight too, like our Greta?
No, I’m… staff.
A knight order staff member.
Ah, I see.
No wonder.
You looked too delicate to be a knight.
She patted my arm and said I needed to eat more.
After finishing the conversation, I sat down again and continued eating my soup while thinking blankly.
If Greta is a knight of the Kalrad Ducal House, why is she my maid?
Why did she lie to me?
What could she gain from that?
I had uncovered something huge about Greta’s identity, yet I couldn’t understand how it connected to me.
A thick fog filled my mind.
The soup that had looked so good earlier suddenly tasted like nothing.
Later, I returned to the manor with Bingbing.
Thankfully, Greta didn’t notice my secret trip, but my mind was in turmoil.
Normally, I would’ve asked her directly instead of agonizing alone.
But this time, I couldn’t.
Something deep inside told me I must not.
The report from Lady Müller and Lady Schweiger only poured more oil on the fire.
We found nothing about the Kreuz family.
It was like a ghost family.
Lady Schweiger watched my reaction.
Lady Müller was even more direct.
At this point, it’s doubtful the family even exists.
The north is small enough that even minor houses leave traces.
So the fact that nothing could be found, despite digging so hard, was absurd.
Lady Schweiger held my hand gently and offered a careful suspicion.
Sometimes wicked men pretend to be noble bastards to deceive innocent young ladies.
I’m worried someone did that to you.
What is your family of birth?
…The Rogers Barony.
It collapsed after my parents died.
Oh… I’ve never heard of that house either.
They exchanged awkward looks.
A tense silence fell, and I remembered something I had forgotten.
Early after I transmigrated, when I caught a group of bandits for the reward, Greta told the guards:
She must not know because she moved here recently.
This is Lady Kreuz, the Viscountess, and I am her maid.
Back then, I didn’t think twice about it.
But now it hit me.
That meant we had moved to the north recently.
Maybe no one knows us because we came from another region.
Maybe I was being too hopeful.
But it was all I had.
Then let’s check the noble registry kept at the ducal estate.
All northern nobles are listed there.
Even families that have died out.
And even if you moved recently, you would have registered, so the name should appear.
Alright.
Thank you both.
They told me to come again if I needed anything.
They were truly kind.
The noble registry at the ducal estate…
They wouldn’t let just anyone look at it.
I’d have to ask Matthias.
My mind was beyond confusion now.
But I couldn’t stop.
* * *
Greta learned about Jena’s secret trip several days later.
She received a letter from her mother saying her friend had visited.
She froze.
For security reasons, she had not told her mother that she had quit being a knight due to injury and was doing other work.
But Jena had gone to her hometown alone.
She had met her mother.
And she had learned Greta was a knight.
This wasn’t something that could be ignored.
She immediately reported it to Aizen.
It’s strange that my lady said nothing even after learning I was a knight.
I’m worried she noticed something.
Aizen’s eyes shook violently.
He dropped the pen he was holding.
It felt like his heart dropped with it.
Had Jena discovered their deception?
A pressure heavier than any monster he had fought crushed his chest.
He ran his hands through his hair, then forced himself to calm down.
Logically, she wouldn’t know yet.
She must only be suspicious.
She was likely investigating the truth.
Not yet…
She must not find out yet.
He clenched his fist tightly.
He couldn’t let her find out.
He couldn’t tell her either.
Not now.
Aizen spoke in a firm voice.
Do whatever it takes.
Don’t let her uncover our identities.
