Chapter 2
Why did it have to be him, of all people?!
I didn’t even know yet if I was his target, so I had to act natural. I forced a bright smile onto my face.
“Duke? Oh, I was just, uh, taking a walk! A nighttime walk! Haha!”
I’m doomed. I really can’t act.
The Duke of Calyx tilted his head.
“A nighttime walk? At this hour? With such a large bag of luggage?”
“Yes! At this hour! The weather was just so nice, you know! I thought I’d let my luggage get some fresh air too…”
The moment I finished speaking, a sharp wind sliced past us.
Ugh, weather, read the room. Do you want me dead?
“How unique. As you said, Lady Elena, the weather is indeed lovely. As it happens, I’m out for a walk as well—shall we walk together?”
Was it just my imagination, or did his words come with a smile emoji attached?
When I lowered my gaze from his smiling face, I saw two dogs wagging their tails beside him.
Walking dogs at this hour of the night? What is he scheming? More importantly, a nighttime walk together when there’s no one else around… Would you walk with someone like you?
Absolutely not. I’d rather die and come back than agree to that. If I went on a walk with him, I might end up being the second victim instead of the fifth.
“Ah, I’m sorry, but I was just about to head back in.”
“I see. That’s a shame, but I suppose I’ll walk alone then.”
“Yes. I’ll be going now.”
I bowed politely and walked past him back toward my room, trying to ignore the sensation of eyes on the back of my head.
Damn it! Why won’t the universe even let me run away properly? I held back my tears with great effort.
As long as I was still inside the ducal residence, I had to avoid offending him at all costs—at least until I could escape completely. Who knew if he’d suddenly decide to kill me on a whim?
Living under the same roof as him meant I could die at any time, and no one would find it strange. Killing off an extra like me would be nothing for someone like him. I had to keep a low profile and wait for my chance to run.
In the end, I returned to my room and had no choice but to fall asleep like the usual Elena.
The next day, Dr. Scott had already gone on a trip.
I had to go into the Duke’s room alone. It felt like walking into a slaughterhouse.
Dragging my reluctant feet, I grabbed the medical journal and headed to Calyx’s room.
“Your Grace, may I come in?”
I knocked on the door, and shortly after, his voice invited me inside.
“Lady Elena, you don’t look well. Did you not sleep well last night?”
The moment I entered, the Duke asked kindly, smiling as he looked at me.
As if I could sleep well—and whose fault do you think that is?! I forced myself to smile, swallowing the irritation bubbling up inside. Smile. If I get on his bad side, I’m done for.
“Maybe the night air got to me. How are you feeling today, Your Grace?”
“About the same as usual.”
“Do you always take walks at night like that?”
“Pretty much. It’s when they can play most comfortably.”
He gestured toward the two dogs on the bed. One of them looked more like a puppy.
“You must really love dogs. They always seem to be by your side.”
“Well, they’ve been with me since I was a child. Except for this one—I only got them recently.”
He smiled gently at the small white puppy.
Huh? Now that I look at it… that puppy seems familiar somehow.
It looked like a Jindo? Or maybe a countryside mutt?
Without thinking, I reached out to pet it.
“Woof! (Hi!)”
…Huh? Did that dog just say ‘hi’? No way.
“Hello there. You’re super cute.”
“Right?”
“What’s their name?”
“I haven’t picked one yet.”
Still hasn’t named it? Must have brought it home just recently, then.
Looking down at the puppy, it was small, white, and so cute it looked just like…
“Tofu.”
“Tofu?”
“Ah, I mean… uh…”
Crap! Why did I say that out loud?! How am I going to explain that?
My mind went blank for a second. There’s no way tofu exists in this westernized fantasy setting!
“A book! I saw it in a book! It said it’s a white food made from soybeans in some faraway land…”
“I see.”
The Duke seemed to ponder over my explanation.
Did I get away with that? Is he going to let it slide?
“I like it. Tofu.”
Then he gave a soft smile, his blue eyes curving gently.
Ugh, that dazzlingly handsome face… I looked away in embarrassment, fiddling with my fingers.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Thank you for the name. Is there anything you’d like in return?”
“In return?”
My life, please! Guarantee my life! But I couldn’t just blurt that out.
“I didn’t name it expecting anything. I’m fine.”
“Then may I repay you however I like?”
“Yes.”
As long as you don’t kill me.
“Then I’ll be heading out now. Don’t stay in the night air too long.”
“Alright.”
Just as I turned to leave the Duke’s room…
“Lady Elena.”
“…Yes?”
I slowly turned around. He smiled again.
“Thank you. Always.”
“It’s nothing. It’s my job. Well, I’ll be going now.”
Only when the door shut behind me did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
I survived! I didn’t die! I was alone in a room with him and I lived!
But something felt off. Was he always this kind? I don’t remember anything in the original story saying that.
In the original novel What Happened in That Village, the main character was Inspector Jerry. He went around investigating various people in search of a serial killer.
In the story, Duke Calyx always had suspicious alibis whenever a murder occurred, and victims’ belongings were found in the ducal estate’s warehouse. The evidence was overwhelming.
The big twist was that the chronically ill heir who rarely left the estate turned out to be the killer. The entire duchy was thrown into chaos. He was taken to the imperial capital and executed. Despite being the sole heir, his crimes were so severe that he was denied clemency.
If I remember correctly, he should still be the heir at this point. So why is he already the Duke? Where did things start to diverge? Or maybe my memories got scrambled when I reincarnated?
But whether he’s the heir or the Duke doesn’t really matter.
All I need to do is not die. First, I need to look for another chance to escape. Until then, no suspicious behavior.
Luckily, checking on the Duke’s condition was only required once a day. After finishing my morning duties, I had the rest of the day to myself.
Honestly, this might be a pretty sweet job. As long as I don’t die.
The next afternoon, Duke Calyx sent me a gift through one of the maids, saying it was a token of appreciation. The box she brought in was wrapped in a pretty ribbon.
“He sent this to me?”
“Yes! Please take it!”
“……”
“It’s rare for His Grace to give gifts personally to staff. He must think especially highly of you, Lady Elena!”
“Ah… right.”
The red-haired maid smiled brightly, completely unaware of my inner turmoil.
He’s not treating me special because he likes me—he’s planning to kill me! What even is this? Why’s it so heavy? I’m scared!
“Well, now that I’ve delivered it, I’ll be off!”
The maid skipped away cheerfully after handing me the box.
“What the heck is this…?”
I opened it inside my room, and inside was a beautiful dagger adorned with gems.
“Is this a message to kill myself? Or to prepare to die…?”
Is this his way of saying, You’re next? But I thought I was the fifth victim…
I was too stunned to think. This was way too ominous to be a thank-you for naming a dog. Duke, are you really this cruel? Just because you’re handsome doesn’t make this okay!
“…Still, it’s probably worth quite a bit if I sell it.”
It could help fund my escape and set me up somewhere else.
Surely he wouldn’t kill me faster just for pawning it off, right? Just in case, I’d need to find someone who could handle it discreetly.
If I remembered correctly, there was a secret black market mentioned in the original story—one of the places Inspector Jerry investigated. It was so dangerous that it gave him a lot of trouble. But if I was going to sell this thing, that would be the safest place to avoid getting caught.
Surely they wouldn’t kill me just for selling a dagger, right?
I carefully packed the dagger in my bag and headed out to find the place.
