The man looked at the people behind him. The old man there shook his head. It seemed like he didn’t know either. Seeing that answer, Carynne figured that these people were clueless about this place.
Verdic Evans and his land was not very close, though it was still only just one day away by carriage. These people looked like they had come from far away, especially judging by their foreign accent.
“We are in the middle of our journey going back,” Carynne explained. “It got dark out, so we took shelter in this place to avoid the wild animals.”
“I don’t believe you. How are you connected to Verdic Evans?”
“We aren’t very connected.”
“This forest is part of his land.”
“…He tried to buy my father’s estate, but he canceled the deal. That’s why I’m here—to sign the necessary documents in lieu of my father.”
She’s already saying everything meekly like this, wasn’t she? But the metal against her neck was still persistently there. The man looked back and spoke.
“Just mere words.”
“No, wait a second.”One of the clueless men behind spoke up. He looked down scathingly at Carynne with a scowl. That man, who Carynne did not know.
“I remember seeing that face before.”
“…I recently celebrated my seventeenth birthday.”
“Who is your mother?”
So that’s how he recognized her. Carynne lamented her father’s lowly name and reputation. Father, come on. You have to at least make an effort.
“My mother was Catherine Nora Hare. Her maiden surname was Enide.”
“Ah, that woman is the great-granddaughter of Grand Duchess Carla.”
Those people started talking for a moment. The old man, who had been behind everyone until now, walked forward with his cane and approached Carynne. This was a pretty tall tower, but they did a good job dragging this old man all the way up here.
“Why are you here?”
“We were trying to go somewhere else, but we got lost in the woods.”
I repeated the answer that I already gave them before.
“Pardon me, but may I ask your name?” Carynne asked.
“It would be better if you don’t know. Do you really want to hear it?”
“Then, I do not wish to hear it.”
“That is wise.”
The old man’s cane met the floor with a thud.
“What should we do with you?”
“We have to kill her. It won’t do us any good to keep her captive,” said the man who had recognized Carynne.
“Do we really need to do that?”
“I heard a rumor that she’s an illegitimate child of Crown Prince Gueuze.”
There’s a rumor like that?
In her surprise, Carynne’s mouth gaped open. It was the first time she heard this unpleasant rumor.
So, Crown Prince Gueuze called her like that even though he knew that she might be his daughter? No matter how long she had lived until now, that was so messed up.
As she was inwardly boiling with anger while thinking about Crown Prince Gueuze, the others talked about whether to keep Carynne alive or not.
“Verdic and Prince Gueuze are quite connected.”
“That man is a merchant. It’s no wonder he’s trying to reach out to other countries.”
“I’ve never heard of that family having a daughter, but if she’s Crown Prince Gueuze’s child, this will definitely reach his ears.”
Daughter? That very word sent a jolt through Carynne. She refuted the man’s claim in an instant.
“I am not Crown Prince Gueuze’s daughter.”
At the very least, she must deny that. Perhaps she would have more leverage when negotiating with them if she did not contest this, but she loathed the idea. Utterly.
However, nobody listened to her.
“I don’t know why Verdic hasn’t sent a messenger yet. You guys wait here, I’ll go to him alone.”
“It’s probably because Isella Evans is missing, that’s why he’s been so out of sorts,” Carynne interjected.
At this, they finally listened to what she had to say. The old man replied.
“…How do you know that?”
“I told you. I went there for business on behalf of my father, and I’m on my way back.”
“Are you talking about Crown Prince Gueuze?”
Carynne held back a sigh.
“And as I told you earlier as well, no. Please do not disparage my mother’s honor.”
But this time yet again, they still didn’t listen to Carynne. They talked amongst themselves fervently and anxiously. They were a foreign family, extremely wary of royalty, and had joined hands with a merchant.
Ah, Carynne remembered. She heard that there were some aristocrats who crossed the border to escape war. Carynne was amazed to see the people she had only heard about before now right before her eyes. Besides that, they’re connected to Verdic.
“…Hi?”
There was a little girl peeking from behind the old man, and Carynne waved at her. She looked just a little older than Lady Lianne. However, what Carynne was answered with wasn’t a smile like Lianne’s, but an anxious look.
“……”
She took a step back. Carynne lowered her hand, feeling slightly awkward.
“As expected, it won’t work.”
The old man approached her once again.
“Miss Carynne Hare, you must die. We’re in a difficult situation, too. We can’t afford any factors that could affect us badly later on.”
“I was just passing by, and this was a stop over I made by chance. Let me go and I won’t say anything.”
“…I apologize.”
Carynne watched as the old man apologized to her. His clothes were of high quality. Unlike the man who had shaken her awake, there was no awkwardness in his accent. Then, she looked at the granddaughter.
Perhaps she knew who they were. Raymond once told her about a noble family who had entrusted themselves to Verdic.
Carynne blinked.
“Is that so?”
This time again, hardship and threats came to her.
Whenever a chance would arise in front of her, it’s always like this—threats always found her. That was the case again this time.
Carynne looked at the old man, and the child, and the man, then the woman. Their eyes carried desperation. Beyond their rugged cloaks, clothes made of the finest fabrics could be seen.
She wondered if she should just die this time and start over. It wouldn’t be bad to die quickly unless she had another choice.
“I was just sleeping. Nothing would have happened to either of us if you hadn’t woken me up. You know that, right?”
“…I apologize.”
The old man got up. Carynne looked at him. The other man handed something to Carynne.
“What’s this?”
“Please understand that we have no other choice either. Please hang yourself, or we’ll do it for you.”
Wasn’t this too fast?
Carynne smiled as she looked down at what was in front of her. These people were serious. Carynne looked at Nancy, who was all tied up and slowly falling unconscious. Borwen’s probably dead now.
This time, Carynne felt a little sorry for Nancy. The servants weren’t even given a choice. Carynne just so happened to be wearing better clothes, and that was enough for her to be given a choice of how to die.
She wondered if she should consider herself lucky.
Carynne grabbed the fabric with her hands.
“I understand. Then, please go out, Duke Luthella.”
She didn’t care that he was surprised.
“…How.”
Carynne did not hang herself. Nevertheless, she didn’t have much of a choice left.
She looked outside. That’s where she had fallen before. Then, the door. They would come inside right after to confirm whether she had hung herself. There were no guns.
However, she was not scared.
Death was so familiar to her now. And, there was something else that’s more important. She was curious about it.
She counted the days that she was left all alone. Even if she wasn’t inside a novel, certain things happened repeatedly on some particular days in these repeated lives.
Carynne was well aware that hardships always followed at around this time. Today was that day. Sometimes, she was in danger of being r*ped. Sometimes, she would get mauled by a beast. Sometimes, she would fall. She was met with various kinds of danger.
But that was not what mattered.
Carynne was well aware of what day she was set to die. But after the number 117, she found out that she could die before that predetermined day.
What about today? Who were these people? This iteration had gotten twisted.
What was the probability of her meeting her demise today? And likewise, what was the probability of her surviving to see another day? Which was higher?
But if she waited a little longer, she would know the answer.
So, she waited.
She waited for the answer.
Knock, knock.
She heard someone knocking on the door.
And, Carynne seemed to know who it was on the other side. It was an intense sense of déjà vu.
Who was it that always came to visit her on this day?
“……”
Between hanging herself and finding out who it was, standing outside that door. What Carynne found more frightening was the latter.
Without saying anything, she stared at the door. She had a strong feeling of who it was just outside.
The man who always came to her rescue.
Raymond Saytes.
Her knight.
However, Carynne was afraid to confirm it.
It might not be him. Maybe it was just Duke Luthella and the other people in his group, coming here to see whether or not she had already killed herself.
Rather, she preferred that outcome. In Carynne’s perspective, Duke Luthella was no different from Thomas, the alleyway r*pist.
Hardships always found her around this time. She was not scared of death. She would come back to life anyway. Then, in the next iteration, she could just choose not to stay in this tower. She would just continue traversing through the forest.
But.
If it’s him…
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