IBMH 03

Chapter 03

“Locked up, but there is no malice.

The person her grandfather praised, the Grand Duke of Gracia, was, in truth, a complete scoundrel.

“They said he is cold, but actually kind and gentle.”

What kind of kind person would casually break someone’s arms and legs over a minor issue? What kind of gentle person would destroy someone’s estate just because he didn’t like it?

“Is it possible they just have the same name?”

She checked several times, but reality did not change. Could it be that her grandfather had been suffering from dementia? She had heard that some people develop confusion in memory from the shock of war in their youth.

“No, that can’t be it.”

Ivelin shook her head. Her grandfather, who she had lived with, was far too normal to think that way. He repeated himself often near death, but that was all. Then there was only one answer.

It meant that even that scoundrel-like Grand Duke Gracia might have some kind sides like everyone else.

But… wasn’t this too much?

How was she supposed to repay kindness to someone like that? If she was careless, she might ruin her life trying to repay a debt.

“Even though the person in my precognitive dream is the same…”

Ivelin narrowed her eyes. She trusted her grandfather. Very much. Extremely much. But the world kept calling Grand Duke Gracia a mad dog bastard.

“Grandfather… what should I do?”

Debt. What even was it? Ivelin thought for a long time.

Even after returning to the old lodging she rented on the outskirts of the capital, her thoughts did not stop.

And then she had the dream again.

The setting was the same. Grand Duke Gracia was once again in danger. They said he was the greatest swordsman of the empire, but strangely, he could not use his strength properly.

“Was he poisoned?”

Unlike the first time, she watched the scene while he was crouched down under attack, then woke up from the dream.

“I’ve never had the same dream twice before.”

It was strange. But that strange event continued for days. And later, even a strange voice began to be heard.

“Save me.”

It was her grandfather’s voice.

“Must save me.”

At that point, Ivelin made her decision.

“Alright. I’ll save him.”

And so, she stepped onto a road she would later regret.

But how was she supposed to save the Grand Duke?

Ivelin thought seriously.

Grand Duke Gracia—what kind of man was he? One of the empire’s greatest swordsmen, a powerful noble, extremely wealthy, and commander of knights.

And compare that to herself. She was just a noble lady from the countryside with no strength and no power. She had a little money, but imperial prices were insane.

“What is this thing mixed in here anyway?”

There were a few strange coins mixed with imperial currency, but she had no idea what they were used for. At first she considered going to an antique shop to ask, but stopped herself.

Her grandfather had said the capital was full of people who would cheat you as easily as breathing. She remembered that. This was a place where they would steal your nose if you closed your eyes.

“No, I can’t do that.”

Ivelin racked her brain again and again. But nothing came to mind.

So she decided to go to the house her grandfather had prepared in the capital.

Right now, she was staying in an inn near the library. It wasn’t too expensive, but she couldn’t stay there forever.

The only good thing in this situation was the house mentioned in her grandfather’s letter. A house in the capital—normally that should be extremely expensive, so how did he have a place like this hidden away?

Her grandfather had said he was a soldier when he was young, so he must have earned quite a bit back then.

Thinking simply, Ivelin headed to the address written in the letter.

When she arrived, it was a well-organized street on the outskirts of the capital. Clean enough, with decent people living there. Along both sides of the well-paved road were similar houses, and one of them belonged to her grandfather.

The two-story house with a green roof was not large, but it was neat. And there was even a caretaker managing it.

“Who is it!”

The moment Ivelin knocked on the door, the man rushed out in a panic and shouted. Then he narrowed his eyes at her with a rough expression.

“You… you look familiar.”

“Hello. I am Ivelin, granddaughter of Baron Frilly.”

“Baron Frilly? That bastard… that bastard’s granddaughter?”

“…Yes.”

The first meeting was not good. Calling her grandfather “that bastard” was unacceptable.

She was about to get angry when the man suddenly shouted.

“The owner has finally come! My job as caretaker is over!”

The man—now clearly the caretaker—looked deeply moved and raised his arms in celebration. Then, with trembling hands, he pulled a key from his pocket.

“Take this. It’s the house key.”

Ivelin accepted it in confusion. The caretaker raised both hands and shook his body dramatically.

“I am free! Free! I’m finally free from that damn old man!”

It was such an ugly scene that she opened her mouth slightly, stunned. Then the caretaker suddenly ran off.

He sprinted down the street and disappeared far away before she could even react.

“What is going on…?”

Ivelin stared blankly, then let out an awkward laugh.

That “damn old man”… it couldn’t be her grandfather, right?

She turned the key in her hand and inserted it into the door. It opened smoothly, as if someone had been maintaining it all along.

Inside, furniture covered with white cloths appeared. The cloths were to prevent dust from settling, but even those were completely clean.

“For someone who wanted freedom, they sure maintained it well.”

She passed through the living room and entered the kitchen. There was a small storage room beside it, filled with food.

“Did the caretaker do all this too?”

It was strange, but also reassuring. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about food for a while.

She then went upstairs. There were three rooms and one bathroom, all in similar condition.

If she removed the cloths, everything would be usable immediately.

“Then I should get moving.”

Rolling up her sleeves, Ivelin removed all the white cloths, folded them, put them in the storage room, and unpacked her things.

There was almost nothing to clean, so her thoughts naturally shifted back to the caretaker. Judging by how well the house had been maintained, he must have been close with her grandfather.

There was also a friend of her grandfather who sometimes visited the estate and always cursed when he saw him. He tried to be careful in front of her, but he was loud enough that she could hear everything.

“Yeah… they must have been like that.”

She nodded in understanding and went back downstairs.

She planned to check the place her grandfather had mentioned.

She had not explored everything yet, but there were two storage rooms in the kitchen. One was for food. The other was filled with old boxes.

Inside the boxes were well-preserved wine bottles. But what mattered was underneath them.

She pushed the boxes aside and lifted the worn mat on the floor.

A large door was revealed.

It led to the basement.

[Go down to the basement. Everything you need will be there.]

Her grandfather had written that.

“What could I possibly need?”

She did not know what would be there, but her heart began to race.

It felt like when she explored an attic as a child.

Carefully, Ivelin went down into the basement.

Soon, she understood what her grandfather meant.

A long corridor stretched out, with many rooms on both sides. Inside were all kinds of things—familiar objects, and others that made her wonder why they were even there.

At the very end, there was one empty room. But it looked suspicious.

Unlike the others, it had a heavy metal door, and inside the walls were rings for hanging chains.

“Grandfather… what exactly is this place?”

Ivelin let out a small groan without realizing it.

No matter how she looked at it, the basement was larger than the house above it.

And the facilities inside were… clearly questionable.