Chapter 11
*Death.*
Lirete slowly savored the word. It was difficult to immediately apply the meaning of a word she knew so well.
Death.
That is, she would die.
Death had never been far from her.
When her family had been slaughtered before her eyes, spattering bright red blood, death had already been by her side like a friend. Even more so as she suffered one humiliation after another under Dailun.
But death was a somewhat mischievous and unpleasant friend to Lirete. Because it would poke its head in when she didn’t want it, and disappear without a sound when she did.
This time was no different.
Death had again revealed itself at an unexpected moment.
*’Five years……’*
No matter how many times she repeated it, it felt unreal.
But her heart seemed to feel differently.
Judging by the desolate weight settling within her.
It was an emotion she couldn’t clearly define.
And perhaps that was only natural.
Because, for no other reason than someone’s name being engraved on her body, she had suddenly been reduced to a death-sentenced patient.
*Death-sentenced.*
The word struck her as profoundly significant.
It felt as if death, like black fog, stood at a distance, quietly watching her. It was an elusive feeling that subdued all five senses; though she couldn’t define it clearly, she knew it belonged to a very dark and heavy spectrum.
“Hah.”
A weak, dry laugh heated her lungs. It was so absurd that she almost felt dazed. She had long thought the freedom of death, which was like liberation, had been stolen from her. But she never imagined that even the *timing* of it would be so completely snatched away.
Perhaps she had committed some great sin without knowing it. How else could everything be so bleak?
Lirete looked down at her hands.
Thanks to the squabble with Valderion the previous night, her fingers moved freely without any difficulty. She vividly remembered when they had been stiff and clumped together.
Is this how death would come?
After being cast off by the man, her hands and feet would slowly stiffen, then lose their original function, then rot and fester……
Perhaps the given five years would be a process filled with that very pain.
If someone were to simply snatch away her life in an instant, that would be one thing.
But anticipating the pain that would progress so gradually already made her throat constrict.
Of course, this result was limited to one-sided Names. If her name manifested on Valderion within the year, the situation would change in an unexpected direction.
But perhaps because that wasn’t the case yet……
No matter how much she searched for possibilities, no hope appeared.
The weight of the sigh rising from her very core had changed.
Lirete lowered her head as if to prostrate herself on the solid wood table. In the vertically tilted world, the smooth window caught her eye.
“……”
What caught her gaze was a group of maids walking along the path leading to the vast garden and the forest beyond. They all seemed to be heading to the laundry, moving as a single mass, their faces smiling brightly in the sunlight without reservation.
Even though the distance was great and the window separated them, she felt as if their giggling laughter brushed against her ears.
There was a time when it was natural for her to receive the care of such people.
Back then, Lirete never dreamed that a day would come when she would envy them. Having been born with nothing, they were free, and thus, they had no constraints. They likely had no heavy burdens in life to speak of.
That is, it was close to *ordinariness*.
A regular, repetitive life of spending their days breathlessly for a salary, collapsing into sleep, and rising at the proper time.
Lirete envied that freedom.
Of course, being human, they likely had their own difficulties in getting by.
But it wouldn’t be a tragedy like hers, living with black death looming before her eyes.
Isn’t that clear even from the present moment?
Unlike herself, whose shackle had been removed but who still had difficulty moving due to various problems, they could wander anywhere in this mansion as they pleased.
Massaging her sore calves from just one trip to the library, she couldn’t take her eyes off them for a very long time.
—
* * *
The stronghold of the capital’s nobility was the townhouse built on a plot of land secured at the eastern edge of the city, which stretched out from the central square as its axis. Life in the capital was conducted there, while the main mansion was built on the estate granted by the Imperial Family.
Thus, the Justutia ducal residence, located at a distance from that townhouse and with one entire side covered by the vast Alter Forest, was inevitably exceptional. Normally, such a thing would not be easily permitted, but for Justutia, which received the privileges of the Imperial Family as a matter of course, this too was highlighted as a distinction that only they could possess.
The annex within the vast estate nestled against the forest was close to a summer villa. Though it used the same land as the main building used for residence, the distance was considerable, and the sense of use was minimal, so it felt that way.
The land was so vast that it boasted a distance warranting travel by carriage, but Valderion chose to walk to the annex, partly to catch his breath on the way.
The ground beneath his steadily descending black shoes still held unfrozen icy patches. Walking over those traces, this winter felt particularly long.
Having just arrived, the Duke entered the annex and came to an abrupt halt.
He had clearly entered the building, but whether outdoors or inside the annex, the chill pressing against his skin felt the same. Was it because only one person stayed here? He wondered briefly, then abandoned the thought and stepped forward.
He had just climbed the stairs to the upper floor. On the long hallway stretching in both directions from the staircase, he came face to face with a woman hobbling toward him from beyond.
“……Ah.”
Lirete, accompanied by the butler as promised, apparently on her way back from the library, spotted him and stopped as well.
Having only ever seen her cooped up in her room, seeing her walking around on her own two feet was quite a fresh impression. But that thought was abruptly cut off by the realization that her reflexive step backward was unsteady.
His brow furrowed, clearly showing his displeasure.
Moreover, in that condition, the woman was carrying the armful of books herself. Despite there being a perfectly able-bodied man standing right beside her.
That alone raised questions, even for the butler.
The butler, who had served since Valderion’s childhood and knew how to distinguish between public and private matters, would have gladly done such a thing for her, even if he didn’t particularly like Lirete—even using the pretext of caring for the health of the woman who bore his master’s name.
*’Ah.’*
Valderion realized without difficulty.
That even this was Lirete’s stubbornness.
Even if the butler had offered to do it, she would have insisted she could do it herself. Just like those moments when she would face him without flinching and talk back.
“You’re here already.”
Feeling uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze, Lirete put strength into the arms holding several books and muttered weakly.
Her tone was filled with unmistakable regret.
At her insolent attitude, not even trying to hide her disappointment, Valderion’s lips twisted involuntarily.
“Not ‘already.’ I’m later than usual, in fact.”
That was true.
Today, a problem had arisen with the eastern port’s trade, and he had come here after urgently looking into it. Despite the forced march schedule that had continued since early dawn, he hadn’t put off his duties and had come here to check on Lirete’s condition.
Of course, he hadn’t expected a warm welcome, but seeing her openly display animosity and regret like this made the edges of his nerves curl unpleasantly.
“I’m tired, so let’s just get on with it.”
Valderion tilted his head as if to tell her to lead the way.
As if not wanting to walk beside him, Lirete put strength into her legs and hurried past him.
But because of her unsteady legs, her thin body limped heavily with every step. Walking quickly made this even more pronounced.
*’What a sight.’*
From behind, her gait was as unsteady as a toddler just learning to walk—utterly precarious.
Unlike her arms, which were perfectly capable of carrying books, her legs were still full of problems. It was a natural result, since every night, instead of touching her Name, he only held her hand to relieve the stiffness.
If he wanted to restore even that grating limp to normal, there was only one way.
Valderion, who had been standing as if rooted to the spot, walked toward her with heavy steps.
“……! Wha-, what are you doing!”
Then he hoisted Lirete, who was ahead of him, up onto his shoulder like a piece of luggage. Even as she suddenly lost her balance and screamed, her feet dangling in the air, he didn’t flinch. Rather, Valderion was quite surprised himself.
*’She’s this light?’*
He had guessed she had a slim figure just by looking, but she was even lighter than he had thought. It was astonishing—her weight felt comparable to that of his hunting dog, Camon.
“Put me down!”
Whether Valderion was surprised or not, Lirete was frantic to struggle.
The books in her hands fell to the floor with a heavy thud.
The butler, showing no change in expression at their antics, approached and neatly picked up the fallen books.
Meanwhile, Valderion was already heading toward her bedroom at the end of the hallway.
When he finally set down her violently struggling body on the sofa in the bedroom, her face was flushed red, as if her blood had rushed there. The butler, who had followed behind, neatly placed the retrieved books on the table and quietly closed the door behind him.
Naturally, only the two of them, who seemed ready to snarl at the mere meeting of eyes, remained in the bedroom.
