Chapter 50
The carriage that left the duke’s residence sped toward Salon Street.
“Nancy, here.”
I took something out of my pocket and handed it to her.
They were a few unused rings and bracelets I had taken from the jewelry box.
Thanks to the cash the duke had given me, I no longer had any need for them.
“Put them back where they belong.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Nancy carefully gathered them and stored them safely.
I clicked my tongue as I glanced toward the coachman’s seat.
Unfortunately, today’s companions weren’t just the maid and the coachman.
‘He even assigned a guard.’
And not just any guard—a telepathic awakened one.
It was supposedly for protection, but it was obvious he had placed surveillance on me because of my previous unauthorized outing.
‘Is this what they call giving medicine after causing the illness?’
He gives me a pouch of money but restricts my movements.
It made me uncomfortable to see that the duke was already adapting to his daughter’s changed personality.
‘Good thing I told Eston in advance.’
Before long, we reached our destination.
Since the duke’s residence was located in the center of the capital, it wasn’t far.
As soon as the carriage stopped, the knight sitting in front quickly jumped down and opened the door.
“Please take my hand, my lady.”
“Mm, thank you.”
After getting down with his help, I spoke casually.
“Wait here.”
“Pardon? But for your safety, I must remain by your side—”
“I’ll only be inside the salon. What danger could there be? It’s not like you’re going to watch me change clothes.”
“Th-that’s….”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to report to my father if you stayed here and watched whether I sneak off or not?”
“……!”
Perhaps because I hit the mark exactly, the knight fell silent.
They must have carefully chosen someone who would report back quickly.
Unfortunately for the duke, the man seemed inexperienced.
Leaving the flustered knight behind, I slipped into the salon.
Fortunately, my reasoning seemed convincing enough—he didn’t follow me inside.
“Oh my! Welcome, Lady!”
The salon owner greeted me warmly.
“I’d like to take my time looking around.”
“We’ve cleared everything up to the third floor today, so feel free to browse as much as you like! Hoho!”
Just as she said, the interior was completely empty.
Because I wanted to shop leisurely, the duke had rented out the entire shop.
‘Money really is great.’
Clicking my tongue at the power of the ducal household, I quickly took a robe from a hanger and put it on as soon as the owner left.
Then I said to Nancy:
“Pick out anything appropriate.”
“M-my lady… are you sure that’s okay…?”
“Just avoid anything with too many frills or decorations.”
“But….”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Leaving behind the worried Nancy, I immediately headed up the stairs.
Time was tight if I wanted to make it back in time.
Reaching the top floor in one go, I crossed the long hallway.
The third floor seemed to be a private dressing area, made up of several rooms.
Thanks to the money I had secretly given the owner through Eston the day before, there wasn’t a single worker in sight.
— Find me a dress shop that’s easy to sneak out of.
— Do I look like your maid—! …Yes, understood. I’ll find one right away.
Unlike Nancy, Eston was weak when it came to money.
Seeing how perfectly she carried out the task after receiving a ruby ring, it seemed true that she had switched to the duke’s household for a better salary.
‘She could’ve lived well even as a secretary instead of a healer.’
Letting out a small laugh, I opened the iron door at the end of the hallway.
A rooftop filled with laid-out fabrics appeared.
The salon owner also ran an accessory shop next door.
To save time, she had connected the rooftops, using the neighboring building’s top floor as a storage space for fabrics.
‘There it is…!’
After scanning the rooftop, I soon found a crude wooden plank bridge connecting the buildings.
Fortunately, the buildings were very close together.
Otherwise, my fear of heights would have made this much harder.
Creak… creak…
Carefully stepping across the planks, I crossed over to the adjacent rooftop and pulled up the hood of my robe.
Unlike the salon, which had interior stairs, this building had an external iron staircase.
Thanks to that, I was able to reach the first floor without running into anyone.
I briefly hid beside the building and peeked toward the dress shop entrance.
Unfortunately, the guard assigned by the duke hadn’t noticed anything.
Still, the way he occasionally stretched his neck to check the back door proved he was definitely there to monitor me.
“Hmph.”
A scoff escaped me.
I hadn’t originally planned to go this far.
But somehow, it had turned into something like a covert operation.
‘I should give Eston a bonus.’
Fortunately, I was about to meet her.
I climbed into the carriage that had already been waiting beside the building.
Bang!
As I opened the door, I saw my temporary secretary waiting anxiously.
“Hi.”
“My lady!”
“Shh. The guard is still outside.”
At my words, Eston frowned and quickly shut her mouth.
Knock, knock.
I tapped the wall, and the carriage started moving.
Once we were far enough from Salon Street, Eston burst out:
“What on earth are you trying to do this time?!”
“What else? I just have to make it back on time.”
“You never mentioned a guard!”
“I know. I didn’t expect my father to distrust me this much.”
“I’m finished if this happens again! If the duke catches me, Theo and I will both be thrown out with nothing!”
“Here. Use this to rent a room at an inn or something.”
“You can’t be serious—!”
She grabbed her head in despair, then glared at me—only to fall silent the moment she saw the two gold coins I offered.
She accepted them with both hands, extremely politely, and asked:
“…Do you really have to go all the way to Volner?”
“What choice do I have?”
“You could just send someone…”
“Who would I send? Do you want to go instead?”
“Even if you go yourself, it’s not like there’s a clear solution.”
Eston muttered bitterly.
But that was only because she didn’t know.
Since I knew the novel, I had no choice but to go in person.
Volner.
Three years ago, it was where the novel began—and the first city the heroine purified.
Originally a satellite city of the capital, it was home to middle-class merchants and minor nobles.
But three years ago, a massive gate appeared, causing enormous damage.
Though the gate was eventually closed, many people had already been exposed to demonic energy.
The one who saved Volner from chaos—where the corrupted and survivors were all mixed together—was none other than the heroine.
‘It was quite the dramatic entrance scene…’
But after that, the wealthy residents fled, and the city quickly became a refuge for outsiders.
Now, it had turned into a battleground for all kinds of dark forces—gangs, guilds, and black-market merchants.
So why was I trying to go to such a dangerous city?
“Llewelyn, born a commoner, was familiar with the ways of the underworld.
Though she was a talented awakened one, she needed information to establish herself among powerful nobles.
Thus, with the help of her childhood friend—the leader of the Blue Moon Guild—she gathered various intelligence.
The Blue Moon Guild, cooperating with Llewelyn, settled in Volner and gradually expanded its influence…”
That’s right.
One of the biggest twists of the novel…!
The heroine wasn’t just kind and pure—she was also ambitious, strategically navigating high society and the imperial palace.
‘Though the information she gained wasn’t that amazing…’
At most, it was information about key figures like the male leads, or the weaknesses of antagonists who disliked her.
Still, thanks to that, she was able to avoid several traps set by Edith.
Anyway.
Right now, I was heading directly to the Blue Moon Guild.
If it was them, I could quickly find the heroine’s whereabouts.
“…I really don’t understand why you’re trying to find the purifier.”
At that moment, Eston muttered:
“Isn’t things better this way? The rival who stole your men is gone.”
“Eston.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to be thrown out right now?”
When I asked seriously, staring at her, she quickly straightened up.
“N-no!”
“What ‘my men’… ugh. Don’t ever say something like that again—I feel sick.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
