“Scary, it’s scary…… Whenever Mom is like that, it’s so frightening.”
Back then, on nights when my mother was seized by madness, I cried in the arms of a maid.
The maid would soothe me and say this:
“Miss, it’s enough if we do well. If we do our best, Her Highness will come back to herself. She’s such a brilliant person, you know. It’s only because we couldn’t serve her as well as they did at the Riente Royal Palace. If we try harder, it’ll be fine.”
So I tried. I did everything I could to become the perfect daughter for my mother.
But nothing changed. My mother’s madness only grew worse with each passing day.
Even so, there was still only one thing I could do this time as well.
“…Let’s do our best.”
Just like always.
“Let’s just try our best for now. Everyone’s happy, saying they survived thanks to me.”
If I did better, then even if a secret message came from a dark mage, they wouldn’t hand me over like my uncle did.
“Should those despicable criminals dare to harm the bloodline of Sears, I, Nozen, as head of the First Five Families, will never stand by and allow it.”
It’s true that hearing that made me feel a little better.
Still, it was rather miserable. That was why I pretended even harder that it didn’t bother me at all. As if I wasn’t scared of such things in the slightest.
That was when—
“Miss, Miss!”
One of the shop kids from Jezel Street held something out to me.
“Will you trade this for flour too? It’s totally useless, though……”
My eyes widened when I saw what was in the child’s hand.
This was exactly what I wanted. Seeds that people had left behind, saying, “You don’t really need to eat these.”
The thing I was certain would be among them.
“It’s not useless.”
I said, brimming with joy.
“It’s exactly what I was looking for.”
It was a crop perfect for planting right now, in potato fields that had become more than half empty after harvesting.
I planned to plant it in the newly established Baron territory as well—not just for short-term survival like now, but for a long-term food supply.
Hawyn Baron’s Estate
“Mother!”
Dahlia screamed.
“Are you seriously crazy like her mother? You’re handing over Jezel Street?”
Baroness Hawyn let out a sly grin.
“As if I would do that. Dahlia, calm down.”
“What? But you already signed everything and came back—”
“You can take it back for a moment.”
As if she had never begged in front of Brisa, Baroness Hawyn lifted her chin coldly.
Dahlia’s eyes sparkled.
“Mother, then you have a plan?”
“We can’t leave that impudent girl alone.”
Baroness Hawyn snorted.
“Since things have come to this, I intend to get rid of her.”
“What?”
Dahlia’s eyes went wide in shock.
“Is that possible?”
“I’ve already thought of a way.”
Baroness Hawyn said leisurely.
“The dead tell no tales. We can pin it on those who kidnapped your father. They’re criminals anyway.”
She stroked Dahlia’s hair and whispered soothingly.
“Normally, this mother would take care of everything herself, but it seems I’ll need your help this time. To keep her convincingly detained, we’ll need someone her age.”
Dahlia’s eyes glittered.
“I’ll do anything, Mother.”
Once again, the two united in purpose.
“It’s all for our family, after all.”
That night, at midnight.
I headed toward Erollamo Hill with Philip in tow. It was where the kidnappers had told Baroness Hawyn to secretly bring five sacks of wheat.
Erollamo Hill lay on the border between Jezel Street and Count Joachim’s territory. In other words, it was crawling with monsters and not a place people could easily come and go from right now.
The large zelkova tree they mentioned came into view just ten steps past the Marquisate of Sears.
“The hill isn’t very high.”
Philip said, narrowing his eyes.
“If the monsters living on a hill like this are all there is, we could clear them out and travel through easily.”
“Well, that’s true.”
I nodded.
“But Baron Hawyn’s territory doesn’t have a knight order of that size, so it would’ve been impossible for them.”
Count Joachim’s territory, adjacent to Jezel Street, fully embraced a river—just like Erenta.
While marlang fish weren’t caught there, the river was full of large freshwater fish. On top of that, it had the widest plains in the central region. That meant they could survive for about three months without scrambling desperately like us or Baron Hawyn’s estate.
‘Especially since it isn’t winter.’
“Hey, you know Luman from House Joachim, right? I think I’ll probably get engaged to him if nothing happens.”
Dahlia hadn’t been bragging for no reason when she talked about marriage negotiations with House Joachim.
“Ah, Luman Joachim. I always thought he was the most unpleasant of the central nobles.”
Nor had I criticized that family for lacking humanity without reason.
Even while knowing Baron Hawyn’s territory was in dire straits, they hadn’t offered even a shred of help, despite engagement talks being underway.
‘They must’ve decided there was no need to trade with Baron Hawyn’s territory and endure hardship together.’
If they had mobilized their entire knight order, they could have wiped out the monsters on the hill easily.
In a way, it was a rational decision.
Well, House Joachim’s thorough cost-benefit calculations weren’t necessarily a bad thing for us.
“Anyway, we’re almost there.”
I said calmly.
“Have you transport the five sacks of wheat.”
That was what Baroness Hawyn had said earlier.
“Your uncle was betrayed by the people of his own territory and ended up like this—who could we possibly trust in the barony? Especially when it comes to wheat…… there are plenty of people who’d steal even if it meant selling their souls.”
She wasn’t wrong. Even as she said it, Baroness Hawyn and Dahlia were staring intently at the sandwich I had left half-eaten.
I slowly nodded.
“All right.”
Then I called for a maid.
“I’m full. Just give it to any passing dogs.”
It was a rather atrocious act.
In any case, Baroness Hawyn, her face stiff, said this:
“Once you come down below this hill, that will be the place. Since we can’t trust your knight, you must come along personally. And if they bring anyone else, the baron could be harmed, so only one person should carry it—”
After saying I understood everything, I sent them away.
That was what happened in the morning, and after reclaiming Jezel Street, I was busy giving various instructions.
‘Ha……’
I had traded five sacks of wheat for Jezel Street and the Beron region.
Originally, I was the one meant to be sold for wheat.
They say that future no longer exists, but I had never once forgotten it.
“Miss.”
After arriving below the hill, Philip—who was carrying all five sacks of wheat by himself—spoke.
“Should I put them down here?”
“Well, I guess so. We can just leave them.”
That was when—
“Brisa!”
Dahlia ran out of the darkness.
“Brisa, you came!”
“Yeah. I came, so I’ll be going now.”
“No, not yet. They said to move the wheat under that zelkova tree.”
Dahlia stared fixedly at Philip.
Among me, Dahlia, and Philip, the only one who could carry five sacks of wheat was, of course, Philip.
“You stay.”
Dahlia grabbed my arm tightly.
“Mother said it’s dangerous for kids to climb the hill. Even if it’s just the entrance, monsters could come down. You’re the same age as me.”
“Well, I suppose.”
I nodded once, then said to Philip:
“Go ahead.”
“Then I’ll be right back.”
Philip bowed to me once and headed toward the hill entrance where the zelkova tree stood.
Dahlia kept gripping my arm tightly until Philip disappeared from sight.
And just like that, only the two of us remained below the hill.
“Shouldn’t you let go now?”
When I said indifferently, Dahlia shrugged.
“I can’t. I’m too scared.”
That was when someone covered my eyes and mouth from behind.
“Mm!”
The moment Dahlia let go of my arm, someone lifted my body up with a jerk. It was undoubtedly one of Baron Hawyn’s people who had been waiting nearby.
“Whew.”
As I struggled my limbs without even being able to scream, Dahlia’s voice rose from below.
“Let’s leave quickly before the knight comes back.”
“Ah, aren’t we killing her now?”
“Not now.”
Dahlia said primly.
“To reclaim Jezel Street and Beron, we need the acting lord’s signature. We have to meet Father and sign the contract first.”
It was fortunate that I didn’t need to pretend to scream, with a gag already in place.
‘That’s right, Dahlia.’
I thought, half-heartedly kicking my legs.
‘That’s why I couldn’t kill your father on the spot back then.’
Territories had to be transferred within the bounds of legal documents.
From far away, near the zelkova tree, I heard Philip whistling as he came back. At the same time, the man who had abducted me and Dahlia muffled their footsteps and headed down a different path.
