Chapter 10
“Why is he giving me this job?”
The day after Henry left, Grandfather gave me another task.
Elliot relayed his message to me.
“It seems His Highness discussed the mine issue in depth with the Lord. The Lord hopes you’ll take a deeper look and resolve the matter.”
Apparently, Henry had a long conversation with Grandfather about the engagement negotiations.
How unnecessary.
I had no intention of getting involved, and yet here I was—once again doing Mergen’s work. That alone was enough to sour my mood.
“So he’s expecting things won’t go smoothly, and wants us to act before anything’s finalized?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“And even if the contract falls through, he wants us to secure the mine anyway.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Who’s the most likely candidate to replace Mergen in the deal?”
“As always, the strongest contender is Grand Duke Lahan.”
I nodded slowly.
At this point, I had no choice but to acknowledge it.
If I started this, I’d have to finish it. That’s just how fate seemed to work.
If this was divine will, it was certainly a cruel joke.
“Then I suppose it’s time to move. Karlin.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Karlin, who had been nearby, immediately responded.
“Get things ready. We’re going out.”
“Going out?”
Karlin’s eyes widened in surprise.
“We may end up somewhere rough, so bring comfortable shoes.”
“Somewhere rough?”
I smiled as Karlin stood there, clearly confused.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you leave the estate since I arrived.”
A flush of red spread across Karlin’s cheeks.
“Well, it’s not like this body made it easy to go out.”
It hadn’t even been that long since we left, yet I was already starting to feel drained.
This wasn’t just poor stamina—this felt like illness.
Right… this body is sick.
A congenital condition so rare that even speaking the name of it took effort. A rare illness passed down through only a few of Mergen’s bloodline.
Some even called it the curse of the house—a price paid for inheriting the forest’s power.
That power disappeared long ago, and only the curse remains. How unfair.
Why did it have to be Irene?
Of all the foolish Mergen heirs out there…
“Unfair” hardly even begins to cover it.
“What was that, my lady?”
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
Just as I was about to resume walking, the sunlight felt especially harsh against my skin.
My arm had turned red and hot to the touch.
The skin itched and throbbed slightly.
“Does this happen to you too?”
I raised my red, swollen arm to show Karlin.
“Oh no! You’ve always been sensitive to sunlight, but today must be worse than usual. What should we do…”
Karlin held my arm with both hands, visibly distressed.
“Should I go back and fetch a parasol?”
But we were already outside. It would take time to return—and whether she went alone or I joined her, both options were equally inconvenient.
Just then, my eyes landed on a nearby general store.
“It would be too troublesome to go back. Let’s just buy one over there.”
“Ah! Then let me go quickly and—”
“I’ll go pick one myself.”
“Yes, my lady!”
Karlin and I headed toward the general store.
A long display table was set up out front.
“Please, go inside, my lady.”
“It’s fine. I’ll choose one here. Go get the shopkeeper.”
“Here? Oh, yes—yes!”
Karlin hurried into the store.
While she was gone, I ran my eyes across the parasols neatly arranged on the table.
As expected of a well-known general store, the selection was abundant.
The parasols were arranged from light colors to darker ones. As I walked down the line, I passed by hats and gloves.
Though these weren’t made of the finest fabrics nobles would use—since they were sold out on display—they were neatly stacked, and for some reason, my hand was drawn to a pair of black gloves.
Just as I reached out to touch them, someone bumped into me.
“Oh—my apologies.”
I’d accidentally bumped into a stranger.
The man who collided with me quickly apologized, and I gave a slight nod in return to say it was fine.
I shifted my attention away from the gloves and turned back to the parasols.
There were all kinds—some made of soft silk or embroidered lace, others simpler, made from paper.
My hand reached toward one of the paper parasols.
“For the same price, wouldn’t one of the others be better?”
It was the voice of the man I’d just bumped into.
I looked toward the source of the voice and saw his face.
His neatly styled black hair, sharp and defined features, and deep crimson eyes that gleamed like rubies—he was striking.
This man…
The Grand Duke of Lahan.
I hadn’t realized who he was when we collided. But now I did.
“Were you speaking to me?”
He gave a subtle nod in response.
“A lady of noble birth shouldn’t be holding such a cheap parasol, don’t you think?”
“You speak as though you know who I am.”
His tone was far from polite—certainly not the kind of gentle suggestion one would expect.
Well, that made sense. He was the type of man for whom arrogance came as naturally as breathing.
I let his words pass through one ear and picked up the paper parasol anyway—quite deliberately.
“Isn’t the value of an item decided by the person who needs it?”
“Or perhaps you just don’t know how to judge quality.”
“With these delicate arms, something light with bamboo ribs is more suitable. At least, I don’t consider this street a place to flaunt something heavy and expensive.”
“Practical, despite appearances. Couldn’t your maid carry it for you?”
“She has more useful things to do.”
And what would you know of my priorities?
This man had probably never even exchanged a proper word with Irene before.
When I replied, the Grand Duke’s brow twitched slightly.
He was clearly intrigued.
“You, on the other hand, seem to be eyeing something quite unfitting yourself.”
I glanced down at the gloves in his hands.
The same black gloves I had been reaching for earlier.
They looked refined enough at first glance, but like most things sold on outdoor stalls, they lacked the quality to truly satisfy someone of high rank.
Even if the craftsmanship was decent, no noble would willingly buy something that had been exposed to the dust of the streets.
“You sound like you know who I am.”
He threw my own words right back at me.
“Then I suppose we can skip the formal introductions. It seems we already know who each other is.”
Lahan Bahel.
The current emperor’s half-brother, bearing the name of House Bahel.
A man with a free spirit, unlike most members of the royal family.
His father was the former emperor, and his mother was a low-born concubine from House Bahel.
Though a royal by blood, he held no power within the imperial family or within his house—at least, not until he devoured House Bahel whole by his own strength.
It’s said the blood he spilled turned the river near Bahel crimson.
He was known to be ruthless.
From the moment he cast off his imperial title to claim Bahel as his own, he was already someone exceptional.
“I like practical things myself.”
“Is that so?”
Most royals wouldn’t even dream of buying anything from a street stall like this.
And of course, he probably thought the same of me.
“So, when do you plan to get to the point?”
I asked the Grand Duke as I slipped the chosen parasol over my arm.
“Are you asking if I have an agenda, after a chance meeting like this?”
Grand Duke Lahan smiled, as if he found the whole situation amusing.
I glanced between his coat pocket and the gloves in his hand.
“You already have the gloves you wanted, yet you lingered in front of a stall where a familiar face happens to be. If your intent isn’t me, then it’s hard to interpret this any other way.”
In my head, I was quickly running through any possible past dealings between Irene and the Grand Duke.
Did they have any reason to cross paths before?
“Hm.”
He folded his arms with a crooked stance, standing just slightly off-center in front of me.
“More than anything, I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Knowing what I do from my days as Deborah, I doubted Lahan ever had the time to loiter about and chat with people on the street.
Too many obligations. Too little room for happenstance.
There’s no way this is just a coincidence.
“Shopkeeper.”
Grand Duke Lahan’s gaze shifted, moving past me.
I turned and saw Karlin approaching with the shopkeeper.
“Welcome, Your Grace!”
“Let’s settle the bill.”
“Yes, of course! It’s been a while since your last visit. How was the shoe polish you took home last time?”
The shopkeeper greeted the Grand Duke with a sense of familiarity.
“It worked well. The grain of the wood handle fit nicely in my hand.”
“Say the word, and I’ll have more delivered straight to your estate!”
So this is a regular spot for him.
Thinking back on what he said about not believing in coincidences—this made things feel a little too convenient.
So he really didn’t come here for me?
The moment teetered on the edge of becoming awkward.
Of course—what reason would Lahan have to approach Irene?
Even if he remembered her face, this wasn’t like when I was Deborah. There’d be no point in singling her out for anything.
I’d made the mistake of viewing my situation as if I were still Deborah.
That was the real mistake.
“I’ll cover the parasol as well.”
He glanced toward me as he spoke.
“That’s really not necessary—”
“Then let me make it necessary. So, we’re not left feeling awkward, let’s say I had a reason. I simply wanted to show a small gesture of goodwill.”
“……”
So he was determined to make this uncomfortable.
A wide, easy smile curved at the corner of his lips.
“Well then.”
Having already paid, the Grand Duke casually turned away from the stall and left—just as casually as he had arrived beside me, as if it had been an accident.
“Milady, is something wrong?”
Karlin shook me gently as I stood, watching his retreating figure.
“What? No, it’s nothing.”
Maybe it felt odd because we used to bare our teeth at each other like animals, ready to pounce. To be reduced to such a dull encounter now—it just felt strangely anticlimactic.
Have I still not fully realized I’m in a different body?
“Let’s go. If we keep standing around like this, we’ll be exhausted before we even get a look at the mine.”
I glanced up at the merciless sky, still rubbing the red skin on my arm.
I never knew spring sunlight could be this cruel.
