Chapter 34
Becoming the head of the house. Protecting Mergen. Or even destroying it altogether.
No matter how I looked at it, I didn’t see anyone who could do those things better than me.
What else could I do?
“Go watch the Rain Ritual with your mother. You always found it fascinating, didn’t you?”
I turned lightly on my heel.
I really shouldn’t find it amusing to tease this child like this.
Any more of this, and he’ll get used to it.
The day of the Rain Ritual had come.
“My lady, you have to change into your ceremonial robes! Hand me those documents.”
“They’re all done.”
“No more checking! Please!”
“Mmh…”
The unfinished report slipped from my hands before I could even place the final period.
Karlin dressed me carefully in the pristine white ceremonial robes.
“Why is my heart racing like this? The Rain Ritual can go on for days—sometimes up to a week! You can’t eat or drink the entire time, and with your health—if it goes that long, you might…”
“Karlin.”
“Should I hide a water bottle under the sleeves?”
“Karlin…”
“I could sneak in some bread at least!”
Apparently, Karlin’s ears weren’t working today.
Why was she more nervous than I was?
“It’s alright. It won’t last days. I’ll make sure of that.”
“But, my lady… I heard the Lord himself nearly collapsed after a week last year. The maids have all been gossiping—”
“What are they saying?”
“They think something awful will happen to you.”
“Haha.”
Irene’s health was improving by the day.
Compared to the days when even sunlight would crack her skin, she now looked completely renewed.
To be honest, I felt more alive now than I ever did as Deborah.
“Oh, look. A bird’s come.”
A few sparrows chirped away on the windowsill.
Another strange thing.
Animals seemed drawn to Irene.
Her diary had always been filled with stories about them—now I understood why.
“Don’t you dare shed feathers in here! This robe cannot get dirty today!”
The all-white ceremonial gown looked so pure, it felt suffocating just to wear.
“How does something like this look so good on you?”
Karlin adjusted the collar, speaking with admiration.
“There’s no real benefit to it looking good, you know.”
I lifted the long, trailing sleeves and shook my head.
“Your skin, your hair color… It’s like you were made to wear this.”
“Do you think I’ll get bonus points for looking nice?”
“From who, the gods?”
“Anyone, really.”
Karlin then brought over a headpiece.
It was a ribbon embroidered with Mergen’s crest.
Two crossed swords surrounded by five cherry blossom petals—meant to symbolize the protection of a noble spirit.
That symbol had once felt like a brand burned into my chest.
Well… once.
“The Lord wears it across his forehead, but covering your pretty face feels like a waste.”
“Tie it.”
“Ooh! Great idea. How about a half-up style?”
“That sounds nice.”
In the end, the ceremonial cloth became my hair ribbon.
I looked at my reflection.
Irene, once pale and hollow, had become a woman full of life.
Karlin’s handiwork flowed down my shoulders like soft waves.
“To be washed away by the rain… You’re far too lovely for that.”
If anyone had heard me, they’d probably call it vanity.
But to my eyes, Irene’s image was simply… beautiful.
The path wasn’t ideal.
Why the Rain Ritual had to be held beyond the mountains was beyond me.
Such senseless formality.
I remembered the staggering cost of transporting and decorating everything over such rough terrain.
Yes. This would have to change, too.
As I grumbled inwardly over trivial thoughts, a chill suddenly ran down my spine.
—Danger!
A voice—clear and urgent—warned me.
I immediately threw open the carriage window.
Clang!
“What’s going on?!”
“Bandits! Protect the lady!”
“Kyaaah!”
In an instant, chaos erupted around the carriage.
“My lady! Get down!”
Elliot flung open the carriage door and reached out to me in a rush.
I grabbed his hand and jumped down.
Dirt splashed onto my pristine white ceremonial robe.
Around us, figures in black masks attacked the carriage with swift, precise movements.
These weren’t bandits.
“Assassins,” I said under my breath.
“Whether they’re bandits or assassins doesn’t matter right now. Come—this way!”
Elliot yanked me forward, and I stumbled along, nearly dragged as we fled.
“Karlin!”
“Ah! My lady!”
Karlin ran to me, clutching the pouch of ceremonial tools tightly to her chest—even now, in this chaos.
“Run! Now!”
“Yes! Watch your back, my lady!”
One of the masked attackers lunged toward me, sword raised.
Clang!
Elliot intercepted the blow with his own blade.
“Go ahead. Karlin, protect the lady.”
“…”
There were maybe a dozen enemies—no more.
We’d suffer losses, but it wasn’t beyond control.
But…
Just a glance told me the assassins’ swordplay was no amateur’s.
This could get dangerous.
“Let’s go. We have to find somewhere to hide.”
I grabbed Karlin’s hand, and we ran again.
But suddenly—more assassins burst from the underbrush.
“Ahh!”
Karlin tripped and fell back in panic.
Another attacker lunged at me, blade slashing.
Whoosh— the sound of a sword slicing the air brushed past my ear.
At such close range, even the sound alone was terrifying.
“My lady! No—!”
I dodged once, twice—pure luck. But there was no way this fragile body could keep avoiding them forever.
And then, I felt it.
A sharp sting—cold and searing—across my side.
“Ugh…”
I looked down to see red blooming across the white of my ceremonial robe.
It was then that three more masked men appeared from the bushes.
They looked similar—but something about their gear was slightly different.
And then—
“Argh!”
The man attacking me was suddenly thrown to the ground with a harsh crack.
“We’re here to assist.”
One of the newcomers spoke to me, his voice low and calm.
They weren’t enemies.
Just as I wondered who they were—something clicked.
Solmon. I remembered the request I’d made to him.
“You’re with Solmon?”
The masked man nodded.
I hadn’t asked for help specifically for this kind of scenario… but it was help nonetheless.
“Then I’m counting on you.”
I entrusted my back to them without another word.
“Karlin—let’s go. Hurry.”
We just had to cross the mountain.
Once we were over the ridge, there’d be people. A crowd.
And these assassins wouldn’t be able to move so freely there.
Clang. Smash. Thud.
The sounds of steel, flesh, and blood clashing tore through the air and into my ears.
But I kept running—leaving the chaos behind me.
* * *
“Haa… haa… Just a little further and we’ll reach the village! I don’t think they’re following us anymore!”
“Right. But we can’t let our guard down yet.”
We had practically rolled our way down the mountain by the time it happened.
“I figured you’d survive and make it down.”
A familiar voice blocked our path.
“…Vermont?”
There he stood—Vermont—in the flesh, standing before us.
And behind him, a whole squad of assassins, armed and ready.
“Why are you—”
“You’ve been messing with my trade routes lately. It’s been pissing me off. You sent Milles packing, and now what—planning to come after me next?”
…Seriously?
I hadn’t even touched Vermont yet.
Sure, I was planning to rip that trade route from his hands eventually, but I hadn’t even started.
‘He really is quick on the uptake—must be Chloe’s influence.’
Vermont clearly intended to silence me for good.
“You planning to kill me?”
“Would I show myself otherwise?”
“Chloe won’t like that.”
“Who cares? I have to look after myself.”
That’s where he and Roosevelt differed.
Roosevelt would die for Chloe.
But Vermont? He calculated everything—coldly, selfishly.
I’d underestimated him.
“If you kill me now, people will suspect your dear Chloe. And let’s not forget—you need what’s in this body.”
“Did you not hear me? I said I don’t care.”
“To throw everything away over money. How pathetic.”
“Pathetic? This again? You really are just another little brat who never escaped that sacred ‘Mergen spirit’ nonsense. And now, because of that, you’re about to die—for nothing more than money.”
Tch.
I exhaled slowly, deeply.
The pain in my side was getting worse. The wound was bleeding steadily.
“This is exactly why vermin like you need to be dealt with first.”
“…What?”
“To kill me over some cheap excuse, and not even realize how pathetic that is. You don’t even feel embarrassed. I doubt you’d understand, even if I explained it.”
“You bitch—!”
Vermont kicked me—hard.
I hit the ground with a dull thud.
Damn it. Right on the wound…
