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nChapter 32

nTranslator: effefille

nProofreader: xoxomonami

nArtizea opened her eyes faintly.

nShe was buried in a cozy duvet in an unfamiliar room. There was a white one-piece pajamas on her body.

nThere was a fire in the fireplace. She heard the sound of firewood burning.

nHeating in this weather was unusual, but it was good enough for Artizea’s body who was in the middle of a cold.

nArtizea wriggled her hands and feet while lying still. Her knees and shins hurt, and her arms and shoulders stung.

nSo did her face. Artizea tried to graze the wound on her mouth that she got from having been slapped in the face.

nWhat was different from other times she was beaten, was that her eyes were not sore. It looked like someone had wiped her face.

nShe slowly sat up.

nIt wasn’t just certain parts of her body, but the muscles and joints of her shoulders and limbs also hurt. It seemed that her body was under even more pressure because of how nervous she was feeling.

nAnd she thinks she fainted. Her last memory was of Cedric grabbing Miraila’s arm.

nShe doesn’t think she passed out right after that though.

nEven so, she never lost her memory in this way.

nIt wasn’t really that big of a deal, but could the situation really have been so nerve wracking that it caused her to faint?

nShe had broken up an embankment, spread a plague, dealt with the Pirate King of the South Sea over the southern city of the Empire.

nEven at that time, there had never been a situation where she fainted.

nArtizea carefully got out of bed.

nThen she stroked her face once with her palm. Her cheekbones hurt.

n“Phew….”

nShe sighed. She wanted to see the mirror, but she didn’t actually want to see it. She was certain it must be terrible.

nTo think that such a face was seen by Cedric. She felt an unfamiliar melancholy.

nShe had no memory, so there was no way to know for certain.

nArtizea sighed.

nThe memory that seemed to be overloaded is probably because of the complexity in her head.

nBut that was the end for today.

nIt was then, the sound of a knock on the door was heard.

nShe didn’t answer, but the other person opened the door silently as if it was just a formality.

nIt was Ansgar.

nWhen he saw Artizea standing up, he put the wash basin and towel he brought in on the table near the door, and politely bowed.

n“I am Ansgar, the butler of the Grand Duke Evron.”

n“Yes.”

nArtizea replied, suppressing the soaring feelings into her throat.

nBut she couldn’t stand it all, so she said it again in a tone full of emotions.

n“Yes, I know.”

n“It’s an honor to meet you. Ced has told us of how nice it would be for the Lady Heiress to stay here until the situation is settled.”

n“Yes, I am grateful.”

n“Thank you for your understanding. The mansion is still a little cluttered. Normally, it’s a space where only soldiers come and go. We started cleaning it only last month.”

n“Yes……”

n“I’ll serve you during your stay here. If you have any needs, you can tell me anything.”

nAs Ansgar said so, he approached Artizea with a towel soaked in warm water.

nInstead of leaving her face to Ansgar, Artizea accepted the towel.

n“The doctor said that you were too traumatized and lost consciousness. Most of the wounds on the body are partial traumas, so you’ll be able to recover in no time. I will bring a hand mirror.”

n“No. It’s okay……. I don’t want to see it.”

n“Yes. It is said that it will leave no scar. So you don’t have to worry about it.”

n“Yes. “

nArtizea replied vaguely.

nIt’s not that easy to be beaten to death by one’s bare hand. More so with a woman’s hands.

nMiraila was stronger than Artizea, but she was still just a lady.

nThe heaviest of the things that hand could have held would be, at best, the emperor’s coat.

nIt was not common to get hit like yesterday. But it certainly wasn’t her first time.

nArtizea carefully wiped her face with the warm, wet towel. The front and corners of her eyes, and the stinging areas on her forehead and cheeks were also gently wiped.

n“The Lady’s maids are also in this mansion. They might be unpacking now. Would you like me to call for them?” Ansgar asked, gently.

nThe reason Ansgar dared to ask was because Artisea’s condition seemed very bad.

nMany decent nobles hated to show such vulnerability.

nAnd this young lady must have been more noble than her mother or brother.

nAnsgar noticed that she swallowed her emotions down her throat on several occasions, but he hid his sorry feelings.

nThe person in front of him is Cedric’s fiancèe, who will soon become the Duchess. So, as the butler, he was not qualified to show sympathy.

n“What about Alice?”

n“You’re talking about the maid who is close to the Lady. I heard that her injury was just a sprained wrist. She said she wanted to stand by you, but she looked very tired so I told her to go and rest.”

n“Okay, thank you for the consideration.”

nArtizea now replied with a completely calm and contemplative face.

n“What is Marcus doing? I know that he was entrusted with the mansion by the Grand Duke Evron.”

n“Sir Marcus Hanson is now working to sort out some affairs for the Lady. Ced left the Knights behind.”

n“The Knights are too much… “

nArtizea muttered. But now, she was very exhausted, that her thoughts flowed out of her head like it was someone else’s work.

nEven if it is something you know and are familiar with, she never adapted to the physical abuse and the pain. Neither did her mind.

nPlaying an instrument or learning a sword would result in calluses to your hand, but Artizea thought that it would never happen to her mind as well.

nAnyway, the work at the Marquis’s mansion wasn’t an important issue right now.

n“I’ll bring you a simple meal. Eat a little something and think about what you’re going to do today.”

n“I don’t think I want to eat that much now. More than a meal… can you make a cup of tea?”

n“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

nAnsgar quietly stepped back.

nArtizea realized she has a dazed face.

nAnsgar quietly doused her towel with water again.

nArtizea took it and buried her face in it. She felt much better because of it.

n“Thank you, Ansgar.”

nShe returned the towel from her face to Ansgar.

nThen she acknowledged Cedric, who was standing at the door.

n“It’s okay for Your Grace to come in. Unless you’re afraid of my face for being too ugly.”

n“I’ve never thought about that.” Cedric said, stuttering.

n“I already know that you don’t care about other people’s looks.” Artizea smiled.

nIt wasn’t that he didn’t care about it at all. Originally, her face wasn’t very pretty, but she got bruised and even scabs.

nOn top of it, it was filled with tears, so she will surely not be able to see him with eyes wide open.

nBut strangely, her heart was cool. After returning to the past, it seemed that a large boulder that had been placed on the edge of her chest had rolled and disappeared.

nBut this wasn’t wrong. She was going in the right direction. Be with the right people.

nAnsgar’s tea flavour informed her of it.

n“Are you feeling okay?”

n“Yes I’m fine. “

n“Thank God.”

nCedric was restless. Still, he could not settle his gaze on her, and the tips of his ears were red.

n“Don’t be like that. Sit down.”

nArtizea offered him a seat.

nCedric hesitated, then turned the chair next to the table and sat away from Artizea.

nAnsgar stepped back and walked out of the room.

n“I’m sorry for opening the door so recklessly. I was worried, so I stopped by before I left.”

n“Thank you. Yesterday…..”

nArtizea said calmly.

n“Thank you for coming to help. I never thought you would come in person.”

n“When Rize came to call for someone, I happened to be in front of the mansion and ran into her.”

nAs he answered so, Cedric realized.

nShe never thought he’d come in person. Conversely, it means that she was thinking that anyone would come.

nAnd this means that Artizea’s ‘thinking’ was completely different from the way other people think.

n“Tia, as expected…”

n“Yes?”

n“This situation, did you plan this?”

nThe young man who was shy and couldn’t make eye contact with the girl disappeared, and Grand Duke Evron became present.

nAlthough it was intense, as if looking into the abyss, his black eyes stared at Artizea.

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