Chapter 9

After leaving the room and locking the door, Karina sighed deeply and threw off her robe.

The robe, which she had worn for two months, could be considered nothing more than a dust pit.

As she filled the bathtub with hot water, she took a light dress out of her cloth bag and threw it on the bed.

She also discarded her only undergarment and counted the remaining money.

She hadn't taken any gold coins, so all she had were a few silver coins and some copper coins.

17 silver and 8 pennies. She had never checked the market prices for clothes, so it was hard to gauge.

'Hmm, maybe I can buy a couple of outfits?'

After all, she didn't need to attend any banquets or tea parties here, so there was no need to worry about what others thought.

In other words, she didn't need expensive dresses.

All she needed were a light dress for going out, a new robe, and a few undergarments.

"Let's take a bath first."

Karina wrapped the dirty clothes in the robe and threw them far away before getting into the bathtub.

Her body felt weary in the warm water. It had been so long since she had a proper bath.

'...I have three pills left, right?'

She was afraid of what changes her body would undergo after the pills ran out.

Karina recalled the old doctor's instructions, which she could now recite by heart.

The writing, in poor handwriting, was densely packed. It was clear that he had spent a long time pondering and cramming all his thoughts into the small space.

Karina had left three pills as he had instructed.

All that was left was to wait.

Since she had taken the pills at night, the effects would likely wear off at night as well.

Since she wouldn't have any pills to take tonight, it was reasonable to assume that her condition would start deteriorating tonight.

Whenever she felt a bit down or lonely, she would take out the letter and read it, wondering if this was how her grandfather had felt.

It was so touching that even travelers had asked if it was a love letter from a lover.

"Hmm, I ended up memorizing it all."

Karina smiled with a relaxed face.

Karina finished her short bath. The journey had been tiring, but it had been very enjoyable.

She had made several sketches on small pieces of paper, though coloring them was too much to ask.

'Let's do what I want to do.'

She smiled as she dried her body with a towel.

Although she only had a year to live as she wished, it was still a precious life.

After changing into her clothes, she slowly went outside. When she opened the door, Pangi was waiting for her.

"Ah, please lead me to His Excellency."

Following the butler's guidance, she entered Milayen's office.

The office was filled with the smell of paper and ink. Apart from the necessary furniture, there were no vases or decorations.

In other words, it was bleak.

It was so bleak that even Karina, who had no interest in decorating, sighed when she entered.

The office was painted a dull gray, and it felt like one might develop depression from working there.

'It might not be an illusion...'

If his grumpiness really stemmed from this gloominess, she could nod in agreement without any doubt.

As soon as Karina entered the office, the sensitive Milayen's head snapped up.

She could now notice his fatigue, with bloodshot eyes that looked grumpy.

"Shall I prepare some tea?"

"Sure."

Milayen put down his pen and sat on the sofa in the center of the office.

"Tell me why you came here. Why did you leave home?"

"…Do I really have to explain?"

Karina asked cautiously, reading the situation.

"If you plan to live in someone else's house, you should also plan to persuade them, right?"

"…"

There was nothing to say in response to that.

Karina tried hard to think of a response, but she couldn't come up with anything to counter his point.

"Did you have a fight with your family?"

"Something like that, but different."

"Then?"

"…"

"Knowing that the young lady took two months to travel to the duchy, I can see that her resolve is firm. Was it a big fight?"

Milayen's mind seemed to have already accepted the hypothesis that she had come after a fight.

However, that was partly true and partly false.

She needed a quiet place to prepare for the end and a place far from her family.

To be completely honest, she also had a spiteful wish that they would regret her death someday.

That's why she had been so stubborn and hadn't said anything.

'…How petty.'

It was childish and petty. If she were to look at her feelings objectively, that would be the answer.

But what if it was childish and petty? That was who Karina was.

Karina decided to be a little more honest with her feelings.

"Everyone needs time to cool off, right?"

"The timing is bad. Winter is the busiest time for my territory. I won't have time to pay attention to the young lady."

"That's good."

Karina's eyes lit up when she heard the answer she had hoped for.

Milayen, who had his arms crossed, let out a hollow laugh. What was this short woman mumbling about?

He felt a throbbing headache and pressed his temples with his thumb out of habit.

"What?"

"That's great. If the cottage isn't being used, could you give it to me? I received a room next to yours, but it might be awkward to run into each other."

"The cottage? It hasn't been used for a while, so it needs to be cleaned up."

Milayen seemed to think Karina's suggestion wasn't bad and answered more readily than before.

"By 'cleaned up,' do you mean it's dusty?"

"Not really. It's being maintained, but we need to assign staff and bring in necessary items. It's an old place, so there will be many empty items that need to be restocked."

Karina thought for a moment.

She didn't want to be noticed by anyone.

Most importantly, she didn't want to be treated as a troublesome burden for a week.

"That's perfect. I'll only be staying for about six months, so there's no need to decorate it. I just need a fire and hot water. A maid would be fine too. I'm used to doing things on my own."

Karina spoke with a slightly excited tone, thinking she could get what she wanted.

She didn't find it too uncomfortable that Milayen, who was clearly annoyed, didn't hide his irritation.

"You seem more motivated than I've ever seen you."

"It's surprising to hear such praise from His Excellency, who called me a squid during our first meeting."

"…You still remember that?"

He has a narrow mind.

Karina could feel that emotion from Milayen's gaze.

She blinked her eyes.

What a grumpy man. She knew he was tired, but her mood was a bit off too.

"Your choice of words was so sophisticated that it stuck in my head."

Karina smiled as best she could and replied.

Milayen closed his mouth.

The woman chattering in front of him seemed so different from the one he knew. The atmosphere seemed a bit different.

'Back then, she seemed to have no will at all.'

His forced smile and scripted responses were very annoying.

Of course, she didn't like her current self either, but she thought it was better than before.

Milayen nodded with his arms still crossed.

"If you're okay with it, we can do it that way. The cottage is ready to use, so I'll tell Pangi. You can go whenever you want."

"Thank you."

"And don't even think about leaving the duchy without permission. I'll keep the duchy safe, so you'll always be safe here."

"Yes."

She sighed deeply and leaned back on the sofa. Seeing her more relaxed, Milayen brought the half-cold tea to his lips.

"How did you decide to come to the duchy at this time? You're incredibly stubborn."

As the conversation ended, the sharp criticism began. Her face twisted slightly.

"Why is winter such a big problem?"

"…You can't be serious."

Milayen's disappointed gaze fell on Karina.

It was a look that blamed her for being stupid. She was a bit taken aback by that frank gaze.

No, can a duke who oversees a vast territory not hide his emotions like this?

Of course, she had heard that the northern region had a weaker class system.

Karina's mood was a bit spoiled.