Chapter 13

Rumors of Grand Duke Rochester wandering through the entire continent with terrifying tenaciousness have long since dwindled.

Only the activities of the Divine Lady in the capital turns up from time to time. And although such news surfaced, the world had been revolving peacefully without much trouble.

But the part I can’t understand is,

‘Why didn’t Calix and Sia got married?’

They should have gotten married by now. But there were no rumors of a magnificent celebration or a grand wedding of the Divine Lady held was heard.

Just in case, I asked merchants going to and from the city, and they all said the same.

‘It’s weird.’

Has something changed in the fate of Calix and Sia? The two of them······.

‘Have they fallen in love with each other?’

“······.”

Every time my contemplation comes up to this point, I bitterly sneer at myself. There’s no use speculating about it anymore.

It doesn’t matter to me anyway.

I’m currently Rose Osborne and was not Laure Ecree, who was heartbroken because I loved Calix. It was all in the past now.

“My daughter, I wish to greet you a happy birthday but······. You’re sleeping serenely like this.”

I stroked Letty’s cheek and smiled. She is the most precious thing to me. As long as Letty grows healthy and well, there is nothing more I could wish for in life.

“Phew. Why do I feel so uneasy today?”

I stood up and stretched. I had to find Letty’s birthday present, but it was delayed because I got lost in my thoughts.

It was already getting dark outside when I looked over the window. Even though it was spring, the time when the sun was up in the sky was never too long.

It might be a little dangerous to go out now, but if I wear the ring with Alice’s magic, I think it would still be safe.

I pulled my coat out of the closet and put it on. Just in case, I wore a hat and left the room after leaving a kiss on Letty’s forehead.

As I went down the stairs and checked, Osborne’s father and son were still preoccupied with their work.

Magic repairs or engraving were quite an elaborate task, requiring a high degree of concentration. I didn’t want to disturb them, so I went out quietly.

The outside air was cold and chilly, perhaps because of the weather. I pulled the collar of my coat then wrapped it around me snugly.

Whoo. White steam floated out of my mouth as I exhaled. Ugh. It’s so cold. I should hurry up and come back. Therefore, I hastened my steps.

I walked for about a dozen minutes and arrived at my destination, the toy store.

I hurriedly opened the door and went inside. My body that was frozen from the cold wind was gently relieved due to the room’s warmth.

“Please come in····· Huh? Rose! You’re finally here!”

Harold, the owner of the toy store, greeted me happily.

“Yes. I came to pick up my gift for Letty.”

“Ah, right, there’s that. I’m sorry, but can you wait for a minute? It still has a little bit of touching up to do.”

It’s been a week since I ordered, but it hasn’t been ready yet? I was a little dissatisfied, but I gave a gentle nod. I didn’t want to look bad for anything in this small neighborhood.

“Yes, then please wait a minute!”

Harold yelled, then went back straight at the workshop behind the counter.

I sat on a guest chair on the corner of the store. As I was looking at the toys displayed on the shelves, someone opened the side door and entered the shop.

“Oh, my. Who do we have here?”

It was Lucy, Harold’s sister. She was one of those people who hated me in this city.

No matter how careful you are, you won’t be able to avoid incurring human hatred. Not everyone will be kind and friendly to you. And Lucy, in particular, hated me very much.

“Isn’t this Rose, who suddenly showed up with a child, has an unknown identity, and finally seduces an innocent man?”

The woman erupted with sarcasm as soon as she laid her eyes on me.

“What are you talking about, Lucy? Letizia is Will’s daughter.”

I boldly said. After living for seven years as a single mother of a child, her insults were nothing new to me.

“Hmpf, how shameless.”

Lucy rolled her eyes at me and pulled the money out of the checkout counter.

After seeing the sweet smile, I blatantly directed her way, Lucy’s face crumpled.

“Would you mind letting go of poor William? You’re thinking of becoming the lover of the feudal lord’s son anyway.”

What nonsense is she spewing again this time? I blinked, implying to her that I had no idea of the bullshit she’s talking about. There is only one feudal lord’s son in this town, and that is Baron Camnell.

The bastard indeed came to tempt me not just once or twice, but I never accepted his proposal. However, it seemed that a ludicrous rumor had started to spread somewhere.

I answered in a carefree manner.

“Well, I’m pretty popular. To the extent that even Baron Camnell chases after me.”

Lucy burst into laughter. Indicating that my retorts were mere ridiculous words to her. Before she could say anything, I quickly added.

“But I have no intention of becoming his lover. I have a husband, and that is Will. I hope you remember that, Lucy.”

I seriously warned her, but Lucy just laughed it off.

“You speak very well. But do you think that I didn’t know what kind of a vile person you are? Humans like you always betray the person who cares about you eventually. So leave Will Osborne alone!”

Lucy closed the drawer, glared at me, and walked out of the store. Exhausted from dealing with her, I sighed.

The reason Lucy and the others didn’t like me was because of Will.

Strangely enough, a lot of troublesome guys get entangled to me all the time. To get rid of them, Will reached out his hand.

After agonizing about it for a long time, I finally accepted his offered help. So although we weren’t a real couple, Will and I got married. Most of the city’s people knew about it. No matter how we disguise that Letizia was Will’s daughter, no one ever believes it.

People thought that I, a single mother of unknown origin, was using Will. And despite that, there were also other reasons why Will and Sean were willing to put up a fake marriage; they were not willing to reveal their secret, that’s why people’s misunderstandings deepened.

My reputation was getting worse by the day, but I couldn’t deal with it properly because I was distracted by raising Letizia.

As a result, I had to be subjected to all sorts of ridicule whenever I encountered someone who hated me. Though, it doesn’t bother me that much.

‘It’ll die down as I get older anyway, right?’

Since I’m still young, it can’t be helped that I will be the topic of gossip in town. But by the time I get wrinkles on my forehead, I’m sure it’ll all settle down.

It’s a problem that only time can solve. I’ll just let it pass like that.

‘Ah, but when will Harold come out.’

I grumbled, touching the floor with my toes. Is this also part of the bullying? But I didn’t know that even Harold hated me?

At the same time as suspicions about him grew, the curtains of the workshop were lifted, and Harold appeared.

“Sorry! Rose! Did you wait long? I did quite a lot of polishing······. Haha.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t wait for a long time.”

Actually, it’s been over twenty minutes, but I pretended to be generous and smiled.

“Here, it’s the item you asked for. It’s a gift for Letizia, right? Tell her happy birthday for me.”

Harold smiled shyly and took the box out. He was still feeling sorry for being late.

I thanked him and accepted the box. The weight of the stuff inside was quite heavy.

I hope Letty likes it. A proud smile surfaced on my lips.

When I came out of the shop with the present in hand, it was already dark outside. The dark indigo blue sky had a round moon, and the stars hidden in the clouds twinkled.

Suddenly, the wind blew violently. Grrr. It’s so cold. I think it’s going to rain tomorrow. I walked hastily, fastening the hem of my coat firmly.

Is Alice still in the Feudal Lord’s Castle? Recognized for her abilities by Feudal Lord Canelo, she has been doing herbal research in the castle for several years now.

Since Canelo’s port city is a place where pirates frequently invade, knights here were often poisoned. That’s why the feudal lord was tearfully clinging to herbal medicines.

In fact, it was thanks to Alice that James Camnell, the son of the feudal lord, was annoying me but could not directly harm me.

The feudal lord was greedy, but he was a person who knew how to be conscious.

He wanted Alice, a very talented person, to be in his territory; therefore, he needs to make sure that Alice’s family, which is me, would have no trouble living here.

If something happens to me, Alice will definitely leave Canelo.

‘But James Camnell, that jerk doesn’t know how to give up······.’

Why on earth is he so obsessed with me? In this city, besides me, there were many women who could stand out in his eyes. Besides, he already had a fiancée.

Phew, what a real bastard! Yes, he is the son of a small town lord, but I don’t know where he gets his overflowing self-confidence.

There were also rumors that he harassed a pirate’s daughter. I shook my head. Sooner or later, he will definitely be caught by those pirates.

“Is our Letty still sleeping?”

I mumbled shivering. It would be a problem if she woke up and cried, making a fuss that I’m not beside her.

Come to think of it; I think I was also like that when I was young. Every time I woke up from my nap, I would cry because I couldn’t see my mom.

But was it a memory from my previous life, or a memory from the present? Sometimes when a thought like this passes through me, I feel really confused.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

Because my life before becoming Laure Ecree is already over.

Besides, I was now free from the original plot flow and was living freely without any worries.

If I have to worry about anything, I think it would be on how to would Letty grow up healthy?

And although I sometimes feel anxious about what will happen once Calix finds me, nevertheless······

‘It’s doubtful to happen.’

It’s been seven years, and he’s already got Sia by his side.

‘I have to keep in mind that this is the place where I belong to now.’

I have my life; he has his.

We’re both like diagonal lines that passed by each other but will never ever cross—just a mere connection.

And maybe, it’s a miracle that Letizia was born between us.

That’s why, for me, the child was my luck, my happiness, and my joy.

My Letizia.

‘Mom will swiftly be right there beside you, baby. I also brought my gift. Please wait a little longer, my daughter.’

A smile formed on my lips as I walked quickly. After walking for about five blocks,

‘Hmn?’

All the street lamps were off.

‘······What the hell? Are the street lamp’s mana stone’s broken? All of them?’

I looked at the dark road, hesitating to move forward. I somehow felt very ominous. It could be said that it feels like I’m going into the mouth of a black monster.

However, if I didn’t pass this way, I have to make a long detour. What should I do? I was wetting my dry lips when something wriggled in the dark.

Taken aback, I instinctively retreated. I had a bad feeling. I think I need to turn around and run away right now. But is it because of fear? My legs are frozen, and I cannot move.

‘What’s that······.’

Upon closer inspection, you will notice that there was a human figure that was wriggling in the dark. But it wasn’t a whole person. It’s a dark shadow, pitch-black as if made of ink.

I was immediately seized with fear. No way, is it an evil spirit? It wasn’t the first time I had seen an evil spirit, but I had never seen it this close. Maybe that’s the reason why my legs were shaking, and my chin was quivering.

The shadow came slowly towards me. Then it abruptly ran······.

Suddenly, the hem of a black coat fluttered before my eyes.