CH 36

"You have a very good memory."

"I can guess that much even without studying it. And Yulia, I am not a child. I know what are my strengths and weaknesses even if you don't praise me for each thing I do."

There are more people who won't understand even if you teach them directly. And she doesn't think of Lewicia as a child. She is complimenting him because he is actually doing well.

Yulia was about to say that, but just kept her mouth shut.

"From now on, I will go out alone. I can't go around with you to play the role of nanny forever."

"You still need an escort."

He absolutely had to have an escort with him. Moreover, since he pretended to have a throat disease in order to hide his manly voice, he needed a quick-witted attendant who could convey Lewicia's intentions in his stead.

Yulia was well aware that she would not be able to continue playing that role herself.

"It can't be someone from the palace. Your Highness will usually meet nobles outside, but if someone from the palace comes with you, someone will eventually recognize them."

"But I can't bring someone from the outside that I can't trust either. And it's not like I have any comrades who would risk their lives to keep this secret."

"I will find someone."

"You?"

"I know someone that will fit this role perfectly."

There was someone who just came to mind.

Maxwell.

It was thanks to Maxwell's competence that Yulia was able to break into the dungeon of the Marjoram mansion so easily. As someone who had been a shadow informant for a long time, he had a talent for stealth.

Maxwell was definitely someone that could be trusted. He was Carus Lankea's subordinate, and as long as Yulia held information that would be useful to Carus, the relationship of trust between the two will not be broken.

The next morning.

After getting ready, Yulia was about to go out when the new maid, Trudy, approached and greeted her.

"Lady Yulia? Are you going out now? How about breakfast?"

"I'm fine."

"I can prepare it for you though."

Trudy smiled charmingly, and offered to prepare a meal. She was a very friendly maid for a newcomer. The other maids didn't know how to treat Yulia at first, so they kept their distance for several days, but this maid had no wariness from the start.

Yulia looked at Trudy blankly, and slowly shook her head.

"I'm really fine."

"Then, when will you be back? What should I tell Lady Coco and His Highness the Prince if they ask?"

"Just tell them that I went out."

Lewicia and Coco were sleeping in today as well. It was only natural as they had been awake all night. She was the strange one for waking up as early as usual.

Yulia picked a carriage at random at the entrance of the palace, and started moving alone once she was outside.

She knew where Maxwell's pawnshop was located. He never told her about it, but as soon as she heard the nickname 'shadow informant', she remembered hearing rumors that there was a pawnshop that traded information instead of goods somewhere in the alley of the entertainment district.

Yulia wore a plain coat over her dress, had her hair tied back, with a hat on her head. She didn't go as far as wearing a veil since covering her face would make her look more suspicious. And she also took the most crowded roads.

It was because of the hyenas.

The Marquis of Marjoram would not have canceled the assassination request. He would have raised the amount of money offered, but he wouldn't have given up.

The hyenas who succeeded in breaking into the palace but failed in assassinating Yulia were likely waiting for her to come out.

Still, Yulia did not slow down. On the day of the intruders' attack, they managed to find out which maid was Marjoram's spy, so it might be okay for the time being.

'Even if they attempt to kill me again, it won't be today.'

Even if that judgment was wrong, she didn't have a choice. She'll have to start all over anyway.

She'll never get what she wants if she plays it safe on the grounds that it's too dangerous. It's always been the case. The bolder her movements, the more information she obtained. If she puts her life on the line, the reward will be that much greater. This is probably the explanation for her reckless behavior until now.

During the many iterations of her life, she had to give up so many things. Among them was her own safety.

For Yulia, the best resource she could use was always herself.

Maxwell's pawnshop was just around the corner. Yulia blinked her eyes quickly at the sudden, familiar feeling running up and down her back.

'Is it a hyena?'

After repeating death several times, she even acquired a special sense.

Yulia noticed that hyenas were nearby, aiming at her life.

What awful luck. As soon as she went out, they had already noticed her. Who is the hyena that came to kill her? Yulia's head was spinning busily.

Is it the man walking slowly from the opposite side, or the woman staring this way from the other side? It could be a merchant in front of a stall, or a coachman driving an empty wagon.

Yulia didn't stop moving. After passing through the main street and turning, she would only need to walk a little longer before reaching Maxwell's pawnshop.

At that moment, a man approached.

It was a man who appeared to be drunk. His tanned skin was flushed with red, and his face was covered with a messy beard that made it impossible to tell how old he was.

While staggering, the man cleverly avoided the crowd and approached Yulia with quick steps. Staring straight at her a few steps away, a murderous intent emitted from him.

'In a place like this? It would be complicated.'

She was puzzled. This was one of the busiest roads in Ortega. There were a lot of people, and the guards patrolled from time to time.

The man put one hand inside his jacket, and grabbed what she believed to be a weapon.

Yulia realized as she looked into the man's eyes.

'You're thinking of killing yourself after killing me.'

When you give up on your life, there is nothing to be scared of. The guilt or heavy punishment that come after committing murder are only concerns to those who actually survive. The man had already given up on all of that.

What would he have received in return? Yulia was curious about that even at that moment.

Is it money? Then, how much would it be? How much was he offered in order to give up his life so easily?

Was he threatened, and his family held hostage? The hyenas could have done that.

The man pulled his hand out of his jacket. A knife with a sharp blade was revealed. His moves weren't clumsy. His gaze was fixed on Yulia's neck, and the hand holding the knife was firm and unmoving.

'Is this life up to this point?'

Yulia, who quickly looked around, thought.

It didn't seem like she could run away from him. She was wearing a dress and shoes. It would be no use screaming for help. The distance was too close.

Her ninth life seems to be a bit short. It was failure again. After repeated failures, anger took precedence over regret. She was angry at herself.

'How did they know that I came out of the palace?'

She remembered Trudy, the maid who approached her with a smile, and offered her a meal.

She was a newcomer who entered to take the vacant position of the spy who had been kicked out, and she was a woman guaranteed to be trustworthy because her identity was clear inside the palace.

She didn't think the guard or the coachman could be spies. The guard was someone who genuinely cared for Yulia when she had been in danger, and the coachman didn't even know who Yulia was.

It wasn't even funny that a new spy had taken the place of the spy who had been caught. It was a mistake. She should have been twice, thrice as vigilant.

However, she had obtained an important piece of information when she found out that Marjoram was being helped from inside the palace.

Although she couldn't be happy about it since the price to pay was her own life.

Carus' face came to mind. He will rescue Yulia from the blizzard this time again, and as soon as she comes to her senses, he will say the same words with that cold face.

'I'll have to start the same way. Still, I think it would be better not to reveal that I was cursed this time around.'

Hopefully, the pain will be short. The moment of death is so painful that it is not forgotten even after the passage of time. Since she couldn't avoid the pain, she wished that it would at least be short.

Die.

The hyena screamed with his entire body. Looking closer, it was a man who seemed to be twice as tall as Yulia.

Would it be useful to fight back? Probably not.

Yulia looked straight into his eyes. A wave rose in her green eyes. There was a terrifying calmness in it, like the sea in the middle of a storm.

Die.

The hyena brandished a knife.

Yulia still didn't close her eyes. She had to remember her killer's face clearly even at the moment of death. To her, who had to relive her life over and over again, it was proof of her remaining pride and refusal to give up.

'If I start again, I will definitely kill you. I will clearly remember your face, and return this pain tenfold.'

That's what she promised.

"Yulia."

But suddenly, her vision darkened.