140. Pochet family

I temporarily suspended operations at the diamond mine and instructed the local workers to disguise themselves as soldiers from the North and come to the Pochet family.

Not only that, I also contacted Barbarossa in the North to go directly to the South and investigate the local situation.

〈There was an incident where some ancient documents kept in the Great Temple were damaged. What do you think was written on the missing pages?〉

I closed my eyes, recalling Margarita’s hint.

〈The ancient documents containing the stories of sacred objects were damaged after Marquis Pochet was thoroughly defeated at the Card House. After that, we didn’t try to learn more about the South. There was no point since we don’t need cotton anyway.〉

‘Right, it’s the North that needs cotton.’

It’s a secret they tried to hide by even damaging books in the Great Temple. What I truly want from the Pochet family now is the secret of the Holy Grail, but if Margarita’s words are true, that’s something Simons would never willingly reveal.

‘Then I’ll go find out myself.’

A few days after finishing my conversation with Simons, I met Caitlyn, whom I thought I’d never see again after her family register was removed, on the day we were set to depart for the Pochet family.

“Miss Caitlyn!”

Simons looked back and forth between me and Caitlyn with a perplexed expression, and seeing his attitude, it became clear that he hadn’t bothered to check on or care about what happened to Caitlyn without my knowledge, which made me even more dumbfounded.

Even if I’m just a half-sister, Caitlyn is his full sister, yet he didn’t worry at all despite her disappearance.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Whatever her status is now, she’s your sister, so handle it as you see fit. Whether you choose to help her or drive her away is entirely up to you and the Pochet family.”

I left those words and boarded the carriage headed for the South.

* * *

The South I visited after a long time was not the land I remembered. As the young marquis’s carriage passed by, the territory’s people didn’t stop their work to show respect. They just stared at our procession with expressionless faces, holding their farming tools.

I recognized those faces. They looked exactly like the mountain tribe did just before their downfall. Faces searching for someone to blame.

‘The Pochet family’s situation is worse than I thought.’

It was only after some time had passed that I realized Darius was quieter than usual.

After boarding the carriage heading south, Darius silently stayed by my side.

Was he watching my mood? He stayed close by, yet never broke my silence first. It felt unlike his usual self, the one who noticed my smallest actions or teased me.

“It wasn’t long ago that I asked you to come up to the capital, and now I’m taking you to the South. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

Caitlyn and Simons reminded me of my old memories from long ago. Most of them weren’t pleasant.

I was aware that my mood had become sharp due to the series of events, so I thought Darius must have been very bored during this journey.

“Your affairs are my affairs.”

“You don’t need to say that. These past few days, I know I haven’t been pleasant company.”

“I don’t wish to be with you only in times of joy.”

The orange sunset bathed the inside of the carriage. Due to the setting sun, shadows fell across Darius’s face. The parts illuminated by the sun appeared clear, while the shadowed areas showed deeper contours.

“When you’re sad, angry, or overwhelmed by various emotions you can’t even express, in any moment that words can’t describe, I only hope to be by your side.”

Like now, he said as he took my hand.

His mere existence gives me comfort.

Hand shadows formed on the carriage wall. Holding me with one hand, Darius playfully created shadow puppets with his other hand.

“This is a rabbit, this is a wolf. And this is a fox.”

Following Darius, I also wiggled my fingers. My clumsily made shadow rabbit went to Darius’s shadow wolf and bit it.

“Are you going to eat me up?”

Darius swiftly turned his hand that was imitating the wolf shape to the opposite direction.

“How could I ever eat Anette rabbit?”

A person who says he couldn’t harm me even in play. I hugged his neck and laughed.

* * *

When we arrived, the Grand Duke’s soldiers, recruited from the mine as instructed, were waiting at the Pochet family residence. These temporary soldiers even had a plausible commander, Sir Donau.

“There are so many visitors looking for the marquis’s family! Since the young marquis is currently absent, I told them to come back later, but they insisted quite firmly on waiting at this mansion until you return. Young Marquis, you’re quite popular!”

I saw Simons’s shoulders jerk at Sir Donau’s innocent smile.

“Ahem, hmm hmm hmm. Well, the Pochet family has always had many visitors due to our prestigious reputation.”

“I see! Now that the young marquis has returned, I’ll immediately notify the visitors that they can come now!”

“No no no, absolutely not. Absolutely not.”

After seeing the 500 soldiers surrounding the Pochet family residence, Simons shook his head with an expression half relieved, half anxious, and entered the mansion.

Sir Donau, still wearing that seemingly innocent smile, said to us:

“People came threatening to seize the mansion if debts weren’t paid, so I sent them away for now. The situation of this mansion seems quite dire.”

“Seize?”

Darius’s eyebrows rose.

What could have happened to make even the Pochet family face threats of seizure? I wondered too.

Simons apparently had considered giving me Marchioness Pochet’s room if necessary—his mother’s room, not his own—but I unpacked in my original room. This was because Darius was strangely excited about it.

“This is the bed you used. You must have written at that desk…… Ah, I remember this table. We had tea together here.”

The Anette Pochet that Darius knew, that is, the original owner of this body before my possession, had lived in this room for over 10 years.

So for Darius, this room was an interesting place filled with my memories, a space full of reminiscences no matter what he looked at…… or something like that.

In reality, it had nothing to do with me.

“There are fingerprints on the curtains. Did you play with them as you grew up? Until you no longer played with curtains?”

No, that’s probably just a sign that the maid neglected to clean.

But I couldn’t be bothered to explain, so I appropriately pleased Darius, who believed he was taking a trip down memory lane with me, by saying things like “Ah…… I remember. I think I played with that…… I liked it very much.

What? You want to bring something similar to Inkheart because I liked it so much? No, I don’t need it. Not at all.” for each item he picked up.

‘But now I want to reveal the truth… I’m not Anette but a third party possessing Anette’s body… Ah, I hate this.’

The trend of revealing one’s possession to the male protagonist has long passed, so let’s just continue like this. How awkward would the atmosphere become if I confessed the truth?

I unpacked while occasionally responding to Darius, who was excitedly examining each button that pre-possession Anette had collected in a box—again, these had nothing to do with the real me.

My hands stopped unpacking and Darius’s excited smile froze at the same time.

“Anette.”

“Check if the door is locked. And come closer. Let’s look together.”

A small light was emanating from one corner of the piled luggage. If my memory served me correctly, the relic of St. Dismas was in the bundle of luggage I was currently unpacking.

The finger of the patron saint of explorers, who himself died while searching for sacred objects.

After confirming the door was closed, Darius took my hand, and I looked at him once with a tense face before opening the bag from which light was leaking.

* * *

“Are you not going to move right now? What do you think you’re doing!”

Caitlyn, who arrived late at the Pochet residence in a servant’s carriage due to Simons’s order to expel her, had planned to quickly soak in hot water and rest in her room decorated to her taste to relieve her fatigue.

However, when she returned to her beloved room, she was met with her maid’s refusal at the door.

“Master Simons said you should use a different room now.”

“This is my room!”

“But it’s not your room anymore, Miss Caitlyn.”

Then the maid muttered in a small voice, looking uneasy.

“Actually, I’m not even sure if I should call you ‘Miss’ anymore.”

Rumors about her shouldn’t have spread within the family yet, so why were they acting like this?

Caitlyn was puzzled, but after several arguments, she learned why the maids’ attitudes were like this. It was clear that Simons, shamelessly, had told the servants about the disgrace Caitlyn had brought upon the Pochet family.

“Do you think you’ll be safe after this?”

“I’m just following Master Simons’s orders. If you have complaints, speak to the young master.”

Through the gap in the door blocked by the maid, Caitlyn could see her room.

The embroidered cushions, the canopy she had personally selected, the wardrobe filled with clothes she loved—her precious sanctuary. The room with windows that let in plenty of light looked especially cozy and bright today.

Just as Caitlyn stood one step away from her paradise, a strong maid blocked the door. She shook her head with a hardened face and pointed upward. It was the direction of the attic rooms used by lower-ranking servants.

“Hey!”

Caitlyn pulled at her hair, feeling like she might go insane.