Chapter 45 |
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[Translator – Clara]
[Proofreader – Demon God]
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[Lara, You must survive at all costs.]
It had been several days of recurring nightmares. Judging by the sensation enveloping her body and the sore feeling, it seemed like she had once again curled up in bed, groaning before falling asleep under the covers. Her entire body was drenched in sweat.
“Young Mistress.”
At the voice of the maid calling her, Hastin’s Lord, Lara Cinevier Etark, reluctantly opened her heavy eyelids.
“Did you have the nightmare again?”
As if predicting the unsteady condition, as expected by the maid watching her anxiously by her side, Lara immediately swayed as soon as she stood up.
Unstable on her feet, as anticipated by the maid anxiously watching her nearby, Lara immediately swayed.
“I can manage on my own.”
Whether it was a severe headache or pressing on her temples, Lara spoke with a strained voice. After pushing away the maid’s helping hand somewhat harshly, Lara moved hesitantly.
The girl’s destination was the window. Perhaps she had overslept, as the sun was already at its zenith.
The elaborate patterns on the window obscured the outside view, so Lara struggled to open it with both hands. A chilly breeze entered as she managed to crack the window open.
Lara, soaked in sweat, shivered in the cold wind. The clothes she wore were so thin that it was almost as if she were naked.
The maid beside her asked with a worried expression, “Shall I bring warm tea and some blankets?”
“…Just the clothes will do.”
After sending the maid away, Lara looked out at the village beyond the castle.
The view of Hastin outside the window was desolate. The deserted streets were plagued by a particularly harsh sandstorm.
The quietness settling in was not the peace of tranquility; it was the emptiness of the vacant streets.
Every time Lara looked at the village, complex emotions flooded her mind.
[Lara.]
[You must survive at all costs.]
The sentence that was written at the end of the will and the words Grandfather uttered in her dreams came to mind.
Lara slowly raised her head to look at the ceiling.
The ceiling was directly visible by turning her head slightly from the bed. There it was. Grandfather – the ancestral Lord of Hastin – had hung himself.
In this room, right there, Dead Grandfather visited her in her dreams every night.
Sometimes hanging from the ceiling, sometimes with a noose resembling human hands.
Most of the nightmares always started that way, ending with a conversation with the hanging Grandfather.
In the dream, Grandfather always had his tongue stretched out long. A long tongue that reached down to the collarbone. A sticky voice flowed along that long tongue.
You must survive at all costs.
Yes, Lara Cinevier Etark must live.
She couldn’t die in a place like this.
“My Lady.”
What snapped Lara out of her thoughts were two maids bringing a new dress.
Upon the maid’s suggestion to wear the dress after cleaning up, Lara nodded.
Even after washing, there might be an unpleasant lingering sensation, but nothing could be as discomforting. At least for now, she didn’t feel like cleansing her body thoroughly.
“Well then, please excuse us.”
As the two maids nodded and bowed, Lara spread her arms.
As the thin clothes she was wearing were removed, the girl slightly cringed. A flawlessly clean skin, devoid of any scars or specks of dust, was revealed, appearing almost unreal like a greenhouse flower. The girl, grown like a delicate plant, was undoubtedly a beauty with an impeccable physique, and sweat droplets adorned her smooth skin.
Soon, the maids assisted the girl in putting on her attire. Soft fabric of silk touched the flawless skin. After ensuring everything was neatly arranged, the maids stepped back a few paces.
Only then did Lara sigh, sweeping her golden hair back with her hand.
Immediately, she raised her head. Lara’s gaze was directed towards the entrance of the bedroom.
There, a man was standing, observing the young Lord of Hastin from a distance.
The man was watching Lara, but there was no hint of desire in his eyes as he gazed at her body. The way his eyes looked at Lara’s skin was not much different from how one would observe an insect on a leaf.
Lara, without showing any particular reaction to such behavior, merely furrowed her brows slightly without any embarrassment.
“My Lord, did you have a good night?”
“…”
It was a greeting that seemed to mock the girl who seemed to have wandered in from a nightmare.
Lara remained silent, tapping her fingers while the man, nodding courteously, approached her.
The man was unsettling. His eyes were tainted with darkness, giving an impression akin to the unpleasantness of the deceased.
As the man came closer, one of the maids assisting Lara with her attire turned her head away from him, avoiding his gaze.
The man smirked meaningfully.
Lara pointed outside the window as if to say, “Look at this.”
“You promised salvation,” she stated.
“That’s correct,” replied the man.
“You assured me that you would protect me. Also, you pledged to safeguard my domain.”
“Indeed, I did.”
“Look outside the window. Is this what you call salvation?”
Lara shivered. It wasn’t the cold breeze, as there were warm clothes enveloping her already. What made her tremble was the silence that settled over her domain.
Lara Cinevier Etark was not originally the designated heir.
Her older brother, the ‘former Count Etark,’ had a son. The entire family fervently adored the Count’s son.
He was destined to become the ‘true Count Etark,’ inheriting the title and the domain.
That was until a month ago.
After Lara’s brother, the former Count Etark, took his own life, the Imperial family was furious. The arrows of wrath were aimed at the Etark family, and the situation was dire enough that the entire family could face punishment.
The elders of the family desperately bowed their heads. They needed a plan to rectify the situation.
They targeted the Empire’s concerns. They approached the Empire, acknowledging the situation where someone had to manage Hastin, the ‘land that no noble desired.’ They promised that they would somehow save Hastin, seeking forgiveness for their actions.
Thus, instead of the son of Lara’s brother, Lara herself succeeded to the title.
The current Count Etark.
A ‘sacrificial lamb’ abandoned by the family.
Considering Lara as family, those who once adored the family turned away from her, seized the opportunity, divided the assets among themselves, and scattered.
Even her brother, the former Count, was no different. He wrote Lara’s name in the will, indicating that he foresaw her fate. Despite knowing this, he chose suicide, making him no different from the rest of the family.
In such a gloomy situation.
Lara had to survive.
She wanted to survive.
To survive, she had to revive Hastin.
However, the girl was incompetent and ignorant. Not being the designated heir, she lacked knowledge in managing the territory.
A delicately grown sixteen-year-old girl had neither the insight to be knowledgeable in managing the domain nor the experience to be proficient in speech and behavior.
For the incompetent ruler, there were only two options.
To be captured and beaten to death by the enraged citizens, or to be executed brutally according to the Imperial decree.
Amidst such a dark future, the man extended a helping hand to Lara, despite his ominous demeanor.
“How much longer do we have to wait… Hastin is falling. If the residents continue to starve, won’t it become irreparable?”
However, even after three weeks since the man promised salvation, the village showed no signs of improvement. The residents were still dying of hunger.
“I won’t break my promise. You don’t need to worry; all the problems the people of Hastin are facing will be alleviated.”
Despite the lack of a detailed plan from the man, Lara couldn’t press him further. It was already too late to pursue other options.
If the man left, it would truly be the end.
The girl could do nothing but trust the man.
Lara’s voice, now raised even higher, filled the hall with frustration.
“Now is the time to seek support from other domains… Isn’t it? It feels like corpses are littering the streets… The stench of decay reaches up here, and I wonder how…!”
If her domain collapsed, the Imperial spear would undoubtedly turn towards Lara.
She would be held accountable for the downfall.
She clenched her lips. Although she tried to appear strong, the anxiety was evident on the girl’s face.
Observing Lara’s expression, the man called the maid beside him.
“Prepare some incense for the Lord’s bedroom. She mentioned that the unpleasant smell has reached here.”
Then, he spoke in a low voice.
“Don’t be too distressed. Everything is progressing smoothly. The Lord just needs to enjoy life comfortably.”
Another similar response.
Lara eventually closed her mouth. She wanted to go outside and check the situation in the village, but the girl hadn’t left the castle in weeks. She was afraid to imagine what might have happened to her neglected domain.
“All worries will soon disappear.”
Reading Lara’s expression, the man whispered softly.
Indeed, since the mysterious man’s deal, no issues had arisen within the castle.
Even though there was no food in the village, the residents of Hastin didn’t pick up their farming tools or petition for help. It was truly strange.
“…I guess I don’t need to do anything today either?”
Lara asked, turning her gaze towards the chair.
The man nodded silently.
Every day was a repetition of this routine. Even though the village was not functioning normally, oddly enough, there were no tasks for the Lord to handle.
—It’s no different from being livestock raised for slaughter.
The girl chuckled at herself.
“Lord.”
The steward approached with an unusually solemn tone.
“I have a report regarding the security of the territory. There was a monster attack near the North Gate earlier.”
“…Monster attack?”
Lara’s response, expressing doubt, was filled with confusion.
“Yes, about an hour ago, there was an attack by a harpy group near the village close to the North Gate.”
This time, upon hearing the steward’s words, Lara openly displayed discomfort. Despite her lack of knowledge about the situation in the territory, Hastin was known for rarely experiencing monster attacks.
“A harpy group? Wasn’t Hastin known for having almost no incursions by monsters?”
Instead of answering, the steward nodded.
“Do we have any scouts or have they identified the cause? No, more importantly, what’s the current situation? How many forces do we have that can stop harpies? And do we have any mages who can intercept and repel them within the territory?”
“Well, my Lord… It’s about that.”
As Lara rambled, the steward whispered in a lower voice.
“According to the report from the North Gate guards, there is a knight who single-handedly repelled the harpy attack.”
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[Translator – Clara]
[Proofreader – Demon God]
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