Chapter 3

Lia carried the sleeping Rafaella on her back and descended the mountain at a brisk pace, using the sturdy legs she had developed from her life in the mountains.  

Even though she walked without rest, it was already lunchtime by the time she reached the base of the mountain.  

‘…Ah, I’m exhausted.’  

Growl.  

At the same time, both Rafaella, who had woken up from her nap, and Lia, who had been descending the mountain since dawn, heard their stomachs rumble with hunger.  

The two burst into laughter at the awkward timing.  

“Raffy, are you hungry? Let’s eat the sandwiches quickly.”  

“Hehe, okay!”  

Lia gently placed Rafaella on the cleanest spot she could find on the ground and pulled out the sandwiches she had prepared the day before from her bag.  

After sharing their first meal of the day, Lia dusted herself off and set off toward the nearest small town.  

Thanks to their early start, they managed to catch the last cargo wagon heading toward the capital.  

From one city to another, and then to yet another, they transferred between various cargo wagons and stagecoaches.  

Of course, they didn’t forget to stop at inns along the way to rest.  

After such a long journey, they finally reached the capital after fifteen days.  

The capital, one of the largest cities on the continent, not just the Empire, was vast, bustling, and full of sights to see.  

‘It’s overwhelming….’  

Worried about losing Rafaella in the chaos, Lia tightly held her daughter’s hand.  

‘Before heading to the Ducal estate, we should take care of lunch first.’  

She glanced at the money in her hand and let out a small sigh.  

‘I scraped together everything I had, but now I barely have enough left for the carriage fare to the Ducal estate and a couple of loaves of bread….’  

Lia purchased the cheapest meal bread she could find at a nearby bakery and sat on a bench with Rafaella to eat lunch.  

Afterward, she hailed a hired carriage to take them to Duke Blumhart’s estate.  

Inside the carriage heading to the Ducal estate:  

“Mom, Raffy’s bottom hurts.”  

Having spent most of the past fifteen days sitting in carriages, Rafaella leaned against her mother’s arm and whined.  

Lia kissed her daughter lightly on the bridge of her nose to comfort her.  

“It’s tough, isn’t it? We’ll be there soon. Can you hold on just a little longer?”  

“…Okay.”  

“Until then, sit on Mommy’s lap so your bottom doesn’t hurt as much.”  

The fifteen-day journey, which felt long yet short, was finally coming to an end as they approached the Ducal estate, where her husband would be.  

Unconsciously, Lia clasped her trembling hands tightly together.  

‘…Even though I’ve been here before, I’m still nervous.’  

In her previous life, thinking her husband was at the Duke’s castle, she had gone there first.  

However, only her husband’s mother, the Duchess Dowager, and his younger sister lived there.  

Her husband had been living in the Ducal estate in the capital, along with his aunt and cousin, who were staying there temporarily.  

At the time, they had been displeased with Rafaella’s sudden appearance.  

Her husband’s aunt, under the pretext of being a family elder, had disciplined Rafaella too harshly, making life difficult for her daughter.  

Meanwhile, her aunt’s son had constantly picked on and bullied Rafaella.  

‘Sigh, since I only saw glimpses of my daughter’s life in the dream, I don’t have much information about her aunt and cousin.’  

She didn’t know why her husband’s aunt and cousin were living in the Ducal estate or why his immediate family wasn’t living together.  

Recalling the scant information she had, Lia let out a sigh.  

With only fragmented memories seen from her daughter’s perspective, she was already worried about how to deal with them.  

Clatter.  

“Ma’am, we’ve arrived at Duke Blumhart’s estate.”  

Lost in her uneasy thoughts, Lia was startled when the coachman opened the small window from his seat to inform her of their arrival.  

After paying the last of her money for the carriage fare, Lia got off with Rafaella and took a deep breath.  

‘…Enough with the draining thoughts. Let’s focus on the task at hand!’  

As befitting a great noble’s residence, armed knights stood guard at the massive iron gates of the Blumhart estate.  

Holding Rafaella’s hand tightly, Lia approached one of the knights.  

The guard, seeing a plainly dressed woman and child, looked puzzled but didn’t show it outwardly as he addressed Lia.  

“Madam, this is the Blumhart estate. If you’re lost….”  

“No! I’m not lost. I’ve come to see Duke Blumhart.”  

A woman who looked like a country bumpkin claiming to have business with the great Duke Blumhart?  

The guard furrowed his brow slightly.  

“…Do you have an appointment with His Grace?”  

“…No, but I’ve brought the lost greatsword of Duke Blumhart.”  

Lia spoke as she showed the sword in her hand to the knight.  

‘It was so heavy, bringing it here was quite a challenge.’  

When she unraveled the coarse cloth wrapping the sword, the knight’s expression turned to one of shock and astonishment.  

The hilt of the sword bore the crest of the Blumhart family—a black wolf—and the pommel was adorned with a ruby as red as blood.  

It was indeed the greatsword that had vanished along with Duke Blumhart when he went missing.  

When he returned four and a half years later without the sword, everyone had found it strange.  

The guard, seeing the greatsword—an emblem of “Johann von Blumhart”—in Lia’s hand, was momentarily at a loss for words.  

Lia smiled faintly at the knight, who was staring blankly at the sword.  

“Can I meet Duke Blumhart now?”  

“…Please wait here for a moment.”  

The guard quickly walked to the iron gate and instructed his fellow knights to open it.  

As the massive iron gate, engraved with the crest of the “Black Wolf,” split and opened, the guard mounted a horse and rode into the estate.  

Watching the guard ride away toward the mansion, Lia let out a sigh of relief.  

‘Phew, it was worth bringing it.’  

***

A short while earlier, the butler had been startled when he saw a guard galloping madly toward the mansion from the front gate.  

“There’s a woman at the gate who claims to have brought His Grace’s greatsword and wishes to meet him.”  

The guard, who had dismounted in haste, relayed an unbelievable message.  

A woman had brought the greatsword Duke Blumhart had lost when he went missing.  

Though momentarily taken aback by the sudden situation, the experienced butler quickly headed to inform his master.  

Arriving at the study with uncharacteristically hurried steps, the butler took a moment to compose himself before knocking on the door.  

Knock, knock, knock.  

“Your Grace, it’s Burns.”  

Shortly after, the Duke’s voice invited him to enter.  

When the butler stepped into the study, he found the Duke reclining in his chair, exuding an aura of authority.  

“What is it?”  

“…Your Grace.”  

“Speak.”  

“It seems we’ve found the greatsword you lost when you went missing.”  

“…The greatsword?”  

At the mention of the “greatsword,” the Duke lifted his crimson eyes from the documents he had been reading to look at the butler.  

“A woman at the gate claims to have brought your greatsword.”  

“…What?”  

“And she wishes to meet with you, Your Grace.”  

***

Lia didn’t know much about the sword, but she could tell it was significant to both her husband and the people of the Ducal estate.  

The guard’s reaction upon seeing the sword—his astonishment and the way he immediately rushed to the estate—made that clear.  

From a distance, she saw the same guard riding back toward her.  

‘I’d prefer to speak directly with my husband rather than his aunt. Hopefully, he’s here.’  

The guard dismounted and approached Lia and Rafaella.  

“…Please come this way.”  

Still catching his breath from his hurried ride, the guard gestured for them to follow.  

Lia, holding the greatsword in one hand and Rafaella’s hand in the other, followed the guard into the Ducal estate.  

In the distance, she saw a grand, white stone mansion of immense size.  

In her previous life, she had been too ill to properly take in the sight of the Ducal estate, but now she could appreciate its elegance and beauty.  

‘…This is Hart’s real home. It’s on a completely different level from ours.’  

Rafaella, curious about the estate, held her mother’s hand tightly as she looked around in awe.  

Because the distance from the gate to the mansion was so far, walking would have taken quite a while, so they boarded a carriage driven by the guard.  

“Mom, look at that!”  

Rafaella pressed herself against the window, calling for her mother.  

Through the window, they saw a massive fountain adorned with intricate sculptures.  

Sunlight reflected off the water streams from the fountain, scattering in dazzling patterns.  

When the carriage reached the mansion’s entrance, a tall, middle-aged butler greeted them.  

“His Grace is waiting for you in the drawing room.”  

Fortunately, her husband was at the estate.  

Following the butler to the third floor, Lia realized she was being taken to a place she hadn’t visited in her previous life.  

‘Last time, I think I was taken to a small drawing room on the first floor….’  

Perhaps it was because she had brought the greatsword this time, rather than just her daughter.  

Whatever the reason, her goal was to meet her husband—or rather, Duke Blumhart.  

When they reached the drawing room, the butler knocked on the door.  

“Your Grace, they are here.”  

Thump, thump.  

Lia placed a hand over her pounding heart, trying to calm herself.  

‘The man inside is no longer my husband. To him, I am nothing, and Rafaella is just a stranger.’  

Appealing to his emotions would not work.  

If she had any leverage, it would be the fact that she had saved his life.  

Determined, Lia’s eyes reflected not longing for her husband but the resolve of someone meeting an adversary.