Lydia shook her head.

“No. I’ll explain everything. But first, from now on, you must not speak the Bayern family name outside.”

The false charges were still ongoing. Though it was top secret, Maria was already seated here because she knew Byron and Nella’s story.

Even without being told, seeing Byron and Nella calling Arsen ‘young master,’ the clever Maria would quickly figure out his identity.

And Robert, well honestly, he was unexpected so Lydia had a slight headache.

“Grandfather, you absolutely cannot go around telling this secret.”

“Even if I’m senile, I can tell gratitude from resentment, Miss.”

“Why are you suddenly speaking formally?”

“Just looking at you, you don’t seem like a mere priestess but a young lady from a noble house.”

Experience couldn’t be ignored. Lydia finally revealed that she was a member of the Evansi marquis family.

“You may not remember, but I have a debt to repay to all of you.”

Everyone wore puzzled expressions.

But Lydia had no intention of telling them in detail about the future she had seen and experienced.

Did she really need to tell them that Maria’s child would be born but was so small that it was always sickly and couldn’t even walk alone?

Was there any need to tell the story of how Byron lost one eye from a misplaced whip strike, and how Nella lost her toes to frostbite?

Would they really be happy to hear that they had planned an escape but all died from plague right before executing it?

These memories were for Lydia alone to keep.

It was a horrific past and now a future that would never come, so only Lydia needed to know.

That was Lydia’s way of repaying those who had been like family to her.

“Anyway, I can’t tell you even if you ask, so please endure your curiosity. Any other questions?”

“Do you have a debt to this old man too?”

“Ah.”

She had forgotten about Robert. Lydia cleared her throat.

“Seems not.”

The old man’s perception was truly remarkable.

“Then it seems I’m the one who owes you a debt instead.”

“That’s right. When we leave the count’s territory, we’re going to the marquisate’s border region. There’s a silver mine there, but I think it might be a mana stone mine.”

“So you brought me out to confirm that, I see.”

Lydia nodded.

“If it is a mana stone mine, I’d like you to take charge of developing it.”

“Sounds like you mean to work me until I die.”

Since it wasn’t entirely wrong, Lydia could only smile faintly.

As Robert let out an incredulous laugh, the innkeeper brought out hot stew that had just been finished.

Those who had come from the labor camp all rushed to the stew at once.

Right, it would be hard to taste food like this in the labor camp.

Lydia smiled and gave her portion of stew to Maria.

She needed two portions of everything after all. Then suddenly feeling a cold breeze on her nose, she looked up to see Randel entering the inn and turning back around after seeing the warm atmosphere.

“I’ll go get some fresh air.”

Lydia followed after Randel.

“What is it?”

Though she had quickly followed him out, Randel was nowhere to be seen.

As Lydia looked around, Randel suddenly appeared behind her.

“You seem to be looking for me.”

“Eek!”

Making a strange sound and shrinking her neck, Lydia looked at Randel with triangular eyes, then remembered she hadn’t come out to fight with him.

“Sir Randel.”

“Using such a respectful title even for a lowborn like me, I’m honored.”

Randel spoke sarcastically.

He thought Lydia had come out to throw some harsh words at him.

Or maybe to slap him.

“I’m sorry, Sir Randel. I heard from Sir Kedrick. That I looked down on you because of your status.”

“……Did you eat something wrong?”

When unexpected words flowed from Lydia’s mouth, Randel doubted his ears.

“I’m not saying this hoping for forgiveness. To be honest, I don’t even remember saying such things to you.”

“You’re apologizing for something you don’t even remember? Did the Commander order you to apologize?”

“No. I learned that I hurt you, so I thought I should apologize. As I said earlier, it’s up to you whether to accept my apology or not.”

I won’t force you, Lydia muttered the last words quietly.

“Why are you apologizing to me when you don’t even need my forgiveness?”

“I just wanted to let you know. Though I can’t remember, I acknowledge and regret what I did in the past.”

By this point, Randel felt confused.

Lydia’s voice and pitiful expression didn’t seem fake.

If it had been an act, he would have made a few sarcastic remarks and left.

With an expression that looked ready to cry at any moment, she said she regretted hurting him, leaving him with nothing to say except that it was fine.

However, Randel was unfortunately not the type of man who could say such tender words.

So he just scratched his head awkwardly and finally squeezed out one brief comment.

“It wasn’t really a wound.”

“What?”

“What you said, it wasn’t really a wound. Just made me feel a bit unpleasant.”

Then he simply turned and walked away. His cheek stung though it hadn’t been slapped.

The back of his neck turned red as he turned away, but fortunately, the night was dark.

“……”

Arsen stood at a distance, watching Lydia who was staring at Randel’s back before going back into the inn.

He had secretly followed when Lydia went out.

He intended to stop them if Lydia started fighting with Randel.

But Lydia didn’t fight.

The Lydia Evansi that Arsen knew was a typical noble who would have slapped both of Randel’s cheeks in this situation and still be fuming with anger.

However, Lydia acknowledged her mistake. And now it was Arsen’s turn to acknowledge.

That this Lydia was not that Lydia.

* * *

Byron, Nella, Maria, Robert.

The four people who escaped from the labor camp together insisted on sharing a room even though they were offered separate rooms.

Having always slept pressed against different people’s flesh in the labor camp, sleeping in separate rooms felt unbearably awkward.

Moreover, though they had escaped, they were still unsure if this was a dream or reality, so having fellow companions who shared the same uncertainty made them feel more at ease.

“Priest.”

Maria got up from lying down and looked at Byron.

“Why aren’t you praying?”

The priest always used to pray before falling asleep at night.

But not praying?

“Seeing the priest not praying, this must be a dream after all.”

Right, there’s no way my escape from the labor camp could be real.

Maria sighed deeply while stroking her belly.

“Child, this must all be a dream.”

“It’s not a dream but reality, so just go to sleep.”

Nella made Maria lie back down. The room became quiet again.

But this time Robert shot up.

“What’s wrong with you now, elder!”

“I must have died. Yes, this must be the afterlife.”

“Then are we all dead together? Please sleep, we need to move early tomorrow morning. Please!”

The labor camp quartet’s room couldn’t fall asleep due to the commotion.

* * *

Dawn.

The labor camp quartet woke up on their own without anyone waking them.

Arsen, Randel, and Kedrick easily woke up as they always trained from dawn.

However, one person. Lydia, who had always woken up at dawn in her past life but woke up after late morning in this life, barely managed to get up and walked out like a corpse.

“You managed to wake up well.”

“I did my best.”

Lydia barely lifted her puffy eyes, then lowered them, then lifted them again.

Cute, Arsen surprised himself with his own sudden thought.

“I must not be fully awake either.”

Well, last night was tiring. Sleep had been restless.

After a very long time, the Duke and Duchess of Bayern appeared in his dream.

But the problem was that Lydia was sitting between them, drinking tea together.

Suddenly, and Lydia Evansi of all people!

After waking from that dream, Arsen couldn’t fall asleep for a while.

It seemed what he thought about most appeared in his dream, and for Arsen, that was Lydia.

“Sir, is there something on my face?”

“No.”

“Then why are you staring at me like that?”

Because you’re bothersome, irritating, strange, and suspicious.

Because I wonder how much you understand this feeling of chasing after a rabbit spouting nonsense.

And……

“I wanted to say thank you.”

Because I’m grateful. That was sincere.

Without Lydia, he wouldn’t have known when he would have found Byron and Nella.

Perhaps he might never have found them in his lifetime.

So Arsen was sincerely grateful to Lydia for helping him find them.

Regardless of what kind of person she was.

“Ah, this was, well, it was for my sake too.”

“I know. You’ve said it several times. Still, gratitude is gratitude.”

Lydia didn’t know how to react to Arsen’s sudden expression of thanks.

How did she usually respond when receiving thanks?

She must have received it at least once before, but she couldn’t remember when.

Lydia fanned her reddening face with her hand.

Why was her face heating up?

It was because Arsen suddenly became too serious.

It wasn’t an interrogation or questioning, but he unnecessarily became serious about expressing gratitude, making things awkward, that’s why her face turned red.

Lydia let out a long sigh.

She must be getting carried away after rescuing Byron, Nella, and Maria, thinking she had accomplished something.

It wasn’t over until they safely escaped from the count’s territory.

Lydia slapped her cheeks repeatedly.

The springy feeling of her cheeks sticking to her palm and then detaching felt nice, so she slapped them a couple more times, when she felt someone’s gaze.

She turned to find Randel staring at her with furrowed brows.

Just as she wondered what he would say this time, Randel simply turned and went elsewhere.

What’s with him, is he still not over it? …That’s possible.