{You want a poison that will make you seem like you are dead?}
“I want to slowly escape this place after all. I want to go somewhere without the reach of my family or this kingdom. The best place to go is the Empire of Illumine. This is the reason for my contract”
{You changed your mind about dying?}
“If I die, it will change nothing. I want to get rid of this regret first”
{You know the basis of this contract right?}
“There is no human without negative karma. There is no need to worry”
{I will watch over you as I said, Natalia. I am interested in your life}
Natalia smiled, staring outside. It was still dark and gloomy but with the fairy mother, the world felt infinitely brighter. It was funny how she was from the forest of damnation, no that was wrong. The fairy mother was the mother of all things that lived in the forest. The forest was her body, everything growing from one root. Because of the dense mana her body emitted, monsters, mythical creatures, and fairies flocked to the forest, turning it into their habitat.
It was a habitat that grew for many years, forming a stable ecosystem. Humans saw the place as the most ideal place to extract resources, especially timber rich in mana. It was at that point that the battle between humans and mythical beasts began. The people at the forefront of that battle were the Kristens.
History made them out to be heroes, erasing the fact that they were nothing but thieves and murderers. They were especially hated by the fairy mother, which was why they had such a dense curse around their house. It was only after that Natalia knew about the curse and the effect it had. She didn’t need to take revenge. It would eventually come.
“Duchess, it is me, Butler Corren. I am here to deliver the duke’s decree”
She opened the door with magic, receiving him into her room. They sat on the couches that occupied the room, sitting opposite each other. It had been a week but she still wasn’t treated properly like a duchess, only like an unwanted guest yet she never complained. No, she didn’t look like she wanted to be there like it was physically a burden to be in such a castle.
“According to the decree of the duke, the duchess shall henceforth be in charge of the household expenses and the minor transactions of the dukedom as a whole. These are the resources you need”
He handed her two books and a notepad with an inkwell and a feather pen. It was the same thing she had received in her last life. In the past, she was grateful for at least something to do but now, it was a blatant insult.
“I accept the decree of the duke. I have been trained for this so I can handle it”
It was an excuse to get out of the castle and meet up with her people. She could also gather resources for the poison and plan her escape. It would be a pity if she didn’t know her way after escaping.
She picked up the books and perused them. The contents were the same. They were the most troublesome tasks of the dukedom that no one wanted to attend to. The subjugation of the elusive bandits, illegal trading of baby mythical creatures, and illegal trespassing into the forest of damnation. It was the same task she was given too since the household affairs could be left to the butler.
“Butler Corren, might I trouble you to handle the household affairs for now? I want to properly attend to these tasks and prove my worth”
It was a ludicrous request. If she wanted to prove her worth, she would handle the household affairs instead. But she knew how easy the troublesome task was compared to the household affairs. In the past, she chose the wrong option. In this life, she was taking another path, an easier path.
“If this is what the duchess wishes”
He had been calling her duchess for a while. It felt uncomfortable. It was not until the second year of their marriage that she was recognized as the duchess. That time, it was when she got pregnant with her first child, Enrich. The second time she was addressed as a duchess, it came with an additional title, the disgraced duchess, the curse of Kristen. The third time, it was the iron duchess, maniac savior of the kingdom. None of those titles were good.
“You can just call me Lady Natalia. I have not done anything deserving of the title of duchess”
“I cannot disrespect you like that”
“Is that so?...” ‘You had no problems addressing me as such in the past’
“It’s just that I feel so uncomfortable with that address and I’m not used to it”
Natalia was playing out the script of an innocent yet upright noble lady. The interpretation to those who served the duke was that she was looking down on the title. She rejected the servants, the clothes, and now, the title. She was rejecting everything about the dukedom.
“Is there anything else you wish to request from me, duchess?”
“I want a carriage. I want to look around the dukedom”
“I will arrange this immediately and send a maid to call for you”
“Thank you”
He bowed and left the room. The troublesome things handed to her, she knew just how to deal with them. It was the only gift given to her in her regression. If she took advantage of the only group that could safely pass through the forest of damnation, getting support while running away would be easy.
Thus she waited. An hour trickled by and she finally realized she might have been tricked. They rarely picked on her without reason and she hadn’t given them any reason to. It was enough that they forgot she existed.
‘Should I just teleport into town? What if they come looking for me?’
She waited until another hour passed by. By then, the sun was sinking on the horizon. If they waited any longer, she wouldn’t be allowed out. She put on a suitable disguise and went into the bathroom. She uttered the spell and appeared in the middle of the town.
Traisen, the town nearest to the castle was an industrial town as well as a military fort. It defended from the creatures that attacked from the forest and protected the kingdom’s southeast. It was an endlessly busy town with several shops from many known and small business entrepreneurs. There was a saying that you could find anything in Traisen.
She landed close to the entrance of the town where there was barely anyone in sight. She walked into the town after using a spell to change her complexion and dye her hair. With a pass easily manifested by magic, she passed into town as a maid from the duke’s castle.
Traisen was a memorable place for Natalia. She came here on multiple occasions trying to catch the bandits like a headstrong noble. She suffered too much for it, later finding the easier way many years into the future. The easiest way to turn the bandits into her allies was to catch the man in charge of them; Cage Rusell.
Since she spent the better half of her first married year looking up and down for the elusive man, she could recognize him and his route even in her sleep. No one was assigned to help her so she bent her back to find and persecute Cage. Even the lowly guards of Traisen mocked her, the duchess who chased after another man. There were rumors that he was her secret lover. The descent of her reputation started from there. “I wish I were his lover. He is a better man than Fredrich would ever be”When she finally met Cage, he eluded her grasp more than one. He said his hobby was messing up noble ladies, seeing them descend into depravity, giving them the pleasure their uptight husbands couldn’t give. Because she was so intent on finding him, it made her his next target. Natalia fell for his sweet words and started to look forward to seeing him more. She had her dignity as a noble so she didn’t fall for him but the pleasure that Fredrich couldn’t give her tempted her. It was
The stuffy air of the carriage was hard to endure when the breeze was fresh outside in the city. Everything the man in front of her harped entered one ear and came out of the next. It was okay to ignore him, especially as she searched the crowd for familiar faces. Even after 10 years, her memories were still fresh, making her mission easier.“Milady, we would alight here. Please hold on to this”“Thank you” she smiled, taking the tablet. It had traces of fae magic which in the past, burnt her fingers when she took it. It was one of Wilbur’s many pranks. In the past, she flinched whenever she touched it but when she took it, even after a burn appeared on her hand, she didn’t flinch. The carriage door opened and she got down, leaving the stunned butler inside.It was the
“Who are you and what do you want from me?”“KNEEL”He fell to his knees, the dagger dropping from his grasp. Her heels rested on his head, pushing it into the ground. He felt her cold eyes rake over his body and the chill that accompanied it. “This is the last time I would tolerate such behavior from you. I am your master and you serve me. I don’t need to answer your questions”“I do NOT have a master,” he grunted, struggling under the hold. “If you defy me one more time, you will be granted the chance to lose an arm. I’m sure that would be quite unfortunate going through the forest of damnation” she quipped. He was immediately calm, clenching his teeth. “Good. Let's try this again. I am Natalia Adamantine. Just a few days ago, I was married to the Duke of Kristen. I have enslaved you for one purpose only, to get out of this hell hole. You have two options, get me out and I free you from your hold or die right now and I take over your little squad. I can
{Do you need me to heal that for you?}“No, that’s not the reason I called you, Madaline. You live in the forest of damnation, right?”{Do not call our home with that terrible human name}“......I apologize”{Yes, I do live in the forest of Telra. Do you need anything in particular?}
"Congratulations on solving the case, your grace. Thanks to you, the illegal trading ring had been uncovered and the town's peace had been restored""There is no need for thanks. I was just doing my job. Make sure to handle this well so his grace is not disturbed with such petty matters again""Yes, your grace"Natalia finished the pleasantries and returned to the Duke's mansion. She looked up to the skies and thought even if they were a bit gloomy, it was still a nice day. Why? The Duke's beloved was arriving that day!"You seem pleased, my lady. I'm sure his grace would reward you for a job well done""I don't really need a reward. I'm just relieved that I made the lives of the citizens a little better" she smiled brightly. Wilbur could almost see a halo over her head, inspiring a feeling of guilt and disgust in him."I'm sure the citizens are glad that you're the duchess""Please, I'm not deserving of the title yet. U
It was impossible to not have heard of the Castle on the Edge. Even for a forgotten princess, hearing gossip of the Duke’s life in the Southeast was easy. All she had to do was listen in on the chatty maids doing laundry behind her palace. It was also how she heard he was getting married. Lady Natalia Adamantine. She was well known and loved in the capital by the common people. The nobles showed her courtesy in front of everyone but behind her backs, there were many malicious words being said. Alana thought they were just alike. Everyone spited her for being the bastard born into the royal family even though she didn’t ask for it. Her days in the palace nowadays were quiet and long. In the past, she would be maltreated by mere servants but now, she was left to rot like a spiderweb in the corner. The reason for this was none other than Fredrich. It happened suddenly. One day, the abandoned palace got a visitor. The place buzzed to life, the servants hurriedly cleaning
The door swung open and a shocked Fredrich stormed into the room. She took a sip from the tea she was served, setting it down delicately. Late into her past life, she learned etiquettes to reinforce herself in society and push herself to the position left vacant by the now married Natalia. She rarely got the opportunity to see Fredrich rattled. She had seen other things, including the expiry of his heavenly beauty but the Grand Duke still didn’t lose his cool. Still, he wasn’t her hope for survival.“Your highness, you didn’t tell me you were……….”“I had a sudden invitation from the Young Lord Sebastian who offered to take me on a tour of the kingdom. Since he was heading here, he brought me here. The Duchess…….didn’t seem to mind”Does she remember her past life? She didn’t look like it. She hasn’t changed. The total disregard she had for me and the elegance she has, how did I think I could beat that? Why did I……even hate her in the first place?“You met Natali
Natalia tried very hard to convince Sebastian to stay calm. Even when he was ignored by the duke and treated like he wasn’t a high noble, he accepted it all because of her. However, the dreaded dinner time came and Natalia wasn’t sure how she would smoothen the conflict.Make no mistake, her father couldn’t care less about her and wouldn’t stat a conflict with the duke over her welfare. But if it was Sebastian, then it could seriously be trouble. If Sebastian was treated the same way she was, Natalia could kiss her peaceful days goodbye.“Bastian, please, be calm. I beg of you, just this once. We only have to do dinner together today and after today, it’ll just be two of us”“What are you talking about, my precious? What could possibly go wrong?”