Chapter 10: Dark Ages
Chapter 10: Dark Ages
"Lily! My goodness! My daughter, what has happened to her?"
"M-mother"
I knew that I lost my consciousness when Gray took me out the Duke's estate. But my consciousness seems to have returned and I saw the crying face of my mother. I looked at her dress and I sighed when I saw that she's wearing the usual outfit she wants. Thank goodness, it was different from what happened to Emily. It was not a dirty ragged clothes, it was her usual one.
"My Lily! My dear when is the doctor arriving? She seems to have lost a lot of blood!"
"L-lily, honey p-please hang in there. The doctor will be here soon. So p-please don't leave us." It was the first time I saw my father shed tears. In Emily's previous life, there has never been such a thing, even when he pleaded the Emperor to spare me. He was tough and not bending to anyone. But now, it seems like he's going to lose someone very important to him for him to cry like that.
"Get another clean towel and basin! Hurry"
On the other side, I have seen the Butler shaking in fear as he commanded the servants to get something. Again, I felt dizzy, then I felt a rusty taste came out of my mouth. It was blood.
"L-Lily! D-don't… Please." Then I saw my brother. It was Archer whose face is also a mess due to his constant crying.
"B-brother…" I tried to touch his face but he seemed far. But he went near me instead and I got to touch his face. He is alive. Emily, I have saved our brother.
"I-it hurts--" I wasn't able to finish my sentence because I coughed blood again. And my consciousness is starting to fade. But then I saw my brother and my mother frantically putting a pressure on my wound.
"Y-yes, Lily, you will get better soon."
"I-it…was…a success."
Before drifting into the darkness, I saw that even the servants were silently wiping their tears. The butler even lost his composure and ran to the kitchen himself.
I'm sorry Emily, I think I have wasted the second chance you've given me. But I won't have regrets even if I die today because I was able to save our family. And me dying might bring a huge impact on the Duchy. This will surely be a huge issue for the nobles to talk about.
"What do you mean the Duke intends to punish us? It was our daughter who was on the verge of death! Even now, she hasn't regained her consciousness!"
"That bastard I will kill him at once."
"Adler, please stop making such cruel remarks. And father please stop shouting, Emily is still having a rest."
"All of you shut your mouths or I will throw you all out."
Mother.
"But my dear, it still doesn't make sense for him to claim that our daughter has severely injured him! Our daughter even isn't capable of holding a sword. But a dagger! That's ridiculous!"
As I thought, no one would believe that psycho's accusation against me. In the eyes of the nobles, I'm the one who's currently on the verge of death.
"Master, I have brought news from the palace."
Butler. I don't know what day or time is it today and I can't move my body yet but I could hear them well. Even though my consciousness keeps fading and returning back.
"The Emperor himself rejected the false accusation against the lady. He seemed to agree that the lady wouldn't be able to do such a thing, given that she herself has acquired a severe injury."
"Even the nobles are saying that they're ridiculous. They can't even say how and where did my daughter injure that bastard. They don't even have a concrete evidence!"
"The dagger of that bastard has been investigated and has been proven to have been used to injure Lily since it was the only weapon found in the room."
"That bastard, what did he do to our Lily that she has to suffer like this? Archer can't we just kill him?"
"Stop it you two, you're going to make it hard for Lily. Let's just focus on taking care of her. Butler, decline all the invitation request intended for my daughter."
Then my consciousness faded again. But it was clear that my family will be safe and even my brother, Adler returned. He must've worried about me. I apologize for making you all worry but I think what I did was right. It ended perfectly and my family will never be in danger again.
The red sky is still as beautiful as ever. When was the last time I've woken up like this?
Emily, we're still alive so should we call this as our third chance?
"The Madamme will be here any minute from now--Milady! The Lady has woken up! I'll call Madamme, and the Masters!"
The butler shrieked in relief upon seeing me sitting on my bed. I must've worried them real bad.
"M-milady! Is there anything you need?"
"Does your wound still hurt milady?"
"Sally call the doctor immediately." Then I heard Evely's voice. That's when I turned to face them.
"Evely."
"Y-yes milady?" I looked at the other servants and she immediately understood what I meant.
"All of you please give us a minute." Then the worried maids left without any complaints.
"M-milady, is there anything you need?"
"The man who saved me from the Duke's estate, where is he?"
I nearly forgot about Gray, my family must've been suspicious of him since he does not belong to our family's knights. He must've been thrown into the prison. So I have to clear it all so as not to lose one of my loyal men.
"A m-man?" She seems to not know about Gray so I'm a bit worried. I don't know how long I have slept so he must've been interrogated by now.
"Nevermind, how long did I sleep?"
"M-milady, you've been asleep for two weeks." I have already prepared myself not to be shocked upon hearing that but it must've been inevitable.
"Y-you were unconsciously lying on your bed for two weeks milady. We called doctors from other territories and even the Emperor provided help and support for your recovery. All of them have always checked your pulse to check your body however most of them claimed that there is a zero possibility of you waking up."
Even the Emperor helped? That's news to me. Helping the daughter of a mere Count. He must've thought of atoning for his relatives' sins.
"H-however the Madamme, Master and even the young lords refused to listen to them. They spent most of their days taking care of you ."
"And about the man you asked. I remember him now. The young Masters interrogated him."
"Then which prison is he held up now?" There has been a slight confusion that passed her eyes when she was looking to me.
"N-no milady, he wasn't imprisoned. The Master and the Madamme recognized him as your savior and has been given a guest room and servants to attend to him. For now, he has been treated as a guest."
A lump has been removed in my throat and has been able to sigh in relief. My family has always been kind.
"My Lily!" For a second, I thought the door is going to be destroyed when my family stormed into my room.
"Lily!"
"Mo--"
They didn't let me finish my sentence when they mother hugged me, then my brothers also joined her. While my father just went near me and tapped my head.
"W-wait I can't breathe." I slightly groaned because they slighty touched my wound.
"Oh my Lily! I'm sorry."
"Oh sorry Lily, Archer are you stupid?"
"Shut up Adler you're the one who's stupid."
"Both of you shut up. Lily how's your wound? Does it still hurt?"
Mother removed the hair strands covering my cheek and cupped my face so I just closed my eyes and feel her warmth. But I can't stay still yet, there are things that I needed to know.
"Father what happened when I was asleep? Did the Duchy bothered you?"
Now my family who had a soft face became dark. It seems I have touched a taboo topic. Nonetheless, I want to know just to make sure that I had trampled that son of a bitch.
"You don't have to worry about that honey. Everything's been taken care of. So all you have to do is rest and recover."
"But father, I was worried that I might have affected our reputation and business. To think that I was involved with the heir of the Duke. I'm really sorry I had terribly worried you all." Now they're all tearing up. How can we fail to protect this lovable family from being executed?
"It was not your fault Lily, the coachman who drove you that day was claiming that you were blackmailed and forced to go to the estate."
"And the Emperor himself sent the imperial investigators to inspect the crime scene. It was found out that that bastard tried to force himself on you... Shit, I'm really going to kill him!"
"That bastard also accused you of harming him. I really can't believe it. You're the one who was unconscious for weeks and then he could already walk around the capital. The nerve of that son of a bitch."
"Language." Father cleared his throat and my brothers immediately stopped cursing at him.
"So Lily, don't worry about everything. Just focus on your health and recover." That was what father said and so I did.
A week of recovery only revolved inside my room. They didn't let me get out so I had to use my charm so they could let me saying that I also need to breathe a fresh air.
"Milady, let's use this umbrella so you won't feel hot."
"Milady, the gardener harvested a lot strawberries and oranges. They say this would greatly help for your recovery. Say, would you like to give it a try?"
"Milady, the Madamme and the Master instructed us to only let you in the gardens and not outside the estate."
I never thought that they would be that protective of me. Well, considering that I only woke up after two weeks, it was expected that my movements will only be restrained within the estate.
However, it was frustrating and suffocating so I did all their suggestions so I could recover immediately.
"Are you really okay Emma? I can't rely on the news because they're on the side of the Kingsley's. So I can't wait so I have to ask you personally."
"Already breaking our agreement then? Shall we just stop this partnership?"
His eyes widened and later on sighed as if he had been defeated.
"Okay, I apologize, I was just worried that I might lose a business partner and to think that you were unconscious for almost two weeks."
"I'm fine now, I had already recovered. So let's go back to our business."
He understood what I meant so he stopped prying on my private life and continued discussing about our investment and district expansion. We were planning on expanding our Shopping District. So we had to have an extensive and meticulous preparation.
"Milady, how have you been?"
"Gray, I apologize for being this late. How are they treating you?"
"I've been fine as of late milady. However, I wish to discuss something with you."
"Is that so? I also have something to say to you. But you can go first."
"I wish to terminate our contract." Now that was a big shock.
"Can I ask why?"
"I apologize but I can't have a master who doesn't value life."
"Are you not satisfied with me Gray?"
"I don't want to just blindly wait and follow my master's orders without knowing whether she's still breathing or not."
"Well I also apologize but that will never happen again. If so, you can just save me right?"
"You have a smell of death wherever you go even when I first met you. It felt as if you're going to just silently vanish into thin air."
"Well am I already dead Gray?"
"That's... Milady."
"I'm going to make you my personal escort Gray. With the recent incident, you have proven your loyalty to me. So I will reward you with honor and status. Would you still terminate our contract?"
"Milady, as I've said a while ago..."
"Kingsley will not stop at this. They would not accept that their name has been tarnished and I'm afraid I haven't successfully got rid of our ill-fate."
"So there's a possibility of them retaliating? But in the eyes of the nobles and even the Emperor, they've been proven guilty."
"This incident is not something that would totally bring them down. They would still be able to resurrect themselves with the money, power and connections they have to be ready."
"So are you going to help or abandon me?" I don't know the perfect secret in persuading people but all that I did so far is to explain the reality and make them realize that we both have the same thing and goal in life so why don't we just get on the same boat?
"Give me time to think milady." Is what he said.
However, the next day, he already apologized and accepted my offer so I have to discuss it with my family to see whether they would let me or not.
"You found who?"
"The dark blue haired guy with golden eyes, master."
My heart suddenly beat in an erratic manner. I almost forgot that I have been looking for him and because of the recent incident, I haven't been able to receive reports about it.
"Then did you find out who he is or his location?"
She shook her head and I was left disappointed. I thought I was only an inch into finding who he is and yet I have to widen my search area.
"I spotted him entering the North estate and that was the last time I've seen him."
"What of the North, who's estate is that?"
"I have yet to gather information master but it would be kind of hard."
"Hard? What of it? Do you need an additional resources, financial or human support?"
But she then declined.
"The rumors say that North consists of skeptical people and are always wary of outsiders so it would be hard for me to casually extract information from them so I have to spend time to gain their trust."
For a minute, I thought about it and that was the best and only choice we have. So let's give it a shot.
"Alright, however we need to keep the communication lines open."
"Yes master."
For two days, I was preoccupied with that douchebag. I was so curious because he only gave me a name when the men in Empire may also have the same name.
"Teal, can you find a person name Van?"
"Van what master?"
"That. Only Van. Would it be hard?"
She shook her head and smiled but later on she opened the door and gestured me to come out.
"What for?"
"Master, you can find that 'Van' or whatever by yourself." I immediately threw a dagger on her which she effortlessly caught.
"I was just kidding Master, yet you were serious on killing me. But who on earth is that person that he only said a name."
"I'm not even sure if that was his family name or what but that would actually be his first name right?"
"Well that name may not even be common. So I'll give it a try Master."
"I'll increase your payment so don't worry and just do as I tell you."
I was having a peaceful day without anyone disturbing me. However, those peaceful days were again disrupted by some bastards.
"Lady Wescott is actually infertile?"
'Broken Engagement: Lady Wescott's infertility'
'Lord Kingsley currently grieving over losing Lady Wescott'
'Many agree that an infertile woman cannot be the Duchess'
"Those bastards really got nothing to do. They must have a lot of spare time to waste."
With that nonsensical and biased news, our business got low sales to the point that no one actually patronize our silverware products. The noble friends we had back then started to turn their backs on us when they realized that we have become penniless.
Eventually, mother had to remove some servants for our estate cannot support them anymore. With that problem, father suggested that we come down to our territory in the East and so we did. Indeed, this is the darkest age of our lives.
In our old estate where we could only have few servants and a butler at the least so we could budget our finance.
"Father, have you heard of the largest shopping district in the capital?"
"Yes Lily, what of it?"
"I heard that investments there has been pouring a lot recently and has been doing good ever since so why don't we try our luck with that?"
His eyes widened as if I have said something very different from what I've always thought.
"But the owners might never even entertain us since we don't have that many connections no." He worriedly said but I just smiled ay him.
"But that might not matter to the owner. What if he/she is a professional businessman who doesn't mix personal lives into business."
"Well that would be great Lily. It would greatly help in our expenses and if it continues to do so, we might be able to buy our silver mine back." He said while his eyes are twinkling.
Then let's give it a try father.
With that, father actually invested into the shopping district. At first it was just a small amount but he and mother became joyful when the returned profit doubled. So they continued investing until it became a little bigger.
I also had my brother, Archer teach me the real swordfighting with the reason that I could protect myself from that bastard and the other several bastards.
While I also enjoyed exchanging letters with Sylvia and Anne. I wasn't able to have a talk with them after I have recovered because I had been a little busy and we had to immediately return to our territory because of the so called scandal. So all that we can do now is exchange letters.
Sen also offered to stay in our estate for 2-3 days and always brought a summarized versions of our financial reports and other documents so I won't a hard time going out and returning to our estate. Well, that makes sense though.
That's how I spent my 5 years stay in the estate and within that five years, I have already discovered that douchebag who said that he would make time to see me but didn't do it at all.
"I heard you've been looking for a blue-haired guy with golden eyes."
"And where have you heard it from?"
"Well does that even matter? Anyway, do you want to know who is he?"
"Do you know him?"
"Well it's a taboo but yeah for my business partner. His name, if I can remember it correctly, it's Vannister Halsted."
Vannister Halsted.