Chapter 68

Once we moved to the town on Geni, we found Lord Nazel’s subordinates gathered at the plaza and the adjacent inn.

Since we had planned to stop by Baron Kigyonne’s estate, we had decided beforehand to secure an inn to use as a base of operations. Some members of our group weren’t going directly to the Baron’s manor, after all.

At the rest area, piles of potatoes intended as bait for magical beasts were being stacked up.

These were the ones that had been transported to the Baron’s house or scattered by his men along the border between the forest and the town; a recovery team was still in the middle of collecting the remaining tubers. If left behind, the magical beasts living in the forest would come to eat them.

By the way, the potatoes I was holding while riding Geni were the ones from the Baron’s estate.

I had taken a few with me just in case, so I wouldn’t be defenseless if enemy soldiers attacked while I was outside the manor.

“I should undo the magic and return these.”

I released the potatoes I was holding into a wooden crate filled with the ones confiscated from the Baron’s house.

The distance was short for Geni, but traveling by land took much longer.

A while after Lord Nazel and I arrived at the inn, Torre returned, still carrying Lilianne.

The allied soldiers escorting the Baron and the Earl were with him as well.

Though they were all unconscious…

As I turned my gaze toward the exhausted-looking Lilianne, I noticed her clothes were in surprisingly bad shape.

“Torre. Bring Lady Lilianne to this room. Kelly and I will check her for injuries.”

We were permitted to use one of the inn’s rooms as a temporary infirmary for women.

However, the only doctor was in the next town over; one of Lord Nazel’s subordinates was currently on their way to fetch them via pegasus. Apparently, there used to be one in this town, but they had been attacked by a magical beast a few days ago.

Since Torre wouldn’t leave after carrying Lilianne to the bed, I finally spoke up.

“Torre, could you step out of the room for a moment?”

“Ugh, but…”

“I understand you’re worried, but men are strictly forbidden here! Come on, out you go!”

“Lilianne!”

I forced a lingering, reluctant Torre out of the room and closed the door. Lilianne sat quietly on the edge of the bed.

“Um, please try to relax. We aren’t going to harm you. I’m Agnes, and this is my maid, Kelly.”

“…Ugh…”

Lilianne curled into herself fearfully, watching us with a sharp, wary upward glance.

The fighting spirit she had shown when she targeted Lord Nazel was gone; now, she just seemed terrified of Kelly and me.

“Um, Lady Lilianne. Besides your leg, do you have any other injuries?”

“Please… just leave me alone… It doesn’t matter anyway… everything is over now…”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. We need to hear your side of the story. Why did you target Lord Nazel?”

Lilianne remained silent. Kelly and I shared a small, weary sigh.

“Let’s get you changed first. Your dress is in tatters.”

Some of the damage was likely from her own hair tearing through the fabric, but other parts were ripped and stained. Something must have happened after she fled the manor.

Lilianne, her eyes clouded with sorrow, allowed us to do as we pleased. It wasn’t so much that she had lost the will to resist, but rather that she carried a reckless air of someone who had given up on everything.

As the two of us helped her out of the dress, which had been reduced to little more than rags, I reflexively gasped when I saw her arms. Her wrists were covered in painful-looking, raised red welts.

The skin had closed up, but the bruises were vivid and unmistakable.

“Is this… from a whip? These look fairly recent.”

There was no mistaking it. After all, back then, I was struck by my mother, the maids, and my tutors every time I failed to follow the family’s strict policies.

Kelly also seemed to sense the gravity of the situation upon seeing the unnatural wounds.

Back when I first arrived at the Duke’s estate, she was the one who quickly realized I had been abused and informed Lord Nazel.

“It seems there are no other major injuries. For now, her ankle needs treatment. Lady Agnes…”

“I should just clean her up while being careful not to touch the wounds, right?”

“Yes. I’ll go to the back and prepare some fresh clothes.”

As I wiped Lilianne down with a damp towel and dressed her in a spare gown from my own luggage, she remained silent.

Watching her closely, I tried questioning her again.

“Please, tell me why you targeted Lord Nazel. It wasn’t a personal grudge, was it?”

Perhaps her guard had dropped slightly from being around us, or perhaps she felt she owed me an answer. Lilianne gave a hesitant nod.

“…Yes.”

“Did someone ask you to do it? Was it Baron Kigyonne and the others?”

When I followed up, Lilianne knit her thin brows in pain and clenched her hands tightly together.