What I Gained by Giving My Body - Chapter 1.21

“Sir Edward also told you to come back late. It’ll be over in an hour, so if you’re bored, why don’t you go to the library or the greenhouse?”

Caitlyn hesitated for a moment. Normally, she wouldn’t have much interest in a library or a greenhouse, but today was different.

‘If it’s the library of the Count Sufferd family, they must have quite a collection of books.’

The dream about the pagan princess kept weighing on her mind. Unless she had dreamed of a story that didn’t exist at all, she might be the protagonist of a story she had read somewhere. It was as she was heading toward the library, following the guidance of the maid Leslie had called for her.

“Miss Hardick, could we talk for a moment?”

It was the Lady Count Sufferd.

“Of course.”

Caitlyn pretended to be unfazed on the outside, but she was tense inside. The reason the Countess would want to talk to her was obvious.

‘It’s about Leslie.’

The problem was the content. Did the Countess want her and Leslie to grow apart, or did she want them to get closer? The Countess headed to the drawing room and ordered the maids to bring tea. Caitlyn kept sipping tea of a quality that couldn’t even be compared to what she had served Leslie a few hours ago. The Countess finally spoke.

“As you might have guessed, it’s about Leslie. You were very surprised, weren’t you, Miss Hardick?”

“…….”

“You can be honest.”

Caitlyn replied with silence. There were times when Leslie’s behavior, acting like a child, felt strange, but there was nothing good about telling the Countess that directly.

“Sigh…… Miss Hardick, let me tell you one thing. Do you know why my daughter approached you?”

“It’s because of His Grace the Archduke, isn’t it?”

Even if Leslie wasn’t, the Countess clearly thought Caitlyn, who was suddenly receiving all of the Archduke’s attention, was valuable. Perhaps she had even instructed Leslie to approach her. However, the Countess’s reaction completely defied Caitlyn’s expectations.

“Ha, haha…… No, how could you think that!”

She burst into a sincere laugh.

“Not at all. Leslie has been talking about you for quite a long time—much longer than you think. You might not know, but that child has wanted to be friends with you for a long time.”

Now it was Caitlyn’s turn to be bewildered.

“Why…… why is that?”

The Countess let out a sigh.

“……You’ll find out eventually, so I’ll tell you a bit early. Leslie is a child with a much softer heart than she appears.”

“Lady Sufferd?”

Caitlyn asked back in confusion. The Leslie Sufferd she knew was a person who had nothing to fear. Simple, cheerful, and kind to everyone. The Countess sighed.

“It doesn’t show much on the outside, but even a little bit of hardship makes her collapse. She’s a child who gets hurt easily and cries a lot…… so it seems she admired Miss Hardick, who is always steadfast.”

Caitlyn swallowed hard. She remembered Leslie, who had called herself stupid and begged to be her friend. She didn’t notice it then, but thinking about it now, it was a sign that Leslie’s self-esteem wasn’t that high.

“What I want isn’t much. Please be a good friend to that child. Then she, and we, will truly reward you.”

The Countess’s voice was sincere and overflowing with affection for Leslie. Caitlyn bit her lip. They were a mother and daughter who were more pure than she thought. And that made the coming future even more miserable. No matter how much Caitlyn became Leslie’s friend, it would be no use. Because in a few years, the entire Count Sufferd family, except for the youngest daughter, would all die, and Leslie, left alone, would go mad.

‘…….’

She wanted to tell them. But knowing that no one would believe her words even if she did, Caitlyn only nodded quietly.

‘……The Archduke will know a way.’

The thought suddenly occurred to her. She had long sensed that there was some connection between others’ disbelief in her foresight and this ‘power.’ She just didn’t know the exact nature of it.

On the other hand, the Archduke knew her prophetic abilities all too well. He might even know a way to make others believe her prophecies.

Caitlyn bit her lip anxiously in the carriage on the way home. There was no time. Both Edward and Leslie were like carriages racing toward a predetermined tragedy. And one driven by a horse gone mad, at that. She wanted to meet the Archduke somehow, but it was impossible to find him, not even knowing where in the North he was.

Thus, exactly one month later, as soon as she heard the news that Archduke Akbar had returned, it was only natural for Caitlyn Hardick to seek out the Archduke’s mansion.