“How long has he been smoking those?”
“Two months… No, it’s been almost three months already. His insomnia had been there before, but it was never this severe.”
Three months.
Right after Odely had regressed.
…The cause couldn’t be more obvious.
Odely looked down at the cigarettes neatly arranged inside the box with mixed feelings.
Could those really be called sleeping medicine?
If a person couldn’t sleep at all, they couldn’t survive, so there probably hadn’t been any other choice.
They were little more than a last resort to force someone collapsing without even realizing it into bed.
“Wasn’t there any other way?”
“Unfortunately, no. His Grace knows this isn’t a fundamental solution either. But without them… he suffers greatly.”
Before saying the word greatly, the head butler seemed to hesitate.
It sounded as though he was carefully rephrasing he goes mad into something gentler.
“His Grace doesn’t take care of himself at all.”
This was the same head butler who had meticulously cared even for Odely’s health.
How much anguish must he have gone through before reaching the point where he not only tolerated his master’s self-destruction, but actively helped it?
As Odely watched him carefully place the last cigarette into the box, she made up her mind.
No matter what it takes, I have to get him to sign the marriage papers first.
By any means necessary.
Only then would she have the right to step into Ludville’s daily life—and the justification to remove the things that were destroying him.
****
That night.
Flags began appearing from the edge of the western snowfields.
A cavalry unit cloaked in black rode through the falling snow, and at its head was a man who looked almost lazy atop his horse.
Ludville Excepcion.
Just like every previous return, he came back carrying the scent of death.
Dark crimson blood had dried across his armor, while monster ichor dripped steadily from his scabbard.
Removing his helmet with one hand, Ludville leaped effortlessly from his horse.
He tossed aside his bloodstained gloves and merely nodded at the soldier saluting him, without saying a word.
“Has anything happened inside the castle?”
“No, Your Grace. Nothing unusual.”
The captain of the royal guards finished his salute before suddenly blurting out,
“Ah.”
“A thief broke in.”
“A thief?”
“Yes. He’d been embezzling funds for ten years before he was finally exposed. He was caught trying to steal valuables.”
Ludville paused.
“Why are you reporting such a petty criminal to me now?”
he asked, puzzled.
Ordinarily, something like that would have been handled quietly by the captain under the Grand Duchy’s laws without ever reaching him.
“The one who caught the thief… was the young lady.”
“…What?”
The moment he heard that, Ludville remembered the woman who had proposed the contract marriage.
“The internal problems you’re currently facing, the unnecessary outside attention, even your standing among the nobility… There are plenty of areas where I can help you. Quite a lot, actually.”
He remembered those pale, delicate lips moving as she spoke.
It felt as though her calm, crystal-clear voice was still echoing in his ears.
“She caught a thief… by herself?”
After hearing the full story from the captain, Ludville was left speechless.
The North was a land of warriors.
Nearly everyone in the castle, regardless of gender, knew how to use a sword.
A trained soldier, a junior gate guard—even a passing maid would likely be stronger than the supposedly frail young lady.
Yet she had not only lured the thief in by herself…
She had actually captured him?
And not just any thief, but an embezzler who had avoided detection for ten whole years?
Then the captain carefully added,
“…The thief also attempted to kill the young lady on impulse.”
At that moment…
The entire world grew strangely quiet.
The sound of breathing, the captain standing before him—
Everything seemed to drift away behind a sheet of frosted glass.
Only one sentence remained.
The young lady of House Cardel had nearly died…
That single thought kept repeating itself inside his head.
The hand that had paused slowly picked up the gloves he had just thrown aside.
As he firmly pulled the blood-soaked gloves back onto each finger, hiding their original color beneath layers of dark stains, he said,
“I’ll interrogate that thief myself.”
The soldiers instinctively swallowed.
The man who never changed his expression even with monsters breathing down his neck was no longer bothering to hide his killing intent.
His face turned ice-cold as he strode directly toward the underground prison.
Then suddenly, a question crossed his mind.
…Why is this bothering me so much?
It was nothing more than a servant’s betrayal.
The man hadn’t even come as an assassin targeting the young lady.
He had simply lashed out because the woman before him looked weaker than he was.
Just another pathetic piece of trash who preyed on the weak.
So why…
Why did such an insignificant creature fill him with this much rage?
Even if he had been an assassin sent specifically after the young lady… what would that have to do with me?
He had only agreed to protect her for fifteen days.
If something happened to her, it would simply be troublesome.
If that were the reason, increasing the punishment should have been enough.
So why did it feel…
…as though his blood were boiling in reverse?
He slowly closed his eyes.
An emotion he couldn’t rationally explain continued to rise no matter how hard he suppressed it.
That familiar, unbearable headache struck again.
“…”
Ludville quietly opened his eyes.
There was no hesitation left in them.
He resumed walking, descending the stairs toward the underground prison.
Did the reason even matter anymore?
That had stopped mattering a long time ago.
If he wanted to do it…
Then he would.
Late that night, deep beneath the darkness, what echoed through the underground prison was neither screams for mercy nor cries of pain.
Only dull, violent impacts.
The sounds of bones breaking.
Flesh tearing.
And then…
Silence as deep as a grave.
Odely heard that Ludville had returned the following morning, just as the sun was rising.
“I heard His Grace caused another incident the moment he got back.”
Leona deliberately avoided giving details.
She seemed reluctant to describe what had become of Zeke in the prison.
After hesitating for a moment, she carefully chose her words.
“If His Grace handled it personally… well, whatever you do, don’t go anywhere near the underground prison.”
She shook her head repeatedly.
…Sounds like he tortured him.
Odely didn’t ask any further.
She already had a pretty good idea of what had happened.
Still, one thing bothered her.
The fact that Ludville had personally involved himself in something as insignificant as a common criminal.
In her previous life, Ludville had viewed people as nothing more than resources, making only the coldest, most efficient decisions.
She couldn’t say that version of him had been good…
But at least back then, he had possessed a clear purpose.
An obsession with saving Odely.
Now…
He had no purpose at all.
He was simply lashing out emotionally, consumed by a profound sense of loss.
So unstable that he could fall apart at any moment.
She was terrified that one day, Ludville would appear to be living an ordinary day—
Only to suddenly take his own life without any warning.
I have to deal with his insomnia first.
People could become impulsive whenever their most basic needs collapsed.
At the very least, she had to make sure he could sleep properly.
Which meant…
It’s not as if I can just march into Ludville’s bedroom and tell him I’ll help him sleep.
Then she’d have to approach it another way.
Food. At least I can make sure he’s eating properly.
Sleep and nutrition were closely connected.
Odely remembered overhearing Ludville’s personal servants talking near the kitchen a few days ago.
They had said he barely touched his meals anymore and emptied only his wine glasses.
A man twice the size of an ordinary person eating so little—of course he’d have no strength.
And without strength, how could he sleep properly?
As soon as Leona finished helping her get ready that morning, Odely stood up without another moment’s delay.
Then she headed straight for the kitchen.
The moment she stepped into the kitchen, the rich aroma of meat broth mixed with fragrant spices washed over her.
Even though it was still early, the kitchen assistants hurried nonstop between steaming pots and chopping boards.
Not wanting to interrupt their work, Odely quietly waited in one corner.
Just then, the head chef, who had been busy preparing ingredients, spotted her and froze in surprise.
“…Young Lady?”
Setting down his knife, he quickly straightened his apron and bowed deeply.
“What brings you here so early? Is there perhaps something special you’d like to eat…?”
Outwardly, he remained perfectly polite.
But caution lingered in his eyes.
No matter who she was, the young lady from House Cardel was still an outsider.
An outsider wandering through the kitchen was not something that could be overlooked.
If she were to poison the food…
The responsibility would fall entirely on him.
“I’m sorry, but no one may enter the kitchen without permission. If there’s anything you need, please let us know. We’ll prepare it for you.”
The chef’s face was tense with anxiety, worried that the noble young lady—who had supposedly been raised in luxury—might cause trouble.
But the words that came from Odely’s mouth were nothing like what he expected.
“Ah, you’re right. My apologies.”
She readily admitted her mistake and stepped back without protest.
Only after putting some distance between herself and the food, making it clear she had no intention of touching anything, did she ask,
“What’s His Grace’s breakfast menu today?”
The chef couldn’t hide his surprise.
The wariness filling his eyes softened noticeably.
After hesitating for a moment, he answered,
“We’re preparing a broth slowly simmered with veal tenderloin, along with porridge. Since His Grace has been eating much less lately, we chose something light that would be easy on his stomach. The vegetables will also be lightly blanched.”
Odely stared at the preparation table in thought.
Oats, lentils, mashed peas, with a little honey and milk.
An ordinary grain porridge.
Healthy, certainly.
But not what Ludville needed right now.
The priority is making him want to eat.
She searched through Ludville’s memories.
Back when he had been a slave.
When he had thrown himself recklessly onto the battlefield with nothing but a sword in order to gain power.
Dying.
Dying again.
Dying countless times.
After endless regressions…
The day he finally returned alive for the first time.
He hadn’t come back unharmed.
Several ribs had been cracked.
An arrow had pierced his arm.
He could barely walk.
But he was alive.
He was still breathing.
That day, the official distributing rations had placed a few slices of smoked meat atop a bowl of warm barley porridge just for him.
A meal reserved only for soldiers who had survived.
It was thick.
Nutty.
Salty.
Rich with flavor.
Only then did Ludville truly realize…
He had escaped that endless chain of death.
I survived.
That taste.
That memory.
It had reignited his desire to keep living.
Sitting alone in the corner of the barracks, he rubbed the ring set with the Jewel of Regression and quietly murmured to himself.
“…They say the platoon commander has taken notice of me, my lady. Thanks to that, perhaps I’ll last a little longer in this life.”
“I’ll survive the next battle as well. Until my lady safely reaches her thirtieth birthday, I won’t allow any death to claim me.”
“Ah… in this life, you’re not my wife yet, are you? …But what does that matter? Paperwork isn’t what makes you my wife. You’ve always been my wife.”
The very next day, he threw himself back into battle.
Once again repeating death…
And regression…
Endlessly.
Odely shut her eyes, forcing the memories back.
He may not remember… but perhaps the taste itself will awaken his appetite again.
Finally, she spoke.
“You did well choosing something easy to digest. But right now, nutrition isn’t the priority. First, we need to stimulate his appetite.”
“That’s… true. But even the foods he used to enjoy have been left untouched lately…”
The chef lowered his head apologetically.
As the person responsible for the Grand Duke’s meals, simply admitting that pained him.
“This isn’t your fault.”
Odely cut off his self-blame firmly.
“Make barley porridge instead.”
The chef blinked.
“…Barley porridge?”
Since barley porridge was commonly considered peasant food, hesitation was written all over his face.
He didn’t say it aloud, but it was obvious what he was thinking.
There’s no way His Grace would like something like that.
Odely ignored his doubts and continued.
“Slice smoked meat thinly and lay it gently over the porridge. Don’t make the texture too heavy. Soak the barley thoroughly beforehand and simmer it slowly over low heat. The surface should be soft, but not mushy.”
Odely carried memories of having been Ludville’s wife in her previous life.
Not through experiences she had personally lived…
But through the countless meals and quiet moments around the dining table that she had witnessed within his memories.
She knew his tastes better than anyone.
She continued calmly.
“Serve it with a few wild berries. Raspberries or blackberries would be good.”
Judging from the meals the Odely in his memories had prepared, Ludville seemed to enjoy dishes with juicy pieces of meat that were savory with just a hint of sweetness.
Perhaps because the ingredients she listed sounded so humble they bordered on pitiful…
The chef’s expression darkened.
“Wild berries? Not regular strawberries?”
“Yes. Wild berries are less sweet, so adding a little honey would probably be best.”
“…I don’t think His Grace would eat something like that.”
The chef spoke carefully, unable to hide his skepticism.
No matter who suggested it, serving such a meal to the Grand Duke might come back to haunt him later.
“You said he isn’t eating anything anyway, didn’t you?”
There was nothing to lose.
She smiled reassuringly.
“Let’s do this. When it’s time for breakfast, serve the meal you originally prepared first. But if he ignores it again and reaches only for the wine… then bring him this porridge instead.”
“…”
“If anything goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.”
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