Just a few days ago, Rachel never thought she would come back here again.
“……”
She was happy about it, but it also felt awkward. Once she broke off the engagement this time, it might be a good idea to quickly look for another marriage prospect and move on.
If she did not particularly care about the title, it would not be difficult to find someone moderately wealthy and with no issues with his character, and live a peaceful life.
To do that, she needed to find evidence that would support her claims and persuade the Duke of Valencia.
Fortunately, she had heard about it before her regression, so she already knew where the things she needed to find were located.
Putting the matter of 「Records」 aside for the moment, Rachel decided to focus on breaking off the engagement for now.
“Becky, find out Paris’s schedule for tomorrow. Quickly.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“If possible, find out the Duchess’s schedule as well.”
“……Yes, my lady.”
Fortunately, there was nothing strange about asking about her fiancé’s schedule.
She did not particularly need to see his face.
She would obtain the easiest and most accessible piece of evidence, use it to persuade the Duke of Valencia, and then have the Duke investigate the rest himself. Rachel went up to her room, organized the locations of the evidence she knew about, and wrote a letter to send to the Duke of Valencia.
The Duke of Valencia was someone difficult for a marquess’s daughter without a title to meet, but since she was currently his only son’s fiancée, she could naturally make contact with him.
Knock, knock—
Becky entered after knocking and reported.
“My lady, Prince Paris is scheduled to go to the palace with the Duke tomorrow morning. As for the Duchess, I’m not certain, but it seems she’ll be attending a tea party hosted by the Marchioness of Dolce.”
“Really?”
Rachel was still only a fiancée, and not yet truly part of the family, so it would be difficult for her to find out the Duchess of Valencia’s schedule in detail.
Still, with this much, they probably would not run into each other.
Tea parties usually began around noon. As she sealed the letter and stamped it with her seal, Rachel announced her schedule for tomorrow.
“I’ll be visiting the Valencia ducal residence tomorrow afternoon. Don’t contact them in advance.”
“……Yes, my lady.”
One month remained until the wedding.
If she wanted to minimize even the slightest bit of trouble, she had to act quickly.
Ah, but before that.
After putting away the letter, Rachel looked up at Becky.
“Could you get me a small shovel? One that’s good for digging in the ground.”
“What?”
Becky wore a strange expression for a moment.
But not long afterward, she brought back a small shovel and handed it to her. Unlike usual, Rachel ate her meal alone in her room, then carefully placed the shovel on the bedside table before going to sleep.
Considering what she had to do tomorrow, conserving her strength was essential.
The next day, Rachel woke up somewhat late in the morning and immediately began preparing to leave. She put on a dress made of soft fabric.
She braided her hair into a single braid and secured it with a ribbon.
Her face was delicately made up, making her already beautiful features shine even more. Then, when she carefully concealed the small shovel beneath her dress, Becky and the maids helping her dress wore strange expressions.
However, as servants of a high-ranking noble family, they did not ask any questions.
“The carriage is ready, my lady.”
“Let’s go.”
Thanks to the low shoes she wore, her movements were not restricted even with the small shovel hidden beneath her dress.
Just as Rachel was about to leave through the entrance—
“Where are you going?”
A familiar voice came from behind her. It was her mother, the Marchioness of Ingrave.
Rachel froze for a moment before calmly turning around.
“Mother.”
Light brown hair. Blue eyes similar to her own.
Unlike the distorted face Rachel remembered seeing at the end of her previous life, her mother now had an endlessly gentle expression.
As though that moment had been nothing more than a mirage.
Her mother approached with a worried expression.
“I heard you collapsed yesterday. Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“……There’s only a month left until the wedding. Still, I think I’ll take things a little easier starting today.”
“Good. I heard you went to bed early yesterday.”
Her blue gaze carefully examined Rachel’s complexion.
After scrutinizing her as though she were about to dissect her, a brief look of relief appeared in her eyes.
“So where are you going now?”
“I’m going to visit the Valencia ducal residence for a while. I want to use their garden as a reference for decorating the wedding venue.”
“I see. That sounds like a good idea. If you see the young duke, give him my regards.”
“Yes.”
Rachel exchanged a normal conversation with her mother, lightly bowed her head, and turned around. Just then, her mother’s voice came again, catching her by the ankle.
“Oh, right. Ilya seemed worried yesterday because you didn’t come down to the dining room. Would you mind checking on him?”
“……I will.”
Rachel briefly thought of her younger brother, who was four years younger than her.
He had been blunt, but he was honest with her, which was why she had found him adorable.
But not anymore. Rachel got into the carriage without looking back at her mother. As the carriage departed and the Ingrave marquessate gradually grew farther away, a thin breath escaped her lips.
‘It’s not as bad as I thought.’
She had wondered if seeing her parents again would make her go mad with feelings of betrayal.
But perhaps she was calmer than she had expected. Feeling the sense of stability brought by the power of her ability circulating quietly through her heart, she stared at the familiar scenery of the inner city.
Familiar mansions and shops passed by.
Soon, she saw a flag bearing a golden ring with a dragon coiled within it.
The family that still sealed away the great monster from the ancient era.
The most prominent among the Four Great Ducal Families, one of the empire’s most powerful noble houses.
Her former in-laws’ residence was gradually coming into view. The Valencia knights guarding the main gate spotted Rachel through the carriage window and respectfully bowed their heads.
“Welcome, Lady Ingrave.”
The firmly closed iron gate opened in no time.
After passing through the magnificent garden and arriving at the entrance, the butler, having heard of her arrival, hurried out. Rachel’s expression briefly clouded when she saw him before returning to normal. The butler bowed deeply.
“Lady Ingrave. I sincerely apologize for being late in greeting you.”
“……”
For a moment, memories from before her regression passed through Rachel’s mind.
But she quickly gathered herself and spoke calmly.
“It’s fine. Where’s Paris?”
“The young master has gone to the palace. It seems he was unable to receive notice of your visit in time.”
“That can happen. I came unexpectedly because I wanted to use the scenery here as a reference for decorating the wedding venue.”
“I see. Shall I assign you a guide?”
Rachel shook her head and walked toward the rear garden.
“That’s all right. Don’t worry about me and go about your work. I’ll look around for a while and then leave.”
“Understood. If you need my assistance, please let me know at any time, my lady.”
After naturally shaking off the butler, Rachel walked around the rear garden for a while, keeping an eye behind her. Perhaps worried that she might get lost, a servant whom the butler had stationed at a distance was following her.
“Sir.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Sir Hoffman, the captain of her escort, immediately approached when called.
“I’m bothered by that servant watching me. Could you block his view so he can’t see me?”
At the end of her glance, the knight spotted the servant and immediately gestured behind him. The remaining three escort knights formed a wall, blocking the servant’s line of sight.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all.”
Rachel stayed in the rear garden a little longer before taking only Becky and walking west.
Having been the young mistress of the Valencia family for five years, Rachel also knew the location of the servants’ quarters well. The Valencia servant, who had been constantly watching only the backs of the knights, failed to notice her because he was busy doing something else.
The knights came into view at the edge of her vision, having readily agreed when she told them she wanted to see the entire estate from a distance by herself.
After safely reaching the southern wall of the physician’s quarters, Rachel stationed Becky there as both an obstruction to the line of sight and a lookout, then ordered her.
“Stay here for a moment. Keep watch in case anyone else comes.”
“My lady……”
“I’ll be right back.”
Rachel turned the corner and stood at the end of the southern wall.
Twenty steps from there.
Standing precisely at that spot, she pulled out the small shovel she had hidden beneath the hem of her dress. Buried beneath this very place was one of the pieces of evidence Aisha Labelin had discovered while searching for the true biological son of the Duke of Valencia.
It was decisive evidence of the Duchess’s affair, so Rachel remembered it clearly.
Thud—
As she sat down on the dirt and began digging vigorously, Becky cautiously poked her head around the corner and let out a small gasp of shock.
Rachel glanced briefly in her direction but continued digging without concern. Soon, the tip of the shovel struck something.
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