After I Died, My Child Groom…

Chapter 5

Conrad had been Libenya’s secret retainer back when Nadia had still been Libenya.

As a child, Conrad had been sold to an illegal gambling den, where he worked day and night. Libenya had rescued him, and in return for that kindness, he had devoted his life to serving her.

She had relied on Conrad for countless tasks. He had an exceptional talent for obtaining information that ordinary people could never reach.

He’s a clever one, Nadia thought. Just from that short letter, he must have figured out quite a bit.

After all, the handwriting perfectly matched Libenya’s, and it mentioned “the key.”

Of course, he couldn’t possibly have imagined that the dead Libenya had returned to life. He must have assumed someone was impersonating her.

“So you dare impersonate my mistress.”

Just as Nadia expected, Conrad’s face burned with fury.

“I don’t care how you copied her handwriting or how you learned about the key. You have tarnished her honor.”

“I’ll kill you where you stand.”

No…

He was even more extreme than she had expected.

The Conrad she remembered had always been gloomy, but he had also been meticulous and level-headed. He was never the type to threaten murder without thinking.

Have ten years really changed him that much?

Noticing how much thinner his face had become, Nadia calmly reached out and pressed a finger against the blade aimed at her throat.

“Drawing a sword on your own master?”

Conrad’s brow furrowed instantly.

A mocking smile curled across his lips as his ash-gray eyes narrowed dangerously.

He looked ready to slit her throat at any moment.

Yet Nadia continued without the slightest hesitation.

“You were sold into a gambling den at the age of five to pay off your father’s debts.”

“You worked yourself nearly to death there.”

“When you turned fifteen, you desperately tried to earn enough money to save your little sister and threw yourself into the gambling tables.”

“You lost an eye… and nearly died.”

“And someone saved you.”

Conrad slowly straightened from the bed, staring at her.

The irritation in his eyes faded, replaced by suspicion and sharp scrutiny.

“I’ve never told anyone something that humiliating.”

“Oh, but you told one person.”

Nadia smiled faintly as she recalled the past.

“You have to tell me. Tell me why you’re trapped in that mud. Was it because of greed… or because of one mistake?”

Conrad’s lips trembled in disbelief.

Seeing that he had lost his voice, Nadia finished the memory for him.

“You answered that it was because of greed.”

“You said that even though your life was as worthless as an insect’s… you still wanted to live.”

“…Impossible.”

“It is possible.”

“If I’m Libenya.”

Conrad’s pupils shook violently.

“Lady Libenya died ten years ago.”

“I saw her body myself…”

“That’s right.”

“I died.”

“And somehow… I lived again.”

“I wouldn’t even call it reincarnation.”

“I only have memories starting from the age of ten.”

A soul moving into another body…

Keeping all the memories of a previous life…

It was an utterly impossible story.

And yet…

The way she spoke about something so extraordinary as though it were completely ordinary reminded him painfully of Libenya.

On top of that, she knew things that only he and Libenya could possibly know.

In a dazed voice, Conrad whispered,

“You really are… Lady Libenya…”

“Not anymore.”

“I’m Nadia now.”

“Since I came back from the dead, I decided to live a new life.”

She said it so casually that Conrad let out a hollow laugh.

“I believe you now.”

“You truly are Lady Libenya.”

“As impossible as it sounds.”

“Just now?”

Nadia blinked.

She had expected to spend much longer convincing him.

What had finally persuaded him?

“If you were an impostor pretending to be Lady Libenya,” Conrad explained, “you would try to use me to become the Duchess of Baldwin.”

“That would be your only logical goal.”

“Hmm… I suppose so.”

“But you never tried.”

“You’ve never had any attachment to the title of Duchess.”

“So naturally… you wouldn’t.”

Completely lowering his sword, Conrad knelt on one knee before her.

“It is an honor to see you again, Lady Nadia.”

“You’ve already started calling me Nadia?”

“Names don’t matter.”

“What matters is that the person I serve is you.”

“If you wish to be Nadia, then Nadia is what I will call you.”

Just as I thought.

Whether she was Libenya or Nadia had never mattered to Conrad.

Smiling softly, Nadia helped him to his feet.

“I called you here because I need a favor.”

“Just give the order.”

His loyalty had never changed.

Nadia sat comfortably on the edge of the bed and lit a candle.

Conrad immediately frowned.

“You’re using such poor-quality candles?”

“Don’t say that.”

“If Baron and Baroness Hess hadn’t taken me in as their adopted daughter, I’d probably have been begging on the streets.”

“I’m sincerely grateful to them.”

“I wasn’t insulting them.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If they’re your benefactors, then they’re mine as well.”

“I know.”

“You’re just worrying too much again.”

“But now that I know, I can’t ignore it.”

“It doesn’t even look like you have proper maids.”

“I’ll send people here tomorrow.”

“I’ll send magic lamps as well.”

“It’s not good for your health to keep using candles.”

Conrad truly worried about her.

Unable to argue, Nadia simply nodded.

“But that’s not the most urgent matter.”

“You still have my key, don’t you?”

Conrad nodded.

“Of course.”

“I want it back.”

The “key” she referred to wasn’t an actual key.

Back when she had been Duchess of Baldwin, Nadia had dealt with countless criminal organizations draining the duchy’s wealth.

Some needed to be eradicated immediately.

Others required careful observation before making a move.

To prepare for the right moment, she and Conrad had gathered mountains of evidence against them.

They had called that collection of evidence—

“The Key.”

“Returning it isn’t difficult,” Conrad said.

“But after ten years, much of the evidence has gone cold.”

“Not all of it.”

“No. Not all.”

“But what do you intend to do with it?”

At his respectful question, Nadia smiled leisurely.

“I’m going to capture criminals.”

“And collect the bounty.”

“…Money?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m no longer the Duchess of Baldwin, who has to worry about preserving a great family’s honor.”

“I’m just the adopted daughter of the tiny Hess Barony, with fewer than a hundred people.”

“If I earn government reward money by hunting wanted criminals, what reputation is there to damage?”

“Anyone who looks down on capturing criminals is simply narrow-minded.”

“We have plenty of evidence, so arresting them won’t be difficult.”

“But why do you need money?”

“And how much?”

Nadia stood and picked up the prescription lying on the tea table.

“I need… quite a lot.”

“My mother…”

“I mean Baroness Hess.”

“She’s very ill.”

“And her medicine is expensive.”

After taking the prescription, Conrad examined it carefully.

“This is certainly beyond what House Hess can afford.”

“It’s far beyond that.”

“If we continue as we are, we won’t even come close.”

“We couldn’t even afford her immediate medicine.”

“I had to dig up a mana stone vein I’d secretly kept in mind from my previous life.”

“It wasn’t as rich as I’d hoped.”

“It only bought us a little time.”

“A few days ago…”

“I honestly thought she was going to die.”

With a deep sigh, Nadia brushed back her hair.

Watching her, Conrad hesitated before speaking.

“Conrad.”

“You’re worrying about something unnecessary again, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

Though he immediately lowered his head, he continued quietly,

“I was worried…”

“…that you might be blaming yourself for Baroness Hess’s illness.”

Conrad was one of the few people who knew nearly everything about Nadia—

about Libenya.

He even knew about the nightmares that had haunted her through both lives.

Nadia remained silent for a long moment before giving a bitter smile.

“If I went to the Baldwin Duchy and revealed that I was Libenya…”

“…then paying for medicine like this would be nothing.”

“So yes.”

“For a moment, I wondered if I was nothing more than an ungrateful beast who couldn’t even repay kindness.”

“Lady Nadia.”

“That is absolutely not true.”

“I only thought that because I was panicking.”

“But look.”

“I found another way.”

She gently squeezed Conrad’s shoulder before letting go.

“Check which of the Keys are still usable.”

“Preferably something we can act on immediately.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll prepare everything as quickly as possible.”

“Thank you, Conrad.”

“I’m merely doing what I should.”

After bowing deeply, Conrad quietly disappeared through the same window he had entered.

Now Mother’s medicine is taken care of.

Nadia’s heart pounded wildly before slowing until it felt almost lifeless.

She wiped the sweat from her palms with a handkerchief and lay back on the bed.

Everything will be fine now.

Nothing will go wrong anymore.