C103
The first life of Liena. I only knew fragments of that life.
This is because at the beginning of the novel, Liena meets Duke Cassius, who comes to the orphanage to adopt a child after Liena has already died and returned.
The orphanage where Liena grew up was sponsored by the late duchess, and her wish was to adopt her third child there.
Liena, who resembles the duchess and is intelligent, quickly captures the duke's heart and successfully enters the Cassius family.
"After that, her old life was only occasionally described through Liena's memories."
In the first life, Liena, who was originally a shy girl, is afraid of Edman, who is rumored to be the Devil Duke, and hides when he visits the orphanage.
Because of this, she had no connection with the duke's family, and after a while, she was adopted by another family.
However, it is said that her adoptive family abused her, and Liena, who couldn't bear it and ran away from home, worked as a maid and servant.
The unfortunate first life of Liena was to encounter a thief on the street and suffer an unfortunate death.
"Is this the moment I saw right after Liena ran away from home?"
If we say that Liena, who had nowhere to go, was indebted to her friend Ethel, the situation would roughly fit.
Still, there are some questions. If we set aside the minor details, two questions remain.
First, how did Ethel and Liena become friends?
Second, how was it possible for Ethel to know Duke Cassius?
Firstly, it was somehow understandable to imagine that Ethel, who left home to escape the harassment of the Wallace family, met Liena by chance and shared a bond of sympathy.
"First of all, the Ethel I saw in my dream seemed to live alone somewhere other than Count Wallace's residence."
But the second one, I'm not sure.
The first time I met Leandro in this life was because his sister wanted the Andala Mine.
The same goes for the second time, which didn't materialize due to my transmigration.
In other words, it was unlikely that Ethel knew and befriended Duke Cassius or Leandro in the first episode where Liena didn't become their sister.
Although the Cassius family and Ethel are noble families, aren't their living standards very different?
"What the hell is this?"
It would be easier if I just dismissed it as a dream, but I couldn't, so my mind felt confused.
"Ethel."
At that moment, Terence snapped me out of my idle thoughts.
"Is the food not to your liking?"
His eyebrows slightly arched as he looked at the freshwater fish he had caught and cooked himself.
From clear soups to fish dishes. Four days quickly passed as the menu of the food he prepared changed.
In a panic, I quickly stabbed the fish meat with the fork and put it in my mouth.
"How could it not be possible? It's really delicious."
"Then I'm glad."
"But what if I feel sorry? In the end, I left all the work to Terence."
"Please relax. Of course, a patient needs proper rest."
Every time I tried to do something like cooking or cleaning, he would suddenly appear and stop me, so I had to focus on resting quietly for the past four days.
"Thanks to you, the pains in my body have completely disappeared, and now I'm full of energy!"
When I spoke bravely, he smiled and suggested.
"Would you like to go for a walk together after we finish eating?"
"Of course, I'd love to."
After a while, we walked along the shore of the lake, not far from the tourist accommodation.
"Oh, hi!"
Then I ran into a familiar face.
It was the neighbor who guided us to the mine.
"Hello, are you going for a walk too?"
The girl cheerfully nodded at my question.
"I'm on my way to run errands."
"Come to think of it, there was a basket with food in front of the door. Did you bring it today too?"
"Yes."
We still received about one in three meals a day from our neighbors.
Firstly, Terence had no other choice because the number of dishes he could cook was limited, and the cooking facilities in the traveler's accommodation were inadequate.
Secondly, it was a place prepared for travelers taking a short break.
"Why did you only leave the basket this time?"
I stroked the girl's head.
"As before, come in, talk to me, and then leave."
It was very nice to see a little girl chatting as if fascinated by a stranger.
But the girl's expression clouded.
"My mom scolded me. I shouldn't keep bothering you two like that."
"Why?"
"The newlyweds want to be alone day or night."
"......"
There was an awkward silence. Now that I think about it, the people in the village knew Terence and me as a couple.
When we first arrived in this village, Vinetta suggested that we reveal this to anyone who asked.
"They should act like a couple on their honeymoon, traveling to see the world, and I will act as their escort. That way, it will seem less suspicious."
I was willing to accept the suggestion because it sounded more plausible than the excuse of a mining exploration club that I came up with...
"I never thought there would come a time when I would feel so embarrassed!"
After that, the girl continued talking about various things and left the lake shore.
"Haha... she's very adorable. Oh, shall we sit there and rest for a while?"