Chapter 44
She was a child who understood how to wield the authority and intimidation of nobility, yet she placed little weight on the barriers of class. Had she been any other way, she never would have chosen a commoner’s child as her marriage partner.
She was equal parts innocent and stubborn; once she became obsessed with a notion, she would fixate on it, regardless of what anyone said.
‘If she had been a boy, she might have been a capable head of the family.’
Her attachment to what she held in her hands was extraordinary. Unfortunately, my daughter’s obsession was directed elsewhere—toward a man destined to be the prey of the Imperial Palace before long.
“It would have been better if it had been settled last winter.”
“I apologize.”
The man waited a moment for Gaspard to elaborate, then spoke again.
“And this may not be a very important detail, but… she visits the house she purchased in the past every Sunday.”
“Rasharière, you mean?”
“Yes.”
It was a house she had purchased about two years into her marriage. Perhaps when she lost the position of mistress to Mathilde Russell and was shunned by Max Russell, she had needed a sanctuary, a place to rest far from that suffocating mansion.
And yet, even now that her relationship with her husband had shifted and Mathilde Russell was gone, she still visited that house every Sunday.
Gaspard, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, commanded the man across from him.
“Find out what she does in that house.”
Before long, the figure that had stepped off the carriage vanished into the road. The vehicle pulled away quietly, leaving the street as empty as if it had never been there at all.
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“Doctor, do you have a moment in your past that you would change if you could go back?”
Sessions with the Lady were somehow unreal, and by the time they ended, I would often feel dreamlike myself.
“Everyone has such a moment, I suppose.”
“What if it were a punishment from God? Would you still go back?”
Today, Freya exuded an ephemeral aura, as if she might vanish into thin air at any moment.
“Is there a reason you view it as a punishment from God?”
“Because I clearly saved Max… yet I am still trapped in the past.”
“Do you mean that even though you prevented Monsieur Russell’s death, time has returned to the start?”
In the ‘pasts’ she spoke of, the Lady had not yet saved her husband. Even when we first met, she insisted she was struggling to save him. But if she had already succeeded, there was a massive contradiction in her narrative.
As if sensing what Sigmund intended to point out, Freya offered a faint smile.
“You know the Punishment of Aegis. Just as the rock pushed to the edge of the cliff falls back down, even if I want to save my husband, even after I have saved him, I ultimately fail to save him.”
“When we first met, Madam, you said that I was the only lifeline to save you from hell. Does your request for hypnotherapy have anything to do with what you are saying now?”
Freya stared out the window for a moment without speaking. The curtains were drawn, but the sound of a downpour drifted in from outside.
Listening to the rain, Freya asked, “Do you know how to end the Punishment of Aegis?”
“Is there even a way to end it?”
“You just have to put down the rock you are holding.”
“If it were that simple, it wouldn’t be much of a punishment.”
“Actually, that is something I was told.”
To Freya, who showed her first smile of the day, Sigmund asked, “Who told you that?”
“A certain priest.”
The sudden mention of a priest piqued my curiosity, but I did not interrupt.
“To be precise, he said my situation does not align perfectly with the Punishment of Aegis. That punishment involves repeating the exact same situation, but my reality keeps changing based on my actions.”
“That is… true.”
“He said that perhaps it is not God who turns back time, but me. He told me that if I am the one inflicting this suffering upon myself, why don’t I just put down the rock… and move forward.”
Sigmund looked out the curtained window, following Freya’s gaze. The sound of the refreshing rain filled the quiet study.
“Do you think the rock you are holding is your memories regarding Monsieur Russell…?”
“No.”
Freya looked at Sigmund with an exhausted expression and smiled.
“What I am holding is my heart toward Max.”
After the consultation, walking out of the building on Rasharière Street, the air smelled of wet earth and rain. Sigmund looked up at the second-floor window.
The curtains were firmly shut.
The Lady truly believed his hypnosis could end her repeating time. The problem was that I was starting to believe her as well.
‘If this were truly a reversal triggered by her own psyche, I should stop the treatment immediately…’
But if I were to quit now, I wouldn’t have accepted the check in the first place. Sigmund smiled bitterly and walked down the street, stepping over puddles.
A quiet Sunday. Not long after Sigmund disappeared into an alleyway heading toward the main road, a man wearing a fedora appeared out of nowhere. He followed into the alleyway where Sigmund had gone.
✦ ✦ ✦
The night sky of Luthes wrapped in white.
The ‘Noir’ (Black) of Blanc has covered Luthes society!
Are there two greatest flowers of this year’s Imperial Ball?
“In order, they are ‘Orthodoxy’, ‘Century’, and ‘Présent Luthès’.”
The butler, with a proud face, placed the three newspapers he had bought on the table, displaying them like trophies.
After the weekend passed, articles flooded out regarding the dress Freya had showcased at the Imperial Ball. The reaction was more passionate than expected.
“‘Présent Luthès’ even carries an article stating: ‘Women from noble and bourgeois families are tracking down the artisan who made the dress worn by the Lady’.”
Following the butler’s report, Milla’s question followed.
“Madam, Madam Beaudouin has sent a letter asking if you could share information regarding the new seamstress you hired. What should I do?”
As the article suggested, the identity of the dressmaker was a matter of intense interest. Letters were pouring in, with ladies casting aside all decorum to gain the information.
Milla, who was organizing the letters, held one out.
“It’s not Beaudouin herself, but her clients who are asking. Reply that I will contact them separately soon.”
“Yes.”
While Milla continued sorting, Freya stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her clothes and trying to suppress her sinking heart.
If her memory served her right, it was today. Because of the incident occurring today, Max would for a while grow wary and suspicious of her, just as he had before.
She hadn’t seen her husband since she had fled from his bedroom a few days ago. In the current situation, it was for the best.
“Madam, a letter from the Duke Blanc has arrived as well.”
The butler took one from the pile and handed it to Freya.
The content was as expected: an invitation to spend the summer together at Blanc Castle.
“Lorenzo, I plan to leave for the Blanc region next weekend and return around the end of August. Please help Milla prepare the necessary luggage.”
“Shall I inform the master as well?”
“I will tell him myself. Just prepare my own.”
After giving brief instructions on how to reply to the letter, Freya boarded the carriage.
The vehicle sped along the Yonne River, cutting through the center of Luthes, and stopped in front of Max’s office building. Stepping out, Freya took a deep breath. She consciously wore a smile before entering.
“Ah, Madam Russell. You have arrived.”
As expected, the atmosphere in the office was chaotic. The employees greeted her quietly with dark expressions.
Freya exchanged brief greetings and went straight to the president’s office. The moment she entered, three men looked at her in unison.
Auguste openly displayed hostility, and Erle Tristan looked intrigued. Max’s face was too painful to behold, so Freya smiled awkwardly and asked Auguste.
“Um, is something the matter?”
“The vote on the amendment has been finalized.”
It was Max who answered.
“Ah… what happened?”
“One passed, and one was rejected.”
“Then… is that bad?”
“It’s better than both of them passing, I suppose.”
As she asked while pretending to know nothing, Erle Tristan answered and stood up.
“Since the results are out, there is no use talking further. We have no choice but to prepare for how much the 1.5 Sekt bill will interfere with our business. I shall take my leave now.”
Erle Tristan, putting on his coat, bowed slightly to Freya with a smile.
“Madam Russell, I hope to see you again soon.”
It was a meaningful smile, as if he knew exactly what she had done.