5: A Worthless Venture

{You want a poison that will make you seem like you are dead?}

“I want to slowly escape this place after all. I want to go somewhere without the reach of my family or this kingdom. The best place to go is the Empire of Illumine. This is the reason for my contract”

{You changed your mind about dying?}

“If I die, it will change nothing. I want to get rid of this regret first”

{You know the basis of this contract right?}

“There is no human without negative karma. There is no need to worry”

{I will watch over you as I said, Natalia. I am interested in your life}

Natalia smiled, staring outside. It was still dark and gloomy but with the fairy mother, the world felt infinitely brighter. It was funny how she was from the forest of damnation, no that was wrong. The fairy mother was the mother of all things that lived in the forest. The forest was her body, everything growing from one root. Because of the dense mana her body emitted, monsters, mythical creatures, and fairies flocked to the forest, turning it into their habitat. 

It was a habitat that grew for many years, forming a stable ecosystem. Humans saw the place as the most ideal place to extract resources, especially timber rich in mana. It was at that point that the battle between humans and mythical beasts began. The people at the forefront of that battle were the Kristens. 

History made them out to be heroes, erasing the fact that they were nothing but thieves and murderers. They were especially hated by the fairy mother, which was why they had such a dense curse around their house. It was only after that Natalia knew about the curse and the effect it had. She didn’t need to take revenge. It would eventually come. 

“Duchess, it is me, Butler Corren. I am here to deliver the duke’s decree”

She opened the door with magic, receiving him into her room. They sat on the couches that occupied the room, sitting opposite each other. It had been a week but she still wasn’t treated properly like a duchess, only like an unwanted guest yet she never complained. No, she didn’t look like she wanted to be there like it was physically a burden to be in such a castle. 

“According to the decree of the duke, the duchess shall henceforth be in charge of the household expenses and the minor transactions of the dukedom as a whole. These are the resources you need”

He handed her two books and a notepad with an inkwell and a feather pen. It was the same thing she had received in her last life. In the past, she was grateful for at least something to do but now, it was a blatant insult. 

“I accept the decree of the duke. I have been trained for this so I can handle it”

It was an excuse to get out of the castle and meet up with her people. She could also gather resources for the poison and plan her escape. It would be a pity if she didn’t know her way after escaping. 

She picked up the books and perused them. The contents were the same. They were the most troublesome tasks of the dukedom that no one wanted to attend to. The subjugation of the elusive bandits, illegal trading of baby mythical creatures, and illegal trespassing into the forest of damnation. It was the same task she was given too since the household affairs could be left to the butler.

“Butler Corren, might I trouble you to handle the household affairs for now? I want to properly attend to these tasks and prove my worth”

It was a ludicrous request. If she wanted to prove her worth, she would handle the household affairs instead. But she knew how easy the troublesome task was compared to the household affairs. In the past, she chose the wrong option. In this life, she was taking another path, an easier path. 

“If this is what the duchess wishes”

He had been calling her duchess for a while. It felt uncomfortable. It was not until the second year of their marriage that she was recognized as the duchess. That time, it was when she got pregnant with her first child, Enrich. The second time she was addressed as a duchess, it came with an additional title, the disgraced duchess, the curse of Kristen. The third time, it was the iron duchess, maniac savior of the kingdom. None of those titles were good. 

“You can just call me Lady Natalia. I have not done anything deserving of the title of duchess”

“I cannot disrespect you like that”

“Is that so?...” ‘You had no problems addressing me as such in the past’

“It’s just that I feel so uncomfortable with that address and I’m not used to it”

Natalia was playing out the script of an innocent yet upright noble lady. The interpretation to those who served the duke was that she was looking down on the title. She rejected the servants, the clothes, and now, the title. She was rejecting everything about the dukedom.

“Is there anything else you wish to request from me, duchess?”

“I want a carriage. I want to look around the dukedom”

“I will arrange this immediately and send a maid to call for you”

“Thank you”

He bowed and left the room. The troublesome things handed to her, she knew just how to deal with them. It was the only gift given to her in her regression. If she took advantage of the only group that could safely pass through the forest of damnation, getting support while running away would be easy. 

Thus she waited. An hour trickled by and she finally realized she might have been tricked. They rarely picked on her without reason and she hadn’t given them any reason to. It was enough that they forgot she existed. 

‘Should I just teleport into town? What if they come looking for me?’

She waited until another hour passed by. By then, the sun was sinking on the horizon. If they waited any longer, she wouldn’t be allowed out. She put on a suitable disguise and went into the bathroom. She uttered the spell and appeared in the middle of the town. 

Traisen, the town nearest to the castle was an industrial town as well as a military fort. It defended from the creatures that attacked from the forest and protected the kingdom’s southeast. It was an endlessly busy town with several shops from many known and small business entrepreneurs. There was a saying that you could find anything in Traisen. 

She landed close to the entrance of the town where there was barely anyone in sight. She walked into the town after using a spell to change her complexion and dye her hair. With a pass easily manifested by magic, she passed into town as a maid from the duke’s castle. 

Traisen was a memorable place for Natalia. She came here on multiple occasions trying to catch the bandits like a headstrong noble. She suffered too much for it, later finding the easier way many years into the future. The easiest way to turn the bandits into her allies was to catch the man in charge of them; Cage Rusell.