The Reincarnated Girl Will Live Quietly

After discussing the details of their plan, Sable called for the Grand Duchess. They decided that it would be better to inform her, rather than try to sneak a letter out to the Marquis. That would only arouse suspicion that she was working with her father, and Sable didn’t want any more setbacks. 

 

She heard a light knock on the door, before the Grand Duchess walked in. 

 

“You called for me, Sable?” Adelaide looked at her curiously. 

 

“Yes.” Sable nodded. “May I ask you a favor, Your Grace?” 

 

Adelaide gestured for her to continue. 

 

“I would like to send a letter back to my family.” Sable began. Adelaide furrowed her brows, but allowed her to continue. 

 

“One letter is for my mother. Her health has been steadily declining over the past few years, and I fear that she will only live for another year, at best.” Sable explained, her expression turning grim. “The other letter is for my father. I plan to draw his attention away from my mother.” 

 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Sable?” Adelaide questioned. “With what happened last time with your father, I’m not thrilled about the idea of contacting him.” 

 

“Your Grace, I understand the risks, but it's the only way I can contact my mother.” Sable insisted. “The letter to the Marquis will only serve as a distraction.” 

 

“How do you know if she’s not working for him?” Adelaide frowned. Sable’s family was far from normal, and while the Grand Duchess didn’t want to suspect her sickly mother, she needed to be sure that Sable would be safe if they did this. 

 

Sable let out a sad chuckle. “I’m sure she hates him more than I do.” 

 

Adelaide looked taken aback for a moment before she huffed out a breath. 

 

“I’ll see what I can do.” Adelaide pinched the bridge of her nose. 

 

“Thank you, Your Grace.” Sable bowed her head. 

 

Just as the Grand Duchess was leaving, Sable spoke up again.

 

“One more thing, Your Grace.” 

 

“Yes?” Adelaide turned back. 

 

“Do… Do you know where Isadora is?” Sable asked sheepishly. 

 

Adelaide blinked. 

 

“She’s training.” She raised a brow. “Did something happen?”

 

“No.” Sable answered, a little too quickly. “It’s… I was just curious.” 

 

Adelaide stared at her with a strange gaze for a moment, then turned and left the room. 

 

“...Not a word.” Sable suddenly spoke out. 

 

“...” Bel turned away silently, but the smirk on her face grew slightly wider. 

 

~~~ 

 

The indoor training hall was filled with the dull thuds of a wooden sword striking against a dummy. 

 

Of course, the individual in question was Isadora. Sensing her strange mood, the servants and knights kept their distance. 

 

Isadora often came here to relieve her stress. After her conversation with Sable in the morning, she wanted to clear her head.

 

Isadora truly wanted to be Sable’s friend, but she was aware of the distance between the two of them. Sable seemed to prefer the company of the adults rather than her, and unless she was teaching her, their conversations were one-sided. Before she could properly talk to her, Sable had already left for the village. 

 

Her initial impression of Sable hadn’t changed much. Although she was Isadora’s teacher and she tried to be friendly with her, Sable still remained a mystery to Isadora. The younger girl’s gaze was often unfocused when she first arrived, and it was only until she returned from the village, practically half-dead, that she finally started to look okay, ironically. 

 

Put simply, Isadora didn’t know how to interact with the girl. 

 

So now, here she was, striking a dummy to vent out her feelings. She didn’t realize that someone was calling for her until her wrist was caught mid-swing. 

 

“Isadora?” It was her mother. 

 

“Huh?” Isadora rapidly blinked in surprise. 

 

“Are you alright, dear?” Adelaide asked worriedly. 

 

Isadora ran a hand through her hair and sighed. 

 

“I apologize, mother.” 

 

“Would you like to talk about it?” Adelaide feigned ignorance. She was aware of her daughter’s habits, but after her conversation with Sable, she knew that something happened between the two. 

 

“It’s… about Sable.” Isadora replied with some hesitation.  

 

“What about her?” 

 

“I don’t know how to get along with her.” Isadora admitted. “She doesn’t trust me, and all I’ve done is make her uncomfortable.” 

 

Adelaide placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder and gave her a gentle smile. 

 

“I’m sure she doesn’t see it that way, Isadora.” Adelaide responded. “That child has been hurt by the people around her, and it will be a while before she fully trusts anyone again. The best thing we can do for her is to be patient and understanding of her.” 

 

Isadora exhaled, but eventually nodded her head obediently. 

 

“Is it really okay to be going against her family like this?” Isadora looked at her mother with an unhappy gaze. “Didn’t you always tell me to take care of my family?” 

 

Adelaide gave her a half-hearted smile. 

 

“I can’t tell you what Sable is feeling, but this probably doesn’t come easy for her. Earlier, she requested to send a letter to her mother, you know.” Adelaide informed. “It’s easy to forget with how she acts, but she is still recovering from her emotional trauma. She has to relearn how to trust people again. We can only do our best to be there for her when she asks for our help.” 

 

Isadora fell deep in thought. 

 

Sable certainly acted okay, but Isadora could recall the few times in the past that she caught her humming. Nowadays, Sable talked to herself, but her fear of silence still remained. 

 

Feelings of frustration welled up inside her, and Isadora reprimanded herself for not realizing sooner. If she wanted to be proper friends with Sable, then she needed to have a talk with the younger girl. 

 

“You know, I think she was worried about you.” There was a teasing undertone in Adelaide’s voice. “She wanted to know where you were.” 

 

Isadora perked up at her words. 

 

“Really?” 

 

“Yes.” Her mother nodded. “You shouldn’t be so quick to reach a conclusion, Isadora.” 

 

~~~ 

 

“So how exactly are we going to save our mother?” Sable questioned. Now that the Grand Duchess gave her permission to send the letter, they needed something convincing enough that would get their mother on their side. 

 

“You don’t think her hate is enough of an incentive?” Bel raised her brow. 

 

“Can’t hurt to be cautious.” Sable answered. 

 

Noelle Marten. Her loveless marriage with Marquis Marten was a political one. Sable didn’t know the details of their marriage, but she knew her mother was miserable. The number of interactions they had could be counted on her hands, and when her health started declining, her mother rarely made an appearance. After she passed away, her father never mentioned her again, and took the opportunity to solidify his political power in the Capital. 

 

It was also around that time when the plan to overthrow the royal family began. 

 

If Sable could get her mother on her side, then she had a fighting chance against the Marquis. Her mother likely still held some influence from her connections from before she was married. Those would certainly be useful. 

 

However, there were some glaring issues. 

 

Sable was estranged from her dying mother. Their relationship was entirely nonexistent, and she didn’t know if she could trust her despite her words to the Grand Duchess earlier. 

 

There was also the problem of curing her mother. Her declining health wasn’t an issue that could be solved by simply drinking a potion. If that were the case, her mother would have surely recovered already. 

 

No, her mother’s sickness was something else, and she needed to figure out what it was. 

 

“I suppose you’re right.” Bel agreed. “I would suggest heading to the library, but your condition is…” 

 

Sable sighed. She could force herself to go, but she doubted that the others would be happy about it if she did. 

 

Just as she was deep in thought, she heard a knock on the door. Without waiting for her response, the door burst open and someone stepped inside. 

 

“Isadora?” Sable’s eyes widened. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Isadora bowed her head. “About earlier, I jumped to conclusions.” 

 

“No, it’s fine.” Sable waved her hands around helplessly. 

 

“I heard you were trying to contact your mother.” Isadora raised her head. “Is there something I can do to help?” 

 

“No, you don’t have to…” Sable started to say, but Bel’s sudden movement at the edge of her vision caught her attention. 

 

“Ask her.” Bel pointed her head in the direction of Isadora. 

 

“Actually, there is something.” Sable quickly corrected herself. 

 

“What is it?” Isadora looked at her earnestly. 

 

“Do you know of a cure to an incurable illness?” Sable questioned. 

 

“A cure to an incurable illness?” Isadora repeated. She crossed her arms to think for a moment. 

 

“There may be one, but…” Isadora hesitated before continuing. “The Winter’s Tear.” 

 

Sable frowned. 

 

“Isn’t that a fairytale?” 

 

Isadora chuckled at her reaction. 

 

“No it exists. The real problem is that it’s extremely difficult to get. I was told that the first head of the Lione family managed to get his hands on one, but a second one has never been found since.” 

 

“What happened with the first one?” 

 

“The records didn’t say. It could have been locked away somewhere safe or they could have already used it.” 

 

Isadora paused. 

 

“Pardon me for asking, but is your mother sick?” Isadora inquired. 

 

Sable silently nodded. 

 

“I see.” Isadora slowly approached Sable’s side and grabbed her hand in an attempt to comfort her. 

 

“I’m sure we can save her, Sable.” Isadora smiled at the younger girl. 

 

“...Thank you.” Sable squeezed her hand back gratefully. 

 

~~~ 

 

To say that Marquis Marten was angry was an understatement. 

 

He crumpled the letter in his hand. 

 

Not only was his daughter still alive, but she was threatening to publicize the news about his involvement in the Terror Incident. She also hinted at the fact that she was responsible for ruining his plans in the North. 

 

Sable was a loose end, and Marquis Marten hated loose ends. 

 

“Did you call for me, my Lord?” A hooded man entered the study. 

 

In response, Marquis Marten angrily threw the crumpled letter at the man. 

 

“Send your men to the North.” Marquis Marten coldly ordered. “Do whatever it takes to kill her this time.” 

 

The hooded man leaned down to pick up the letter. Briefly scanning the contents, he neatly folded it and placed it onto the table. 

 

“Understood.” He turned and left the study. 

 

~~~ 

 

“My Lady, I was instructed to hand this to you.” The personal maid of Noelle Marten handed her a letter hidden in her apron. 

 

However, Noelle made no move to get up. 

 

“Who is it from?” 

 

“From your daughter.” The maid answered. 

 

Noelle slowly got up into a sitting position and took the letter from her maid’s outstretched hand. 

 

The letter contained information about the Marquis’s actions as well as the possibility of a cure for her. In return, Sable was asking for her help to ruin the Marquis and catch the ones who were aiding him. 

 

“So she’s still alive.” Noelle commented although her face was devoid of any emotion. She folded the letter and handed it back to her maid. 

 

“Get rid of it.” Noelle ordered. “And get me something to write with.” 

 

“As you wish, my Lady.”