NOVEL NEXT Saving Tom was also part of such endeavors. She intended to be more proactive in a different way compared to committing murders.
Carynne had saved Tom and brought him to the mansion before, but it didn’t prove to be particularly helpful. Tom was just a powerless boy, and his significant change in the story only occurred when she was 117 years old—the 100th loop—when she had committed murders. It seemed difficult to expect anything significant from Tom.
However, Carynne intervened anyway, as this time she wanted to try everything again, in a more different way.
“What other good deeds can I do?”
“To distribute all your wealth to the poor. Wouldn’t everyone praise you if you did that?”
“For that, Dad would have to die.”
All the wealth of the household belonged to the fief lord, not Carynne. The only time she could distribute the entire wealth to the poor was when the fief lord had died early that time in the past. His death was necessary for that to happen.
However, Carynne thought that doing a good deed by killing her father didn’t seem right. Nancy, seeing Carynne seriously contemplating this, shook her head and said,
“…Stop making such morbid jokes. I only said that in jest.”
“I wasn’t exactly joking though. Besides, I can’t become the fief lord anyway.”
Carynne sighed deeply.
“What good can I do within a year?”
“Love thy neighbor as thyself, so just be a good daughter to your father, and a good person to the people around you.”
“Hmm…”
Carynne reviewed the various lists she had made.
To become a philanthropist, one must first be wealthy. If not by inheriting her father’s wealth, Carynne could enter high society. She could win money through gambling or exhibit her paintings at Countess Elva’s salon.
Carynne had developed top-level skills in various fields due to her long life. If Raymond cooperated, such tasks would be much easier, too. She could help a painter who committed suicide due to poverty, or save women from Crown Prince Gueuze, the serial killer.
There were various things Carynne could intervene in over a year.
“…Which should I start with?”
However, all these plans required bypassing the upcoming challenge of Verdic Evans.
Suddenly, the biblical verse Nancy recited came to Carynne’s mind, but she dismissed the thought.
“…No, that’s not…”
She felt uncomfortable with the idea and didn’t want to follow through with it.
Rustle.
Carynne crumpled the paper and threw it away. She was making nonsensical thoughts. Why was she even considering such a thing?
Love thy neighbor.
Forgive thine enemy.
Forgive Verdic Evans?
Forgive Dullan?
What’s the point of forgiving them? They couldn’t even remember their sins! They hadn’t even committed them yet! Was it necessary to forgive in advance for things that had not occurred yet? They did not know what their sins were, had yet to commit them, and their future actions wouldn’t change.
Forgiveness lay with the giver, but Carynne lacked that authority. She wasn’t in a position to forgive. Forgiveness usually comes after resolution and apology. Even if Carynne wanted to forgive now, it was impossible.
“Milady, you’re making a mess, and there’s someone to clean it up right behind you…”
“…To get pregnant, there’s something else I need to do first…”
“……”
Nancy made a crying sound as she looked at the piled-up paper and spilled ink, and Carynne finally stopped wasting the paper.
Ultimately, with the prioritization of survival and the goal of pregnancy, Carynne needed to explore methods she hadn’t tried before.
Including Tom in her plans, openly communicating with her father, and avoiding Dullan were part of her new strategy.
But what next?
Carynne decided.
She wanted to stop Verdic from coming to the Hare estate.
She wanted to change the outcome for Isella, who was destined to die by Raymond’s hand.
She resolved to seek out a new path.
* * *
“…Carynne, can you explain to me why you’re doing this right now?”
The fief lord asked Carynne with a restrained voice.
Carynne looked at her father resolutely. Her lips were tightly sealed, and she was dressed impeccably from head to toe. She wore a hat and a thin spring coat, and beneath it, a dress adorned with frills and pearls. Although she wore elegant earrings and makeup, her shoes, made of cowhide, gave a slightly rugged feel to her attire.
“…I hope it’s not what I’m thinking.”
“It probably is what you’re thinking, Father.”
Lastly, Carynne firmly grasped a large bag in her hand. Her appearance suggested someone ready to travel far.
The fief lord, noticing Nancy’s anxious behavior in the background, asked her instead.
“Nancy, explain to me why Carynne is acting this way.”
“I apologized, Your Lordship… I tried to stop her, but Milady insisted on going.”
“Don’t think you can sway my daughter just because you lived freely. I’ve paid you enough already.”
“I haven’t done what you’re thinking, Milord.”
The fief lord thought Carynne was acting on Nancy’s influence, developing a longing for the outside world. Carynne smirked bitterly at his assumption that she was merely Nancy’s puppet.
It was the fief lord who had brought Nancy into her life. His reprimanding Nancy instead of addressing Carynne was a form of disregard.
“Father, talk to me directly. It’s my own decision.”
“……”
The fief lord hesitated for a moment before giving up and turning to Carynne.
“Where do you intend to go?”
There was only one place Carynne could be thinking of. The people who had not yet arrived, but who would soon. The tedious ones.
“I wish to meet Mister Verdic Evans.”
“……”
“To stop his business dealings.”
The fief lord sighed deeply.
Carynne wanted to halt the business. She wished to end her ill-fated connection with the Evans family.
It was more than just a financial issue. She needed to confront a more unpleasant and sticky relationship—she had to focus on just one thing.
Verdic and Isella Evans must now walk a different path, away from Carynne.
A different life from before.
Ultimately, Carynne had to actively disrupt Dullan, who was silently watching her from behind the bookshelves, unaware of anything. To do this, she first wanted to eliminate Verdic’s interference. It would surely be a good deed, not only for herself and her father but also for the Evans family.
Carynne resolved that Verdic and she must part ways.
“There was a time before when Mister Verdic Evans completely halted his business here. It’s not entirely impossible.”
“Stop talking nonsense and return to your room. Carynne, you didn’t have your coming-of-age ceremony at home, but I’ll talk to our relatives in the capital about arranging your debut into high society. I’m sure someone will be willing to introduce you. You should focus on finding a suitable husband instead of meddling in business matters.”
“Father.”
“This isn’t something for you to stick your nose in. Just go back to your room.”
Carynne bit her lip.
Last time, the fief lord allowed her to travel because Raymond had intervened first, causing the business to be entirely canceled. This time, Carynne wanted to act before Raymond’s intervention. If Raymond were to interfere with Verdic’s business first in this life, it would greatly deviate from the direction Carynne wanted to achieve.