The Villainess Who Has Been Killed 108 Times - Chapter 17.2

Chapter 17 pt 2

「Madam! I…I’m trembling with joy!」

Mary hugged me into her chest as she emotionally spoke.

What? What do you mean?

「I wanted to be able to talk to her as soon as I could! To tell her my feelings! I’ve waited so long!」

UGghhhhhggg, I can’t breathe! I’m drowning in your boobs!

「My wish has come true so quickly! I’ve never been so happy!」

She lifted my up and rubbed her cheek into mine again…after I was about to suffocate in her cleavage.

It’s…okay? Mary…You don’t…find me…to be strange?

I was so shaken up by Mary’s emotions that I almost passed out, but I was still able to reach out my baby hand to her cheek.

I touched it and Mary nodded.

「I love you, miss!」

It was her usual gentle face. Her face never changed.

It’s okay? Mary?

You’re going to stick with me?

I’m a strange baby, but you’ll treat me as before?

Can I say that I love you?

I also love you.

Mary…

「Aoooo…」

I didn’t want her to see my cry, so I tried covering my face with my hands.

Brad took out a handkerchief and covered my face.

HEY! STOP MAKING IT LOOK LIKE I’M DEAD!

I guess I heard that was a custom in some eastern countries when I was a queen.

And I lived 108 lives as one, so I should know.

…my, I really did have a lot of experiences.

Biting my lips with regret,
Hiding my anger with a smile,
Bearing farewells with a fist,
Over and over again.

That’s true, so why does my heart ache so now…

Why do I feel such nostalgia upon seeing Mary.

I thought my heart would be hard enough by now.

It was my 109th time meeting her.

In my 108 previous lives I actually did have a wet nurse.

But her name wasn’t Mary.

It was a person called Vtorichnaya Vstryecha.

And that was just her first name…

No matter how much I remembered about my 108 lived, I have no memories of my life before I became conscious as a toddler.

I can remember some things from age four.

So I don’t remember the other nanny’s face that left my home before my memories began.

She seemed to have been very kind to me though.

She loved me more than her duties necessitated, I heard that said about her, and that she cried when she finally left me.

Also that I clung to her and it was near impossible for her to leave.

She left crying, and I cried myself to sleep.

I was also looking forward to the day of finally seeing her again.

I really wanted to meet someone that supposedly loved me so much.

I desperately tried to remember her name, a name too long for a toddler to remember.

So I would secretly humm her name…something like a happy spell.

The opportunity finally came when I was six.

I had also tried to superimpose my mother’s image onto her and called her my mother in my heart.

I excitedly waited for that day, counting the days left on my fingers.

I would give her presents, it was so fun to think about.

Yet she never came.

I heard later she died in an accident, the day a cold wave hit Hydrangea.

I was stubborn and waited for her all night, got sick, and slept over the next few days.

I still regret it.

And every 108 life I had, I never saw her.

What kind of person was she?

I just wanted to meet her once.

I may never see her in this 109th life now that Mary is my wet nurse, but she must live somewhere in this world.

I hope she is happy…that she’s smiling.

And with the smiling Mary embracing me, I made that prayer to God.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

It was at that time that the Blanche of the Orange Company had reached the shores of Hydrangea.

They proceeded to the port, the shortest distance to the Wilhelm territory.

The shadow of a bird fell upon the deck of the Blanche, following it into the port – a pigeon, with a small tube and a document inside, tied to it’s ankle.

I descended quickly to the deck of the Blanche.

It astonished all that could see it, this carrier pigeon, much different than one that you see in a park.

The Orange Company had the extraordinary technology of having carrier pigeons that delivered to moving ships, and not just fixed positions on the land.

That’s why they could get detailed information while using the Blanche as their base.

The skipper ran down the deck with the letter to Seraphy, who appeared on the upper deck. He also noticed the pigeon’s arrival. He received the letter, running briskly, almost as to make up for his child-sized legs.

He spread the small letter on the rail and slowly read it, as if digesting each letter.

He exhaled and turned to the Duke of Wilhelm.

「The duchess is safe. Also two maids are accompanying her…both are girls. Your thoughts, sir?」

The two maids were Mary and Bradd…dressed as a maid.

Seems that the Company also had men in Wilhelm.

Seraphy had asked them to investigate the Duke’s residence.

The first report had arrived.

However, the area around the Duke’s residence was currently locked down by the Shylock…wielding false authority and saying it was at the behest of the Duke.

Thus, whoever made the report could only see the state of the mansion from a distance.

Unfortunately, those reporting saw no sign of Scarlet.

It was also woeful that she never cried, so she was never spoke of in the first report.

「No, one is a wet nurse. She was just a young girl, so I think she’s being mistaken for a made.」

The Duke said, answering Seraphy’s question.

The Duke himself recommended Mary for the job.

For some reason, he happened to meet the girl as she had traveled for some reason to Hydrangea, and being deeply sympathetic to her, decided that the job was fit for her personality.

This was just before his secret mission.

Seraphy moved quickly with a form to the skipper to requisition some horses so the Duke could move quickly when the ship landed.

The letter was returned to the pigeon, which quickly left the Blanche.

It soared into the sky, a faint sparkle of metal glimmering in the sun from its ankle.

Looking up and seeing the bird disappear, the Duke prayed for his wife’s safety and that Mary would help support her during her pregnancy.

He knew that she had lost a child, but she was a strong girl, considerate of others.

And the Duke had promised Mary.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

「Okay, if you see the trainer of those Juohdah demon dogs, be sure to destroy him in the name of the Duke.」

「Please…just…just…」

Mary bowed to the Duke over and over.

She asked the Duke, who had hunted the trainer, to slay him for her.

Her lips trembled and her legs were weak.
She would do anything to avenge the death of her son, even attacking the man himself.

Ready to die in order to get revenge, she had traveled from Krocassis to Hydrangea with little information about the region.

She was too reckless. It was suicide.

That trainer of the Juohdah demon dogs was a monster himself.

The Duke had lost several mercenaries trying to root him out.

Those dogs attack in the cover of darkness, they have terrifying jumping power, over fences, walls, moats, and attack their victim’s neck like the wind.

They run faster than horses, all muscle, all fang.

They could bite through the leg of a cow…even surpassing the power of great wolves. No human could stand and fight them alone.

Also, they cooperate seamlessly in the hunt, outsmarting men, traps, plots. The cunning of men, in the body of a powerful beast.

There was no chance a woman would survive.

He couldn’t overlook her situation.

So he offered terms of exchange – once the dogs showed their heads, the Duke would lop them off.

In exchange, Mary would serve as a nanny at his mansion.

She was reluctant, but she was also a clever woman.

She knew that this was the quickest path to plunge a sword in the hearts of those monsters.

「I know you’re desperate, but leave that man and the dogs to me. You may care for Cornelia and my child when she is born. …Vtorichnaya Vstrye…was it?」

「Vtorichnaya Vstryecha. It’s fine. Krocassis women have long names.」

The Duke apologized for forgetting her name, but she waved it off quickly.

「That’s why you don’t need to know my official name, just my short name. I use it too.」

She smiled.

「Just call me Mary. I will be happy to help your wife and future child.」

And so she set out for Wilhelm.

・・・・・・・・・・・

Scarlet never noticed, even in her 109th life.

Why did she feel so nostalgic with Mary?

She was the one that gave affection to Mary 108 times before.

She was the one that Scarlet craved to hear and see again.

Scarlet had chanted her name like a magical spell, had called her mom, and Mary was now holding her, smiling.