My Dear Husband, Let's Keep It Business-Like! ~Countess Anastasia, Raised in The Downtown, Won't Give Up Her Way~ - Episode 56

My parents disappeared after I decided to advance to the higher school and graduated from the middle school.

Looking back now, I can’t say there were no signs.

For some reason, around that time, I stopped seeing the spirits, and my mother started to spend a lot of time lost in thought. My father was always fidgeting, worried about something.

But at that time, I was also right in the middle of studying for exams myself. Even though it was said that the path to education was open to commoners, that path was still narrow and steep, and the entrance exam for the higher school was quite a challenge.

I wondered if the spirits were being considerate not to disturb my studies, and even though the two of them seemed a bit off, I didn’t have the luxury to worry about it.

I still regret this matter.

Coincidentally, that day was the entrance exam day for the advanced school.

The entrance exam for the advanced academy is conducted with consideration for examinees coming from distant places, and the results are announced on the same day.

When I, having successfully passed the exam and holding my admission permit, joyfully returned home, it was deserted.

No matter how long I wait, neither Dad nor Mom comes home.

At first, I was a bit annoyed, thinking, “Geez! Leaving the house at a time like this, my parents are really out of touch,” but as time passed, I gradually started to feel more anxious.

Isn’t it strange? Leaving at a time like this.

When I left the house, both of them looked nervous.

“If it’s Ana, it’ll be fine!”

“I’m waiting for good news. Let’s have a feast tonight!”

What was I saying? And yet.

At night, the mayor, looking pale, rushed into the house.

This afternoon, there was a stagecoach that had fallen off a cliff.

It seems that the carriage got stuck halfway down the cliff, but all the passengers were thrown into the sea.

Among the belongings left in the carriage, there were my parents’ things.

I can’t keep up with the information being delivered in rapid succession.

Before I knew it, I was sitting alone on the floor without turning on the lights.

Isn’t it strange? I mean, who would take a shared carriage ride somewhere on a day like this?

It seems that the survival of the passengers is hopeless——

The only words that linger in my ears are those spoken by the mayor at the end.

“Ana, don’t cry. Don’t cry.”

I heard a tiny, tiny voice, and when I finally looked up, there was a small light floating gently in front of me.

I felt like it wasn’t a spirit, but when asked what it was, I could only think of it as a spirit.

It was a rather mysterious spirit, but given the circumstances at the time, I didn’t have the luxury to think deeply about it.

“Tanya, it’s okay. Ana, it’s dangerous.”

“Do you know something!? Where are Mom and Dad!? Are they safe!?”

“Ana, run away.”

“Runaway…”

“Why won’t it open!? I unlocked it!”

“This is a barrier!”

“Wonderful… This time it’s a hit! Quickly, my daughter!”

The front door was suddenly shaken violently, and then I heard the voices of unknown men.

Is it… me who’s in danger?

Grabbing his bag that was nearby, he dashed out the back door, almost tumbling as he ran.

Think, think, think!!

Where should I escape to? A place with a lot of people? But what if they’re dangerous people who take others with them!? A friend’s house? Or the mayor’s place—…

Can we even trust the mayor in the first place?

I am appalled by the thought that has suddenly emerged within me.

There shouldn’t be any need to doubt the mayor who has always been kind to us, but there’s no reason to trust him either.

“Ana, over here.”

As if guided by the light, running and running and running———

As I was running in a daze, a carriage came rushing towards me from the front. The door opened, and I heard a familiar voice.

“Ana!!”

“Uncle!!”

My uncle leaned out of the carriage, scooped me up with one arm, and pulled me inside with a sudden force. As I was tumbled into the carriage, I finally managed to look back and confirm that no pursuers were following us.

“Uncle! Mom and Dad got into an accident! Please investigate, they must be alive!!”

Because, just now, that spirit said, “Tanya is okay.”

My uncle placed his hand on my shoulder to calm me down and nodded slowly.

“I also rushed over after receiving the news about the accident. Don’t worry, I’ll investigate thoroughly. More importantly, what happened to you, Ana?”

I am———

After that, I explained to my uncle what had happened to me. I couldn’t exactly talk about the spirit, though.

My uncle took several days to investigate the accident.

However, to conclude, my parents’ deaths were not overturned.

It seems that the decisive factors were that multiple people claimed to have seen the two getting into the carriage and that their belongings were left behind.

After that, my uncle officially became my guardian and allowed me to advance to a higher educational institution.

Moreover, they chose a school with dormitories so that I, having lost my relatives, could commute easily. It was probably for my safety.

I truly owe a debt of gratitude to my uncle, to the point where I can’t even sleep with my feet facing him, but due to the duke’s family, we are currently out of touch.

“Did that really happen…?”

My husband, who had been silently listening until the end, finally spoke up.

“You did well.”

Saying that, my husband gently stroked my head. It wasn’t the sweet kind of stroking that lovers do, but rather the clear, gentle touch of someone stroking a child, which is typical of my husband.

I could have said, “Don’t touch it without permission,” and stopped you, but since I didn’t mind it that much, I just left it as it was.

It felt a bit like being petted by my dad, and it was nostalgic.

“Are you okay now? Have you been targeted by anyone or faced any danger?”

“Since then, I haven’t had any close calls. If you mean dangerous situations, the only thing was being harmed by someone from the duke’s family.”

If I answered like that, my husband would visibly grimace.

“Is there a possibility that they are related to the duke’s family?”

“At first, I was the first to doubt it. A year after this incident, the duke’s family actually found me and took me in… but in the end, there were just too many things I didn’t understand.”

“I see. Could it be that you talked with Lord Alexander because of that?”

I will think for a bit before answering.

“Well, yes. Anyway, I don’t know too much. Christina once said that my mother was a ‘distant relative of a marquis’ or ‘the daughter of a baron for a single generation.’ At least, it’s certain that the duke’s family has more information than I do.”

“A distant relative of the marquis…”

“I still believe that my parents are alive. So I want information no matter what. The duke and Christina won’t tell me anything. If there’s any hope, it’s in you, Alexander.”

My husband silently nods.

“And if possible, I want to meet the former duke who is in the territory… my uncle.”