Lucia - Volume SS - Chapter 2.2

Chapter Side Story 2.2: Side Story 2.2

IN ANOTHER FUTURE―HUGO(2)

Translated by: Miss Ruby
Edited by: ShadowDog

The clean-up of the Count of Matin, a supposed ‘small fry’ was moving at a snail’s pace . The traitor’s third son who was attending school at the Academy had luckily escaped to another country and the traitor’s wife had still not been found for three days . Thanks to this, the lives of the traitors was extended by several days and because leaving them at the count’s residence while monitoring them was a waste of manpower, they were all taken to prison .

On the fourth day, Hugo got a report from Dean stating that he had found a device that led to a secret area .

“Have you gone in?”

“I have not checked inside as you ordered, my lord . ”

As a day passed, then two, then three, Hugo became curious about the woman who had hidden herself so deeply . She had definitely not left the mansion . Currently, security in the capital was water-tight and anyone suspicious would definitely standout . Since she had no one helping her, a noblewoman who had lived an easy life, would not be able to hide without leaving any trace . Therefore, Hugo figured that there was a secret location in the mansion and that she was hiding there . He told his subordinates that if such a place was found, they should immediately report it to him instead of combing through it .

He took only a few knights with him and went to the deserted house of Count of Matin . As Hugo watched Dean manipulated the device to reveal the darkness behind, his red eyes narrowed slightly . A knight lit his torch, cutting through the darkness .

Hugo looked around with interest . The expertly-made secret area was impressive . After descending for a while, they reached a chamber with dimly lit walls . Upon finding the shadow of a person lying in the corner, Hugo’s footsteps came to a stop .

He stopped his knights behind him, grabbed a torch and approached the shadow . There was no movement from the woman who was lying down, with her body curled up . Hugo lifted the torch higher to illuminate the surroundings . The temporary bed that the woman lay on was made of several layers of blankets and the surrounding leather sacks were filled with dry food . He also saw a bundle of clothes .

‘I suppose it’s a prepared shelter . ’

The Count of Matin’s family did not know about the existence of this place . It was clear that the woman had prepared all of this by herself . It wasn’t possible that she knew about the Count’s household extermination beforehand . So why? Hugo’s red eyes gazed down at the soundly sleeping figure of the woman .

‘Interesting . ’

The woman’s struggle was intriguing . Hugo couldn’t understand the woman’s passion for life . This was boring and tedious world . If the woman had a child then he could see why, but both the maid that served her and the doctor in charge of her treatments said that she was infertile .

[She is definitely infertile . Even if she were not infertile, her husband has been incapable of having children for a few years now . ]

Without even being asked, the doctor spoke about Count Matin’s sexual dysfunction . It was as if the doctor thought that proving the Countess’ infertility would save the Countess’ life . It was never a good thing to get involved with someone who had been caught up in a plot of treason, but the doctor looked to be more worried about the Countess’ situation than being afraid .

It felt like a contradiction for a woman who was supported by the people around her to have found a route to escape alone, abandoning her husband and children, even if the children weren’t actually her own . Was the life of a woman who chose the lifelong status of a fugitive worth being so obsessed about?

Hugo searched through his memories, checking to see if he remembered a woman called the Countess of Matin . He had a good memory, but he couldn’t remember people he didn’t have an impression of, or simply passed by without talking to . He had no memory of the Countess of Matin .

Hugo turned away from the woman .

When their lord began to climb up the stairs without saying anything, the knights followed silently as well . After they had fully exited the secret space, Hugo ordered:

“You have not seen anything today . ”

The knight simply accepted without asking questions .

“Get a female body, put some noble clothes on it and throw it in the woods . The hair color should at least be similar . ”

Hugo felt somewhat merciful and decided to save a member of the traitor’s family, giving her a chance to escape . It was on a whim, but he, himself, didn’t know why . Since she wanted to live so much, why not let her try . A noblewoman that had enjoyed a nice and easy life; how long could she endure? There was some cynicism mixed within .

“However, don’t slack on tracking down that damn third son . ”

He could allow an infertile, childless, traitor woman to live, but a child was impossible . His usual belief was to never leave an ember behind .

The next day, all members of the Count Matin household were executed .

* * *

About a month later, Hugo attended an event where the king intimidated the nobles, calling it a party as a pretext, then sometime after midnight, he was on his way home . As he was passing by a noble’s mansion, he saw a shadow through the window and suddenly got curious .

‘That woman . She must have escaped, right?’

He had his carriage change directions to the Count of Matin’s residence . The Count’s residence was now a bleak sight and it only got gloomier as the day grew darker . Hugo manipulated the device, opening up the secret space and headed down . Sensing the presence of several people, the small creatures scuttling around quickly scattered in the dark . When he lit the torch and looked around, there was no person in sight, only rats .

Although he had already guessed that she would be gone, Hugo felt empty for some reason . He slowly looked around and found traces showing that someone had been here until just a few days ago .

‘She stayed in this place for over a month?’

He admired her extreme patience and tenacity . He didn’t expect such attributes from a Countess who was formerly a Princess . He couldn’t help but wonder what in the world had given her so much sustainment . Was it simply just the wish to live?

“There should be a passage out of here . Find it . ”

The knights scoured the surroundings, then they manipulated a device and found a dark passage . Hugo and his knights walked along the narrow path of the tunnel for quite some time . When they finally got to the other side, one of his knights said that they were at a public cemetery at the outskirts of the capital .

The light in the sky was dim . As it was a cemetery, the area was completely void of people, not even shadows could be found . Hugo stared at the morning sun which was shining light on the graveyard .

“Do we track?” (?)

“…No need . ” (Hugo)

This was the result of his useless curiosity . Hugo decided to stop here in doing things that were unlike himself . No matter how the woman lived after this, it was a matter that had left his hands .

His carriage was at the Count’s residence . Rather than waiting for one of his knights to bring a vehicle for him to ride, he decided to use the passage and go back . Hugo turned around, about to go into the passage entrance, but then he halted and bent down . He cleared away a pile of rubble and a small wooden jewelry box, usually used by noblewomen, was revealed underneath . He took off the cover and chuckled . The rings and necklaces heaped inside the box didn’t seem like very expensive items .

‘Must be an escape fund . So she hid all her trinkets here instead of carrying it on her body . Clever judgement . ’

As he was about to cover it again, Hugo’s gaze fell on his left chest collar . There was brooch pinned to the collar of his tailcoat . It was in the shape of a lion’s head exquisitely crafted from silver and had two small red jewels embedded on it . It was an ornament that represented the lord of the Ducal House of Taran .

Hugo tore off the brooch from his chest . It was more valuable than several of the rings in the jewelry box . He threw it into the box without any hesitation, covered up the box, put it back where it originally was and even piled up the stones like before .

Hugo stayed squatting like that for a very short while . He shook off his thoughts, feeling strange and rose to his feet . Then he unhesitatingly began to walk into the dark tunnel . His knights immediately followed after him . Their figures quickly disappeared into the darkness .

Three years later, Hugo received a report that Bruno Matin, the third son of the traitor was caught and executed on the spot . The third son of Count Matin, who had been evading the tracking unit with his sudden appearance and disappearances was a hot topic in the social circle for a considerable amount of time, but as time passed, people’s attention turned elsewhere . And so, Bruno Matin’s death was quietly buried .