Hugo opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something more, but looking at her calm and gentle eyes, he found himself unable to utter any words of refusal.
His cheeks grew slightly warm, making his light brown freckles stand out a bit more. He hurriedly averted his gaze and mumbled in a low voice, “...You're on your own, and it's not safe outside.”
“I'll be careful,” Bai Ci said in a firm yet gentle tone. “Besides, we're going to live together in the future. As your wife, I can't just stay cooped up at home forever.”
Every word she spoke hit the right notes.
She showed concern, respected the engagement, was considerate of him, and promised not to cause any trouble.
Hugo was completely left with no reason to refuse.
He remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a soft “Mhm.”
It was as good as tacit agreement.
A faint, natural curve appeared at the corner of Bai Ci's lips. She lowered her head again to quietly drink her soup, while secretly pondering another matter.
Lora Chaos—judging by the letter, clothes, and suitcase, she was clearly a young lady from a wealthy family with a decent background.
For someone of her status in an era like this, even if her family had fallen on hard times, there was absolutely no reason for her to travel completely alone without even a single maid accompanying her.
Was it just how the rules of this world worked, or... did the identity of Lora itself harbor some hidden secret?
She calmly scooped up a spoonful of thick soup. Only after swallowing did she speak in a casual, slightly regretful tone, her voice so soft it sounded like idle chatter. “If only a maid had come along, they could have helped clean up the house and cook, so you wouldn't have to work so hard.”
She spoke naturally without a trace of doubt in her eyes, as if she were truly just lamenting the absence of a maid. It was impossible to tell that she actually had no idea why she had come alone.
After all, according to Lora's background setting, she should already know her family's arrangements. Her current regret was merely the casual lament of a wealthy young lady accustomed to being served.
Hugo fell silent for a few seconds, as if weighing his words, or perhaps having his own doubts sparked by her remark. Finally, he spoke in a low voice, a trace of imperceptible confusion in his tone. “I heard my parents mention it once. Your family specifically requested that you come alone, with enough money, and without anyone accompanying you.”
He paused, then added with more visible doubt in his voice, “To be honest, I found it strange too. Normally, for a lady like you traveling far from home, your family should have arranged for someone to look after you. They shouldn't have let you come all the way to a strange town entirely on your own.”
Hearing this, Bai Ci gave a soft murmur of agreement and smoothly picked up the thread. “My family had their own considerations. After all, the situation hasn't been great lately. Having fewer people around is actually safer.”
Having vaguely brushed off the topic, two theories grew increasingly clear in her mind.
First, the Chaos family had long grown tired of Lora as a daughter. They were merely using the long-standing engagement to treat her as a disposable pawn, dumping her off to the Durom family out of sight and out of mind, which was why they didn't bother arranging any escorts.
Second, this was a deliberate setup by the system to deny her any background assistance or NPC followers, maintaining a basic balance of identity among the players.
The former concerned her background story, while the latter concerned the instance rules.
The dinner was quiet but not awkward.
Hugo was a man of few words, but he showed a clumsy thoughtfulness in everything he did. Seeing that she hadn't eaten much bread, he quietly pushed his own untouched piece toward her, moving so quickly as if afraid of being caught.
Bai Ci noticed this but did not point it out, pretending she hadn't seen.
When dinner was over, she stood up to clear the dishes, but Hugo quickly stopped her.
“I'll do it,” he said firmly, with the typical industriousness of working-class folk. “You're a lady; you don't need to do these things.”
Bai Ci did not insist. She nodded and headed up to the second floor.
After moving on from the topic of why there was no maid, Bai Ci chatted with Hugo about various other things. She gained a deeper understanding of the world, enough to ensure she wouldn't make any major blunders regarding basic common sense.
As for minor details—wasn't it perfectly normal for a wealthy young lady to be ignorant of the hardships of the world and disconnected from reality?
It was also during their casual chat that Bai Ci confirmed the money in her suitcase was a very handsome sum, equivalent to over thirty years of Hugo's salary.
Because of this, the theory that Lora had been abandoned by her family became less likely.
Returning to her room, Bai Ci closed the door behind her and immediately pulled out the letter her parents had written to Lora. This was currently the only item she possessed that was connected to the Chaos family.
She had only skimmed it earlier to confirm the engagement background, but reading it word by word now, she began to sense a different undertone.
Most of the letter urged her to behave, keep her promise, and get along well with Hugo. The wording wasn't overly affectionate, but it certainly wasn't cold or dismissive either.
Especially the line, “Hugo is an honest, dutiful boy who works at the post office. He is steady and reliable, so you have nothing to worry about.” No matter how she read it, it sounded like the tone of parents who had no choice but to entrust their daughter to someone dependable.
If the Chaos family truly disliked Lora, they wouldn't have gone out of their way to emphasize Hugo's reliability, nor would they have bothered to arrange such a “secure” marriage.
The plague was spreading in this town, but it had only just begun; Lora's parents might not have known about it.
Sending their daughter to such a seemingly remote but actually safe town, and refusing to let anyone accompany her—could this be a form of refuge rather than abandonment?
Once this suspicion arose, she couldn't shake it off. However, now was not the time to dwell on it.
Bai Ci folded the letter, placed it back in its original spot in the suitcase, and snapped the clasps shut.
The mystery of her background was temporarily unsolvable. The most pressing matter right now was to visit the post office tomorrow and see if she could find other players, which would help her further determine the main quest of this instance.
She didn't sleep very deeply that night. Her alertness in a strange place remained, allowing her to wake instantly at the slightest sound. Fortunately, the night passed quietly without any incidents.
Early the next morning, Bai Ci was awakened by a faint noise downstairs.
She got up, quickly tidied her clothes, brushed her hair, and pushed open the door to head downstairs.
Hugo was already preparing to head out.
He had changed into a clean, dark shirt, topped with the post office's signature dark blue coat, and a mailbag slung over his shoulder. He looked much more spirited.
On the dining table, aside from a steaming breakfast prepared for Bai Ci, there was also a square object wrapped in thick cotton cloth.
Bai Ci understood at a glance; the square object was likely a lunchbox.
He was probably worried that she, a “wealthy young lady,” wouldn't know how to cook, yet felt too embarrassed to refuse her offer to deliver lunch yesterday. So, he had simply prepared it himself in advance, requiring her only to deliver it at the right time.
He was attentive, considerate, and avoided making things difficult for others.
Bai Ci walked to the table and gently touched the lunchbox; it still held a bit of warmth.
“I... I'm heading out now,” Hugo said, standing by the door and glancing at her a bit awkwardly. “That's the lunchbox... Sorry to trouble you at noon. You can check the time through the kitchen window.”
The kitchen window was angled toward the clock tower. The clock's dial had only a single hour hand, and every hour, someone would climb up to adjust its position manually.
“Alright,” Bai Ci nodded, her tone calm. “I'll deliver it on time.”
Hugo let out a sigh of relief, as if he had accomplished a great task. Or perhaps, afraid that staying a second longer would make him feel self-conscious, he hurriedly said, “I'm leaving,” and pushed the door open to depart.
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