My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 6

In any case, the establishment of libraries across the empire was purely thanks to Mary Batusha.

‘So, is this why people say you should choose your spouse wisely?’

Having lived debauched, she had left a legacy for future generations. Moreover, due to her reincarnation, she could witness the world in a new light.

Regina, now detached from old memories, calmly slung her bow and entered the forest. She didn’t fear getting lost, she was confident in her sense of direction.

Hunting beasts for meals, sleeping on sturdy branches, and washing her body when she found water, she progressed towards her destination. Despite her efforts to maintain cleanliness, staying out in the wild had made her somewhat rugged by the time she approached the village.

“Umm.”

Before entering the inn, Regina sniffed her forearm, checking for any unpleasant odor. Despite her appearance, she didn’t seem to emit any foul smell. Seeing even male mercenaries, emanating the pungent scent of sour sweat and the strong odor of blood, confidently stepping into the inn, she felt somewhat like an angel.

Regina opened the door without a trace of embarrassment.

The bell hanging above the door jingled, and the innkeeper looked Regina up and down.

“Traveling with companions?”

“No. Just a single room big enough to stretch out for one night. Please provide bathing water as well.”

The innkeeper hesitated for a moment, perhaps contemplating whether admitting a lone young woman would lead to any trouble. But eventually retrieved a key from the drawer at the counter.

“Including two meals, room charge is 4 obolos, and the bath 1 obolos, that sums up to a total of 5 obolos. Go up to the second floor and take the room on the far left. I’ll let you know when the water is ready.”

Regina’s eyes widened at the unexpectedly high bathing cost. However, since she couldn’t avoid bathing, she paid the amount and went up to the second floor.

The room was just enough space for two small beds. A single bed occupied half of the room. After placing her belongings, Regina sat on the floor to contemplate, not making the bedspread dirty.

Without permission, the innkeeper opened the door with a bang.

“The bath is ready, come down and wash up.”

Regina, who sighed, grabbed her change of clothes and headed downstairs. Coincidentally, a crowd was grumbling as they entered the inn.

“Even so, for His Holi…. no, the Young Master to stay in a place like this.”

“There’s no other place to stay in this area, what can we do?”

Curious about what was so extraordinary, Regina observed the man they surrounded.

From his attire and the way he stood, it was clear that he held an unusual status.

However, Regina was not surprised by that fact.

At first glance, she knew. Despite their completely different appearances, an indescribable intuition led Regina to the truth.

“If you only look at me, I promise to love only you without ever looking away, Yekarna.”

That man is Duke Eidenberg, in other words, the man who was her spouse in her previous life.

While Regina was frozen in place, they paid the innkeeper and received the room key. The group started walking towards her way with the man in tow. Regina hurriedly moved to the corner and turned her back.

“I apologize for not being able to find a more decent place to sleep, Young Master.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

At the unfamiliar voice, Regina unconsciously flinched. Despite looking different from her previous life, there was no way they could be exactly the same, but her body couldn’t hide the confusion.

The sound of footsteps ascending the stairs gradually faded away. Regina, who hadn’t been able to breathe properly, finally exhaled as if a person who had been underwater came up to the surface.

She wasn’t caught.

‘Did he not see me at all?’

Or did he see but didn’t recognize her?

Regina placed her hand on her chest. Her heart was pounding so much that it hurt.

In hindsight, she wondered if he remembered his previous life. No, even if he did, there was no guarantee that he would recognize Regina, as Yekarna. Nevertheless, she didn’t have the audacity about revealing herself to him.

“Stop standing there, what are you not following me? If you linger, the water will get cold!”

The innkeeper curtly snapped at her and gestured for Regina to hurry. Regina, who had regained her senses, followed behind. As they walked beside the barn, the innkeeper lifted a long cloth, revealing a tub filled with water.

“Go in. While you bathe, my daughter will watch outside. And I didn’t mention it earlier, but meal service is available from 5 AM to 10 PM. Food delivery to the room is not possible, so you must come down to the first floor to eat. Got it?”

“I understand.”

As Regina received the towel and entered, the innkeeper lowered the cloth to cover the entrance. Regina placed her clothes and towel on the straw before entering the tub. As her stiff body immersed in warm water, it felt like tension was melting away. While soaking, she mentally calculated the remaining budget.

For a day’s stay in this room, two meals, and the cost of bathing, it amounted to 5 obolos.

Currently, she had a total of 31 staters, excluding the exam fee for the Imperial Academy which is 1 staters. So it was equivalent to 372 obolos. If she kept about half, roughly 190 obolos, for the return journey, she had enough money for approximately 36 days of lodging in the inn.

The remaining time until the Imperial Academy’s exam was about two months.

“I can spend the rest of the time sleeping on the streets.”

To reach her destination by the shortest route, she would have to cross mountainous terrain and traverse through forests. She could figure it out naturally.

However, there was a separate issue. There was someone in this inn whom Regina couldn’t face directly, even with her brazen shamelessness of sleeping on the street like a beggar.

Friedrich Eidenberg.

As the first spouse, he spent the longest time with Yekarna. That also meant that Yekarna had done a fair share of despicable deeds.