Chapter 64

64

"When the sun sets, the mountain air becomes extremely cold. It's almost like the weather in the middle of winter. Moreover, it's the time when mountain beasts are active, so you might encounter bears or wolves. If that happens, it will be as troublesome as running into bandits."

Fortunately, the carriage was arranged to be borrowed from Zen (essentially for free), but the cold and mountain beasts were areas where he couldn't help.

Especially the cold. While mountain beasts could be driven away with the power of a spirit, the cold was something a wind spirit couldn't do anything about. ...Unless it was a fire spirit.

In any case, for that reason, Zen suggested that we stay overnight at the cabin today.

If we did that, it would make us a day later than originally planned, but it wouldn't be a problem for catching the ship to the Eastern Continent from the port city of Dornac. ...The only issue was that we might be caught by Theodore if we delayed. Or...

'By now, the news must have reached the Everett family... The enraged Duke Everett might have sent knights to capture me... And Owen and Hessen are the type who would personally come after me. I'm so glad that Lennon Chester is out of the picture. That guy would have pounced like a moth to a flame, thinking he finally had his chance.'

'Well, Lennon is probably rotting in the capital's underground prison by now.'

And Florentine too. I no longer cared about them. I pushed thoughts of them to the back of my mind and decided to accept Zen's suggestion.

"Then, we'll stay overnight today. Thank you so much, Zen."

Zen's face turned bright red as he nodded. He had blushed countless times today.

"No, no, it's nothing... I can continue to help you. For Lily, I can do anything..."

I felt he was rambling again. Despite that, he called my name 'Lily' quite naturally.

In any case, since the decision was made, it was best to choose our rooms. I turned to suggest this, but Harriet was inexplicably chuckling like an old person, and Charlotte was glaring at Zen with a fierce look.

"..."

I furrowed my brow in confusion but, wanting to rest, I decided to get to the point instead of asking what was going on.

"Then, let's choose the rooms we'll use..."

* * *

It was pitch black all around.

I didn't know where I was, but it felt like a place I had been before.

One thing was clear: this was all a dream.

I was particularly sensitive to the environment of dreams, so I was certain. No matter how real the dream seemed, I could always distinguish it.

So, the fact that it was dark and cold here had no effect on me. It was all a dream, after all.

So, you're stronger than you look.

"..."

I froze at the sudden voice from somewhere and looked around thoroughly. All I could see was darkness, and a cold that seemed to cut through my skin.

You can't see me yet.

"Who's there? Who's talking?"

The voice was strange. It sounded like a child's, but also like an old person's.

I need to go further back in time. Goodbye.

The voice muttered incomprehensible words and then stopped.

And the dream dispersed.

"!"

I opened my eyes wide and woke up. It was the pale dawn. I stared blankly at the ceiling and then got up. Charlotte burst in, opening the door urgently. ...She had clearly been sleeping next to me, so where had she been at this hour? I asked her in confusion.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Miss, put on these clothes quickly. We need to hide!"

"What...?"

"Explain while you get dressed!"

I followed Charlotte's instructions, still dazed. After changing and putting on my shoes, Charlotte brushed my hair with a comb and said,

"Miss, don't be surprised. Duke Valentine is here at the cabin right now."

"What...?"

It was a different exclamation from before. Theodore... was already here? How did he know the location of this cabin?

My heart pounded anxiously. ...Would our escape fail like this?

"So, Miss and I will hide in the cabin's secret space. It's very cold underground, so you need to dress warmly. Wear a hat, a scarf, and gloves..."

Charlotte took care of me, who was still in shock. I finally came to my senses and grabbed her.

"When did he arrive? What about the others?"

"The others are pretending to be the servants of the young Duke Delacroix. Duke Valentine arrived 10 minutes ago. The young Duke Delacroix is buying us time. We need to hurry, Miss!"

Understanding the situation, I nodded hurriedly. I wrapped myself up to protect against the cold and left the room with Charlotte.

We walked down the corridor as quietly as cats. Theodore was in the living room on the first floor. With his highly developed senses, we had to be careful not to be detected. Even the sound of our footsteps on the second floor might reach his ears.

'Here.'

At the end of the first-floor corridor, Charlotte mouthed the words. I nodded and stepped into the underground passage she indicated.

It was already cold just entering the passage. I tightly fastened my thick coat and took careful steps, worried about slipping and rolling down the stairs. I couldn't make any loud noises either, in case Theodore heard.

How long had we been descending? Suddenly, a magical flame ignited in the dark underground, illuminating the area.

We had finally arrived at the secret space.

"Here, the shielding magic makes it less likely to be detected. ...But Duke Valentine is a descendant of a hero from the mythic era, so he might have a monster-like sense and detect us."

"..."

I nodded silently. Charlotte carefully gathered firewood and started a fire. I wanted to help, but she insisted I shouldn't. I had to sit back down.

"...Phew, it's done. Miss, can you stand up for a moment? I'll move the chair closer to the fire."

I stood up quietly, and Charlotte moved the chair to the fireplace. I thanked her repeatedly. She replied with a slightly sullen expression.

"Anything I do for Miss doesn't need thanks. It's my duty."

"..."

I was always amazed at how much Charlotte cared for me. As if reading my thoughts, she pouted and asked,

"Miss, wouldn't you do the same for me? If I were weak and you were strong."

...That's true. If Charlotte were weak, I would have taken good care of her. I nodded in agreement, and she smiled and sat next to me.

"Right? So, you don't need to thank me."

...I smiled back at Charlotte. The warmth from the fireplace was soothing my anxious heart.

* * *

It was an absurd feeling.

Chasing Lily's trail, Theodore was certain she was in this cabin. The problem was that the cabin's owner was the young Duke Delacroix, and he needed his permission to search.

Although he was still just a successor, he was a high-ranking noble. Theodore couldn't treat Zen Delacroix casually. It wouldn't be wise to make an enemy of the Delacroix family when he was already facing the Everett family.

But this damn Zen Delacroix has been refusing the search for 15 minutes now.

"Have you seen the bear skin hanging in the entrance? I caught it. I heard Duke Valentine is also an excellent hunter. How about we go hunting together sometime..."

"..."

If he could, Theodore would throw the teacup in front of him at Zen's face. No, he would even throw down his gauntlet and challenge him to a duel. The man in front of him was incredibly annoying.

Zen Delacroix's incessant chatter made it impossible for Theodore to concentrate. He needed to use all his senses to find Lily, but Zen's pointless talk was getting in the way.

...This was a first for him.

Theodore was facing a unique adversary for the first time. ...Of course, he knew Zen was talkative, but this was excessive. Maybe he was doing it on purpose.

If Zen had a crush on Lily, he might be hiding her.

"...So, when I said I would invite you to this cabin next time, His Highness the Prince was very pleased. My sister, Princess V, was—"

"Stop it."

"..."

When Theodore cut him off, Zen's eyes widened as he looked at him. If people who liked Zen's face saw his expression, they would have called it cute, but Theodore's eyes were cold.

"Stop this pointless chatter, young Duke Delacroix."

"Pointless chatter...?"

Zen made a pitiful face, but it didn't affect Theodore. He was half out of his mind and couldn't see anything clearly. He was barely maintaining his sanity.

His mind was filled with the thought of finding Lily.