Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Marie was wandering in the unconscious world. Her subconscious took her back to her past and showed her the things she vaguely imagined.

Sometimes, she cried when her parents and her friends knew she was dead, and other times, she accepted her death with an expressionless face.

But, ironically, in the form of Marie, when they saw her dead, Kentrail, Brielle, Ellie and Barry were all saddened. There, Kentrail was filled with anger and changed like what she saw in the novel, and Brielle lost his vitality. Ellie repeatedly fainted, and Barry wandered the back alleys.

As she looked at it, she thought that she had to live.

In the previous world, there were many cases where the body was comfortable though the mind was difficult.

She had a lot of memories.

It was the same with the kids and with Kentrail.

The countless hours she passed by were drawn before his eyes. She really wanted to laugh when she first appeared the moment she met him.

It was when the door was quietly opened, and she had Brielle in her arms. It was a man with a nice voice that had called ‘Brielle.’ As she turned around, she could see a man of great physique approaching the end of the hallway.

Marie recalled that the only person in this place who could call Brielle was Kentrail, Brielke’s uncle, who was the villainous mastermind.

The feelings she felt then were amazing. The existence of the person she read in the book was the same as when she actually met the person she saw on TV—No, it was more surprising that he was a person who had only been described in texts.

He had black hair and was wearing a black uniform. It was like he just got back from work.

Coming near her and Brielle, he seemed unwilling to take Brielle or express his affection.

He just stared at them blankly. It was so different from the depth of emotion in his eyes that Marie was initially skeptical. So, she unwittingly added her words first. He went home from work and he didn’t even say hello to Brielle.

“Would you like to hold him? You better wash your hands.”

His eyes widened at her words, and he hurriedly turned around and disappeared. Marie wondered if all these people were like this, and she became embarrassed.

However, now that she thought about it, he must have gone to wash his hands. She turned around and went back to Brielle’s room because she didn’t know it back then.

Still, thanks to his undemanding personality, he was able to adapt to Marie as well. He accepted most of the suggestions she made for Brielle.

She was grateful that he went to meet him on the way home from work, holding Brielle. It was the first moment she saw an expression on his face.

A face full of joy…

The scene changed to show the moment she saw Ellie for the first time. The first day she said she had to go after work, though she didn’t know where to go.

When she came out, there was a girl looking for her.

The child hesitated for a while and then called her cautiously. It was so low that she would have missed out on that if she had misheard her calling ‘sister,’ The little hand grabbed her, spurring courage just by staring at her.

“Ellie was waiting for sister.”

If it wasn’t for the way children at that age were talking about themselves, she would have become an indifferent older sister who didn’t even know her younger sister’s name.

“Okay, let’s go home.”

The child paused for a moment at her answer.

Marie wondered if she had said something wrong, and she was nervous. As she gazed down at the child’s head, she seemed to shudder a little.

It was then that she remembered the story of Ellie, who had a bad relationship with her older sister.

She rummaged through her skirt with her uncaught hand, wondering if she had any money on hand. Fortunately, there came out one bill. She looked around and bought the first snack that caught her eye and handed it to Ellie.

That was a sandwich.

“You want me to eat?”

The child asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, should we share?”

When she asked the question, Ellie nodded her head, changing her expression. How vigorous the gesture was, the sandwich shopkeeper saw and laughed.

“But what about Barry?”

Still, the child taking care of her brother’s share was so special that she gave the rest of the money to buy another one of the sandwiches.

The first food she ate after coming here was really delicious.

***

Marie closed her eyes and opened them again and again. Eventually, her vision gradually returned. The rest of her body was immobilized from how long she had been lying down.

Turning her head, she saw Kentrail sleeping at the bedside.

“…Uh…Co—”

She wanted to call him, but her voice didn’t come out well. She thought it was because she hadn’t been drinking enough water for a while.

‘I’m alive.’

It was her first thought. At that moment when being stabbed with a real knife, she felt she could die.

Marie lifted her head and tried to touch her stomach, though her body couldn’t move. She felt as if she had returned to be a newborn baby. But, perhaps sensing a change, Kentrail raised his head and stood up.

“Ma…rie? Marie!”

When he saw her open her eyes, he exclaimed in a voice that could be heard by everyone in the mansion.

Hearing the sound, Taylor and the butler, who were outside, ran in. They looked at each other in disbelief and ran to let the others know.

“Are you awake?”

Although Marie opened her mouth to answer Kentrail’s question, her voice didn’t come out.

“I’ll give you water.”

He poured water from the kettle next to him, grabbed the cup, and supported her. And he poured water into her mouth.

“…Hu—uh…”

“Yes, don’t overdo it and speak slowly.”

The children, including her Brielle, ran in as he comforted her.

“Marie!”

“Sister!”

“Sister!”

Marie looked at the crowd of children.

‘…Everyone is safe.’

It was fortunate. She was worried as she closed her eyes that the person who stabbed her might harm the children.

“Eve…ry…one…”

The voice gradually returned and Marie called to them.

“Is… sa… fe…go…od…”

Ellie and Brielle finally burst into tears at her voice. Barry was also brimming with tears.

“Why did you wake up so late? How scared we were.”

She wanted to hug Ellie, who was crying and talking, but her arms were not strong.

“That’s right. If Marie hadn’t woken up, I would… I…” Meanwhile, Brielle wailed loudly at the next word to come out. He became a mess in an instant.

“Everyone be quiet. Marie needs more rest.”

At Kentrail’s words, the children groaned to swallow their tears. She smiled softly because she was both grateful and happy to see him.

“Are you smiling now after worrying us all?”

Even though Kentrail spoke harshly, his emotions were evident in his expression.

‘Really… Thinking about the first time we met, I didn’t know that he would look at me and express these feelings.’

The indifferent, cold, and ruthless man turned out to be a cute, sweet, and lovable man. She might have confessed this feeling if the children weren’t there now.

“Uncle, don’t say that to Marie!”

But Brielle, not seeing his uncle’s expression, attacked his leg.

“Brielle, hitting uncle like that will shake Marie, too.”

Though he stopped attacking when he saw that Kentrail was supporting Marie.

“Did you see? Now even Brielle is on your side more than me, so don’t fall down again.”

“Yes.”

It was a small voice, but everyone in the room could hear it.

***

Marie fell asleep again. The wound on her stomach continued to hurt, and then she fell asleep. The children and Kentrail were about to leave her room, fearing she would wake up.

“Now, everyone go and get some sleep. You don’t look too good.”

“No, Count. I will protect this place, so you should get some sleep.”

Barry looked into his eyes and added, “You look tired, too. Go to bed and go to sleep.”

“Then I’ll get some sleep and take turns.”

Kentrail nodded at his stubbornness and took the children upstairs.

“I will be here.”

This time, it was Taylor. He must have been tired of checking flour and going to work for the Knights Templar.

“Never mind. You, too, go and rest.”

“But…”

“If anything, I’ll ask the butler to call you.”

“Yes.”

Finally, the hallway in front of Marie’s door became quiet.

‘I’m glad you woke up.’

At that moment, Kentrail revealed a face that no one had ever seen before. He looked like he was about to collapse. He couldn’t show it even in front of Marie… That dreadful expression softened a little.

‘How will she react if she finds out that Brielle’s mother caused this?’

It was both scary and terrifying. Knowing that she wasn’t the kind of person to do so, he couldn’t help but feel anxious. Although he had already stated that he thought Brielle’s maternal family was involved, it was far from definitive.

What should he say to Brielle? It was impossible to hide everything from the growing child.

There were too many problems to be solved.

***

“The poison came from the flour…?”

“Yes. As a result of the request, it came out like that. However, it is said that it is a poison that is difficult to obtain.”

“Then, if you catch the distributor, it will be easier to catch the criminal.”

“However, it is said that the person who handles this drug has recently gone into hiding.”

“Recently?”

“Yes.”

“How about an impression?”

“I had it. Would you like to take a look?”

It was a picture drawn after gathering people’s words, making a list, and showing it to the painter.

“What is the margin of error?”

“I don’t think it will be big.”

“Really?”

Kentrail took the picture from Taylor. However, there was a person in the picture that seemed to have been seen a lot.

Jaz, suddenly missing… The one who deserves to have a grudge in their family.

Everything matched.

“Jaz.”

“If it’s Jaz…”

Taylor, who had never actually seen him, only later found out that he was Jez.

“Yes, everything points to him. Dispatch our knights, not just the guards.”

“Yes. I will tell the leader.”

“Also, tell Siege Kaylor as well. It’s better for him to be prepared there as well.”

“Understood.”

Kentrail glanced at Taylor as he walked away and looked out the window.

‘I shouldn’t have left her alone.’

However, much time had passed for him to regret it.

‘How dare you touch Marie?’

A fiery wick was burning in his heart.

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