Chapter 2

My eyelids rose spontaneously at the sound of a bird chirping.

Now, I was able to fall into a deep sleep without using a sleeping incense.

Since I had a good night’s sleep, the headache that always bothered me has disappeared.

Because there is nothing to be stressed about here in the first place.

“Ugh. I want to lie down a little longer.”

I struggled to get out of the comfortable bed. Today, I had to go down directly to the village to buy materials and hire workers to dig up the vegetable garden.

I hurriedly washed up and prepared to go out, and left the mansion.

At that moment, Emily’s call was heard from afar, just in time.

“Lady!”

Emily’s voice was different from her usual cheerful and welcoming voice, today I felt urgency in her voice.

I frowned and stared at Emily, who was running from a distance.

“Emily. As I’ve always said, running is…”

“This is not the time for that! Now in the village…”

“In the village?”

I thought something had happened to the village, so I stopped scolding and listened to Emily.

“The knights have come to the village now!”

“Knight? Are you talking about a knight that wields a sword?”

“Yes! Those people…. They seem to be looking for a lady.”

Am I the one the knights are looking for? 

Seeing Emily speaking urgently, it didn’t seem like a lie.

Why are the knights here?

All kinds of assumptions flashed through my mind. Among them, the most reliable was about Hestine.

Could there be another evidence that proved I harmed Hestine?

There’s no way evidence will come out. Because I didn’t do that.

But it can be manipulated anytime.

Adelia had many enemies, and there were many who would use such tricks to harm her.

But why now? It has already been three months since I was excommunicated, and I am no longer a nobleman.

No. Are they moving now because I’m no longer Adelia Sorne.

Despair came rushing in.

Are you not satisfied that I fell to the mud and now you want me to die?

“So, stay here for now!”

“How is the situation in the village?” Tell me in detail.”

“Well…. Everyone is saying they don’t know.”

Are you saying that you will just pretend that you don’t know rather than get angry and point at me?

I knew that excuse wouldn’t last forever.

How meticulous is the source of information of the aristocrats.

“They’re not being rude or acting violent, right?”

“Yeah. The knight that seemed to be the captain is just asking with kind words.”

Kind…?

It was a relief during the misfortune. But how long will that patience last?

“Do you remember what the knight looked like?”

“He looked like a prince!”

The prince Emily is talking about is the handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes from <The Hero of the Temple>, which she likes to read.

A knight with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Suddenly, I remembered a man. A man who I didn’t get along with very well and hated me very much.

‘There’s no way that man is here.’

He was a busy man. The possibility that he would come all the way to this country to find me was very low.

“Just stay still here today! I’ll bring you what you need!”

Emily grabbed the hem of my skirt and said as if pleading.

I was at loss. I didn’t want to encounter the noble society.

But if I don’t show up to the end, will the villagers be safe?

‘When did I become so attached…….’

In no time, this small village, Rohen, had become my only haven and home.

Have I ever had this much affection since I opened my eyes to this world?

I couldn’t dare to conclude, but I don’t think I’ve ever had this much affection before.

Be it a place, a person, or a thing.

How can I not give affection to the peace I feel for the first time since coming here?

I felt a dry taste of iron with a slight pain from biting my lips.

“There she is!”

It was when I was standing around and contemplating. A familiar voice flew into my ear.

Me and Emily naturally turned our heads towards the source of the voice.

“Hey, I can’t believe it…. Why did the village head…?”

Emily covered her mouth with her hand, giving her a look of disbelief.

It was as if she had witnessed betrayal.

The owner of the voice was Hex, the head of the village.

I swallowed a laugh inside.

Emily, who was united with loyalty and romance, would have accepted the chief’s actions as betrayal, but not me.

From the head of the village’s point of view, he would have wanted to avoid harming the village in any way.

People who have lived in Rohen for generations.

And a mysterious stranger who suddenly bought a mansion in the village.

Even if it was me, if I could protect the former, I would talk about the latter’s whereabouts without hesitation.

I turned my dry gaze and looked behind the head of the village.

A fairly large number of knights lined up behind him.

I smiled bitterly and stroked Emily’s frozen hair.

“Oh, lady….”

“It’s okay. Emily, you stay away for a while.”

“But…”

“Hurry up.”

I forcefully pushed Emily’s back, who doesn’t want to go.

After putting Emily as far away as possible, I walked towards the head of the village.

“I’m sorry….”

The head of the village couldn’t raise his face and apologized carefully.

I wanted to say that it was okay, but it wouldn’t be any good to show off a good friendship with the head now.

Without saying a word, I walked past the village head and approached the knights.

“What’s going on?”

“Please come down to the village with us at once.”

I nodded after contemplating for a while. Then I heard Emily calling my name behind me.

“Lady!”

I had no choice but to sigh inside as I saw Emily running and hugging the width of her skirt.

“Emily, let’s go down now.”

“But….”

“And go home today. I’ll see you later.”

Emily lowered her head as I spoke in a strong tone. And she was silent for a long time.

But she slowly nodded her head, realizing that a fairly bright child for her age would now be in trouble if she insisted.

The knight who was watching this at the forefront said.

“Let’s go.”

I clasped Emily’s maple-leaf hand before I left the forest.

As we went down to the village, I could see Emily’s mother waiting for her.

“Emily!”

“Mom!”

Emily got out of my hand and ran to her mom. I looked at the scene and swallowed a laugh inside her.

No matter how mature he was compared to her age, she was still a child holding the hem of her mother’s skirt.

“The captain is waiting for you.”

As I stopped and looked at Emily and her mother, a knight came and hurried my steps.

I pulled my gaze away from Emily and her mother and started walking again.

The knights were gathered at the only inn in the village.

I experienced something that I didn’t think would actually happen.

“Adelia.”

Of all the knights, I didn’t expect him to come to me.

I burst out laughing and spoke to the man in front of me.

“Long time no see. Sir Izar.”

When Izar heard a hard greeting, his face suddenly hardened, and soon an awkward smile came to mind.

“How have you been?”

“You’re asking something weird. Well… If I have to answer, I’ve been doing well.”

The smile gradually disappeared from Izar’s face as her coldness continued.

I guess he’s upset because of me.

It would be difficult if he gets offended by this degree.

Compared to the insults I suffered while living as his fiancée, this was a bit of a bummer.

I ignored Izar like that and asked why they were looking for me.

“What made you come all the way here?”

“… Let’s sit down and talk.”

Izar led me to a small table. Soon after, a luxurious tea cup was placed in front of me.

There was no way there could be such high-quality tea in a countryside like this. Perhaps it was the item the knights had prepared.

But something was weird.

You came to catch a sinner, but do you usually treat them this much?

‘I hope this teacup is not poisoned.’

I didn’t touch the teacup just in case.

“It is your favorite tea from the royal palace of Eupiale.”

When I didn’t pay attention to the refreshments, Izar explained the origin of the tea.

I listened to Izar’s explanation in one ear and blew it out in the other and looked down quietly at the teacup.

Contrary to what he knew, this tea was so bitter that I didn’t like it very much.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed drinking this black tea because I wondered if I could get close to Hestine if we had a common interest.

Yes. All of this was to get out of the original flow.

“I don’t know why you think that way, but I don’t really like Eupiale’s tea. The taste at the end is too astringent.”

“…You don’t?”

“By the way, why did you have to go this far?”

At my request to go straight to the main topic without any fuss, Izar’s mouth shut.

It meant that he didn’t like this situation right now.

After a moment’s silence, Izar soon opened his mouth.

“I want you to go back to Capital with me.”

“Is that a request?”

There was nothing to say. I knew the meaning of the silence too well.

It’s the Emperor’s order.

It is said that it is the emperor who summoned me back to the island.

My mouth went dry. Will I eventually end up dying?

I wanted to avoid this situation. That’s why I constantly tried to establish a smooth relationship with Hestine.

“I guess you’ve got some new evidence.

“Evidence?”

Izar frowned as if she were saying something.

“……Proof that I put Hestine in danger.”

Izar’s body trembled. He picked up the teacup in front of him and gulped it down.

It was something that Izar, a noble to the bone, would not normally do.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what?”

“You know that an oracle came down a few months ago.”

I nodded my head. It was a fact that I knew too well. Because it was the oracle that started all of this.

“A few days ago, a reinterpretation came out.”

Reinterpretation? Reinterpreting an oracle that has already been interpreted once. This could only happen if the temple misinterpreted the oracle.

Misinterpreting the oracle will soon lead to a decline in the trust of the temple.

So, the temple does not reinterpret as much as possible.

Did something unexpected happen?

“Is that true?”

“Yes. The saint who will defeat the devil… It wasn’t Hestine.”

No. Hestine is the one who will save the world from the devil. I already know from reading the original.

However, Izar’s mouth was saying the exact opposite.

“Adelia, it’s you.”