Chapter 18 – Escape (1)

Chapter 18 – Escape (1)

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 18 – Escape (1)

Crr-eek—

“...Hmm.”

At the distant sound, the butler woke up with half-opened eyes.

At this ungodly hour, what could possibly be happening, yet as the manager of the mansion, he needed to be sensitive to even the slightest changes.

The butler cleared his throat and moved his steps.

Passing through the darkened corridor towards the entrance.

“...!”

Reflected in the moonlight, someone urgently dashed out of the mansion.

Luna Winfred, the eldest daughter of this mansion and the young lady the butler had served all her life.

“Ah, Miss!”

Running barefoot on the stone path, dressed like that, in the chilly dawn air.

What if she catches a cold!

Urgency filled the butler’s steps.

“Miss Luna!”

Despite the butler’s call, Luna didn’t stop.

Instead, she seemed to accelerate, distancing herself further from the butler.

A moment later.

“...What is that sound?”

In the serene silence, beyond the gate, a loud wail faintly echoed.

It was the sound of a horse’s whinny.

Luna’s mad dash gradually slowed down.

Then, accompanied by the sound of hoofbeats, a shabby carriage shot past the butler’s blurry eyes.

Luna collapsed in frustration as she watched the departing carriage.

Her exposed skin clearly met the cobblestone floor.

“Miss!!”

The butler rushed towards Luna, who was now sitting on the ground.

To see the young lady who had never once lost her composure acting so frantically.

The butler’s mind went blank.

Gradually closing the distance, the butler soon stood before Luna.

Her knees, scraped, turned red, her soles marked with blood from friction against the stone path, her clothes dragging on the ground.

“What in the world...!”

The butler’s eyes widened in shock.

Luna, with a bewildered expression, couldn’t take her eyes off where the carriage had gone.

“Miss! Are you alright?”

“Kyle...”

“Kyle? Do you mean Young Master Kyle? He’s currently sleeping in his room...”

“He really left...?”

“You’re injured...! I’ll call for the physician immediately.”

Kyle left the mansion.

Luna knew better than anyone else that this wasn’t just a simple outing.

Kyle, her precious younger brother, probably left with no intention of ever returning.

Which meant, Luna would never see Kyle again in this mansion.

“...”

Her heart felt like it was pounding through her ribcage.

Blood trickled from the now-open wound.

“Ha... Hahaha...”

Luna let out a hollow laugh.

A quiet madness flickered in her emotionless eyes.

Tap, tap—

Luna brushed off the dust from her clothes and stood up.

A serene voice slipped through the tightened gap between them.

“...Butler.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Of course, it’s an exclusive of the Empire, but what does it matter?

After all, I’m an Imperial citizen.

“...”

While absentmindedly staring out the window, I suddenly asked Diana, who was sitting across from me.

“Do you think it’s unfair?”

“What do you mean?”

“You were suddenly put in a fugitive’s position. I’m asking if it feels unfair?”

“I do not feel unfair.”

I looked at Diana with a puzzled expression.

Come to think of it, when I mentioned leaving the mansion without any explanation, Diana nodded expressionlessly, just like she did now.

Are knights naturally so blindly obedient?

Suddenly, the memory of my first meeting with Diana from the previous run flashed through my mind.

Diana, the firstborn Knight Commander of the Empire.

As she prepared to go out to battle, she still maintained her majestic aura, as seen in the in-game illustrations.

Now, that’s a sight I won’t be seeing anywhere anymore.

Diana is no longer a Knight of the Empire but Kyle Winfred’s sword.

Yes, perhaps I was the one who took her away.

For the sole purpose of returning to my own world, the future of an innocent person with no relation to me.

A strange sense of guilt pricked at my heart.

That’s when it happened.

“...!”

The carriage suddenly jolted violently, lifting my buttocks off the seat.

As soon as the neatly maintained stone path ended, the carriage began to shake violently as if it had gone mad.

As uncomfortable as it already was, with the road being so rough, there was no part of my back, shoulders, or buttocks that wasn’t sore.

As I endured the discomfort with furrowed brows, Diana’s gentle voice came to me.

“If you release the tension in your arms and lean your shoulders to the side, the discomfort will greatly diminish.”

“But the handle is sticking out, where am I supposed to lean?”

“You can lean on my shoulder.”

“...What?”

Surely she’s not suggesting I lean my head on her shoulder right now?

I blinked, speechless, and Diana smirked as if it were nothing.

“The journey is still long.”

“...”

“You’ll have to endure for at least another full day until we reach our destination.”

That’s true.

But even so, it’s not like I can lean my head on the shoulder of a stranger, especially a woman’s.

I stared out the window in silence.

However, the carriage began to violently sway again as if to signal the beginning.

No matter how urgently I arranged this carriage, what’s with the poor quality?

My head spun from the rattling, and my stomach churned.

“...”

Our eyes met.

It was a gaze that seemed to ask if I could continue enduring.

‘...I might really die at this rate.’

When I tried to lean my head against the window, the protruding handle got in the way, and when I tried to lean against the back, there was no suitable support.

I swallowed a deep sigh.

It didn’t take long to make a decision.

“...”

I cautiously leaned my head on Diana’s shoulder.

Following her suggestion, the discomfort lessened considerably, and I even felt a firm sense of stability.

At that moment, Diana’s boundless voice pierced my ears.

“Rest comfortably.”

Damn it.

I should have gotten a better carriage.

[Translator – Peptobismol]