CH 116

William had not been able to leave after he had seen Elena’s body soaked with blood. He wanted to check to make sure the lady was well before disappearing. It was late at night when Elena called him to her room.

“Lady Elena…”

“I know that there’s something you haven’t told me yet, William.”

William lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with Elena who was sitting on the bed, her face completely drained of color.

‘Tell her to come herself if she wants to save her little sisters,” Lydia had said, cutting off Rowena and Marina’s hair with a sharp dagger as they screamed.

“There’s nothing more I have to say, my lady,” William lied, knowing that he could never tell Elena the truth. It would be committing a deadly sin against Rowena and Marina, but William decided he could not possibly drag his little lord into Lydia’s scheme. He wanted at least Elena to be safe. With this decision, he mumbled, “I’ll be going.”

“Where?” Elena asked with a sorrowful voice. It sounded as if she was too deep in grief to even cry. “Are you planning to follow in my father’s footsteps and die? You look like you’ll die soon if you leave those wounds untreated.” Elena then ordered Madel, “Take care of William for me, please,” and added, “I’ll do everything I can to treat you, William. You can’t disappear from me. You’re my knight now that my father is gone, so you must follow my orders.”

William mulled over the lady’s coldhearted orders in silence. He did not know what to do next. After all, given his condition, he knew he would die soon if he decided to go after Lydia alone. Even if he succeeded in tracking down Lydia, he believed that he was going to meet his end before doing anything.

‘I’ve become useless… There’s no more knighthood or duty for me,’ William thought, his confidence destroyed.

“I’ll confine you in the underground cell here if you don’t follow my orders, William,” Elena spoke in a firm voice at that moment. William stared blankly at Elena, his mind foggy from pain and exhaustion. His brain had stopped working a while ago as if there was no energy in his body left to fuel its functions.

Regardless, Elena continued, trying her best to sound calm as usual. “Send a message to Gareth. He will… save my sisters.” She sat on the bed for a moment, her fists clenched so tightly to the point her nails were digging into her palms. Then, she finally ordered, “I want to rest now. Please leave, everyone.”

William left the room with the help of the servants, oblivious to the tragedy that had happened to Elena. When Madel came out of the room, he could hear Elena’s muffled sobs. Everyone else burst into tears at their madam’s grief as well—the tragic misery that did not even allow the woman to cry to her heart’s content. It was indeed a terrible day, the day where Elena had learned of her father’s passing and the news of her sisters who had gone missing, and the realization that she had lost her dear child.

* * *

Two nights later, Elena snuck into the warehouse to look for useful medicines, wearing a black hood to cover her face. She had not recovered fully, but she deemed it impossible to stay still any longer. She had lost her father and her child; she couldn’t stand idly by not knowing of her sisters’ fates.

As soon as Elena had been able to walk again, she had followed William around, interrogating him about why Lydia was holding her sisters hostage. She was confident that the “red-haired lady” was Lydia; having seen the woman manipulate people, Elena was well aware of what the princess was capable of. William didn’t answer her questions, but Elena was able to gauge Lydia’s intentions.

“Alright, Lydia. I’ll gladly deal with you if you wish,” Elena muttered coldly through her pale lips. “Don’t think you’re the only one who can come up with these plans. I’m stronger than you; I still have someone I need to protect.”

Elena gritted her teeth, rummaging through the mushroom extracts she had made. She knew that Gareth was going to be infuriated if he found out about what she was doing, but she decided that Gareth, too, must be blaming himself for what had happened. The man had already lost his family once, and he had failed to protect the people in the Townsend estate, his second family. Concluding that Gareth must be suffering from self-deprecating thoughts, Elena had decided to not sit idly as more tragedies unfolded. She didn’t want to lose Gareth, Rowena, or Marina, and after much contemplation, Elena had concluded why Lydia had let William live.