CH 74

As time passed, a quiet tranquility settled over a small inn in a small village.

In the small inn room, Elodie had fallen fast asleep, and the sound of her gentle breathing could be heard.

[Snore……..]

And in the middle, Greed was sprawled out on its belly, sound asleep after rolling around.

Raeyan rested his head on his hand and quietly gazed at Elodie’s slumbering face. After riding all day, Elodie was in a deep sleep without even tossing and turning.

Raeyan couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

‘Defenseless.’

How could she be so defenseless?

How could she sleep with such a gentle face when she was spending the night in a room with a fit man?

With these thoughts in mind, Raeyan pulled the blanket covering Elodie all the way up to her neck, slightly disturbing her comfortable sleep.

Elodie, who had been tossing and turning for a moment, soon fell back into silence.

Raeyan’s red eyes darkened.

‘What kind of dream are you having?’

You have never mentioned anything to me before.

Raeyan, who had been endlessly gazing at Elodie’s face, as they slept soundly and without a care, recalled the conversation they had with Elodie earlier.

“Even if it means paying a price?”

“I’ll pay the price for my responsibility. And then, I’ll go back to square one and start all over again. If it doesn’t work, I’ll keep trying until it does.”

If it doesn’t work, she’ll keep trying until it does.

It was such an Elodie Perdia-like statement. At least the Elodie he knew, or more accurately, Yoon Ga-eul, was someone who never gave up.

‘……You won’t remember anything.’

Raeyan ‘s fingertips hesitated as they were about to touch Elodie’s face but ultimately didn’t make contact.

Raeyan couldn’t be certain how long he could continue pretending not to know.

‘Can this life really protect you completely?’

But it didn’t matter.

“Okay. We’ll start back from square one.”

He’d been waiting for this moment for years, waiting to meet Elodie. Just looking at her was enough to fill his heart with joy.

So, once again, no matter the price, Raeyan could endure anything. 

As the night receded and the blue hues of dawn covered the earth, Raeyan endlessly captured the sight of Elodie’s sleeping face.

***

The morning in an unfamiliar place was bright.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I grimaced at the sunlight seeping through the slightly open curtains.

I rolled over and looked to my side to see that Greed was sprawled out in the middle of the bed, sleeping on his stomach, which put me in one of the corners of the bed.

I was lucky I didn’t roll over.

“The bed…….”

But there was no sign of Raeyan.

Had he slipped out again while I was asleep?

‘I wonder if he even slept.’

My conscience was pierced by the thought, but I kept this question to myself.

[Mmmm, Ishtar…….]

Setting aside Greed, who was sleep talking, I finished preparing to go out first. When I returned to my room after a quick wash, Raeyan was standing there.

“What’s up, Raeyan? Where have you been?”

“I went to the stables to prepare for departure.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Did you get some sleep?”

“………Yes.”

He hesitated for a moment, and the way he answered felt like a lie to me, but I decided to let it go since it was already in the past.

“Let’s go straight to the manor.”

“How do you plan to meet this, Estelle?”

“I have a plan. Just trust me.”

I took out a piece of paper and scribbled a note, quickly retrieved items from my belongings, and put together a bundle.

The preparations to summon Estelle were now complete.

I forcibly awakened Greed, who was still sleeping in the middle of the bed and placed him in the sealing stone.

[Growl!]

“If you want to sleep, sleep there.”

[This is cruel abuse!]

Ignoring Greed’s loud protests and rebellion, I left the inn.

My entire body ached from the aftermath of yesterday’s horseback riding, making it quite awkward to mount a horse.

‘With my current condition… can I make it back to Somnia?’

Although I was worried, the most important thing for now was to confirm if Estelle was the “real Estelle”.

Perhaps noticing that I looked uneasy while struggling to saddle the horse, Raeyan asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!”

Even if I had to suffer from muscle pain, I had to return to Somnia in time.

I urged my creaking body along and hurriedly drove my horse in the direction of the lord’s estate. When I saw the main gate, I turned my horse’s head to the side.

“Where are you going?”

Raeyan followed me and asked with a puzzled expression.

“Where can we find the servants who enter and exit through the main gate? We should go to the servants’ dedicated back gate, of course.”

“I see.”

Convinced by my words, Raeyan gave a small nod of his head. As I expected, when I turned sideways from the main entrance, there was a back entrance.

Unlike the stark main gate, the security around the back gate was relatively loose. Of course, there were two guards at the back gate, but they were not as strict as the ones at the main gate.

“What are you going to do now? If you’re a servant of the estate, you’re not going to leave the estate.”

“All I have to do is get it inside, right?”

“Well, yes, but…….”

“Hide where you can’t be seen, I’ll be back.”

Raeyan took the reins from me and stepped back. I passed him and headed towards the back gate.

As soon as the guards at the back gate saw me, they crossed their spears to block my path.

“Stop! I’ve never seen you before.”

“What’s the matter?”

Now is the crucial moment. I clasped my hands together and put on the most pitiful expression in the world.

“Could you do me a favor?”

I looked up at the guard, unmoved and unperturbed, while Greed gasped in surprise at how heinous my performance was.

The guard who had retreated in surprise shouted out suddenly.

“T-Tell me!”

“I want to know if any of the servants working in this estate are named Estelle…….”

The two guards exchanged glances.

“We don’t know that much. But why are you looking for someone named Estelle?”

“Well…….”

I recalled the information about Estelle that Raeyan had provided me.

According to the information, it said that Estelle was a child who was found crying in the forest and raised by an old woman.

It said that the old woman is living not far from here.

‘If the person I’m looking for is the original Estelle, then according to the story, the old woman would die within three years.’

Anyway, I had to use that to get her out.

“Estelle’s grandmother sent me to deliver a package.”

“Hmm, so?”

I handed a money pouch and a note that I had prepared in advance to the guard at the back gate.

“I was wondering if you could give it to my sister Estelle. It’s a gift from me to her.”

I dealt the final blow to the guards who were counting the money in the pocket with their eyes wide open.

“Please, Sir Knight!”

Naturally, the guards, who were not actually knights, chuckled at being addressed as knights.

“Well, it’s not a difficult request.”

“You may go!”

I must have done a pretty good job of acting pitiful. A guard entered the estate.

“I’m going to go and wait at the meeting place that I wrote down in my note. Thank you, Sir Knight!”

“Well, uh, yeah. Take care.”

Leaving the bewildered guard scratching his head, I returned to the location where Raeyan was waiting.

Raeyan, who had been watching from a distance, approached with wide strides even before I reached him.

“What happened?” he asked.

“There’s a big tree in the village. I left a note for her to meet me there.”

“What if she doesn’t come out?”

I mean, who wouldn’t come out when an old woman had a package to deliver? Of course, it could happen, but it wasn’t a common occurrence.

I moved to a spot under the big tree, and before long just as I expected, a woman with brown hair, presumably a maid, walked slowly towards me.

‘The physical features match Estelle’s.’

But there’s something… Before my thoughts could continue, the woman asked me.

“Are you the one my grandmother sent?”

“Yes, I owe her a favor, and since I happened to be near the estate, she said she had something for me to deliver-“

Before I could finish, the woman cut me off and asked, “What is it?”

“Some dried fruit, and an ointment to apply…….”

As I handed over the package I had prepared at the inn for Estelle, her expression hardened.

“Why? Why bother sending someone to give me something like this…… Sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Is everything okay with my grandmother?”

“Yes, please rest assured.”

“Well, have a good day, then.”

The woman turned around without any lingering attachment and walked briskly towards the estate.

Phew. I sighed deeply, resting my chin and staying still for a moment.

‘Yeah. This isn’t going to be easy.’

From the moment I saw her face, I could be certain.

That person is not Estelle.

***

Estelle wasn’t Estelle, and in the end, I had no choice but to return empty-handed.

On the road to Somnia.

After a long silence, Raeyan spoke up.

“I will search again.”

Was the reason he didn’t say anything because the Estelle I was looking for wasn’t her?

But this was no one’s fault.

If we were to blame someone, it would be my responsibility for making such a vague request.

“Don’t worry, Raeyan. I know it’s difficult to find someone without a lot of information.

“…….”

“As long as I don’t give up, I’ll find her eventually.”

“Yes, I will do my best.”

Feeling the atmosphere sinking, I deliberately changed the topic in a cheerful voice.

“Do you think we’ll arrive on time?”

“If we hurry, we should be able to make it.”

[So boring now! Hurry, hurry up!]

“This guy.”

I gently patted the head of the annoying Greed, who was complaining and whining throughout the conversation.

[I’m sorry! I’m wrong! I’ll be still!]

“Why are you wagging your tail?”

[It’s how I was born.]

“I see.”

Surprisingly, the surroundings fell silent as soon as Greed closed its mouth. It was a testament to how noisy that Greed fellow could be.

‘I said I would return home before nightfall.’

We definitely need to hurry.

Just as I was about to turn my head to tell Raeyan to speed up, it happened.

I saw it unintentionally.

Swish!

A sharp object flew through the air, cutting through the wind.

“……!”

Without any time to be surprised by the sudden onslaught of arrows, Raeyan moved first.

Clang-!

In an instant, Raeyan deflected the incoming arrows with his sword.

It was an ambush!

As the arrows flew and pierced in the ground before the horse’s feet, it began to struggle in surprise.

“Whoa, whoa!”

After finally calming the horse down, Greed, who had been hanging onto me, opened its eyes wide.

[Left!]

At Greed’s shout, I turned to the left and saw a man wielding a dagger attacking me.

I twisted the reins to dodge his strike, but I couldn’t avoid the dagger grazing my cheek.

My left cheek stung and grew hot.

“Elodie.”

Raeyan, who had already leapt from his horse to take care of the incoming attackers, came up beside me.

The assailants, taken aback by Raeyan’s skills, hesitated and observed their surroundings instead of rushing in recklessly.

As he rubbed his thumb across my scratched cheek, Raeyan clicked his tongue and asked in a low voice. 

“………Can I kill them all?”