CH 79

“Why did you start a fire? What were you thinking? Did you know how dangerous that place was? I heard that he bought a slave there.”

“—What does Your Highness want to say?”

Falden was confused for a moment.

Serdel complexion didn’t look so good.

He seemed to be questioning her too much by saying more than this, so in the end he forcibly swallowed his unending questions back.

Instead he said—.

“Please take good care of me in the future. At least when we start a business together, but it’s kind of weird to hide this. But I couldn’t say it blindly. I wasn’t sure about Young Lady either. I don’t care if you trust me.” 

Serdel looked at Falden straightforwardly.

Without avoiding his eyes, she accepted his gaze and let it go. 

There was a bit of emotion in his empty eyes. She could see that his wall had been opened for her. 

“Why did you catch Count Sollette?”

Simply, he wanted to confirm her motives, because this mask’s owner has been confirmed.

“I’m suspicious of something. So I’m trying to figure it out.”

Perhaps it was a personal matter, his expression turned creepy for a moment, then subsided.

“Anyway, there was no other trace of Young Lady on the line that I could erase, but there is no secret that stays forever. One day, someone might find out that you entered there.”

“….”

“I don’t know for what reason you went there, but it would be better to make a story in advance so that you wouldn’t be suspected of being a criminal.”

He dragged his chair back and stood up.

“And, the subjugation will begin in about five days. So, Young Lady should prepare to go to the capital starting tomorrow.” 

She nodded helplessly.

“Get some rest today. Because your complexion doesn’t look so good.”

After saying that, he left the cabin.

The subjugation began two days later.

After seeing them off, Serdel got on a carriage going up to the capital.

She was leaving behind Terra and Siri, who had also expressed their intention to participate in the subjugation.

What a last minute change of heart, Redan, who said he would also remain there, was also left behind.

Serdel left the territory.

And two more days have passed.

Rattling. Rattling. In the carriage rolling the wheels hard, she looked at the subjugation situation that the wizard Maro sent to the communication device. 

In the forest where the dark dusk fell. The place where the fierce battle swept through was a mess.

There was not a single tree intact, and the crushed grass and ground formed a river of blood.

The corpses of monsters piled up on top of it—.

[Oooh ooh. It’s gross!]

It all looked like money.

She gave Redan, Terra, and Siri a magic bag with large-capacity subspace magic, so they all technically belonged to her.

It felt like the bell of getting rich was ringing in her mind.

Dell, who was chewing on some beef jerky and watching it together, sighed.

[I think the smell of blood is coming all the way here. Oh, my nose!]

Dell pretended to cover his nose with his short arms.

[Today’s battle seems to end at this point. Everyone is safe, so you don’t have to worry. Of course, I’m tired of being overworked, so I’ll get going]

Even before she said anything, the light in the communication device went out.

At the same time, a sense of silence fell

Raising her head, she suddenly opened the window and looked outside.

Stars embroidered in the black sky and sprinkled brilliant light around them. Her shoulders trembled once in the night wind that just blew. 

“The night wind is cold, Lady.”

At the same time, a worried voice came towards her.

It was Blenn. 

He put his horse close to the carriage and smiled when his eyes met hers. 

“….”

He smiles a lot. 

After that day, seeing Blenn became uncomfortable. As his gaze touched her, her emotions rose.

Therefore, she often avoided his gaze. Because she doesn’t know how she should feel about Blenn. 

At first, she was honestly angry.

Later, she tried to understand his situation.

He barely met his younger sister, so it must have been difficult to bring up such things.

As time passed, another feeling of disappointment flooded in.

There were certainly many opportunities to speak.

If he had told the truth even if it was too late, she wouldn’t have blamed Blenn even if she was confused.

What happened that day was so sudden.

Even if there was a mistake, she could fully understand it.

However, Blenn’s mouth didn’t move.

A few days ago,

When she told him not to betray her.

‘What the hell was he thinking when he kissed the back of my hand?’

Even then, he should have been honest.

“Lady, do you have anything to say to me—”

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“What do you—”

“Is there anything you’re hiding? Or something you didn’t tell me.” 

Blenn’s mouth slowly closed.

He looked into her eyes and tried to figure out what she was asking.

He didn’t even know that such an action would intensify her anger.

“Should I get you a house?”

“…Yes?”

“A house to live with your sister.”

“My Lady. If I did something wrong… If I have made any mistakes… please tell me. Then I will fix everything—”

“Didn’t you have the option of confessing to me before I asked you to tell me?”

Serdel took out the half mask in front of him and shook it.

“I don’t know how long I thought I could hide it, but I got caught surprisingly quickly. From your point of view.”

Blenn’s eyes got bigger.

His composure was slowly broken and fear, pain, and guilt spread like wildfire across his distorted face.

“….”

His eyes were lost and he wandered here and there, unfocused like a rolled ball.

“…I, I apologize, Lady. That day—”

“You should have made an excuse when you were given a chance.”

“Lady, I was wrong. To tell you the truth, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed in me—it’s useless. I’m afraid you’ll push me away—”

“So you lied like that?”

“…I was wrong. Lady.”

“I saved your sister from the most dangerous place. Are you aware that you pushed me out of the most dangerous place?”

If this mask hadn’t been in Falden’s hands. If Falden had nothing to do with Count Sollette.

If he hadn’t locked him up!

Count Sollette certainly approached her with a sly smile.

She got goosebumps thinking about how she would have been threatened by him without any preparation. 

“I’m really, really sorry. I should have done a better job. I couldn’t do that. I was wrong, Lady.”

“No. You still don’t know what you did wrong. You don’t know.”

“Lady—”

“Anyone can make a mistake. I’m not to blame you for it. But you should have told me the truth that day. If you had, I would have prepared for everything. But you didn’t, and I, I—!”

What if Falden hadn’t been interested in her? 

She didn’t even want to imagine it.

“I— I got slapped in the back by someone I trusted. Ha, haha.”

A sad laugh flowed out.

Suddenly, she felt sad.

Just because she knows the original story doesn’t mean she knows everything about him.

She treated Blenn as if she knew everything, and trusted him like a rock.

“I shouldn’t have trusted you.”

Resentment flowed out.

“Lady—”

What should she do with him in the future?

“You should have told me the truth before you swore loyalty. You didn’t and so your loyalty faded, Blenn. I can’t trust you anymore. I can’t trust you.” 

Serdel closed the carriage window tightly. 

“Lady, I was wrong. Lady! I was all wrong. I’m sorry, Lady.”

Blenn’s desperate voice continued to follow. He kept knocking on the door of the carriage with desperation.

“I was wrong, Lady, I’ll tell you the truth from now on. Lady. Just once, please let it slide once.”

Serdel tore the sound-blocking scroll and ignored all the noise he made.

Of course, she won’t be able to abandon Blenn.

It was hard to find such a talented person. 

If it were in the past, she would have let go of his hand with a broken heart, but now she had no time to be overwhelmed by shock. 

She had to hold onto and use any card that could be used.

To do that, instead of holding on to Blenn’s betrayal and feeling upset, she had to use it as a weakness and press down on it. 

Although he fell to the bottom, unlike his sister Laura, he had never lived a life where his will power was blocked. 

She had no idea when he’d act rashly and cause trouble.

In fact, didn’t he push the sword into Falden before?

Serdel crossed her arms and buried herself in the backrest.

She pretended to be calm and collect her disorganized feelings again.

She closed her eyes for this.

Suddenly, a sound was heard from the other side.

[Dell doesn’t hide anything from Nuna—]

Sniff!

[But— I promised to only eat two jerky earlier, but when

Nuna watching the communication device earlier, I secretly ate 10 of them— sniff.] 

Sniff! 

Frightened, Dell snorted and shed tears. 

Serdel also pretended not to know.

[I was wrong… Sniff… Dell will raise his hand.. Sniff.]