TSHL 29

Chapter 29

When I stepped outside, the pitch-black darkness and the chill of the night immediately enveloped me.
A deep darkness where even silhouettes couldn’t be seen whenever clouds blocked the moonlight.
It actually helped conceal my movements better than I had expected.

Seizing the opportunity as the knights exchanged shifts and chatted, I began moving quickly.
My heart was pounding as if it would explode—this was my first experience with such thrilling stealth.

However, just as I was about to pass in front of the gallery and head toward the road to Revan Village,
the clouds that had hidden the moon suddenly cleared at that exact moment.
The late-night moon shone down clearly on me.

It was at that moment my figure was revealed.
“Who’s there?”
A knight’s voice called out. I turned around. He was slowly approaching me.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure what to say, and his voice grew sterner.
“Who is it? Answer me.”

“…Ah.”
Before I could think of what to do, he came closer.
“Lady Whedrian?”

Up close, I realized he was the lowest-ranking guard.
Though I had been the one to spot Arwin, I was legally the Duchess, the wife of a high-ranking duke.
To him, I was the wife of a superior commander—it would be difficult to explain.

I straightened my back and looked at him, thinking it was best to handle this verbally.
“What are you doing out here?”

“I couldn’t sleep even though it’s late, so I was taking a walk nearby.”

“…Ah.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just that it’s very late, and it seems a little dangerous for you to be walking alone.”

It seemed suspicious to him that I, a person normally under the knights’ watch, was alone outside at midnight.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me, noticing the basket in my hand.

“What’s in that basket?”

“This is…”

“Let me take a look. I know it’s intrusive, but I need to see.”

He was a thoroughly trained and disciplined knight, and I felt a little guilty for underestimating him.
He gave me a firm look, as if he intended to inspect my basket.

What should I do?
I had no choice but to slowly open the basket while thinking quickly.
It seemed the number of guards had decreased slightly at this late hour; no one else was nearby.
If I turned around and ran now, I might still escape.

I opened the basket while keeping my eyes alert to my surroundings, racking my brain.

“Let’s ask some questions.”

A strange voice came from the side, and both the guard and I jumped and turned to see.
A hunched old woman, wearing a black cloak and leaning on a cane, was standing there, watching us.

“Where is Revan Village?”

“Excuse me?”
The guard asked. I looked at her as she continued.

“I came all the way here to see my grandson, but it’s too late at night to see anything. Take me to Revan Village. Let’s see… what was the address…”

The guard looked flustered, which was understandable. He was a knight from the palace.
He only guarded what he was told and had no real knowledge of the geography or village names of Lorencia.

“Grandma, I’ll guide you.”
To me, she seemed like a savior. I carefully held her shoulder and spoke, but the guard objected.

“But it’s dangerous, ma’am. Leave this to us and return home to rest.”

“Revan Village is just across this road, and I’m awake anyway. Can’t I accompany her?”

“But… then, why not come with me? We’ll go together and return together.”

Though reluctant, escaping this place was the priority, so I accepted his offer.
Thanks to that, I could proudly walk toward Revan Village alongside the strange old woman and the guard.

After a short walk, we entered Revan Village. Just as the guard was about to ask the old woman something:
“What house number are you looking for…?”

He couldn’t finish his sentence. The old woman’s hunch began straightening.
I too watched her transformation with a stunned expression.

She turned to look back. The face that had appeared was no longer that of the old woman.
“…Arwin?”

His hair shone even more brilliantly in the moonlight.
I whispered his name, and just as the guard’s eyes widened in surprise, Arwin pressed something to his face and sprayed a liquid—some kind of perfume.

Before he could react, the guard was struck by the mysterious substance and went into a dazed state.
He collapsed.

I rushed over, concerned, but he had simply fallen asleep.

“He’s asleep. Even if he wakes, he won’t remember meeting us.”
Arwin explained the situation calmly, and I stared at him dumbfounded.

Arwin gave a small smile, extended his hand to me, and said:
“I’ll explain everything as we go. For now, shall we move together?”

Arwin’s secret, personal space was beginning to reveal itself before me.

“Magic, you say?”
As we walked toward house number 77, Arwin explained a few things.
I realized that Arwin could disguise himself as the old woman because of a magical item that allowed transformations.
The reason he could leave a note at our house unnoticed and why the guard had fallen asleep was also due to magic.

“I didn’t know Arwin owned so many magical items.”
“It cost a lot. I bought them from the most famous magician on the continent.”

“…That’s why I could move around unnoticed for so long,” Arwin murmured.

I looked at Arwin and suddenly laughed softly. He looked at me.

“Why are you laughing?”
“Just thinking back to you disguised as an old woman earlier… it was amusing.”

“….”

“You acted so well, Arwin. Your performance was incredible.”
Thinking about him pretending to be an old woman with a cane in front of the guard made me smile.

“I did my best. Was it funny?”
“It’s just… remembering how earnestly you acted made me think it was cute. I’m grateful too.”

“….”

“Thank you. If you hadn’t appeared then, I might have been dragged back home.”
“It’s only right to help you get out safely, since you personally came here,” Arwin said with a smile, and we shared a quiet chuckle.

The late night was quiet.
After walking some distance, houses close to number 77 began to appear. But I soon realized:

“77 isn’t here.”
“To ordinary eyes, it’s invisible.”
“Huh?”

I looked at him, not understanding, and he pointed to an empty spot beneath a tree—a corner of the village that existed only on the ground.
He gestured for me to look, and I did.

“…Wow.”
A dazzling light shone, slowly revealing a hidden tent before me.
I watched, stunned, as the light expanded, unveiling the tent, and then disappeared.

A tent now stood tall before me in the darkness.

“This is also magic. It’s hidden by concealment magic, so ordinary people can’t see it. It’s also the home I’ve always stayed in.”

I gaped at it in amazement. Another example of magic.
Arwin smiled, opened the tent’s door, and looked at me.

“Welcome, Kasia.”
To my precious space at 77 Revan Village.

Late at night, Nick was on his way to Kasia’s house.
Since Duke Whedrian had arrived in Lorencia, discovered the third prince, and stayed here, Nick had temporarily left Kasia’s house to stay near the Duke.
Nick, designated as the next head of the Whedrian family, needed to learn from his father.

Although his mission concerning the third prince was personally requested by the Emperor, who favored Duke Whedrian,
Nick saw it as a good opportunity to leave Kasia’s house. Lately, he had wanted to maintain some distance from his mother.

He had been reflecting alone while staying with his father when he remembered he had left something at Kasia’s house.
So, late at night, he went to retrieve it.

“The lady is asleep.”
“I’ll go in quietly and leave. I just need to get something I left behind.”
“Understood.”

The two knights at the door let Nick in. He went inside, retrieved his belongings, and turned to leave.
But he felt something strange—the house was unusually quiet.

Even though he knew his mother was asleep, the silence was unnatural.
No rustling, no breathing—nothing.

He tried to leave, but hesitated. He recalled the mother he had seen earlier that day, boldly demanding something from his father at the shop—a side of her that seemed unfamiliar.
He sensed she had been under a lot of stress.

He couldn’t just leave. He needed to check—make sure she was sleeping soundly.

Nick approached her bedroom door slowly.

“…Mother?”
He opened the door slightly, and his eyes widened as he saw inside.

He flung the door open.

“…!”
Kasia wasn’t there.

An empty bed, a slightly open door, and fluttering curtains—these were all Nick could see.