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Chapter : 20
The baroness gently stroked Anna’s hair and cheeks.
“She wrote that you should contact her anytime if you need help. I think that message was meant for you, not for me.”
Anna was silent.
“Your father loved you very much, and I was busy with my own life, so I forgot about it. But when I heard you were struggling, I suddenly remembered.”
“Thank you for thinking of me, teacher,” Anna said, looking up from the paper and smiling. The baroness finally looked relieved and smiled back.
Anna stood up.
“I’ll go now. Please don’t see me off.”
“Alright…”
They walked together to where the carriage was waiting. Anna gave the baroness, who still looked sorry, one last hug before getting in. Only after the carriage left Baron Vestin’s house did Anna finally relax and breathe easily.
‘They probably think I’ll stay the night.’
She had told Henry and Lucy she’d be gone overnight, so they would be surprised to see her back so soon. She felt a little sorry thinking of their surprise.
She opened the window and looked at the sky. Tall pine trees lined the road, reaching for the sky. A thin crescent moon shone weakly through their branches.
‘Baron Vestin’s house is so far and lonely… It gives me the chills.’
As Anna shivered and was about to close the window, the coachman suddenly yelled, “Oh!” At the same time, she heard loud horse hooves thundering all around.
Anna’s heart sank. It was late, and there was no reason for a group of men on horseback to be out on a lonely mountain road…
She moved away from the window. Then—‘Bang!’—there was a crash and the world tilted sideways. Anna grabbed her seat tightly, but the carriage fell completely on its side, scraping along the ground before it stopped.
“Miss, are you alright?”
The coachman, covered in blood, tried to open the carriage door. Anna held her aching head and groaned, feeling blood on her hand. The door was stuck, and the coachman struggled to open it—suddenly, “Thunk!”—he screamed.
“Aaah!”
Anna looked through the window and saw an arrow sticking out of his shoulder.
“Miss, you must run…”
The coachman collapsed. Then, men came out of the woods with bows and swords, confidently prying at the carriage door.
“No, no…”
Anna thought she would die here. She remembered Raiden.
‘How could I die after finally meeting him again? I can’t!’
Thinking of him, she forced herself to stay alert. She looked around and found a broken piece of wood. The end was rough and sharp, but she gripped it tightly, ready to hit anyone who came in.
‘I will go back to Raiden, no matter what!’
The door creaked, and then finally fell off. Anna’s heart stopped, but she tightened her grip on the wood. The sharp point dug into her skin, but she didn’t care.
Just then—fwish!—another arrow flew through the air.
“Ah!”
One of the men about to enter the carriage fell, hit by the arrow. The attackers ran off to fight someone else. Anna heard the clash of swords.
“What’s happening?”
Anna peeked outside. The attackers were fighting someone—whoever it was, they were much stronger. The attackers were cut down like animals.
“Who could it be…?”
Suddenly, some people on horseback burst out of the woods. Even in the weak moonlight, Anna recognized the person in front.
“Baron Vestin?”
He got down and swore loudly.
“Damn it! If someone dies on our land, who will deal with the trouble after?!”
He hurried his men to help Anna. She was pulled out of the carriage. The fight was almost over, only a few attackers were left, huddled together.
Then Anna saw something.
‘That…!’
Her face went pale as she stared at one of the attackers—the leader, who hadn’t fought but watched from his horse. The attackers made signals to each other, then turned and escaped into the forest.
“Don’t chase them! What if it’s a trap? Let’s just go home!”
Anna was roughly put on a horse. The coachman survived. They quickly gathered the wounded and rushed back to the Vestin house.
On the fast horse, Anna remembered what she had seen.
‘Those shoes…’
The leader’s shoes shone in the moonlight. She recognized them immediately.
‘They were the shoes I gave Father for his birthday.’
Anna felt a different kind of darkness swallow her. She buried her face in the horse’s mane.
The fear and despair she felt was worse than when the carriage crashed, or when the men tore the door off with swords…
The next morning, Henry and the Evercline knights arrived at Vestin’s house. As soon as they got the news, they came rushing. Henry’s face was pale, and even after seeing Anna was safe, he couldn’t calm down.
“So all the attackers disappeared?”
Henry asked the baron in private.
“After we got the lady home safe, we went back, but even the bodies were gone. If they tried to kill someone, of course they’d clean up after themselves.”
The baron clucked his tongue, then bragged,
“If my mother hadn’t insisted on seeing you to the city, who knows what would’ve happened. You could have died!”
That was true, but Henry thought if they’d caught one attacker, maybe they could find out who was behind it. He hid his feelings and bowed.
“Evercline will never forget this favor.”
After all, it was thanks to the baron Anna survived.
“Well, only if you prosper, I guess,” the baron said, but fell silent when he saw Anna’s pale face. Even he knew when to shut up.
“Be careful on your way…”
The baroness, who had cared for Anna all night, insisted on seeing her off at the gate. Everyone from Evercline had to wait a long time, but no one complained. Every move and look from the baroness showed her deep worry for Anna. Anna knew this, so she tried hard to smile, even with her pale face.
“I’m alright. Henry is with me.”
“Still, you must be careful until they find out who did this. The baron will keep investigating.”
Anna didn’t expect the baron to find anything, but thanked her quietly.
“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble, teacher.”
“Don’t say that.”
Tears filled the baroness’s eyes. She had lost Anna’s mother, her favorite student, and now Anna was in danger, too.
“You must be careful. Promise me—it’s my last wish.”
“Yes, teacher.”
They finally let go of each other’s hands. The iron gate swung open and Evercline’s carriage sped away.
Henry closed the window as the wind picked up. Anna didn’t speak until they left the mountain. When the sun had fully risen, she finally asked,
“How’s Tom?”
Tom was the coachman who tried to protect Anna.
“He won’t be able to use his arm for a while, but he’ll live. We’ll give him paid leave until he’s completely well.”
“Good. Take care of him. And…”
Anna’s face, which had softened, turned blank again.
“Check if Father is staying at the villa near the capital.”
Henry looked surprised, then his eyes sharpened. He understood right away.
He nodded quietly, reading her mood.
“Understood.”
“Don’t tell Lucy.”
Anna closed her eyes and whispered, her voice full of exhaustion. The shock and sleepless night were catching up to her. As she fell into a light sleep, Henry gently covered her with a blanket and drew the curtains to block the sun, his face full of worry.
