MLCIEF 20

Chapter 20

Martin and Benjamin went into the hut for a moment to get something.

But Delphien, who had already gone inside and was sitting on the wooden bed, turned pale the moment she saw them.

She didn’t scream, but her expression clearly showed she saw them as thieves—or worse.

Martin and Benjamin were just as shocked.

They had been the ones who found this place first and had stayed here for days.

So why was she acting like servants had barged into a noble lady’s private room?

Weren’t they all sleeping together anyway?

Even yesterday, Alice—who was basically the leader—had taken the bed, while the rest slept tangled together on the floor.

In a place like this, just avoiding dew, insects, and wild animals was already something to be thankful for.

While they stood there awkwardly, Kettler and Libeyon stepped in and handled the situation.

“How dare you enter while the young lady is here? Get out, all of you!”

After being chased out, they just grumbled.

They were leaving tomorrow anyway, and they had no attachment to the hut.

And now, even the small possibility of joining together completely disappeared.

“Impossible. No way.”

Martin shook his head firmly.

Jeffrey, who already disliked Delphien, even declared that if they ever joined, he would leave on his own.

* * *

Alice had gone night fishing to escape from the burdensome Count—

but she returned empty-handed.

Because Theodore had followed her anyway, standing right behind her.

Every time she moved, he watched everything over her shoulder.

She couldn’t focus at all and ended up catching nothing.

Even on the way back, Theodore followed her closely.

Trying to shake him off, Alice suddenly turned toward Martin.

Theodore paused for a moment—

then quietly turned and went back to his secretary, Logan.

It felt like she had just pushed away a large dog that kept following her, asking for attention.

But even after that, she felt like his gaze was still on her.

Feeling uneasy, Alice squeezed herself between Martin and Benji and lay down.

“Move over a bit.”

The boys, who had made a dry spot with layers of leaves, shifted lazily to give her space.

Since they were young, they used to lie on the roof of Alice’s house and look at the stars together.

It suddenly felt like those summer nights again, and her mood became lighter.

‘It’s just a jungle. It’s not that special.’

She could just think of it as a long camping trip in the forest.

Of course, Alice enjoyed things like this.

But Benji and Martin had always hated it since they were young.

That’s why their father only took Alice and taught her these things.

As she looked at the stars, Alice thought again that the Count was strange.

He felt different from the image she knew from newspaper articles.

He was indeed arrogant and beautiful, just like in the illustrations—

and he carried the authority of a commander.

But…

‘Hmm… what is it…?’

She couldn’t explain it, but something felt off.

Earlier, she had even thought he was like a large dog following closely behind her.

The person being followed would feel tense, not knowing when it might suddenly bite—

while the dog simply sniffed around with curiosity.

As Alice drifted into these thoughts, Martin gestured toward the hut.

“You should go sleep inside. You’re a girl, they might let you in.”

Alice glanced at Kettler, who was preparing to sleep outside the hut, and laughed.

“No, it’s fine. We’re leaving in the morning anyway.”

She didn’t want to go inside just to avoid dew and bugs—

only to become the target of Delphien’s invisible hostility, especially that strong resentment.

Yawning, Alice covered herself with a large palm leaf and lay down.

Not knowing that someone’s gaze had been on her the whole time, she murmured half-asleep:

“Tomorrow morning… I should go pick some durians. I saw some nearby.”

But they were high up, so it would take effort from early morning.

She planned to tie her feet like the natives did to climb.

Did she have cloth for that? Should she tear her skirt?

It would be easier to move if she shortened it anyway.

Her dress was already uncomfortable and bulky.

While thinking about all this—

Alice slowly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Theodore’s gaze quietly moved past the fire—

and rested on Alice, who was curled up asleep among the men.

* * *

“This can’t be happening!”

Early the next morning, Alice climbed a tree alone to get the durians she had spotted.

And at the age of twenty-five—

she faced the biggest crisis of her life.

Cold sweat poured down her forehead.

She never expected something like this to happen so early in the morning.

‘…I should’ve just stayed quietly!’

She wasn’t even close to the top yet—

when a saber-toothed beast climbed up beneath her and began scratching the tree with its sharp claws.

“…I’m doomed…”

She was only halfway up the tree.

She climbed as fast as she could—

but the beast was much faster.

“Why is it so big?!”

She blinked again and again, unable to believe what she was seeing.

But its massive size didn’t change.

It was almost as big as a house.

It didn’t look like a monster—

just a wild creature that had survived in a harsh environment.

Her hands and feet began to tremble.

Its long fangs looked terrifying.

If it bit her, it felt like her ribs—or even her skull—would shatter instantly.

‘What do I do?’

If she climbed higher, would it give up?

But no—it kept climbing right after her.

Her strength began to leave her body.

Worse—

more of them appeared.

Four more beasts came out from the bushes and circled the tree.

All of them were huge.

It looked like they were waiting for her to fall—

so they could devour her together.

Alice felt dizzy.

Even if she died, how could it happen like this, high up in the air?

Still, she calmly reached into her clothes.

“If it comes to it… I’ll use this…”

She had a weapon for the last moment—

but fear still filled her body.

Even when she went deep into forests with her father, she had never faced such beasts.

She tried to hunt durians—

but now she was the one being hunted.

No wonder people called this jungle a bottomless abyss.

CRACK—!

A massive claw struck the spot where her foot had been just moments ago.

“Ah—!”

Even the hard tree bark shattered.

Alice screamed for help into the air.

But her voice didn’t carry far in the early morning.

Only then did she realize—

she had come too far from the others.

Despair filled her.

She screamed again toward the direction of the hut.

“Help! Someone—please!”

But even if someone heard her and came—

it would already be too late.

The thought of them seeing her torn apart body made her tremble.

No—

with five beasts, there might not even be anything left.

‘Marty… your sister is going to die. At least you live well and get married.’

Martin would definitely regret teasing her about not getting married.

Her feet burned as she climbed the rough bark.

“I don’t want to die like this!”

Father, what should I do?!

Even while panicking, Alice acted.

She pulled out her dagger and stabbed the beast’s nose as it reached for her ankle.

The beast cried out and fell back slightly—

but then climbed up again, even more furious.

“Oh no!”

Just as she was struggling—

“Stay right there.”

It wasn’t a shout.

It was calm, steady—without any urgency.

The moment she heard it, Alice knew who had come.

She looked down.

Theodore was running toward her, holding a sharpened bamboo spear.

‘Will that even work? There are four more down there!’

Alice’s face turned pale as she looked down at the terrifying scene below.