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Chapter 49
On the way back, as the carriage entered the mountain road, sunlight filtering through the trees caught my eyes.
Maybe because we had just seen Chloe off, my heart felt unusually restless.
I glanced at Lady Yurein, who sat across from me. She was one of the true loyalists of the Beryden Estate family. In the original story, if she had not been unjustly driven away, perhaps she would have protected Hayden until the very end.
And I intended to ask that very Lady Yurein for help. No matter how much I thought about it, I could not do this alone.
Once I decided to take our little bright-eyed boy with me when I fled, I needed perfect preparation. And Lady Yurein was exactly the right person for that.
“Lady Yurein.”
“Yes, Duchess.”
“Would it be alright if we stopped to rest for a moment?”
Lady Yurein looked at me.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss.”
Lady Yurein stopped the carriage. She instructed the coachman to stand guard at a distance and watch for anyone approaching.
The mountains were quiet. There was nothing but birdsong and the sound of the wind. No people in sight. Inside the carriage, it was even quieter.
“Lady Yurein.”
“Yes.”
I took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
“I need your help.”
Lady Yurein’s eyes sharpened instantly.
“Has something happened, my lady? Please, just say the word. Offering up this one life would mean nothing if it is for your sake.”
The fact that those words were sincere was both comforting and frightening.
Lady Yurein truly seemed like the sort of person who would gladly throw away her life to protect Hayden. After wondering how best to say it, I cautiously began.
“No matter how I think about it, the current situation feels dangerous.”
“……”
Light spilled through the leaves and into the carriage. Shadows flickered across my hands. That peace was only the tip of the iceberg.
“The Association gathering, Lady Casrit, the temple, even Hezest. If war breaks out, Cheres will have to leave his position. Only Hayden and I will remain in the estate.”
The moment I said it aloud, my chest stung sharply.
“I don’t know how long that time will be.”
He would never return. That period would become eternity. But I could not say such a thing. It was still a future that had not happened.
Lady Yurein pressed her lips together before speaking slowly.
“Last year, the seal only broke for a single week.”
The period between the seal breaking and being restored was random every time.
Last year, it had taken one week for Cheres to lead the knights to the eastern front and return. I had heard that even during that single week, the entire estate had been tense with anxiety.
“Do you think it will be the same this year?”
Lady Yurein slowly shook her head.
“No. The duration changes every time the seal weakens. But periodically, the seal grows unstable, and when that cycle overlaps, the number of monsters explodes. I cannot say whether we’ll be fortunate enough for it to end within a week again.”
I let out a sigh. Fortunately, Lady Yurein shared the same concerns. But I still did not know how she would react to what I was about to say.
“So I want to prepare for the worst.”
It felt as though the wind had grown colder.
“I was hoping you could help us. To protect Hayden safely… I thought perhaps we should have somewhere to hide. At least until Cheres returns.”
My voice weakened at the end. Those last words were merely to avoid suspicion.
“……Have you decided where you would go?”
“Karensia. I thought Karensia might be suitable. If war breaks out, cities will fall into chaos, but rural villages like that are rarely affected. It would also be a good place to hide.”
Several emotions flickered through Lady Yurein’s eyes.
I waited quietly, giving her time to think and decide. It had taken me a long time to reach this decision too, so surely she needed time as well.
I was too worried about Hayden to leave alone. It felt as though that child’s unhappiness would forever hold me back. Just as I had promised Cheres, I wanted to protect that child’s happiness.
“Karensia… I believe it is a wise choice. It is a quiet and secluded village. Few people travel through it, and since it lies within the southern territory, it would actually be safer from outside threats.”
That was exactly why I had chosen it too. Relief loosened the tension in my shoulders when Lady Yurein agreed.
“However.”
Lady Yurein straightened her posture. She had lived in this estate longer than I had and understood how it operated.
“Even if you leave, someone will still need to protect the estate. We cannot allow it to be completely taken over.”
“What about Sir Bogus?”
Regardless of his personal dislike toward me, he was still loyal.
“I think he would be a good choice. And additionally, please consider Linen as well.”
It was an unexpected suggestion. Linen had originally been a person from Hezest.
Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Lady Yurein explained.
“Linen’s family will soon immigrate here as well. Right now, Linen and his family are filled with rage and hatred. Toward Hezest, specifically. I think it would be wise to make use of that. While you are gone, your eyes and ears must remain within the estate. Make Linen one of your people.”
Linen… It was not a bad idea. Right now, his family’s hatred toward Hezest ran deep enough that betrayal seemed impossible.
“One more thing. We’ll need knights. I think two would be enough. People we can trust, people willing to stand with us. Honestly, I think I’ll need your recommendation for this.”
I did not know every person in this estate. But Lady Yurein did.
“……I will devote my whole heart to it.”
The mountains remained quiet. But the atmosphere inside the carriage had changed from before. The bond between us had deepened. As much as the time we had already spent together—and the time we still would share.
“And lastly, I think Robin should come with us too. It would be reassuring to have someone there in case the child falls ill.”
Lady Yurein nodded.
“If it is the place my lady goes, then I shall follow anywhere. I am the one who should be grateful, my lady. For protecting the young master.”
Her words made the tip of my nose sting.
“Because I made a promise. I promised Cheres that I would make him and that child happy. And I truly want to keep that promise. Even for my own sake.”
At some point, they had come to mean that much to me. Time does not simply pass.
It piles countless things inside us.
“As for Cheres……”
“As for His Grace the Duke……”
Lady Yurein and I met each other’s eyes. I was the first to speak.
“I’ll talk to him myself.”
“I leave it in your hands.”
When speaking to Cheres, I intended to make it clear above all else that I would absolutely protect Hayden. I needed to do it in a way that would not worsen his anxiety.
The moment I pictured his face, an emptiness settled over my heart.
Was it selfish of me to wish that his end might at least be peaceful?
The carriage began moving once more. We decided to bury today’s conversation deep within these mountains. Until the day all these secrets would finally come to light.
Outside the window, spring in the South dyed the tips of the leaves with color.
It was a cruel and gentle spring.
After passing through the South’s final checkpoint, another week passed before they arrived. The moment the carriage crossed into the borders of the North, the scenery outside changed with brutal clarity.
If the sunlight of the South had been a brilliant golden blessing, then the sun of the North was merely crystal scattered across snowy plains. The air once filled with the scent of flowers had now become blades piercing the lungs.
Compared to the barren North, the South truly was a blessed land. That was why even among ducal houses, their status differed. It was also one of the reasons Hezest coveted Beryden Estate.
Throughout the journey, Petunia never once set down the box resting on her lap. That insignificant box containing a single pair of Morgan’s socks seemed to be the only pillar supporting the rest of her life.
She had left Morgan behind in Beryden.
Petunia clenched her teeth tightly.
