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[CHAPTER 138]
“My Lady.”
There was clear bewilderment in Sylvia’s eyes.
“There’s no need to look so surprised.”
“I naturally assumed you were in contact with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“If Sylvia hadn’t been here, I probably would have sent a letter myself.”
“I didn’t leave to sever ties, after all.”
“Ah… right.”
When I spoke as if everything was fine, Sylvia looked relieved, yet she still could not properly meet my eyes.
She seemed to be feeling guilty about deceiving me.
As expected, she really is kind at heart.
I deliberately pretended not to notice her reaction and glanced around at the distant surroundings.
“So where is everyone else?”
“Sir Derek, for instance.”
“Uh, well, Sir Derek…”
At the mention of Derek, Sylvia grew even more flustered and began to stumble over her words.
“I’m right here, My Lady.”
At that moment, a man’s voice rang out, followed by the sound of someone leaping down from above the cave.
Derek and several knights appeared in front of me.
“Sir Derek.”
When our eyes met, Derek slightly lowered his gaze at an angle.
His apologetic expression was unmistakable.
“I received His Highness’s orders to protect and watch over you.”
“If this displeased you, I offer my apologies.”
I looked at Derek.
It was obvious from his demeanor alone that his purpose was more about protection than mere surveillance.
“No, actually, I should be thanking you.”
When I replied gently, Derek lifted his head, clearly surprised.
“You are not displeased?”
“Well, at first, a little.”
I gave a playful smile.
Naturally, no one enjoys being watched, but I had intentionally left enough ambiguity in the letter I sent to Vincent to pique his curiosity.
In other words, I had expected him to follow.
“But now it’s fine.”
“Having Sir Derek personally protect me actually puts me at ease.”
“To be honest, it felt a bit lonely being apart after always being together.”
Derek’s expression stiffened slightly, but I knew that was a subtle reaction he showed whenever he struggled to control his expression.
Avoiding my gaze, he spoke.
“His Highness places your safety above all else.”
“And I as well…”
“I know.”
I answered shortly.
I knew well that Vincent was not as cold a person as he appeared, and that he cared quite a bit about me, regardless of what he had said that day.
And Derek too, genuinely worried about me, something I could not help but know after all the years we had spent together.
“Sylvia.”
I turned my head and called out to Sylvia, who had been closely examining the magic stones as if still deeply interested in them.
She turned toward me.
Lowering my voice as I glanced around needlessly, I asked,
“With this amount of magic stones, do you think you could face the Master of the Magic Tower?”
Sylvia’s eyes widened at my question.
Derek also flinched slightly and looked at me, then focused intently on Sylvia’s answer.
“With magic stones…”
Sylvia looked toward the inner part of the cave.
Then she fiddled with the magic stone embedded in the bracelet I was still wearing.
Her lips tightened as if calculations were forming in her mind, and then she spoke.
“If it’s purely a magical duel, I can do it.”
“I could subdue him on my own.”
Then perhaps I could serve as sufficient bait to draw out the Master of the Magic Tower.
“It might take a few days…”
At Sylvia’s hesitant words, I nodded.
“I understand.”
My straightforward response made Sylvia look puzzled.
“But aren’t you going back now, My Lady?”
There was no way Sylvia could know what I had just been thinking, but going back?
“Why would I go back?”
“Now that we’ve discovered the magic stone mine…”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“We will escort you back to the Crown Prince’s Palace now.”
Even Derek stepped in as if he intended to take me back immediately, but I firmly shook my head.
“I’m technically in the middle of running away.”
“I can’t just go back that easily.”
“Then…”
I let out a small sigh while looking beyond the rocky hill we had crossed earlier.
“For now, let’s return to the inn.”
“We can’t keep staying there forever, so I’ll have to rely on an acquaintance for a while.”
“An acquaintance?”
Nodding at Sylvia’s question, I extended my hand toward Derek.
“You have at least one communication magic tool, right?”
Derek looked at me in confusion, and I smiled brightly at him.
* * *
Leaving Sylvia behind to stay a little longer at the magic stone mine, I headed back to the inn first with Derek.
After arriving at the inn, I used the orb-shaped communication device Derek carried to send a letter.
Apparently, whatever you wrote on paper would appear on the paper placed beneath the recipient’s orb.
The recipient was “Duchess Royce.”
I intended to borrow one of the Royce family’s villas for a short while.
I already knew that one of the Royce villas was not far from here.
From the beginning, I had come here with both the magic stone mine and this place in mind.
Honestly, as Wentworth Amelia, I did not have many places to stay.
Continuing to travel endlessly no longer served a purpose, and my funds were gradually running low as well.
About three hours after sending the letter, Derek knocked on my door.
“My Lady.”
I opened the door to greet him.
“Did a reply come?”
“Yes, but…”
Derek held out two sheets of paper.
“One is from Duchess Royce.”
“The other is… a letter from His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“I did not read it.”
“All right, thank you.”
Derek’s claim that he had not read it was certainly true.
“You reported what happened today, so the letter must be addressed to me, correct?”
“That is correct.”
Derek answered immediately, though he still stole a cautious glance at me.
It was merely a question about the sequence of events, not an attempt to blame him.
“Thank you.”
Taking the letters from him, I went back into the room.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I read the letter from Duchess Royce first.
Fortunately, just as I had expected, she readily agreed to lend me her villa.
The villa was not in Lunetten but in a quieter place called Briarden, a region famous for its beautiful snowy scenery.
“That’s a relief.”
Nodding in satisfaction, I then picked up the letter sent by Crown Prince Vincent.
