TMOWM~85

Chapter 85

I swallowed hard.

The tension made my fingertips feel frozen. There was no one here to protect me. No Taiburn, no Hider.

And standing before me was the heir of Aites. Even if he had been cast out, he was still a young master of Catieron—and a Sword Master.

In Berveze, a Sword Master was an existence outside the norm. You could say they carried a status above all other status.

And on top of that, he was a high noble?

Well, that said it all.

Even if a duke’s household outranked a marquis’s, could Duke Herden really drive out Karte now? That was questionable.

It would be best not to clash head-on.

This crisis—I would have to escape it on my own. Anything useful in my status window…? Nope.

As if my potato-peeling-knife skills could ever knock out a Sword Master. I didn’t even think about that.

[Master of Acting Lv. Max]

If I was going to try anything, this was it.

I clasped my hands together as if in prayer and put on a wistful expression.

“Forgive me, Sir Karte. I’m no longer someone who can just run off on my own.”

“What do you mean?”

Karte tilted his head, his face as blank as a wax doll. That red gleam around his eyes kept bothering me.

“Exactly what I said, Sir Karte. I’m no longer a maid of Catieron.”

I kept my tone soft, so as not to provoke him, but clear enough to deliver the facts.

“Explain properly, Lani. I don’t understand.”

Karte asked in a slouched, casual posture.

“I’ve become a count’s young lady. I owe that honor to Lord Taiburn.”

“What?”

The hand Karte had been persistently reaching out to me with dropped. He frowned, confusion written on his face.

“How does a maid become a count’s daughter? You were born different. The roots are different.”

People are all the same, but I couldn’t say that aloud.

There was killing intent in his eyes.

How in the world had he become a Sword Master, with eyes like that?

This was a time to bow low, not resist.

“So true. I don’t understand how it happened either. Lord Taiburn arranged it.”

“The world must be ending. Dogs and cows becoming count’s daughters now.”

Karte rose to his feet.

“Are you leaving now?”

Karte smiled at me. His curved eyes still glowed unnervingly red.

“For now, yes. I could take a maid away right now, but a count’s young lady… there’s the wedding in two months. After the marriage, I’ll come see you, Lani.”

See me? For what?

I’d rather never see him again. And he didn’t even ask whether I wanted to go anywhere with him.

I shoved down my complaints and quickly put on a bright smile.

“Congratulations on your upcoming marriage, Sir Karte.”

“Thank you, Lani.”

As he passed by me, Karte suddenly halted. He laid a hand on my hair, stroking me like one would a beloved pet dog, and met my eyes.

Chills ran down my spine, but thanks to my Master of Acting skill, I didn’t let it show.

“You won’t go anywhere, will you?”

“Even if I’m a count’s daughter now, I’ve nowhere to go. It’s only a title.”

“Why are you being so obedient? It’s strange.”

Why do you think?

Go look in a mirror, look at your eyes.

“You’re a Sword Master now, Sir Karte. Doesn’t that put you on the same level as Lord Taiburn?”

“And you’ve become a count’s young lady. In the past you weren’t this docile.”

“I was childish then, Sir Karte. And as you said, our roots are different.”

Karte nodded at that.

“I’m glad you realized it, Lani. I was worried you’d never know your place.”

He gripped my hair tight before letting go.

Ow! My scalp!

“I wondered how I should teach you your place. I’m glad you’ve realized it yourself. Then I’ll see you next time.”

“Yes, Sir Karte.”

When Karte finally left my sight, I pressed a hand to my chest and exhaled in relief.

The mama’s boy had evolved into a psycho and come back. Looking out the window, I saw him leaving the estate.

Afraid our eyes might meet, I hurriedly hid behind the curtains.

Honestly, he used to be better before. What was that just now? My heart was still pounding madly.

I bit my lip and fiddled with the status window.

[You may travel anywhere you wish.]

My fingers brushed over the sentence.

Maybe the reason I hadn’t left this place yet was my own lingering attachment.

Saying I would leave only once I came of age and inherited everything—maybe that was just an excuse.

I had spent years here, after all, and built relationships with many people.

In Catieron, and in the capital.

But Karte had shoved me off the edge of my comfort.

Two months.

He said he’d come back after the wedding?

Would there be anyone who could protect me by then?

“Sigh.”

Forget waiting until adulthood—it was time to run away now.

Only Hider or Taiburn could handle Karte.

Even if Duke Herden was a duke, one sword strike would kill him all the same. And Sir Hilden’s status was too low to shield me.

I had to leave.

That evening.

I went to see Duke Herden. Though still gaunt, he was spending more time in his office, holding the household together.

A great house like this wouldn’t run itself. Lying sick in bed wouldn’t earn anyone’s understanding.

“What brings you here, Lani? You rarely ask to see me yourself.”

“Your Grace.”

I took a deep breath.

“Sir Karte came to see me today.”

The duke raised an eyebrow.

“I heard he visited, yes. What did he say? You don’t look well.”

“He said he wants to take me away.”

Even recalling it gave me goosebumps. I can only imagine what he’ll become later. Can’t wait—really.

“Take you away…?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“For what reason?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because I was once Lord Hider’s maid.”

The duke frowned and pressed his temples.

“That boy resembles his mother too much. He’s inherited all of Kiera’s obsession and greed.”

Agreed. Like mother, like son.

The way he craves what belongs to Hider, too. Honestly, what are those two lacking that they turned out like this?

Even becoming a Sword Master—couldn’t he at least do something to benefit the world?

“He will never give up. It would be wise for you to hide for a while. Until your father and Hider return.”

The duke’s face grew paler.

“He will gnaw away at those around you, and in the end gnaw away at you, until nothing is left.”

His gaze grew distant, as if recalling Amy.

“And he resembles me, too.”

The duke?

Well, looks-wise, yes. What else?

“I ruined Amy’s life as well, didn’t I.”

He let out a long sigh and continued.

“Go, Lani. I never thought I’d say this, but there’s little I can do for you. Once you leave, I can erase your traces.”

That was exactly why I had come here.

“Go with Sir Hilden.”

“No, I’ll go alone. Karte knows I’ve become a count’s young lady, but he doesn’t know which household. If Sir Hilden disappears too, he’ll suspect the Schultz family. That could drag them into trouble.”

“Then I’ll prepare a place for you to escape to.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Even in this tragic situation, there was one good thing.

“I already have a place to go, Your Grace.”

The house Taiburn had prepared for me.

His aide had stayed behind at the estate. I could ask him to push the compensation process forward, or at least let me move in early.

That should work, right?

Better to hide in my own home than someone else’s.

“You mean to go alone?”

“Yes. I want it that way. It’ll be easier for you to cover my tracks that way, Your Grace.”

So this was it. Independence, at last.