TNLA 51

Chapter 51

A maid hurriedly opened the door and began speaking in hushed tones to a knight standing outside. Watching them, Arlen pressed her hand against the sofa and pushed herself upright.

“Oh, my lady, you’re awake? Sorry for the noise. It’s nothing serious, I’m sure.”

There was no way it was nothing serious.
Still half-asleep, her expression blank, Arlen clutched the blanket tightly in her hands.

Meanwhile, the maid finished her brief conversation with the knight and returned.

“What did he say?”

“He said there’s an emergency, and we’re to stay inside the room for now. He said this is the safest place… but he doesn’t know exactly what’s going on. Do you think someone’s attacking us? I’m scared.”

“Who would attack? There’s no war, and we’re not even near the border.”

“What are you saying? The master went to suppress the rebellion himself! Who’s to say it won’t spread here too? This place used to be where that massacre— oh!”

The maid cut herself off, clapping a hand over her mouth. She seemed to have suddenly remembered that the young lady she served was none other than the last surviving blood of the massacred House of Lucerne.

From outside, shouts and cries echoed in the distance. Arlen straightened her posture completely, and the maid quickly draped a shawl over her chemise.

“Better get dressed properly. They said it’s an emergency. What if we have to evacuate suddenly?”

Another maid rushed to bring a coat and shoes. They hurriedly helped Arlen into her outer clothes and slippers, then threw coats over their own uniforms.

Once dressed, one maid went to the window and tried to peer out, desperate to make sense of the chaos.

Though noise filled the air outside, the hallway beyond their door was eerily silent. The entire castle seemed to be in motion, yet the private chambers deep inside the inner court were untouched by that frenzy.

Most people had rushed off to fight the fires or guard the walls. Near Arlen’s quarters, only one knight stood guard at her door — and inside, just the two maids remained with her.

Amid the heavy, uneasy stillness, Arlen quietly adjusted her hair. She untied the ribbon from her sleep-mussed hair, ran her fingers through it, neatly braided it, and tied it again.

As she waited, she counted the seconds in her head, twisting the end of her braid between her fingers, tapping her toes inside her shoes.

Arlen only knew of one secret passage — the single one revealed to her because she was not the heir. That passage led out of the castle, a one-way escape route. It could not be entered from outside.

Which meant…

Can he make it inside safely?

All she could do was prepare herself to leave at a moment’s notice, clenching and unclenching her fists as she waited.

After a while, she glanced at her maids — pacing, wringing their hands, whispering in panic — and lowered her gaze back to the carpet.

There was no point thinking of anything else. She couldn’t afford to worry about what would happen to those maids after she was gone. Arlen no longer had room in her heart — nor the will — to pity or protect the people of Requies.

That part of her had begun to unravel long ago, last summer — when she fled with Azen, when she prayed for his return even as she watched another knight die, when she herself had plunged a dagger into human flesh.
It had finally torn apart completely the day she realized almost everyone she cared for was dead.

And then —

A strange sound broke through the silence outside her door.

There was a quick exchange of muffled voices, a grunt — ugh! — and a heavy thud.
The three women’s eyes snapped to the door just as it burst open.

The maids, about to scream, stopped short when they saw a man in a familiar soldier’s uniform. But before they could relax, the soldier strode forward and struck one maid on the back of the neck — she collapsed instantly.

The other maid barely had time to inhale before he was upon her too — swift, precise, and silent.

It happened in an instant.
If anyone had passed by, they might not even have noticed.

The soldier stepped back into the hall, dragged the fallen knight’s body inside, and tossed it into the corner.

Only then did he approach the young lady sitting calmly on the sofa, her green eyes watching everything without flinching.
He dropped to one knee, took her hand, and pressed his lips to it.

“I’ve come to escort you, my lady.”

“Alright.”

The moment she nodded, he swept her up into his arms. Her arm curled around his neck as he supported her against his left arm and shoulder.

“The way out may be rough.”

“I’ll be fine.”

She inhaled deeply.
Her heart pounded — with fear, yes, but also with resolve. There was no more hesitation, no more regret.

Azen closed the door behind them and stepped into the hallway. It was empty, silent. Even if someone appeared, he was confident he could handle it. The entrance to the secret passage wasn’t far — the Duke of Lucerne had shown her that route precisely because it was the nearest one to her room.

Baron Aesop was in chaos, trying to organize fire suppression efforts while fortifying the castle against the impending assault.

The fires refused to die down — clearly, they had been deliberately set. Someone had infiltrated earlier and planted accelerants in advance. The timing was perfect: the knights had left to fight elsewhere, leaving the defenses weak.

Servants and soldiers ran frantically with buckets of water and sand. Even the off-duty knights were summoned to man the walls. Amid the frenzy, the butler approached.

“Baron, may I ask something—”

“What is it?”

The baron, already on edge, barked sharply, fearing yet another crisis.

“Have you checked on the young lady’s safety?”

“What young lady?”

“The… Lady Lucerne.”

“What?”

The baron was incredulous. In this madness, that’s what the man wanted to ask?

“You expect me to worry about His Highness’s mistress at a time like this?”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“Should I go and comfort the delicate little concubine so she doesn’t faint from fright? Is that it?”

“My lord—”

“Are you out of your mind, butler? Can’t you see the castle’s under attack? Everyone’s busy and you’ve got time to chat? When there’s a fire, the butler’s job is to oversee its extinguishment! Go to the stables — now! I’ll handle things here.”

With that, the baron turned away, radiating icy fury. The butler could only bow and bite his tongue.

Of course, the baron was right — but the butler couldn’t shake his unease.

Every order concerning the young lady had passed through his hands: her confinement, her guards, her comforts, her restrictions. He knew just how obsessively sensitive the Grand Duke was about her safety.

If his lord had been here, he would have sent knights to her chamber the very instant the fire began.

But the butler had no authority over soldiers.

So, bound by the baron’s orders yet unable to ignore his conscience, he grabbed a passing soldier.

“You there — go to Lady Lucerne’s quarters and confirm that she’s safe.”

“Are you alright, my lady?”

Azen’s voice was low but steady.
In one arm, he carried a torch; in the other, Arlen.

The secret passage was suffocatingly dark, the air foul, the stench unbearable. Unseen creatures scattered at the torchlight, skittering away into cracks.

“I’m fine. Truly,” she replied softly. “Don’t worry.”

And she meant it.

“In fact… it feels good.”

If she had been alone, she would have been paralyzed with fear.
If she were here with Kashien, she would have thought this was the road to hell — or that they were already in it.

But the man holding her now was Azen — the one who had always stayed by her side.
Though the tunnel was narrow, dark, and endless, being in his arms made her feel as if she were passing through a birth canal — a painful, stifling path that nonetheless led to new life.

Once they emerged, there would be light. There would be air. There would be a world where she could breathe again.

And at last, they reached the end.

The passage opened into the forest outside Shuell Castle. There, two horses and a few supplies waited — Azen had prepared them in advance.

He lifted Arlen onto one horse, mounted behind her, wrapped one arm securely around her waist, and took the reins with the other. Soon they were galloping, breaking free from the forest into the open fields.

Arlen looked up at the night sky, filled with countless glittering stars.

She had forgotten how vast the heavens were — how many stars there were.
She’d looked out windows before, but it had never felt like this.

“We’ll ride until morning,” Azen said. “Rest against me. I’ll hold you.”

Arlen smiled faintly. She’d heard those same words before, long ago.
No matter how much time passed, he was still saying the same things.

So… I’ve really come back.

She had thought she’d lost everything — her family, her home, everyone she’d loved. The house once full of warmth and laughter had become a monster’s maw. She had believed there was nowhere left to return to.

But she had been wrong.

There was still one place left — the only one.

Beneath the vast, star-swept sky, their horse carried them swiftly into the distance.

Arlen leaned back, sinking into the warmth of his embrace. His arm tightened around her, holding her close.

Surrounded by his familiar scent — the one she had longed for — she closed her eyes.

It was an uncomfortable position by any measure, yet for the first time in a long while, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.