Despite the long line in front of the castle's checkpoint, the carriage Dorothea and her group rode quickly entered.
As soon as the soldier guarding the door saw what the coachman had taken out, he shouted to let them through without even thinking about it.
Unlike the smooth entry into the castle, the atmosphere inside the carriage was very foreign.
The man who owned the carriage was smiling the whole time.
The original impression itself wasn't cold, but it didn't feel soft at all.
He had a particularly bright complexion and good complexion, and at a glance, he seemed to be in good condition.
And Colin, who was semi-forcibly seated next to him, was looking outside with an uncomfortable look on his face.
Colin is desperately turning his head, and the man is looking at him with satisfaction.
Dorothea looked at the two people and nodded as if she understood.
“You slept together.”
“It was the first comfortable night in a while.”
A look of contempt appeared on Colin's face as he heard the man's happy words.
It was uncomfortable enough just to wear human skin, but he was three times more disturbed because of the guy who had been sleeping peacefully near him all night.
Moreover, after waking up from a good night's sleep, the gaze he gave Colin was unusual.
A man with persistent, child-like eyes who had something he wanted opened his mouth.
“I wish I had known in advance that the Second Prince of Highclere was such an amazing person.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t know.”
Colin, who still couldn't escape the pain, avoided the man's gaze with a pale face.
He suggested in a sincere voice.
“How about having a serious relationship with me as a close friend? Even though I’m like this, I’m quite promising among my peers.”
“That’s it.”
Despite the firm rejection, the man did not seem disappointed.
Dorothea looked at the two people's scuffle and stroked the squeaking shoes.
Colin got excited when he saw her relaxed face, but he couldn't make a loud noise in the narrow carriage.
This is even more so when you are dependent on the favor of others.
***
Not long after passing through the castle gate, the carriage stopped at the entrance of a dark alley.
The bad gangsters who were hanging around ran away when they saw the prosecutors guarding the carriage. Those who lived through begging were as quick to judge ‘those who should not be touched’ as they were from their long experience.
“You can go straight from here through the back door over there.”
They deliberately chose an alley close to the back gate of a large inn to drop us off.
Just passing through the gates together was enough, but a night of sleep seemed to have made him more favorable than necessary.
“Thank you to my benefactor.”
In the end, she didn't find out the man's name, but it didn't matter.
There's no way he'll forget the sweetness he tasted from Colin last night.
In the end, he will find her himself.
The man looked at Dorothea, who was smiling softly, and opened his mouth.
“I have a question.”
“What?”
“What should I do to keep your uncle by my side?”
Colin turned his head as if he was displeased at the man's intense gaze.
“If I keep him by my side, won’t you naturally become mine too?”
Dorothea looked at him blankly.
A man whose soul is filled with traces of a truly difficult life.
Perhaps he has been living in a blurred consciousness for some time now, crossing the thin line between reality and dreams.
For him, last night's sweet sleep was like a midsummer night's dream, a mirage that disappeared, but wasn't it a comfortable oasis that he wanted to chase after for the rest of his life?
Because sleeplessness is enough to drive a person crazy.
“I will repay my debt to my benefactor. But you can’t have me around.”
She's sick of living as someone else's doll without any will.
Being someone's 'exorcist' was now a thing of the past.
“If you force me, instead of the peace you want, you might end up with terrible results.”
They are blessed, not shackled.
Dorothea glanced at the man. It was entirely possible to open a gap in a soul that was already full of cracks and cause serious injury.
If you try to force it, there's nothing you can't do.
The man heard her warning and laughed.
“I can’t be satisfied with just one night, so what can I do?”
“If we give up our greed, we can solve our current problems. Not immediately, but slowly.”
Colin is only a temporary expedient.
If you empty your mind, reduce your desires, and purify yourself for a long time, the company's problems will be solved on their own anyway. At the very least, if you abandon everything in this world and convert to religion.
'But it's probably impossible.'
The man's eyes are eager.
Desire to have something, desire because you need it, and desire to change who you are now.
The life of this person filled with such aspirations could not have been quiet. Clearly, there will be no peace in his life that can repair the cracks in his soul.
“Give up your greed? That must be difficult.”
"Yes."
The man in front of her was extremely greedy.
Because he doesn't want to let go of anything, and at the same time, he doesn't want to contaminate himself.
He nodded heavily at Dorothea's advice.
“Somehow I don’t want to antagonize you. So I guess I have no choice but to let it go.”
“You make a wise decision.”
Dorothea, who had been wondering whether she should throw away the man's soul and create a second Colin if it didn't work out, was glad that there were less annoying things to do.
“See you later, Dorothea Highclere.”
Finally, the man who did not give his name got back into the carriage.
“And our Lord Colin too.”
Colin, who received the last serious gaze, shuddered and wrinkled his face.
As the carriage left, Dorothea poked the Reaper, who was wearing human skin and looking gloomily up at the sky, with her hand.
The spirit in his pocket came out and laughed at the person who was once his master.
***
The Reaper, who had difficulty accepting reality, kept looking up at the sky.
“I have worked non-stop for hundreds of years and have never experienced this kind of humiliation.”
“Well, if you work for a long time, you will naturally experience this and that.”
Dorothea patted Colin on the back as if she had nothing to do with it.
“You can just eat well and live well since it’s already like this.”
Considering the various circumstances, the status of 'human' Colin Highclere seemed quite high.
Because there are people who can pamper him with luxurious clothes at any time.
Colin's eyes widened at Dorothea's words.
“Eating well and living well is a mess.”
From the first day he became human, he suffered from extreme pain, was chased by an assassin commissioned by this body, and even suffered the humiliation of having to sleep next to a man who only looked fine on the outside.
Dorothea held out her hand toward Colin, who was wheezing.
“Help me.”
Colin reluctantly picked her up with a reluctant look on his face.
Whether he liked it or not, since he entered this body and continued his life, he had the status of Dorothea's 'uncle' and was at the same time a member of her household.
“Is it close to the mansion?”
“You need money to hail a carriage.”
"No money?"
“It’s not enough to call them. There is a mansion not far away, so let’s walk.”
The memories seeping into his mind were being sorted out little by little.
As he thought about the future, his mind became dizzy.
Dorothea looked at Colin walking among the people holding her in his arms.
"What are you thinking about?"
“Owner of this body. He has accumulated quite a lot of evil deeds. If things continue like this, karma will swallow up this life.”
“Karma...”
'Is it like some kind of karma?'
Dorothea listened to Colin with lowered eyes.
“He persecuted the wife he had taken for granted because she came from a humble family, and even beat up her children.”
“Oh my.”
“He was merciless in stepping on those lower than him and was hell-bent on bringing down those higher up. Naturally, he accumulated a lot of karma.”
There was no room for sympathy at first, but the more she heard, the more it grew.
Dorothea probably won't regret burning and destroying Colin's soul so that he won't even have a chance to have another life.
“Anyway, there are a lot of people here.”
The road was not narrow, but it was chaotic with people passing by.
As he made his way through the noisy and crowded crowd, Colin also looked around as if he felt uncomfortable.
“It’s a busy area, but there are too many people.”
Even looking back on human memory, cases like this were not common.
The surrounding air was clearly different from usual.
More and more excited people were flocking towards the gate.
“It would be best to return quickly.”
“Let’s go eat that first.”
Unlike Colin, who watched his surroundings with caution, Dorothea was carefree.
She was very excited as it was her first time leaving the mansion and seeing a street full of people.
Colin clicked his tongue at Dorothea, who couldn't take her eyes off the colorful and spicy street food.
“Act like a noble lady.”
As the daughter of the famous Highclere family, she acts like a girl from the streets with no special interests.
Despite Colin's mistreatment, Dorothea eventually got the bread and roasted bird she wanted.
Colin shot at her as she craned her neck to look around while holding food in her hand.
“Just stay still.”
Dorothea was stroking his head with her fern-like hand and shaking her legs in an irritated voice.
A loud trumpet sounded from above the castle gate.
At the same time, people around started cheering loudly.
“Victory! This is the way for the 7th Prince to return from victory!”
People once again poured out onto the crowded street.
The streets were now overflowing with people, making it difficult to walk.
Dorothea touched her tingling ears and looked at the majestic soldiers coming through the gates.
The man in the lead was riding a horse and wearing shining armor, and his eyes were fierce under his helmet.
'What?'
The half-hidden face looked somewhat familiar.
She blinked and looked at the young general, and then her eyes met a man wearing a helmet who was riding in.
The man's chin, which was not very large, was smooth and without any beard, and his skin was transparent and clear.
The pale complexion and dull expression were impressive.
'Ah.'
Dorothea remembered him.
'That unlucky bastard back then.'
He was an unlucky person who saved her life at best, but then threw the necklace into the river and walked away.
'Was he the Prince?'
The other person seemed to recognize her and stopped the proudly marching horse.
The Prince's fierce eyes were following her obsessively.
“Do you know him?”
"Huh."
“How did you get involved?”
The Prince with an unusual expression was seen calling someone nearby and giving instructions.
Dorothea pondered before answering Colin's question, which was filled with an uneasy premonition.
“I saved his life.”
At that moment, the Prince's finger was pointed precisely at Dorothea.
Soon, well-trained knights began to approach her and Colin, giving off a strange aura.
She could tell just by looking at their eyes.
It is by no means approaching to receive a benefactor.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment