“Why are you looking for the Lady Highclere?”
Marilyn Lehr glanced back at the soft voice and froze like a statue.
Then, without even coming to her senses, she hurriedly got up from her seat, got into her proper posture, and bowed politely to greet him.
“Hello, His Highness the Seventh Prince.”
Luke's gaze briefly rested on the trembling Marilyn, then quickly left her.
Then he repeated the question to the man again.
“The reason for looking for the Lady Highclare.”
At the title of “Your Highness the Prince,” the man wet his dry lips with saliva and began to speak while fumbling through his now completely empty mind.
“My, my little son is sick.”
"However..."
“Actually, this child said he saw something he shouldn’t have seen at the border.”
“...”
Even if he was an ignorant person, he could tell that the Prince in front of him was a great person.
The man with the sturdy guards lined up on both sides turned sharp like a well-sharpened sword as soon as the word 'border zone' came out.
The man continued speaking, trying hard to hold back his tears.
“He said he got lost in the forest and went deep into it, and there was a group of people who looked very suspicious and were doing something strange. Strangely, there was a thick smoke around them and they couldn’t move and were hiding, but then suddenly a dazzling light came out.”
“A dazzling light.”
“And then when he came back, he started falling asleep more often, started sweating coldly, couldn’t eat anything, started vomiting, and eventually he couldn’t even breathe properly.”
The child's condition certainly appeared serious.
Marilyn, who had been looking at the sagging body that seemed completely lifeless, opened her eyes wide when she saw the patchwork the man had taken out.
The pattern engraved on the small piece of cloth, which must have once been a handkerchief, seemed familiar.
“Kingdom of Rohen.”
Only then did Luke realize why the man had come looking for Dorothea.
It was a long distance from the border to here, so much so that it would take at least three days by carriage.
Whether it was a miracle or a wish to save his son, the man not only arrived here safely but also met someone who would listen to him.
Luke's eyes narrowed.
'His few words alone are not enough to prove anything.'
The child's condition was indeed strange and the man's testimony did not seem false, but to reveal that, the temple must be involved.
If the Emperor knew, he would not have tried to escalate the situation by bringing in the temple and risking diplomatic rudeness at such a sensitive time.
'But if Dorothea Highclere meets the man in person.'
As in the capital, the investigation will not be hindered.
Moreover, Dorothea is a character who moves without thinking about the safety of the empire or future affairs.
He doesn't know what they're chasing, but it's clear that it's related to the Empress Dowager herself and the nobles of the Lohen Kingdom that she surrounds.
Luke opened his mouth after finishing the calculations in his head.
“This is no evidence at all. Just call it a coincidence.”
It was the moment when Marilyn bent down as if to give the man, who was collapsing in despair, some money for his return trip.
“Ouch!”
When she got close enough to touch the child, she suddenly screamed briefly and stepped back from the burning pain.
"This..."
The red-lettered 'amulet' she was holding in her arms suddenly burned and disappeared before her eyes, and for a split second, the child's eyes, which had been drooping, regained focus.
Ugh...
The child, who let out an unintelligible sound from deep in his throat, struggled for a moment before falling back to sleep.
“Oh, just now...”
He just clearly moved. His eyes came into focus.
The child who had been breathing weakly all along opened his mouth and made a sound.
The man stared blankly at Marilyn, then crawled over and grabbed the hem of her dress.
“Young Lady, Young Lady. Please help me.”
“Yes, yes?”
A desperate cry was directed at the bewildered Marilyn.
“The child just opened his eyes. The child who had been unconscious for a long time...”
"That..."
It was most likely because of the 'amulet' given by Dorothea Highclere.
Marilyn, who had read the hope that was beginning to appear in his eyes, stepped back with an uncomfortable expression.
Dorothea was not in the capital at the moment, and Marilyn had no desire to encounter her.
But looking at the drooping child again, it was clear that Dorothea Highclere might be the only one who could 'change' that child's condition.
'Just as it was when she gave eternal rest to Lord Raymond.'
From behind Marilyn, who was hesitating, a low voice softly flowed into her ears.
“It seems like I’ll be meeting Lady Highclere.”
It felt as if the sound of blood draining from her body.
Marilyn forced herself to turn her head, which wouldn't turn, and raised the corners of her lips.
“I’m sorry, but according to my father’s words, I must remain in the mansion for the time being and refrain from doing so...”
Luke called over to one of those standing next to him and gave instructions.
“Tell Baron Lehr that Lady Marilyn Lehr has belatedly accepted the invitation of her close friend, Lady Highclere, and has gone down to the Earldom of Spencer.”
“Your Highness, our family’s carriage and escort are inadequate for a long journey.”
“I finally have some free time on my schedule to prepare a carriage and escort.”
“I, a mere Baron’s daughter, cannot cause such trouble to the 7th Prince.”
Luke showed a rare, faint smile towards Marilyn, who was somehow struggling.
“That’s too bad. What will happen to our friendship?”
“What kind of friendship do you have with me? Please stop talking.”
“Wouldn’t a friend of a friend be a friend?”
Just as Marilyn was about to refute the almost forced statement, Luke asked relatively softly.
“Young Lady, you choose. Will you become a very good friend to me as a friend of a friend? Or will you become an enemy?”
“...”
The choice is either to be friends or enemies.
Why are you so extreme?
Luke leisurely looked at Marilyn, who desperately turned her eyes away as if she didn't want to get involved.
Dorothea clearly told people not to use those around her to threaten 'hers' or to impose unnecessary pressure, but she did not say that people around her should not be threatened.
Moreover, Marilyn appears to be a hesitant lamb who has not yet entered Dorothea's enclosure.
“No matter what, I can’t go see Lady Highclare while she’s on official duty...”
“Well, if you have something to say to your ‘precious friend’, then it might be possible. Since His Majesty has already handed over full authority to Lady Highclere, it might be possible to invite a few more people.”
That man just so happens to be there too.
Luke's gaze turned to Dane Highclere, who was poking his head out through the crowd of people at the commotion.
***
Dane Highclere accepted the offer, which he had made intending to have it rejected, with great cheerfulness.
“I was already worried about Thea. I already knew that Lady Lehr had special feelings for Thea. This is truly an amazing friendship.”
She felt a commotion around her.
Marilyn squeezed her eyes shut and fingered the inside of her sleeve where the amulet had already disappeared into ashes.
She had no intention of getting involved, but it was clear that the kid was experiencing something 'abnormal' like Raymond.
'Besides, there are already too many people gathered.'
Marilyn nodded absentmindedly, still looking away from the direction where the Seventh Prince was.
And the ordinary journey begins to transform into a life-threatening escape as a strangely large number of evil spirits harass them.
“Who on earth can chase us so quickly and so persistently?”
Even the departure was impulsive, to begin with, and when leaving the capital, they deliberately took a shortcut. Even though there were dozens of paths leading into the castle, the evil spirits not only found the group in a short time, but they were also moving quickly and accurately targeting them.
“There are too many.”
Those who were guarding the area had already diverted the enemy's attention and sent them on a different path.
Their leisurely pace was short-lived, however, as they got closer to their destination, more pursuers followed them and threatened their lives.
Seeing their desperate attitude, Luke knew even more that taking them in was not a wrong choice.
'It's to the point where I have to commit murder.'
If they see the other person's body like this, they might be able to catch the Empress Dowager's tail.
Boom!
At that moment, the carriage that had been running stopped with a loud noise, and the recoil caused everyone inside to flip over.
The group, who were hastily getting up, heard the urgent voice of Dane, who was driving the carriage.
“The horses are strange!”
Luke, who had climbed out the window, noticed that the eyes of the horse driving the carriage had turned white.
Dane, his brow furrowed, opened his mouth as if he couldn't understand.
“Can such an absurd coincidence happen? All the horses that were running fine just a moment ago are now blind.”
“That can’t be the only thing that doesn’t make sense.”
The momentum of the wild animals gathering on the narrow road was also very strange.
There are only two people holding swords.
The beasts that had gathered, both herbivores and carnivores, bared their teeth at the humans who had invaded their territory.
“Isn’t it much better to be treated as food to wild beasts than as an assassin?”
Are you a mercenary sent to replace the assassins who disappeared like ghosts as soon as they arrived at Spencer County?
“Damn, I guess I’m really unlucky today.”
A small creature approached Marilyn, who was standing behind Dane who had spat out the curse.
Her eyes widened as she saw the squirrel scurrying towards her without hesitation.
'Lady Dorothea's Squirrel.'
It was a certainty she couldn't explain.
While the swordsmen struggled against the herd of beasts, Marilyn stared blankly at the crows circling above her head and the squirrels that returned and beckoned her to follow it.
Her mouth opened as if possessed.
“Hey, you. Did you say your name was Jude?”
The man who crawled out of the carriage holding the child raised his head.
“Follow me.”
Only the presence of the squirrel standing on the road where one could not see an inch ahead due to thick fog was clear.
As if, all they have to do is believe in it and follow along.
***
“It’s not good weather for hunting. The fog is too thick.”
“That’s right. It’s rare for the Spencer County to be this foggy.”
Kiel's gaze turned to Dorothea, who was staring blankly into the forest.
She opened her mouth to look at Richard, who looked displeased, as she heard the cries of crows coming from the edge of the forest.
“It seems like it won’t be possible to hunt today, so I’ll have to be content with just looking around the hunting grounds.”
“It’s strange that we’ve come all this way. The fog around the castle has never been this thick.”
“That’s right. It’s very strange.”
The plots that took place in the forest were very interesting.
Someone has stirred up the living beasts.
The souls of the animals that had died tangled in excitement gave off a sweet fragrance along with a terrible odor.
“Then it’s time to go back...”
Despite Richard's words, Dorothea, who had been staring at the forest without moving an inch, raised the corners of her mouth.
One step. Two steps. She feels them coming closer to her.
Phi Phi was guiding them on the right path.
It's not a long time, but sometimes, having the ability to open the 'Road to the Dead', even if only for a short time, can be helpful.
The panting breaths of the living: one, two, three. And the remaining two.
“Don’t you think you hear a strange sound?”
Dorothea, sensing that those waiting were close by, closed the 'Road of the Dead' that she had left open.
At the same time, the fugitives who had escaped the eyes of the living revealed their presence.
“Huh, huh?”
Richard's eyes widened at the sound of someone screaming and footsteps.
As Freed, who had blocked Dorothea's path, glared at the forest, a woman with a face covered in tears and snot jumped out from between the rustling bushes.
“Lady Dorothea!”
Marilyn, who was sobbing pitifully, finally seemed relieved and cried in Dorothea's arms.
As a pale man appeared behind her, his jaw-dropping appearance disheveled, a ferocious hunting dog charged at them from somewhere.
“Boom, boom!”
In a tense situation, Kiel Spencer's sword bared its teeth and brought down the rushing hound.
Three hunting dogs that rushed at people as if possessed by something all lost their lives.
“That almost happened.”
Dorothea, holding Marilyn in her arms, looked down at the 'leashed' hunting dog and spoke slowly.
“That’s what I’m saying. I almost got in big trouble.”
Didn't you almost witness a human hunt right before your eyes?
As the crying subsided, Dane and Luke appeared, their faces looking tired.
Dorothea smiled fondly at the survivors.
"Come on."
She's been waiting.
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