Click, click.
Every time the carriage rocked gently, my body also shook a little. Every time, the hand holding me gently patted my back. As if telling me not to be surprised. As sleep came over me at the regular touch, a voice was heard from above my head.
"I still can't believe he had an affair. Not only the affair but a child...!"
"Shh, Cecilia... Yes, cry as much as you want. It's just us here."
"Ugh, I tried not to show it in front of the kids... Is Lili sleeping?"
"Yes. She's sleeping soundly."
In fact, I was awake. But I kept my eyes tightly shut and pretended to be sound asleep. My mother, who always smiled like sunshine, was crying like a monsoon. It seemed like she didn't want me to find out. My grandfather's and mother's voices could be heard whispering from above my head.
"Get a divorce."
My grandfather said firmly.
"I can't stand seeing you wither away while living with a guy like that."
"...People will gossip. You know what people think of divorced women. The Lopez family's reputation that my father worked so hard to build will be tarnished."
"What does that have to do with anything? Even if it's tarnished, it'll be that bastard's fault, not yours!"
My grandfather shouted in a hushed voice. It was the first time I heard that from my always gentle and affectionate grandfather, so I pretended to be asleep and shrugged my shoulders. My grandfather patted my shoulder and sighed.
"All that matters to me is the happiness of you, Cecilia, and my grandchildren. Don't about anything else and just pursue your own happiness." "
"...He won't divorce me."
"Do you understand what that little bastard means? Just kick him in the butt and throw him out. He'll be kicked out naked, stripped of all his property and title. That's his punishment for tearing your heart apart!"
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Father..."
"Don't say that, just calm down."
There were some difficult words. among the words going around my head, but I could understand the general situation.
'Dad made Mom sad.'
Dad was definitely strange these days. He drank a lot, came home too late, and sometimes came home with an unusually strong floral scent. I knew that Mom would close the door and cry whenever that happened.
I wiggled my fingers, watching the adults above me. In fact, I shouldn't have gone on this trip. Mom and Grandfather had clearly said that they were going on the trip alone, but I had snuck onto the carriage. Then I pretended to be fast asleep, afraid that they might tell me to get off. Fortunately, Grandfather found me, laughed heartily, laid me on his lap, and took me with him.
I kept pretending to sleep after that... I was thinking about whether I should stop acting and get up to hug Mom. Grandfather let out a heavy sigh.
"When you go down to the territory, take a good rest. I'll go down after I finish what I have to do."
"Father, you don't look well. Do you have any other problems besides my work?"
"..."
Grandfather, who had been silent for a while, slowly opened his mouth.
"Yes, Cecilia, I think I should tell you too. Didn't Janice... become like that a few days ago?"
Janice was the prettiest and kindest of the older sisters who sang the songs that Grandfather composed. I hadn't seen her lately, so I was curious about her news, but what did she mean by 'become like that?'
I perked up my ears.
"Actually, that kid came to see me the night before. And then she got really drunk and said something strange. You know that kid has been hanging out with the 2nd Prince's group a lot lately, right? I think she went to a secret meeting of the 2nd Prince that day..."
Grandfather continued speaking in a complicated voice.
"She was trembling so much that it was hard to understand. She said he heard things she shouldn't have heard."
My grandfather's palm covered my ear. However, at that moment, the carriage shook violently, creating a gap so I could hear what he continued.
"Probably... She overheard His Highness the Second Prince planning to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince."
I heard my mother sucking in a deep breath. Assassination? What does that mean?
I was chewing on that word in my mind when my mother said in a hushed voice.
"My goodness, then Zenith's death..."
"I think it might have been murder. His Highness the Second Prince must have taken action because he knew that girl had overheard."
"Ha, my goodness..."
My mother kept mumbling those words as if she was broken. Her beautiful voice turned pale as she spoke in a hushed voice.
"Then... Isn't Father in danger too?"
"Actually, that's why I secretly contacted the mercenary group and hired an escort. Even now, I am guarding the carriage tightly. I didn't want you to worry about something like this when you were so heartbroken... I can't keep it a secret, because it's a matter of fact."
"Of course, Father. How can you handle something like this alone? Oh my. His Highness the Second Prince has such a plan... What do you plan to do in the future?"
"I should tell His Majesty the Emperor. Whether what I know is true or not, I leave it up to His Majesty to decide and I will simply tell you what I have found out. Isn't that the way a subject should be?"
"..."
"I promise. I will make sure that no harm comes to you or our grandchildren."
"That's not what I am worried about."
"Don't worry too much."
"After all, Father has some musical talent, and there are people who cling to me, saying that they can't live without my music. I have built up enough connections. to protect me and my family...."
Kukwang!
Grandfather couldn't finish his words. Something long and ugly sprouted from the carriage ceiling. And it was...
"Gyaaaaaaah!"
It was directed at Grandfather. Grandfather vomited blood and Mom screamed. With a squeak and a loud noise, the carriage roof was forcibly torn off. The man snickered as he pulled out the sword stuck in the ceiling.
"Why did you choose our Dawn Squad out of all the mercenary groups? You're such an unlucky old woman."
"Ugh, ugh..."
The man sneered at the old man who kept spitting out blood.
"If you were a musician, you'd just play an instrument or something. Why are you bothering someone so high up?"
The old man's wide-open eyes glanced at me and then at my mother, then lost their light.
"Ah, Father! Father!"
"Oh, be quiet. Why did you bring that brat back?"
The man, whose face was so pale that it looked like he was wearing a mask, glared at me with hollow, hollow eyes.
"Lily, Lily. Come to Mom."
Mom hurriedly carried me and started running. The white-faced man and his comrades were in no hurry at all. They slowly closed the encirclement, as if they were chasing a beast that had stepped on a fun trap. Mom ran desperately into the forest to avoid them. The men chased after us, taunting us leisurely.
"How far are you going? I'm out of breath."
"That's why you should have turned a blind eye to the wind blowing outside. If your husband hadn't thought of killing you before the divorce was announced, things wouldn't have been this easy."
No matter how much we ran, we couldn't make any more distance.
"This can't be done. From here on out, Lili has to help Mom."
Eventually, at some point, Mom put me down and told me,
"Run as fast as you can and get out of this forest. Okay? Then you'll soon reach a village. Blend in with the people there. Then look for the security forces. Got it?"
"No, Mom. Come with me..."
"Lili, please."
Mom laughed, panting.
"Run without looking back. My daughter, can you do that much for Mom? Okay, we'll both meet again at home. Now, hurry and go!"
My mother's hand pushed me hard. After that, I didn't have many moments of sanity. I ran until my mouth was stinking, and yet the sound of my footsteps got closer in an instant. Before long, I faced the cliff.
"Oh, kid. You're running so hard."
A white face approached me from the dark forest.
"Stop bothering me and come here now. He offered me a huge reward for this mission. He's thinking of taking care of you and then taking the money and enjoying a ten-year vacation at that faraway resort."
The white face grinned and approached me. The white face and its pitch-black eyes were eerily scary. Every time I stepped back, rocks would crash down the cliff with a thud. Even as a child, I knew that if I got caught by that man, I would die. I tightly closed my eyes. I remembered my mother's face whispering,
"LiLi, please."
Please run away. I clenched my teeth and jumped down the cliff, shivering.
"What?!"
White Face rushed towards me in a panic, but my body had already begun to fall. White Face, who was quickly moving away, seemed to have witnessed a comedy, and his face twisted. The moment I saw his expression, I realized that this option had no chance of survival either. I guess I couldn't escape in the end.
'I'm sorry, Mom.'
With those thoughts, I lost consciousness. That was my life. That's what I thought.
"If you don't want to die, open your eyes!"
Until my gaze met the bright red eyes of the boy who was slapping my cheek hard.
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