“When was that?”
“It wasn’t that long ago.”
“Lead me there.”
“Yes. One of our associate priests and several other maids followed her, so don’t worry too much.”
Suppressing his boiling emotions, Carson went outside. He said that since it was a path that horses couldn’t take, he had to walk the mountain path. Just thinking about her carrying heavy water on her back every day made his throat tighten.
At the place he arrived, Carson had to face despair.
He saw people in the pitch-black darkness. Three women and a priest turned their heads toward the sudden bright light.
Carson quickly ran over and looked, and he saw three women sitting on the ground, unable to keep their bodies still. However, Ines was nowhere to be seen.
“What’s going on?”
When he shouted, Charlotte, who recognized Carson, took a step toward him in surprise.
“Your Highness?”
Carson also recognized Charlotte.
“Ines? Where is Ines?”
Charlotte calmly explained the situation, although she was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the lord. Four maids were missing, and two of them were stranded in the middle of the bridge that had been broken on both sides.
After Ines rescued them, she crossed the broken bridge again, and just now one of the maids walked out of the bridge.
“So Ines went back there to save the last person?”
“I think so. She took the maids to the place where the bridge was not broken, and then...”
Carson grabbed the collar of the associate priest who was standing there with a blank expression.
“What were you doing here?”
He blinked without saying anything. The priest looked young at first glance. Whether it was because of the pouring rain or because of the reprimands he had received, he was shaking all over.
“Right now, going over there... would be... suicidal...”
Carson threw the priest, who was rambling nonsense, to the ground. And without delay, he snatched the torch from the person standing behind him.
“What are you doing?”
Noah, who was watching, shouted.
“I’m going to get her.”
Before he could stop Carson, he looked at the place where Ines had disappeared. It was pitch-black darkness where even the moon had lost hope and hidden.
It was a miracle that she had rescued these three maids from there. As the priest who had just been thrown to the floor had said, continuing like this seemed like suicide.
Besides, wasn’t he the first one here?
Even if he had an exceptional athletic ability that criminals wouldn’t dare have, it seemed impossible for him to survive in this darkness and this rain. Noah, having made his decision, blocked Carson’s path.
“Absolutely not.”
“Get out of the way, Noah Timothy.”
Carson’s eyes, glaring as if he was going to kill him, were scary, but Noah stood in front of him and didn’t move.
“You’d rather kill me and go. If I can’t protect Your Highness anyway, I’m dead.”
The aide wasn't a knight, so he wouldn't die if he couldn't protect him. But that's exactly how he felt right now.
The moment he set foot in here, the rain started pouring down mercilessly. No one was stepping forward.
If it became known that the Prince had died alone while trying to save the maid, there would be no one here safe.
So now there was no choice but to stop him.
But at that moment, Carson's eyes, which had been so enthusiastic that he seemed to be pushing him to the ground, began to waver like a light in the wind.
He was no longer looking at Noah. When Carson raised his hand, Noah instinctively flinched. He thought he was going to knock him down.
But Carson grabbed his shoulder hard and pushed him to the side.
Surprised, Noah followed Carson's gaze.
Far away, in the darkness where even the stars and moon were still, a thin light was moving.
At first, the light wavered like a dot or thread, but at some point, it appeared like a candle.
The light, which was not in a hurry at all, slowly grew in size.
It was clearly a torch that was becoming clearer and clearer, though uneasy.
“Ines...”
The first to notice her was, of course, Carson. He wanted to run towards the woman who had instantly terrified him, but somehow his body would not listen to him.
She was safe.
He could tell from the way she was walking, staggering and stepping, and the way her breath caught in her throat. Ines had finally saved the last remaining person and was walking through the darkness.
Carson spoke as if fading away in the pouring rain.
“That woman has a flaw?”
Noah kept his mouth shut as he listened to his master’s words. Indeed, many people ridiculed Carson for not showing up in society. They said that the great Carson von Raymond was waiting endlessly for a flawed woman who had tried to commit murder because she couldn’t forget her old lover. That she was eating away at the years.
“That woman... is not enough for me?”
They all agreed that she was infinitely not enough for this beautiful and perfect man. That even the darling of the age was nothing more than a foolish man who had been blinded by a woman.
“No, no. That person is too much for me. It’s so overwhelming that it suffocates me.”
Ines held a torch in one hand and hugged the woman’s waist with the other.
Suddenly, the delicate woman seemed as if her entire body was armed with light and also the strongest. The woman in Ines’ arms could barely keep her body still. Ines couldn’t walk properly because she was carrying her. Perhaps she had injured her leg while saving people.
Limp, limp, limp.
The sight of the woman walking awkwardly, lifting the maid in her arms, was breathtakingly beautiful.
Every time she walked, his heart pounded.
It was a perfect beauty that only shone once in a desperate moment, so much so that it seemed like the Goddess of war, now a legend, would look like this if she came down to earth.
Looking at that desperate and beautiful scene, Noah thought. Maybe my lord was truly blinded by that woman, just as people say.
As Ines reached the end of the bridge, the three maids who had been standing rushed to her. Noah, who had seen that, thought that Carson would immediately approach her. However, contrary to his thoughts, Carson turned away.
Carson turned around, raised his head, and took a deep breath. His chest heaved and his jaw tightened.
He had to admit. He was afraid to look at her right now.
Perhaps it was because he was so consumed by a strong desire to throw away everything he had been pursuing and run away with her.
“Lead me there.”
“Yes. One of our associate priests and several other maids followed her, so don’t worry too much.”
Suppressing his boiling emotions, Carson went outside. He said that since it was a path that horses couldn’t take, he had to walk the mountain path. Just thinking about her carrying heavy water on her back every day made his throat tighten.
At the place he arrived, Carson had to face despair.
He saw people in the pitch-black darkness. Three women and a priest turned their heads toward the sudden bright light.
Carson quickly ran over and looked, and he saw three women sitting on the ground, unable to keep their bodies still. However, Ines was nowhere to be seen.
“What’s going on?”
When he shouted, Charlotte, who recognized Carson, took a step toward him in surprise.
“Your Highness?”
Carson also recognized Charlotte.
“Ines? Where is Ines?”
Charlotte calmly explained the situation, although she was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the lord. Four maids were missing, and two of them were stranded in the middle of the bridge that had been broken on both sides.
After Ines rescued them, she crossed the broken bridge again, and just now one of the maids walked out of the bridge.
“So Ines went back there to save the last person?”
“I think so. She took the maids to the place where the bridge was not broken, and then...”
Carson grabbed the collar of the associate priest who was standing there with a blank expression.
“What were you doing here?”
He blinked without saying anything. The priest looked young at first glance. Whether it was because of the pouring rain or because of the reprimands he had received, he was shaking all over.
“Right now, going over there... would be... suicidal...”
Carson threw the priest, who was rambling nonsense, to the ground. And without delay, he snatched the torch from the person standing behind him.
“What are you doing?”
Noah, who was watching, shouted.
“I’m going to get her.”
Before he could stop Carson, he looked at the place where Ines had disappeared. It was pitch-black darkness where even the moon had lost hope and hidden.
It was a miracle that she had rescued these three maids from there. As the priest who had just been thrown to the floor had said, continuing like this seemed like suicide.
Besides, wasn’t he the first one here?
Even if he had an exceptional athletic ability that criminals wouldn’t dare have, it seemed impossible for him to survive in this darkness and this rain. Noah, having made his decision, blocked Carson’s path.
“Absolutely not.”
“Get out of the way, Noah Timothy.”
Carson’s eyes, glaring as if he was going to kill him, were scary, but Noah stood in front of him and didn’t move.
“You’d rather kill me and go. If I can’t protect Your Highness anyway, I’m dead.”
The aide wasn't a knight, so he wouldn't die if he couldn't protect him. But that's exactly how he felt right now.
The moment he set foot in here, the rain started pouring down mercilessly. No one was stepping forward.
If it became known that the Prince had died alone while trying to save the maid, there would be no one here safe.
So now there was no choice but to stop him.
But at that moment, Carson's eyes, which had been so enthusiastic that he seemed to be pushing him to the ground, began to waver like a light in the wind.
He was no longer looking at Noah. When Carson raised his hand, Noah instinctively flinched. He thought he was going to knock him down.
But Carson grabbed his shoulder hard and pushed him to the side.
Surprised, Noah followed Carson's gaze.
Far away, in the darkness where even the stars and moon were still, a thin light was moving.
At first, the light wavered like a dot or thread, but at some point, it appeared like a candle.
The light, which was not in a hurry at all, slowly grew in size.
It was clearly a torch that was becoming clearer and clearer, though uneasy.
“Ines...”
The first to notice her was, of course, Carson. He wanted to run towards the woman who had instantly terrified him, but somehow his body would not listen to him.
She was safe.
He could tell from the way she was walking, staggering and stepping, and the way her breath caught in her throat. Ines had finally saved the last remaining person and was walking through the darkness.
Carson spoke as if fading away in the pouring rain.
“That woman has a flaw?”
Noah kept his mouth shut as he listened to his master’s words. Indeed, many people ridiculed Carson for not showing up in society. They said that the great Carson von Raymond was waiting endlessly for a flawed woman who had tried to commit murder because she couldn’t forget her old lover. That she was eating away at the years.
“That woman... is not enough for me?”
They all agreed that she was infinitely not enough for this beautiful and perfect man. That even the darling of the age was nothing more than a foolish man who had been blinded by a woman.
“No, no. That person is too much for me. It’s so overwhelming that it suffocates me.”
Ines held a torch in one hand and hugged the woman’s waist with the other.
Suddenly, the delicate woman seemed as if her entire body was armed with light and also the strongest. The woman in Ines’ arms could barely keep her body still. Ines couldn’t walk properly because she was carrying her. Perhaps she had injured her leg while saving people.
Limp, limp, limp.
The sight of the woman walking awkwardly, lifting the maid in her arms, was breathtakingly beautiful.
Every time she walked, his heart pounded.
It was a perfect beauty that only shone once in a desperate moment, so much so that it seemed like the Goddess of war, now a legend, would look like this if she came down to earth.
Looking at that desperate and beautiful scene, Noah thought. Maybe my lord was truly blinded by that woman, just as people say.
As Ines reached the end of the bridge, the three maids who had been standing rushed to her. Noah, who had seen that, thought that Carson would immediately approach her. However, contrary to his thoughts, Carson turned away.
Carson turned around, raised his head, and took a deep breath. His chest heaved and his jaw tightened.
He had to admit. He was afraid to look at her right now.
Perhaps it was because he was so consumed by a strong desire to throw away everything he had been pursuing and run away with her.
Carson, who had come to the temple, stood by the window and watched Ines return.
Her face was exhausted, but she was smiling. Seeing her, Carson also found a smile on his face.
He had tried not to think of Ines for the past year. Whenever he thought of her, his heart felt like it was being pricked by a sharp hook and pulled, and it hurt and irritated.
How could a woman who had lived her entire life as a noble in the shadow of her parents endure this difficult and long time?
The man, who had no choice but to hope that she would endure, tried not to think of her as much as possible.
But today, he realized that he was wrong.
Ines’ face, after her revenge, shone brightly like the sun.
The laundry in the temple came in only two colors.
White or black.
The sky changed its appearance as if nothing had happened yesterday. The place where the rain had passed by was a clearer landscape than on other days.
The laundry that had not dried because of the rain for several days overflowed. Ines and the maids rinsed and hung out the laundry they had washed in advance, using only a little water.
They had to conserve water for the time being, but it was not something they could put off.
She heard that the associate priests were mobilized to repair the collapsed bridge all day today.
As a way of expressing gratitude for everyone’s safe return yesterday, the entire temple fasted for breakfast. Thanks to this, Ines and the maids were able to organize the laundry leisurely.
The four maids who had been isolated on the bridge and in the hut eventually all fell ill. The other maids there were also unwell. However, Ines was in good spirits from the morning without any particular problems.
The smell of autumn was evident, making the cold weather last night, when people could have frozen to death, seem insignificant.
After finishing hanging the laundry, she looked up at the sky.
‘Ha.’
A pleasant sigh escaped her lips. Carson’s face came to mind as she faced the beautiful scenery.
“I miss you.”
At that moment, the wind blew, causing all the laundry that Ines had hung out so beautifully to flutter in one direction.
Because the fabric was not good, black and white were always washed and hung separately. On the left, white laundry swayed in the wind, and blacks danced in front of her.
The moment she lowered her head toward the sky, Ines saw a strange black color different from the laundry. Her heart sank without even knowing what it was. Even though she knew it couldn’t be true, she walked out, sifting through the laundry and hanging out one by one. When she quickly pulled away the hand-washed curtain, she saw a person wearing blue pants that she couldn’t see in the temple.
As she kicked away one more, an unbelievable face appeared in an instant.
One more, one more.
As she caught her breath, leaving the last one behind, the black cloth in front of her eyes was lifted.
And he was really there.
Carson von Raymond, smiling brightly at her.
“Your Highness!”
Ines flew toward him without hesitation. The man who had been standing with his hands on his waist seemed to widen his eyes before immediately extending both arms toward her.
She jumped up and hugged his neck, and a low, familiar laugh was heard.
“I didn’t know you would welcome me so warmly...”
She tried to say something, but her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn’t say anything.
To see him here again, on such a perfect day.
Her face was exhausted, but she was smiling. Seeing her, Carson also found a smile on his face.
He had tried not to think of Ines for the past year. Whenever he thought of her, his heart felt like it was being pricked by a sharp hook and pulled, and it hurt and irritated.
How could a woman who had lived her entire life as a noble in the shadow of her parents endure this difficult and long time?
The man, who had no choice but to hope that she would endure, tried not to think of her as much as possible.
But today, he realized that he was wrong.
Ines’ face, after her revenge, shone brightly like the sun.
***
The laundry in the temple came in only two colors.
White or black.
The sky changed its appearance as if nothing had happened yesterday. The place where the rain had passed by was a clearer landscape than on other days.
The laundry that had not dried because of the rain for several days overflowed. Ines and the maids rinsed and hung out the laundry they had washed in advance, using only a little water.
They had to conserve water for the time being, but it was not something they could put off.
She heard that the associate priests were mobilized to repair the collapsed bridge all day today.
As a way of expressing gratitude for everyone’s safe return yesterday, the entire temple fasted for breakfast. Thanks to this, Ines and the maids were able to organize the laundry leisurely.
The four maids who had been isolated on the bridge and in the hut eventually all fell ill. The other maids there were also unwell. However, Ines was in good spirits from the morning without any particular problems.
The smell of autumn was evident, making the cold weather last night, when people could have frozen to death, seem insignificant.
After finishing hanging the laundry, she looked up at the sky.
‘Ha.’
A pleasant sigh escaped her lips. Carson’s face came to mind as she faced the beautiful scenery.
“I miss you.”
At that moment, the wind blew, causing all the laundry that Ines had hung out so beautifully to flutter in one direction.
Because the fabric was not good, black and white were always washed and hung separately. On the left, white laundry swayed in the wind, and blacks danced in front of her.
The moment she lowered her head toward the sky, Ines saw a strange black color different from the laundry. Her heart sank without even knowing what it was. Even though she knew it couldn’t be true, she walked out, sifting through the laundry and hanging out one by one. When she quickly pulled away the hand-washed curtain, she saw a person wearing blue pants that she couldn’t see in the temple.
As she kicked away one more, an unbelievable face appeared in an instant.
One more, one more.
As she caught her breath, leaving the last one behind, the black cloth in front of her eyes was lifted.
And he was really there.
Carson von Raymond, smiling brightly at her.
“Your Highness!”
Ines flew toward him without hesitation. The man who had been standing with his hands on his waist seemed to widen his eyes before immediately extending both arms toward her.
She jumped up and hugged his neck, and a low, familiar laugh was heard.
“I didn’t know you would welcome me so warmly...”
She tried to say something, but her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn’t say anything.
To see him here again, on such a perfect day.
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