Carson's brow furrowed.
"So please wait a little. Until I become whole. Until I become whole and can stand by my lord at any time."
He did not rashly tell her that she did not need to become whole. He could not tell her that she was perfect in and of herself, even when she was limping, even when she was out of breath like this, even at this moment when she was a maid. He thought that Ines would not want that.
"How long?"
So Carson ended up urging Ines.
He thought he was used to waiting for her, but instead of saying that he was getting impatient, he could only tell her to come quickly.
Ines was flustered by his attitude of setting a deadline.
"I can't tell you exactly. But, I'll do my best."
"Can I just wait?"
"Yes."
He tried to hold Ines in his arms. For a moment, she felt that she might ruin or dirty his clothes. So she unconsciously avoided him. Carson frowned at the obvious rejection.
“I’m dirty.”
“What do you mean?”
“So... Your clothes could be dirty.”
He sighed and hugged her tightly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Ines made a promise in his warm embrace. She would try her best to become someone who could proudly stay by his side no matter what.
Instead of hating her past self, she would move forward for the future like Hansen. She felt confident that she could do that.
As long as he waited for her.
“Next time, no matter what the situation is, let me know. If I’m too far away, at least scream.”
“...”
“Promise me. This is just a breathing problem. Even while trying to become whole, you don’t have to endure the painful moments. It’s the same as taking medicine.”
“Yes.”
In the end, Carson did not return to the banquet hall that day. There was no other way than to hug her tighter as if she were filth, unable to relax in his arms.
Three days later, the people of the castle began a great migration toward Monstera.
The first carriage led by the knights was carrying Carson, his aide, and Louis, who had a very bored expression.
He did not rashly tell her that she did not need to become whole. He could not tell her that she was perfect in and of herself, even when she was limping, even when she was out of breath like this, even at this moment when she was a maid. He thought that Ines would not want that.
"How long?"
So Carson ended up urging Ines.
He thought he was used to waiting for her, but instead of saying that he was getting impatient, he could only tell her to come quickly.
Ines was flustered by his attitude of setting a deadline.
"I can't tell you exactly. But, I'll do my best."
"Can I just wait?"
"Yes."
He tried to hold Ines in his arms. For a moment, she felt that she might ruin or dirty his clothes. So she unconsciously avoided him. Carson frowned at the obvious rejection.
“I’m dirty.”
“What do you mean?”
“So... Your clothes could be dirty.”
He sighed and hugged her tightly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Ines made a promise in his warm embrace. She would try her best to become someone who could proudly stay by his side no matter what.
Instead of hating her past self, she would move forward for the future like Hansen. She felt confident that she could do that.
As long as he waited for her.
“Next time, no matter what the situation is, let me know. If I’m too far away, at least scream.”
“...”
“Promise me. This is just a breathing problem. Even while trying to become whole, you don’t have to endure the painful moments. It’s the same as taking medicine.”
“Yes.”
In the end, Carson did not return to the banquet hall that day. There was no other way than to hug her tighter as if she were filth, unable to relax in his arms.
***
Three days later, the people of the castle began a great migration toward Monstera.
The first carriage led by the knights was carrying Carson, his aide, and Louis, who had a very bored expression.
“Thirty knights, ten maids, and of course the temple maids. Seven railroad experts, twenty servants, twenty coachmen, seventeen carriages including the wagons, and a total of sixty-eight horses.”
Some of the carriages were double-horse carriages, so there were many horses. The maids and servants rode in supply wagons pulled by one horse, of course.
“The maids and servants are to return after recovering from their fatigue in Monstera. Those who wish can stay.”
“How’s the situation there?”
“I’m not sure, but the castle is larger than here.”
“What about Grandel?”
“It seems he’s already returned to the palace.”
“He must have been in a hurry.”
Some of the carriages were double-horse carriages, so there were many horses. The maids and servants rode in supply wagons pulled by one horse, of course.
“The maids and servants are to return after recovering from their fatigue in Monstera. Those who wish can stay.”
“How’s the situation there?”
“I’m not sure, but the castle is larger than here.”
“What about Grandel?”
“It seems he’s already returned to the palace.”
“He must have been in a hurry.”
“He must have wanted to return to the system quickly since he’s been a margrave for so long.”
“If he’s going to be a margrave, he should die as a margrave.”
“Don’t even joke about that.”
“If I die, I’m dead. What’s your business?”
Carson popped the candy he always kept in his pocket into his mouth. It was a bitter candy, but it was made with herbs to freshen his mouth. At that moment, Louis grabbed his arm and shook her head.
“Why, Louis?”
Her expression softened noticeably.
“Don’t eat that. Ines is worried.”
When he heard her name, his heart pounded out of habit. He snickered at his own reaction, finding it funny.
“Ines?”
“Yes, she said that on days when she eats a lot of that, you eat less.”
“You, that’s all for today.”
He pointed to his mouth and laughed like the spring breeze. Noah lost his mind again as he watched Carson. It wasn’t even a smile he was showing him, but his expression was so devilish that he quickly forgot the sad words he had just heard.
“Excuse me, can I go to where Ines is?”
“Do you want to go?”
“Yes.”
He suddenly smiled brightly.
“If Louis wants to go, we should go. Noah, prepare a two-horse carriage so Louis can ride. So that all the temple people can ride.”
He had been feeling uncomfortable in the soft chair he was sitting on for a while. When on earth would this woman come and sit next to him? She was the one who was constantly walking, but today, the heart of the man who was waiting was even more anxious.
Noah went out and carried out Carson’s orders, then returned to his seat.
“The daughter of Count Grandel will soon be considered as the Crown Princess.”
“Our Empress’s original calculations are certain. Then what will happen to the current Crown Princess?”
“Since she has not had an heir, there is a high possibility that she will be dethroned immediately.”
“Disgusting people.”
“Since it is a loveless political marriage, interests must come first.”
“Isn’t there anything else between people besides love? There is also loyalty and responsibility.”
“As you know, I don’t know such feelings well.”
“You’ve been lingering.”
“Don’t even joke about that.”
“If I die, I’m dead. What’s your business?”
Carson popped the candy he always kept in his pocket into his mouth. It was a bitter candy, but it was made with herbs to freshen his mouth. At that moment, Louis grabbed his arm and shook her head.
“Why, Louis?”
Her expression softened noticeably.
“Don’t eat that. Ines is worried.”
When he heard her name, his heart pounded out of habit. He snickered at his own reaction, finding it funny.
“Ines?”
“Yes, she said that on days when she eats a lot of that, you eat less.”
“You, that’s all for today.”
He pointed to his mouth and laughed like the spring breeze. Noah lost his mind again as he watched Carson. It wasn’t even a smile he was showing him, but his expression was so devilish that he quickly forgot the sad words he had just heard.
“Excuse me, can I go to where Ines is?”
“Do you want to go?”
“Yes.”
He suddenly smiled brightly.
“If Louis wants to go, we should go. Noah, prepare a two-horse carriage so Louis can ride. So that all the temple people can ride.”
He had been feeling uncomfortable in the soft chair he was sitting on for a while. When on earth would this woman come and sit next to him? She was the one who was constantly walking, but today, the heart of the man who was waiting was even more anxious.
Noah went out and carried out Carson’s orders, then returned to his seat.
“The daughter of Count Grandel will soon be considered as the Crown Princess.”
“Our Empress’s original calculations are certain. Then what will happen to the current Crown Princess?”
“Since she has not had an heir, there is a high possibility that she will be dethroned immediately.”
“Disgusting people.”
“Since it is a loveless political marriage, interests must come first.”
“Isn’t there anything else between people besides love? There is also loyalty and responsibility.”
“As you know, I don’t know such feelings well.”
“You’ve been lingering.”
He whispered, burying himself deep in his body and giving another order.
“It will be difficult for everyone to move together, so divide the group into three.”
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous if there were fewer knights?”
“No one is attacking us right now. What good would it do if we killed those who are going to their deaths anyway? And I didn’t bring the railroad staff here to play.”
“Ah...”
“Just our group will go straight and the rest of you will work and come back.”
“Then I...?”
“You should stay with me. Don’t you know that I can’t do anything without you?”
Noah’s heart sank at the seemingly casual words. His master would never know. With those words, he had already accumulated three years of loyalty.
The journey gained speed because the group had shrunk. It took more than ten days by carriage from Lesonia to the capital, but after exactly ten days, they arrived at the imperial palace. Despite Noah’s persuasion, Carson passed by without stopping at the imperial palace.
It was a schedule that would take another twenty days. He tried his best not to push himself too hard, but he couldn’t help but get tired. Although they were invited to stay at inns or noble houses in the provinces, there were also times when they had to sleep outside.
Since there was no place to stay for three days after passing the imperial palace, they had to sleep on the way down.
There were a total of thirty-five people in their group. Because Carson and Louis were there, there were more servants and maids than the other group.
As it got dark, everyone got off their horses and carriages to rest. Sighs came out here and there, saying that they couldn’t avoid sleeping out today.
The servants, maids, and coachmen hurried to prepare a place to sleep and a meal. The knights helped set up the tent, lit a fire, and set up a perimeter.
Ines and Charlotte also started preparing a meal with the other servants.
“I saw it on my way here, and there’s a stream here where you can wash.”
Ines’ eyes sparkled as Charlotte whispered, leaning forward secretly.
“Really?”
“Yes, let’s go quickly. If we hurry, we can wash and get water before we prepare the meal.”
She was already suffering from not having washed properly for the past few days. As the two of them gathered buckets to go get water, two knights named Hugh and Glenn came to help them.
The two treated them very kindly from the beginning of their journey. They looked innocent at first glance, but they had the freshness characteristic of young men.
“Thank you, knights, but I think this is enough for the two of us.”
Charlotte smiled innocently and the two stepped back with awkward smiles.
“Be careful before it gets too late... Go.”
Ines and Charlotte bowed slightly and went straight to the stream. When they turned around the large trees, the lights the group had lit were no longer visible.
The two walked along the path, relying on the small lanterns they had hung inside the tent.
“This reminds me of the temple.”
“Yes.”
“We’re lucky that we got to ride a comfortable carriage. The other maids had really bad backs and were having a hard time.”
Charlotte told Ines about the events that had happened on their way to the stream.
In fact, she didn’t need to go to Monstera. Since Louis hadn’t decided how long she would stay there, they had given her permission to wait until the child returned from Landhill.
But Charlotte had chosen to go with them. She said that it felt very liberating to think of going to the other side of the world where people didn’t know anything about her.
“Father Hansen is popular with the maids, even though they know he can’t get married.”
“He’s handsome and kind.”
“Yes, he is.”
Charlotte said as if she was dreaming. At such times, she sounded like a little girl.
“I don’t get tired of this trip at all.”
Charlotte eventually laughed at her coquetry.
As they walked to the water’s edge, Ines thought about Hansen for a moment. When she told him they had to go to Monstera, his reaction was a bit strange.
He frowned when he heard the word Monstera. He couldn’t even think of hiding his pale face and his eyes that were shaking from side to side without mercy.
He closed his eyes for a moment and remained silent, then returned to his original calm appearance. It was almost as if she had mistakenly seen the way he had been shaking wildly.
“And those knights seemed a bit interested.”
“What?”
Charlotte laughed as if she found it amusing at Ines’ question.
“Sometimes you don’t seem like someone who lives in this world.”
“What do you mean?”
“No, oh, over there!”
She pointed with her hand to a stream where the water didn’t look deep. Since they were already far away from the people, they couldn’t hear any more noise from the campsite. If they turned off the light and dipped themselves in a corner, they wouldn’t be able to see anything even if someone came close.
“I’ll watch the lookout first, so go wash up.”
At Ines’s words, Charlotte quickly took off her clothes as she turned away. The cold air still lingered, and Ines could hear her groaning. The sound of the water dripping from her hands felt peaceful for some reason.
“It will be difficult for everyone to move together, so divide the group into three.”
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous if there were fewer knights?”
“No one is attacking us right now. What good would it do if we killed those who are going to their deaths anyway? And I didn’t bring the railroad staff here to play.”
“Ah...”
“Just our group will go straight and the rest of you will work and come back.”
“Then I...?”
“You should stay with me. Don’t you know that I can’t do anything without you?”
Noah’s heart sank at the seemingly casual words. His master would never know. With those words, he had already accumulated three years of loyalty.
***
The journey gained speed because the group had shrunk. It took more than ten days by carriage from Lesonia to the capital, but after exactly ten days, they arrived at the imperial palace. Despite Noah’s persuasion, Carson passed by without stopping at the imperial palace.
It was a schedule that would take another twenty days. He tried his best not to push himself too hard, but he couldn’t help but get tired. Although they were invited to stay at inns or noble houses in the provinces, there were also times when they had to sleep outside.
Since there was no place to stay for three days after passing the imperial palace, they had to sleep on the way down.
There were a total of thirty-five people in their group. Because Carson and Louis were there, there were more servants and maids than the other group.
As it got dark, everyone got off their horses and carriages to rest. Sighs came out here and there, saying that they couldn’t avoid sleeping out today.
The servants, maids, and coachmen hurried to prepare a place to sleep and a meal. The knights helped set up the tent, lit a fire, and set up a perimeter.
Ines and Charlotte also started preparing a meal with the other servants.
“I saw it on my way here, and there’s a stream here where you can wash.”
Ines’ eyes sparkled as Charlotte whispered, leaning forward secretly.
“Really?”
“Yes, let’s go quickly. If we hurry, we can wash and get water before we prepare the meal.”
She was already suffering from not having washed properly for the past few days. As the two of them gathered buckets to go get water, two knights named Hugh and Glenn came to help them.
The two treated them very kindly from the beginning of their journey. They looked innocent at first glance, but they had the freshness characteristic of young men.
“Thank you, knights, but I think this is enough for the two of us.”
Charlotte smiled innocently and the two stepped back with awkward smiles.
“Be careful before it gets too late... Go.”
Ines and Charlotte bowed slightly and went straight to the stream. When they turned around the large trees, the lights the group had lit were no longer visible.
The two walked along the path, relying on the small lanterns they had hung inside the tent.
“This reminds me of the temple.”
“Yes.”
“We’re lucky that we got to ride a comfortable carriage. The other maids had really bad backs and were having a hard time.”
Charlotte told Ines about the events that had happened on their way to the stream.
In fact, she didn’t need to go to Monstera. Since Louis hadn’t decided how long she would stay there, they had given her permission to wait until the child returned from Landhill.
But Charlotte had chosen to go with them. She said that it felt very liberating to think of going to the other side of the world where people didn’t know anything about her.
“Father Hansen is popular with the maids, even though they know he can’t get married.”
“He’s handsome and kind.”
“Yes, he is.”
Charlotte said as if she was dreaming. At such times, she sounded like a little girl.
“I don’t get tired of this trip at all.”
Charlotte eventually laughed at her coquetry.
As they walked to the water’s edge, Ines thought about Hansen for a moment. When she told him they had to go to Monstera, his reaction was a bit strange.
He frowned when he heard the word Monstera. He couldn’t even think of hiding his pale face and his eyes that were shaking from side to side without mercy.
He closed his eyes for a moment and remained silent, then returned to his original calm appearance. It was almost as if she had mistakenly seen the way he had been shaking wildly.
“And those knights seemed a bit interested.”
“What?”
Charlotte laughed as if she found it amusing at Ines’ question.
“Sometimes you don’t seem like someone who lives in this world.”
“What do you mean?”
“No, oh, over there!”
She pointed with her hand to a stream where the water didn’t look deep. Since they were already far away from the people, they couldn’t hear any more noise from the campsite. If they turned off the light and dipped themselves in a corner, they wouldn’t be able to see anything even if someone came close.
“I’ll watch the lookout first, so go wash up.”
At Ines’s words, Charlotte quickly took off her clothes as she turned away. The cold air still lingered, and Ines could hear her groaning. The sound of the water dripping from her hands felt peaceful for some reason.
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