“The sooner you open your mouth, the better. Princess Liene, whom your son took away, must remain alive.”
“Wh, Princess Liene...?”
“If the Princess lives, I won’t kill him.”
“Why... Why...”
“Why... Why...”
“I don’t have time for this.”
"Ah..."
Mrs. Henton finally accepted the fact that her eldest son had taken Princess Liene away.
“Hey, he’s not here... I don’t know anything... I don’t know. He was in my room for a while, but then he disappeared again. I haven’t heard anything since...”
“Where else to go?”
“There’s no such thing... Ah.”
Mrs. Henton remembered something. The words her husband had said as he turned away from the body of her second son. It was his will and his love. It was also the reason why Mrs. Henton could not curse her husband who had given up his second son to the Gainers royal family.
"There is a path that no one knows about. It is only permitted to those of Gainers' bloodline."
Her husband broke his oath as a knight and told her the only place where she could escape. At that moment, her husband's soul must have been shattered into pieces, just as her second son's body had shattered her soul.
"You can live there."
And then her husband disappeared. Her first son destroyed her second son's body as her husband had requested. That was her last memory.
“Nine waterfalls.”
Mrs. Henton spoke in a way only Gainers could understand.
“That’s the answer I heard. Since you answered, you should let the child live. You shouldn’t kill him. If you kill the child... whatever he did...”
Mrs. Henton bit her lip and her shoulders shook as she spoke, perhaps overcome with emotion.
“Not twice. Not twice...”
“As I said, if Princess Liene is safe.”
Black pulled away from Mrs. Henton's hand and stood up.
“What should we do?”
Fermos asked quickly. What he was asking was Mrs. Henton's disposition. From the exchange, it was clear that the two knew each other. They didn't seem to be happy to see each other, but at least for Black, it was a part of his past. Black didn't seem to want to completely erase the past. If he had, he wouldn't have even offered to spare his life.
“Take her and give her a place to stay for the time being. Make sure she doesn’t get mixed up with the rest of the house.”
"All right."
“Empty this place and return to the castle. Guard the castle in case others come looking for revenge.”
“Are you just protecting it?”
“Depending on the situation. If it’s not too much trouble to get rid of them, then do as you please. Instead, protecting the castle is a priority. There are many back doors here, so if you let your guard down, your back will be cut off.”
“I will keep that in mind. Will my lord move separately?”
“I have to go there.”
“...”
It must have been about the nine waterfalls. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask, but Fermos took a step back. Black was not the type to answer questions. If it was something he needed to know, he would have told you a long time ago.
“Please don’t be late.”
Black left the room without answering and ran away.
***
“...Wrong. This isn’t the right way either.”
Liene bit her lip. She was so tired. She had already taken the wrong path several times and was on her way back. She finally realized why Klima had been so worried. Her eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, but that didn’t help at all. Liene bent down and felt the ground. She checked the front and back of her footprints and decided on a direction.
“Let’s just go back as far as we came. I marked it there.”
This huge maze-like place was not easy to walk through. Many places didn't seem like they were made for people to walk on.
“There, I think I took the wrong direction at the place where the road splits.”
Liene held back a sigh, patted her tired feet, and started walking again. She was starting to think that she would never find her way back here and would die.
What would that man do if she died...? With her gone, would he go to war with the six families? What would happen to Nauk then? Many of them would die...?
“...”
Why didn’t that man do that in the first place? Was it really because of me...?
“...”
Why didn’t that man do that in the first place? Was it really because of me...?
No matter how many lines thought about it, it didn’t seem right. The Arsak family was probably at the center of that rebellion. That’s why they would have taken the crown, the sweetest reward. Knowing that the fact that Black proposed to her was a contradiction that she couldn’t understand. After all, there must be something else... There must be something else. Maybe marriage isn’t the end, and he’s thinking about something else after that.
She would be the same way. Even if that man changes his attitude then, she shouldn’t blame him for that. She has to accept it. Liene stopped walking for a moment and closed her eyes. Maybe it was because of her thoughts, but she couldn’t walk anymore. She had been mustering up her remaining strength to somehow continue, but her steps ended there.
“...!”
Liene stumbled and fell to the floor. It was closer to collapsing than falling.
“Then... just...”
...Wouldn’t it be better to stay here?
She's scared. She's so scared that the man will change after the wedding. She should accept it, but she doesn’t want to. She's scared of the man. She's scared that he didn’t want her from the beginning. That’s why Liene doesn’t want to confirm it...
Her eyelids slowly closed. Liene lost consciousness.
***
The path wasn’t a maze. Those who protected Gainers’s bloodline and its blood knew this. The maze-like structure only seemed that way to those who didn’t know the path, especially those who didn’t know what the path was for. Black had only walked this path once. However, he didn’t get confused.
The path was made to be walked. The places that were difficult to walk on were not for people but for something else. That’s why he guessed that Liene had taken the wrong path. To Liene, this place must have been a huge maze. It was too big and dangerous for someone who didn’t know the path.
His heart grew impatient. Black left the path and headed towards a slightly higher place. Liene would be barefoot and wearing pajamas. It was fortunate that her pajamas were white. They would be more visible in the dark than other clothes. After wandering around the darkness that he had created for himself for an hour, Black found Liene.
“...!”
When he found Liene lying helplessly in the corner, he felt very strange. Even as he ran, his breathing becoming increasingly labored, he continued to think something was strange. It was as if his body and thoughts were separated, and his head did not accept this situation.
She could not die. The Princess, who had collapsed and was motionless, looked like a corpse. People were surprisingly easy to die. He knew this better than anyone else. She wouldn’t die. But Liene dying, it felt like an absurd nonsense.
“Gasp, gasp...!”
When he finally reached the place where his hands could touch, his lungs felt like they were going to burst. He had never realized that such a harsh sound could come out of his mouth.
“Gasp, gasp...!”
When he finally reached the place where his hands could touch, his lungs felt like they were going to burst. He had never realized that such a harsh sound could come out of his mouth.
Thud!
He shouldn’t have felt exhausted after wandering around for only an hour, but strangely, his knees buckled. Black, who had unintentionally knelt down in front of Liene, tilted his head to check his breathing.
“...”
Although it was weak, the sound of breathing continued. He was not dead.
"... It's okay."
Black tried to hug Princess Liene. But his arms wouldn't move. It was so strange and suspicious that his body wouldn't listen to him. Besides, he thought he was looking at Liene's face, but his eyes kept going to her pajamas.
"Why..."
Black realized the reason a little too late. The pajamas were so dirty. Even considering that they were white and easily stained, they were so dirty. It was as if someone had been bleeding continuously.
"...blood?"
For a moment, his mind went blank. The limbs that had been difficult to move were now moving quickly on their own. Black held Liene up with one arm and lifted up the hem of her blood-stained pajamas. There were bloodstains here and there on the exposed white skin. However, he could not find any wounds.
“Ah, it’s cold... cold...”
At some point, Liene opened her eyes halfway and moved her lips. Before she knew it, Black had grabbed Liene's face and forced her to look into his eyes.
“Princess? Are you awake? Where are you hurt?”
“...Ah, Lord...”
“I can’t find the wound. Can you feel where it hurts?”
“...”
During the brief moment that their eyes met, Liene had a very strange expression on her face. It was not a look of joy, but rather a mixture of hesitation, worry, and reluctance.
“Tell me where it hurts.”
“I’m not sick... I’m not hurt... I have something to say...”
The sound of her voice became thinner and thinner. It felt like his heart was burning.
“If it’s something else, we can talk about it later. If it doesn’t hurt, I’ll move.”
Black stood up from his seat, holding Liene in his arms. He was worried that she might have hurt her back or something. But he couldn’t stay here until Riene came to her senses.
“...”
Although it was weak, the sound of breathing continued. He was not dead.
"... It's okay."
Black tried to hug Princess Liene. But his arms wouldn't move. It was so strange and suspicious that his body wouldn't listen to him. Besides, he thought he was looking at Liene's face, but his eyes kept going to her pajamas.
"Why..."
Black realized the reason a little too late. The pajamas were so dirty. Even considering that they were white and easily stained, they were so dirty. It was as if someone had been bleeding continuously.
"...blood?"
For a moment, his mind went blank. The limbs that had been difficult to move were now moving quickly on their own. Black held Liene up with one arm and lifted up the hem of her blood-stained pajamas. There were bloodstains here and there on the exposed white skin. However, he could not find any wounds.
“Ah, it’s cold... cold...”
At some point, Liene opened her eyes halfway and moved her lips. Before she knew it, Black had grabbed Liene's face and forced her to look into his eyes.
“Princess? Are you awake? Where are you hurt?”
“...Ah, Lord...”
“I can’t find the wound. Can you feel where it hurts?”
“...”
During the brief moment that their eyes met, Liene had a very strange expression on her face. It was not a look of joy, but rather a mixture of hesitation, worry, and reluctance.
“Tell me where it hurts.”
“I’m not sick... I’m not hurt... I have something to say...”
The sound of her voice became thinner and thinner. It felt like his heart was burning.
“If it’s something else, we can talk about it later. If it doesn’t hurt, I’ll move.”
Black stood up from his seat, holding Liene in his arms. He was worried that she might have hurt her back or something. But he couldn’t stay here until Riene came to her senses.
Thud! Clank clank!
The sound of footsteps beneath his feet was also strange. In fact, the strangest thing was Liene, who looked so listless. Her bloodless face was so pale. It was so strange that he couldn’t stand it. Why, Princess? He didn’t come back to see this. This isn’t what he wanted in return.
“I... have to... do...”
Liene whispered with difficulty, holding Black's collar with her very cold hands.
“I tried to say... but you kept... saying... that I had to say it...”
“I... have to... do...”
Liene whispered with difficulty, holding Black's collar with her very cold hands.
“I tried to say... but you kept... saying... that I had to say it...”
Black had no choice but to stop for a moment. He put his ear to Liene's mouth. Liene moved her lips breathlessly.
“You...Ah, you should know... The child, uh, doesn’t... doesn't...”
“...?”
While Black was momentarily confused as to what that meant, Liene closed her eyes as if she had finished what she was doing.
***
Liene wasn't hurt. She was just exhausted from wandering around for a long time without food. As if to compensate, Liene slept deeply and for a long time as if she were dead.
“...Uh, yeah...”
“...Uh, yeah...”
It was coincidentally dawn when Liene woke up. It was well past midnight, so most people were asleep. Madam Flambard was no different. The only difference was that she wasn't sleeping in her own room, but was leaning against the corner of the bed next to Liene and dozing off.
“...Hmph, Princess! Are you awake?”
The woman who heard Liene's mumbling opened her eyes with a start and came closer. Liene opened her eyes with difficulty, her eyelids fluttering continuously.
“How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?”
“Ah... Yes, I think so.”
“Ha, that’s a relief. I’m really relieved.”
Madam Flambard sighed repeatedly, opening and closing her hands.
“He was saying such scary things that I really thought something serious had happened to the Princess. I almost forgot to tell the doctor to stop him.”
“Doctor...?”
Before falling asleep, Liene searched through her tangled memories.
“How did I get back? I think I got lost there... I don’t know what happened after that.”
“Oh my, don’t you remember? He brought you back, Princess.”
“Lord Tiwakan...? ...Ah.”
A vague memory came to mind. Liene was lost and wandering around, and she collapsed from exhaustion, and then she met Black. She thought it was a dream. So she said something she had never said in real life. She said she had no children.
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