Because her mind was already filled with Hazel's death.
Deborah's hands were soaked with sweat.
But that didn't last long, as her feet began to move on their own.
'I have to tell her.'
She had to tell Hazel somehow.
That the Emperor was after her life.
Deborah could no longer sit idly by and watch someone precious to her die.
On the way to Hamelon to make a deal with Bellona.
Ernest was on a mission to take Hazel to Hamelon under Graham's orders.
“That’s even more surprising. I didn’t think they would readily agree to His Majesty the Emperor’s deal.”
Cullen, who was walking beside Ernest, said.
The day when the villagers were offered as sacrifices.
The Crown Prince's Knights thought it was useful, so no knights capable of fighting, other than those from the village, were sacrificed.
Fortunately, Ernest was the only one who knew that the villagers had become sacrifices to save the Emperor.
Duke Philosykos made the excuse that he had moved the townspeople to a safer place, and the knights no longer inquired about their whereabouts.
Ernest, who was reminiscing about the past for a moment, answered Cullen's question.
“I guess Madame Cretian is worth it to them.”
Ernest, who had been glancing at the carriage Hazel was riding in, raised his hand.
“Stop.”
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the meeting place where she had agreed to meet Bellona.
As the carriage came to a complete stop, Hazel got out of the carriage as if she were going for a walk.
Then the knight who had been watching her escorted her out.
“Thank you. Did you say your name was Fasher?”
“Yes, ma’am. I am Fasher, His Highness the Crown Prince’s personal knight.”
“Thank you so much for serving me warm tea all the way here.”
“...Don’t mention it.”
The knight's face bowed his head as if embarrassed by Hazel's thanks.
As Ernest approached the two people, Fasher gave a slight nod and gave way.
“This is Hamelon. From here, Madam will follow the rebels to the palace.”
“Yes. Thank you for being with us all this time, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Ernest clenched his fist as he watched Hazel say 'thank you' to him.
Hazel still didn't know.
That Elizabeth, who was thought to be dead, was alive and that she was, in fact not the real Elizabeth but a survivor of the Jupiter family.
'It'll be a huge shock.'
Some might point fingers at Hazel, who raised the traitor, and say she was also involved in the treason, but at least Ernest wasn't the only one.
Because he thought that Hazel and the dead Duke Cretian were just victims.
'So you have to tell me.'
Anyway, Bellona will show up soon, and then Hazel will no longer be able to turn away from the truth.
It was when Ernest smiled, thinking that it would be better to tell the truth in advance than to face the terrible facts without warning.
“Madam, I have something to tell you...”
It was the moment when Ernest was about to tell Hazel the painful truth with his lips quivering.
The sound of horse hooves was heard, and then a black carriage appeared.
A woman appeared from a carriage that had stopped at a certain distance.
A woman with dark green hair fluttered in the sunlight.
She was the one person Hazel had been longing to see.
“...Ellie.”
Hazel's voice trembled as she looked at the person standing alone on the wide plain.
“It’s been a while, Mother.”
Out in the vast fields, her beloved daughter, Elizabeth, smiled at Hazel.
I watched Hazel approaching with Ernest from afar.
Although she seemed a little thinner than before, she still didn't seem to have been treated poorly by Gertz.
I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it and narrowed my eyebrows.
For a moment, I thought it was fortunate that Duchess Cretien seemed to be okay.
I let out a mocking laugh as I raised my head and looked at the spire where Carsis was.
The Jamesburgh family spire was quite a distance from here, requiring a carriage ride, but it was so tall that it could be seen from here as well.
And from up on that spire, Carsis was watching over this place.
If he senses something strange from the enemies, Carsis will send a signal to nearby soldiers.
Besides, the Emperor's demands were somewhat expected.
They only wanted me to come to the trading place alone and only allowed the carriage and coachman to take Hazel.
'At first glance, there didn't seem to be any special traps.'
Since the Jamesburg family is already his people, it would be difficult for Graham to act rashly. Furthermore, I had arrived here before them and had prepared for any traps they might set.
'No problems so far. Now just do as planned.'
I held the Riventia hanging around my neck in my hand and recalled the past events.
"Are you really going to hand over Riventia to them?"
I was now at a loss without Reventia.
And Carsis and Isaac, who knew this fact, tried to dissuade me from handing over Riventia to the Emperor. They suggested that they send troops to the Bremen Territory to prevent the rebellion of the people.
“Don’t worry. They’ll only get half of Riventia.”
The Riventia that I was wearing was fake. Strictly speaking, only the pendant made of ruby was fake.
Riventia was a holy relic.
And those who inherited Clepius' blood could instinctively feel the power of the holy relic.
Because of that, there was a high chance that Ernest would notice before I could even get to the Emperor and replace the entire necklace with a fake.
It was for the same reason that Graham entrusted this task to Ernest.
'Ernest had Clepius's blood, but his powers were not manifested.'
This also meant that the sensitivity to feel that it was a holy relic was weaker than that of Graham or Carsis.
So I planned to hand over Riventia's necklace chain by attaching it to a fake pendant.
I carefully handled the relic in my pocket.
'I just have to fool Ernest.'
After that, it was none of my business whether the Emperor noticed it or not.
A necklace made of gold is also part of the relic, it will buy you time.
'It's less effective than full Riventia, but it's okay.'
As long as I had the pendant, which could be seen as the core of Reventia, my life would not be in danger.
'There's no way I would really give up Riventia for the Duchess.'
A woman who betrayed her old friend and assisted in the destruction of the Jupiter family.
I, who had been calming down, soon walked towards the two people.
“...Ellie.”
Hazel placed her hand on her chest and looked at Bellona with trembling eyes. And Ernest's eyes, who was looking at Hazel like that, narrowed.
'It's strange.'
It was not the reaction of a mother who found out that her daughter, whom she believed to be dead, was alive.
Of course, it wasn't that the Duchess wasn't happy to discover Bellona.
Judging from the tears in her eyes, she was welcoming the presence of Bellona before her eyes.
'But is that really how you would react if your daughter, who you thought was dead, came back to life?'
Ernest tilted his head at Hazel's lukewarm reaction to the idea of seeing a miracle.
If it were the Duchess of Cretian that he knew, she would be running to her daughter in tears by now.
'Is it because you noticed that she's a traitor?'
The current Elizabeth, no, Bellona, was not the daughter Hazel had known all along.
The golden hair that used to shine like sunlight was nowhere to be found, and instead, she was walking elegantly with her dark green hair fluttering in the wind.
Moreover, Hazel knew that she had to go to the palace with the traitors.
'I guess it's because she's surprised.'
Ernest quickly shook his head and explained Hazel's strange reaction.
He thinks that the shock of finding out that her beloved daughter was a traitor was greater than the joy of finding out that her daughter, who she thought was dead, was alive.
It was at that moment that Ernest, who was thinking like that, was walking alongside Hazel, holding his breath.
Hazel, who had been going smoothly, suddenly stopped.
Ernest asked beside her.
“Madam? Is something wrong?”
“...No. I guess it’s because I’m nervous, I guess.”
But contrary to Hazel's words that it was nothing serious, her complexion was gradually getting worse.
‘Come to think of it, she seems to have been coughing a lot lately...’
Could it be because the weather suddenly got colder? She's been coughing a lot more these past few days.
Although Ernest noticed that the Duchess was not feeling well, he quickly turned away.
'I'll figure it out.'
Since he was going to leave her hands soon anyway, it was now Bellona's problem to worry about.
Ernest's mission was simply to exchange Riventia and the Duchess.
Before they knew it, the three of them had become closer to each other.
Bellona looked at Hazel for a moment, then looked at Ernest.
“It’s been a while, Ernest.”
Saying the nickname she used when she was engaged to him.
She gave him the same smile she used to have.
Ernest slowly looked over Bellona, who was speaking in a feminine voice.
He was overcome with a strange emotion when her saw the woman, who had a completely different vibe from the last time he saw her.
At that time, it had a fragile air about it, seeming like it could break at any moment, but now it exuded a noble and cool aura.
For a moment, he thought of her in Cuenca.
The sight of the woman he had driven away with his limbs.
Ernest clenched his fists as the memory of that day came back to him.
Deborah's hands were soaked with sweat.
But that didn't last long, as her feet began to move on their own.
'I have to tell her.'
She had to tell Hazel somehow.
That the Emperor was after her life.
Deborah could no longer sit idly by and watch someone precious to her die.
***
On the way to Hamelon to make a deal with Bellona.
Ernest was on a mission to take Hazel to Hamelon under Graham's orders.
“That’s even more surprising. I didn’t think they would readily agree to His Majesty the Emperor’s deal.”
Cullen, who was walking beside Ernest, said.
The day when the villagers were offered as sacrifices.
The Crown Prince's Knights thought it was useful, so no knights capable of fighting, other than those from the village, were sacrificed.
Fortunately, Ernest was the only one who knew that the villagers had become sacrifices to save the Emperor.
Duke Philosykos made the excuse that he had moved the townspeople to a safer place, and the knights no longer inquired about their whereabouts.
Ernest, who was reminiscing about the past for a moment, answered Cullen's question.
“I guess Madame Cretian is worth it to them.”
Ernest, who had been glancing at the carriage Hazel was riding in, raised his hand.
“Stop.”
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the meeting place where she had agreed to meet Bellona.
As the carriage came to a complete stop, Hazel got out of the carriage as if she were going for a walk.
Then the knight who had been watching her escorted her out.
“Thank you. Did you say your name was Fasher?”
“Yes, ma’am. I am Fasher, His Highness the Crown Prince’s personal knight.”
“Thank you so much for serving me warm tea all the way here.”
“...Don’t mention it.”
The knight's face bowed his head as if embarrassed by Hazel's thanks.
As Ernest approached the two people, Fasher gave a slight nod and gave way.
“This is Hamelon. From here, Madam will follow the rebels to the palace.”
“Yes. Thank you for being with us all this time, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Ernest clenched his fist as he watched Hazel say 'thank you' to him.
Hazel still didn't know.
That Elizabeth, who was thought to be dead, was alive and that she was, in fact not the real Elizabeth but a survivor of the Jupiter family.
'It'll be a huge shock.'
Some might point fingers at Hazel, who raised the traitor, and say she was also involved in the treason, but at least Ernest wasn't the only one.
Because he thought that Hazel and the dead Duke Cretian were just victims.
'So you have to tell me.'
Anyway, Bellona will show up soon, and then Hazel will no longer be able to turn away from the truth.
It was when Ernest smiled, thinking that it would be better to tell the truth in advance than to face the terrible facts without warning.
“Madam, I have something to tell you...”
It was the moment when Ernest was about to tell Hazel the painful truth with his lips quivering.
The sound of horse hooves was heard, and then a black carriage appeared.
A woman appeared from a carriage that had stopped at a certain distance.
A woman with dark green hair fluttered in the sunlight.
She was the one person Hazel had been longing to see.
“...Ellie.”
Hazel's voice trembled as she looked at the person standing alone on the wide plain.
“It’s been a while, Mother.”
Out in the vast fields, her beloved daughter, Elizabeth, smiled at Hazel.
***
I watched Hazel approaching with Ernest from afar.
Although she seemed a little thinner than before, she still didn't seem to have been treated poorly by Gertz.
I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it and narrowed my eyebrows.
For a moment, I thought it was fortunate that Duchess Cretien seemed to be okay.
I let out a mocking laugh as I raised my head and looked at the spire where Carsis was.
The Jamesburgh family spire was quite a distance from here, requiring a carriage ride, but it was so tall that it could be seen from here as well.
And from up on that spire, Carsis was watching over this place.
If he senses something strange from the enemies, Carsis will send a signal to nearby soldiers.
Besides, the Emperor's demands were somewhat expected.
They only wanted me to come to the trading place alone and only allowed the carriage and coachman to take Hazel.
'At first glance, there didn't seem to be any special traps.'
Since the Jamesburg family is already his people, it would be difficult for Graham to act rashly. Furthermore, I had arrived here before them and had prepared for any traps they might set.
'No problems so far. Now just do as planned.'
I held the Riventia hanging around my neck in my hand and recalled the past events.
"Are you really going to hand over Riventia to them?"
I was now at a loss without Reventia.
And Carsis and Isaac, who knew this fact, tried to dissuade me from handing over Riventia to the Emperor. They suggested that they send troops to the Bremen Territory to prevent the rebellion of the people.
“Don’t worry. They’ll only get half of Riventia.”
The Riventia that I was wearing was fake. Strictly speaking, only the pendant made of ruby was fake.
Riventia was a holy relic.
And those who inherited Clepius' blood could instinctively feel the power of the holy relic.
Because of that, there was a high chance that Ernest would notice before I could even get to the Emperor and replace the entire necklace with a fake.
It was for the same reason that Graham entrusted this task to Ernest.
'Ernest had Clepius's blood, but his powers were not manifested.'
This also meant that the sensitivity to feel that it was a holy relic was weaker than that of Graham or Carsis.
So I planned to hand over Riventia's necklace chain by attaching it to a fake pendant.
I carefully handled the relic in my pocket.
'I just have to fool Ernest.'
After that, it was none of my business whether the Emperor noticed it or not.
A necklace made of gold is also part of the relic, it will buy you time.
'It's less effective than full Riventia, but it's okay.'
As long as I had the pendant, which could be seen as the core of Reventia, my life would not be in danger.
'There's no way I would really give up Riventia for the Duchess.'
A woman who betrayed her old friend and assisted in the destruction of the Jupiter family.
I, who had been calming down, soon walked towards the two people.
***
“...Ellie.”
Hazel placed her hand on her chest and looked at Bellona with trembling eyes. And Ernest's eyes, who was looking at Hazel like that, narrowed.
'It's strange.'
It was not the reaction of a mother who found out that her daughter, whom she believed to be dead, was alive.
Of course, it wasn't that the Duchess wasn't happy to discover Bellona.
Judging from the tears in her eyes, she was welcoming the presence of Bellona before her eyes.
'But is that really how you would react if your daughter, who you thought was dead, came back to life?'
Ernest tilted his head at Hazel's lukewarm reaction to the idea of seeing a miracle.
If it were the Duchess of Cretian that he knew, she would be running to her daughter in tears by now.
'Is it because you noticed that she's a traitor?'
The current Elizabeth, no, Bellona, was not the daughter Hazel had known all along.
The golden hair that used to shine like sunlight was nowhere to be found, and instead, she was walking elegantly with her dark green hair fluttering in the wind.
Moreover, Hazel knew that she had to go to the palace with the traitors.
'I guess it's because she's surprised.'
Ernest quickly shook his head and explained Hazel's strange reaction.
He thinks that the shock of finding out that her beloved daughter was a traitor was greater than the joy of finding out that her daughter, who she thought was dead, was alive.
It was at that moment that Ernest, who was thinking like that, was walking alongside Hazel, holding his breath.
Hazel, who had been going smoothly, suddenly stopped.
Ernest asked beside her.
“Madam? Is something wrong?”
“...No. I guess it’s because I’m nervous, I guess.”
But contrary to Hazel's words that it was nothing serious, her complexion was gradually getting worse.
‘Come to think of it, she seems to have been coughing a lot lately...’
Could it be because the weather suddenly got colder? She's been coughing a lot more these past few days.
Although Ernest noticed that the Duchess was not feeling well, he quickly turned away.
'I'll figure it out.'
Since he was going to leave her hands soon anyway, it was now Bellona's problem to worry about.
Ernest's mission was simply to exchange Riventia and the Duchess.
Before they knew it, the three of them had become closer to each other.
Bellona looked at Hazel for a moment, then looked at Ernest.
“It’s been a while, Ernest.”
Saying the nickname she used when she was engaged to him.
She gave him the same smile she used to have.
Ernest slowly looked over Bellona, who was speaking in a feminine voice.
He was overcome with a strange emotion when her saw the woman, who had a completely different vibe from the last time he saw her.
At that time, it had a fragile air about it, seeming like it could break at any moment, but now it exuded a noble and cool aura.
For a moment, he thought of her in Cuenca.
The sight of the woman he had driven away with his limbs.
Ernest clenched his fists as the memory of that day came back to him.
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