Aila couldn't vent her frustrations toward Laura to the person involved, so she just roughly poked at the stew with a spoon.
She was only twelve years old. Why is Laura talking so grandly about how sleeping in was such a big deal?
It wasn't even that late of a start. Even though it was summer and the sun rose early, didn't they start training when the sky was just beginning to brighten?
In the past, these things felt natural, but after being loved as a Princess in the Duke's household for two years, everything began to feel unreasonable.
But she felt guilty about the complaints that kept coming up, and she would console herself that it was something she couldn't help doing for her father.
“...Miss. What’s your answer?”
Laura, perhaps not liking the sight of Aila just poking Stew without answering, urged her to answer in a sharp voice.
“Yes, Laura. I’ll do my best. I’m sorry.”
Only after she answered in her usual, hushed voice did Laura's frozen gaze soften.
“That’s right. That’s right.”
Laura nodded, seeming to like her answer.
Aila closed her eyes to control her anger. She knew a hundred ways to kill Laura right now, with her bare hands and no weapons, if she wanted to.
But she couldn't ruin things for a little venting.
She had decided that the price for deceiving her would be her life, and when the matter was over, she planned to punish Laura for her participation in deceiving her as well.
That was still a long way off in the future.
“If you’re done eating, I’ll clear the table now. I have work to do.”
Whether or not she knew that Aila's patience had extended her life, Laura continued to scornfully and arrogantly take the prize.
She didn't even want to eat anymore, but it was still a situation that was enough to hurt her feelings.
Laura, who had said she had work to do, returned to the room shortly after taking the prize. And that was only natural, because the work she had to do was to take care of Aila's hair.
This has been happening to her ever since she can remember being little.
Every day, without fail, she brushed her hair with a soft brush, and every few days, she applied a thick cream made from a mixture of herbs and oils.
It was something her mother had done when Laura was younger, and something she had continued to do after she had taken over and entered the ducal household.
Although it was still early evening, Laura changed Aila into her pajamas, sat her down on the bed, and began to carefully comb her long hair.
Then she started applying cream to her hair. Today seemed to be one of those days.
She always hated this sticky feeling, but she endured it to please her father.
“You should be happy, young lady. This cream was specially prepared by the master for his beloved daughter.”
Even while applying cream to her hair, Laura chattered incessantly. It would be much easier to bear if she just kept her mouth shut.
“Yeah, I know.”
As Aila was playing along in a soulless voice without sincerity, she soon found herself finishing up my hair care routine.
Laura wiped the cream off with a soft cloth and finished by applying a refreshing vegetable oil, and spoke to her in a stern voice.
“Go to sleep now. If you don’t want to sleep in late tomorrow either.”
The days were long, and it wasn't even dark yet. Her day was always like this.
Laura left the room, which had no windows and only had a small lamp, and locked the door from the outside as she always did.
They say it's to protect their precious young lady, but if that's the case, wouldn't it be right to lock it from the inside?
This lock was merely a device to prevent her from running away.
"Ha."
Aila lay down on her bed and let out a deep sigh towards the sky.
It was because she felt bitter when she returned to the past, knowing the truth and realizing anew how ridiculously she had been treated.
But now that Laura had locked the door and gone out, Aila had some of her free time that was even more precious.
The only light in the room was a dim glow from a small lamp, but the darkness was no bother to her.
Because she had lived her entire life in dark rooms like this and had become accustomed to the darkness through countless training sessions.
And locking the door wasn't a problem at all.
This was because these fortresses usually had more than just one door.
It seems that they didn't do a detailed investigation because it was a space where they would only stay for one or two months at the shortest, or three or four months at the longest, but she was different.
There was one ability she had honed herself to become a slightly better assassin: the ability to find secret passages in buildings.
Cloud was a field she didn't know much about. It was purely by chance that she came to know about it.
While wandering around abandoned fortresses here and there, there were times when you would stumble upon an old book. It was the same then. While looking under the bed, Aila found a book that was completely worn out.
She didn't know what the author had in mind when he wrote the book, but it contained instructions on how to figure out the structure of the building and find hidden passages. She read and reread it for months before leaving the fortress.
She thought it might help her avenge her father.
That was something that happened in the ruins where she had been staying when she was fifteen, so it was actually knowledge that she, who was twelve, should not have known yet. It could be said to be a privilege of those who had returned in time.
'These fortresses are usually similar in structure. They must have clearly hidden an escape route.'
Feeling around on the floor in the darkness, she soon discovered a hidden secret passage.
It would have been a good idea to take the lamp that Laura had left behind, but Aila had no choice but to go in the dark, in case the light leaking through the crack in the door disappeared and they were suspicious.
Aila shone a little light from the lamp, and fortunately, she didn't see any dangerous elements in the underground passage.
She put on a dark robe to avoid getting her nightgown dirty and arousing Laura's suspicion, and without hesitation, she jumped into the basement.
She landed lightly and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was a thick layer of dust there as if no one had come through this passage for quite some time.
It seemed like a good idea to cover her nose and mouth with a handkerchief just in case. Otherwise, she would have sneezed and almost made her presence known.
After a while, the dark adaptation came into view, and the secret passage came into view. As expected, it was a very simple passage.
The destination is Byron's room.
It was to monitor what he was doing and to spy on him to see if any clues could reveal what he was up to.
Of course, Byron's room was on the sunny second floor, so he couldn't get there right away through this secret passage.
So the first priority was to find a passageway to the ground.
'I think it's this way.'
As Aila walked a little to the north, recalling the structure of the fortress, she saw tree roots poking through the passage. It seemed that if she opened the door next to it, she would be able to go out to the surface.
Aila climbed up the old ladder. She felt so relieved to be back in the body of a child. The wood had rotted away, and if she had been a little heavier, the ladder would have collapsed.
She opened the door and stuck her head out to look around. It seemed that Byron's men had not noticed her because she was surrounded by the roots of a giant tree.
After confirming that no one was there, she came up to the ground and quickly hid herself in a tree. There was no one there now, but who knows when or where someone might appear.
But fortunately, no one showed up.
Aila sighed and entered the fortress through the second-floor window.
Although it was just a small hole in the stone, it was enough of an entrance for her, who was still a child and not very large.
As she approached Byron's room, trying to suppress as many sounds as possible, she encountered an unexpected obstacle.
Just a little further down the hallway, in front of Byron's room, noises began to be heard on the other side.
'Damn.'
Aila, who muttered harsh words inwardly, quickly hid herself in a gap in the wall. The one who appeared was Cloud.
Her teacher was skilled at reading signs, but Aila was also confident in hiding her presence.
She could be proud that she was much better than Cloud, who had taught her. It was the result of gritting her teeth and working hard.
“...That’s strange.”
He thought there was someone there.
Cloud tilted his head and looked in Aila's direction. She thought she had hidden it well, but maybe she hadn't.
Afraid that she might be caught, Aila held her breath and hid her presence.
Fortunately, Cloud soon shook his head, thinking it was just his mood, and knocked on Byron's door.
“Who are you?”
“It’s Cloud.”
“Come in.”
Byron's haughty voice could be heard from inside the room. Cloud opened the large wooden door and entered the room.
The old wooden door wasn't very soundproof, but she hurried to the door and grabbed it before it closed completely to hear a clearer voice. This left a tiny gap.
“...Yeah. How is that kid? Is there anything suspicious?”
Byron asked. It seemed as though he was going to talk about Aila.
“Yes, my lord. Her attitude is no different than usual. However, there is something that is bothering me a little.”
Something on your mind? Aila put her ear closer to the door with a puzzled face. Thinking about what could have made Cloud suspicious.
She was only twelve years old. Why is Laura talking so grandly about how sleeping in was such a big deal?
It wasn't even that late of a start. Even though it was summer and the sun rose early, didn't they start training when the sky was just beginning to brighten?
In the past, these things felt natural, but after being loved as a Princess in the Duke's household for two years, everything began to feel unreasonable.
But she felt guilty about the complaints that kept coming up, and she would console herself that it was something she couldn't help doing for her father.
“...Miss. What’s your answer?”
Laura, perhaps not liking the sight of Aila just poking Stew without answering, urged her to answer in a sharp voice.
“Yes, Laura. I’ll do my best. I’m sorry.”
Only after she answered in her usual, hushed voice did Laura's frozen gaze soften.
“That’s right. That’s right.”
Laura nodded, seeming to like her answer.
Aila closed her eyes to control her anger. She knew a hundred ways to kill Laura right now, with her bare hands and no weapons, if she wanted to.
But she couldn't ruin things for a little venting.
She had decided that the price for deceiving her would be her life, and when the matter was over, she planned to punish Laura for her participation in deceiving her as well.
That was still a long way off in the future.
“If you’re done eating, I’ll clear the table now. I have work to do.”
Whether or not she knew that Aila's patience had extended her life, Laura continued to scornfully and arrogantly take the prize.
She didn't even want to eat anymore, but it was still a situation that was enough to hurt her feelings.
Laura, who had said she had work to do, returned to the room shortly after taking the prize. And that was only natural, because the work she had to do was to take care of Aila's hair.
This has been happening to her ever since she can remember being little.
Every day, without fail, she brushed her hair with a soft brush, and every few days, she applied a thick cream made from a mixture of herbs and oils.
It was something her mother had done when Laura was younger, and something she had continued to do after she had taken over and entered the ducal household.
Although it was still early evening, Laura changed Aila into her pajamas, sat her down on the bed, and began to carefully comb her long hair.
Then she started applying cream to her hair. Today seemed to be one of those days.
She always hated this sticky feeling, but she endured it to please her father.
“You should be happy, young lady. This cream was specially prepared by the master for his beloved daughter.”
Even while applying cream to her hair, Laura chattered incessantly. It would be much easier to bear if she just kept her mouth shut.
“Yeah, I know.”
As Aila was playing along in a soulless voice without sincerity, she soon found herself finishing up my hair care routine.
Laura wiped the cream off with a soft cloth and finished by applying a refreshing vegetable oil, and spoke to her in a stern voice.
“Go to sleep now. If you don’t want to sleep in late tomorrow either.”
The days were long, and it wasn't even dark yet. Her day was always like this.
Laura left the room, which had no windows and only had a small lamp, and locked the door from the outside as she always did.
They say it's to protect their precious young lady, but if that's the case, wouldn't it be right to lock it from the inside?
This lock was merely a device to prevent her from running away.
"Ha."
Aila lay down on her bed and let out a deep sigh towards the sky.
It was because she felt bitter when she returned to the past, knowing the truth and realizing anew how ridiculously she had been treated.
But now that Laura had locked the door and gone out, Aila had some of her free time that was even more precious.
The only light in the room was a dim glow from a small lamp, but the darkness was no bother to her.
Because she had lived her entire life in dark rooms like this and had become accustomed to the darkness through countless training sessions.
And locking the door wasn't a problem at all.
This was because these fortresses usually had more than just one door.
It seems that they didn't do a detailed investigation because it was a space where they would only stay for one or two months at the shortest, or three or four months at the longest, but she was different.
There was one ability she had honed herself to become a slightly better assassin: the ability to find secret passages in buildings.
Cloud was a field she didn't know much about. It was purely by chance that she came to know about it.
While wandering around abandoned fortresses here and there, there were times when you would stumble upon an old book. It was the same then. While looking under the bed, Aila found a book that was completely worn out.
She didn't know what the author had in mind when he wrote the book, but it contained instructions on how to figure out the structure of the building and find hidden passages. She read and reread it for months before leaving the fortress.
She thought it might help her avenge her father.
That was something that happened in the ruins where she had been staying when she was fifteen, so it was actually knowledge that she, who was twelve, should not have known yet. It could be said to be a privilege of those who had returned in time.
'These fortresses are usually similar in structure. They must have clearly hidden an escape route.'
Feeling around on the floor in the darkness, she soon discovered a hidden secret passage.
It would have been a good idea to take the lamp that Laura had left behind, but Aila had no choice but to go in the dark, in case the light leaking through the crack in the door disappeared and they were suspicious.
Aila shone a little light from the lamp, and fortunately, she didn't see any dangerous elements in the underground passage.
She put on a dark robe to avoid getting her nightgown dirty and arousing Laura's suspicion, and without hesitation, she jumped into the basement.
She landed lightly and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was a thick layer of dust there as if no one had come through this passage for quite some time.
It seemed like a good idea to cover her nose and mouth with a handkerchief just in case. Otherwise, she would have sneezed and almost made her presence known.
After a while, the dark adaptation came into view, and the secret passage came into view. As expected, it was a very simple passage.
The destination is Byron's room.
It was to monitor what he was doing and to spy on him to see if any clues could reveal what he was up to.
Of course, Byron's room was on the sunny second floor, so he couldn't get there right away through this secret passage.
So the first priority was to find a passageway to the ground.
'I think it's this way.'
As Aila walked a little to the north, recalling the structure of the fortress, she saw tree roots poking through the passage. It seemed that if she opened the door next to it, she would be able to go out to the surface.
Aila climbed up the old ladder. She felt so relieved to be back in the body of a child. The wood had rotted away, and if she had been a little heavier, the ladder would have collapsed.
She opened the door and stuck her head out to look around. It seemed that Byron's men had not noticed her because she was surrounded by the roots of a giant tree.
After confirming that no one was there, she came up to the ground and quickly hid herself in a tree. There was no one there now, but who knows when or where someone might appear.
But fortunately, no one showed up.
Aila sighed and entered the fortress through the second-floor window.
Although it was just a small hole in the stone, it was enough of an entrance for her, who was still a child and not very large.
As she approached Byron's room, trying to suppress as many sounds as possible, she encountered an unexpected obstacle.
Just a little further down the hallway, in front of Byron's room, noises began to be heard on the other side.
'Damn.'
Aila, who muttered harsh words inwardly, quickly hid herself in a gap in the wall. The one who appeared was Cloud.
Her teacher was skilled at reading signs, but Aila was also confident in hiding her presence.
She could be proud that she was much better than Cloud, who had taught her. It was the result of gritting her teeth and working hard.
“...That’s strange.”
He thought there was someone there.
Cloud tilted his head and looked in Aila's direction. She thought she had hidden it well, but maybe she hadn't.
Afraid that she might be caught, Aila held her breath and hid her presence.
Fortunately, Cloud soon shook his head, thinking it was just his mood, and knocked on Byron's door.
“Who are you?”
“It’s Cloud.”
“Come in.”
Byron's haughty voice could be heard from inside the room. Cloud opened the large wooden door and entered the room.
The old wooden door wasn't very soundproof, but she hurried to the door and grabbed it before it closed completely to hear a clearer voice. This left a tiny gap.
“...Yeah. How is that kid? Is there anything suspicious?”
Byron asked. It seemed as though he was going to talk about Aila.
“Yes, my lord. Her attitude is no different than usual. However, there is something that is bothering me a little.”
Something on your mind? Aila put her ear closer to the door with a puzzled face. Thinking about what could have made Cloud suspicious.
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