“Well, I’m good at that too...”
Vince answered with a dumbfounded expression.
It wasn't a lie. It wasn't that Vince had read Cloud's letter and knew the contents well. Aila's expression changed instantly as she realized the truth in his expression. The pure and clear smile instantly turned into a cold, expressionless face.
But despite the ever-changing facial expressions, Vince had no doubts. Aila was usually a child with no expression.
How much time had passed in that silence that had returned? Laura came into the room. She had an anxious expression.
“Go pack your bags. We’re leaving here soon.”
Even though she had slept well all night thanks to Aila's sleeping pills, she looked very unhappy that her sweet rest had been interrupted.
Perhaps because he resembled his mother, Vince nodded to her overbearing order and left the room, feeling slightly uncomfortable. In fact, it was a welcome order for him, as he had been hoping to quickly escape the awkward situation with Aila.
“Young lady, please get up quickly and get ready.”
"Now?"
Since she has been living a nomadic life for more than a day or two, it was normal for her to pack her bags and leave in a hurry. They had told her at least a few days before they left, or at least a day before. But she can't believe they're leaving so suddenly.
It seemed to be because of the contents of the letter that Cloud had sent.
“Yes. Get up quickly. There is no time. If we are late because of the young lady, how angry will the master be?”
Laura started talking nonsense again. She had been quiet for a few days, crying and snotting, when she heard that Cloud had lost contact. But when she heard that Cloud was safe, she was completely revived.
“Uh, uh.”
Since all the important items were already in Winfred's magic box, there was nothing she needed to take care of separately.
All she had to do was change into her outdoor clothes. Aila had to prepare herself a little mentally, though, because she would be drinking a potion that would change her hair and eye color.
Except for the sudden change, up until that point, there wasn't much difference from usual. However, Aila couldn't help but feel flustered as she went down to the first floor of the inn.
'What's going on...? Are you Capella and Laura?'
Capella and Laura were wearing more elegant and splendid clothes than usual. They looked like a powerful noblewoman and her daughter.
The appearance was so natural. It was as if they had been born with that appearance.
“You’re here, Miss.”
Capella, wearing a luxurious hat with a gorgeous flower decoration, looked down at her and said.
Her red eyes were as cold as usual, but the clothes she was wearing made that coldness into the gaze of an arrogant and noble woman.
“You can go over there, young lady.”
"Uh...?"
It was not the shabby carriage she usually rode in with Laura and her daughter, but the luxurious carriage that Byron rode in.
“Are you sure I want to get here?”
“That’s... Please wait a moment, Miss.”
Byron's man, standing next to the carriage, answered with an embarrassed expression. If you get on, you get on, and if you don't, you don't. What does it mean to wait?
As Aila was staring blankly at the unknown answer, Byron came down. His face was unnecessarily solemn.
“...Come here, my daughter.”
There was no awkwardness like brushing her hair or kissing her as usual. He just put his hand on her shoulder with a stiff face.
And when the carriage door opened, Aila couldn't help but feel even more confused.
The floor of the carriage was open, and there was a narrow space inside where a person could hide. And what's more, they were telling her to go inside.
“It may be uncomfortable, but there’s nothing I can do. For safety, you have no choice but to hide with this father.”
It was hard enough just to hide in that small space, but going in with Byron was nauseating.
No matter how she looked at it, it was a narrow space where two people would have to be stuck together and not be able to move.
“...You want me to go in here?”
With him, too? She has to go into a place where she has to be so close to her mortal enemy that their breaths touch each other.
It was a situation where she couldn't speak nicely.
“My daughter, are you dissatisfied? Even I, your father, am tolerant.”
Byron asked in a gentle tone. But Aila, who knew that behind his gentleness was a complaint that she was rebelling against what he was saying, quickly shook her head.
“I’m fine, but I’m worried that my father might be uncomfortable.”
As usual, Aila responded with a half-hearted remark, and Byron nodded in satisfaction before taking the initiative and lying down on the carriage floor.
In the first place, it was not a situation in which she could avoid it by saying she did not like it. Aila closed her eyes tightly and lay down next to Byron. Then, the carriage floor closed.
It wasn't completely sealed, as air had to circulate, but it still wasn't a pleasant feeling to be trapped in a small space with no light coming in.
Soon, the sound of high heels hitting the wooden floor was heard. It seemed to be Laura and Capella.
Soon, the carriage started off. The regular clatter of hooves and the rubbing of wheels on the ground could be heard.
Being in a dark space, her senses, which were already sensitive, seemed to become several times more sensitive. Byron's breathing and heartbeat were terrifyingly loud.
Besides, she didn't like the fact that her body kept touching Byron's. Because they were lying together in such a small space, it seemed like Byron was holding her.
It was such a terrible moment, just like the moment when she died at Byron's hands. She couldn't stop crying, and she felt an unbearable anger rising inside her.
'Let's think about something else. It will pass soon.'
Aila tried to change her mind. But unfortunately, there was nothing else in her life. She lived her whole life only for Byron.
She tried to recall the faces she missed, but it didn't work. Thinking of Roderick and Ophelia added sadness and guilt to her unbearable anger, and her mood only went downhill.
That was when.
'...Winfred.'
Winfred Ulysses Vito Peles.
Thinking about that child, her seething insides seemed to calm down a little. The way he got angry and told her not to treat him like a child. The way he suddenly added honorifics to every word and spoke to her in a half-formal tone.
The way he used the magic scroll to pretend to be cool, and the way he looked at her with sparkling eyes as if to say, “Well done, huh?”
At the time, it was just funny, but now that she thinks about it, it was really cute.
Her heart, which had been pounding with anger, began to calm down little by little. Yes, there was Winfred.
This was the first friend she had made in her entire life, whether it was her last or this life.
Aila closed her eyes tightly and sent her memories back to that night, to that moment when they lay together on the roof, looking at the stars.
Her mind was instantly at ease, though not so much that she forgot that Byron was by her side.
Winfred gave her the strength to endure those terrible times.
“You still haven’t found it?”
“m..Yes. As you ordered, I searched every hospital in the city, no matter how small, but I found no information at all that the man with the wound around his eye had received treatment.”
At her subordinate's report, Alexia rapped impatiently on the desk. That night, they quickly sealed the gates and searched the city, but they could not find any trace of Cloud.
They had already considered the possibility that he might have escaped outside the city walls and thoroughly searched the surrounding villages, but there was no significant result.
‘...It wasn’t a minor injury.’
The feeling of her sword cutting Cloud was still vivid in her fingertips. It must have cut quite deeply. Was it an illusion?
No, once he got hit in the head with her heavy sword, it wouldn't have been strange at all if he had lost consciousness from the impact, even if he hadn't been cut off.
But in that situation, the person who was dripping blood suddenly disappeared. It was truly unbelievable.
'This was my mistake.'
She bit her lip. Fortunately, there were no deaths, but there were many who were seriously injured. The healing magic saved their fading lives, but it didn’t relieve their suffering. It was truly painful to see those who were injured because of her foolishness suffer.
As she leaned back in her chair with a headache coming on, she received a call from her subordinate, saying that Winfred was looking for her.
“...Phew.”
If Winfred was looking for her, there was no time to be fretting like this. Alexia let out a heavy sigh and got up from her seat.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
When Alexia found Winfred's room, he was sitting at his desk, reading something seriously. She sat down in the chair at the Prince's order, and with a dark expression, waited for Winfred to open his mouth.
“My Father has sent you an answer, Lord Dexen.”
Winfred spoke with an expression that made it impossible to read his thoughts. At his words, Alexia closed her eyes tightly. A deep furrow formed between her eyebrows.
A few days ago, an operation to capture Cloud failed, and she sent a letter to the Emperor begging for forgiveness.
Many of her subordinates were injured due to her own mistake, and she even missed the traitor she was trying to catch. It was something she might have to step down from.
It seemed like the answer had arrived.
Alexia quickly got up from her chair and knelt on the floor.
“Give your order, Your Highness.”
She had a solemn expression on her face, as if she would follow any order given to her to end her life on this spot.
Vince answered with a dumbfounded expression.
It wasn't a lie. It wasn't that Vince had read Cloud's letter and knew the contents well. Aila's expression changed instantly as she realized the truth in his expression. The pure and clear smile instantly turned into a cold, expressionless face.
But despite the ever-changing facial expressions, Vince had no doubts. Aila was usually a child with no expression.
How much time had passed in that silence that had returned? Laura came into the room. She had an anxious expression.
“Go pack your bags. We’re leaving here soon.”
Even though she had slept well all night thanks to Aila's sleeping pills, she looked very unhappy that her sweet rest had been interrupted.
Perhaps because he resembled his mother, Vince nodded to her overbearing order and left the room, feeling slightly uncomfortable. In fact, it was a welcome order for him, as he had been hoping to quickly escape the awkward situation with Aila.
“Young lady, please get up quickly and get ready.”
"Now?"
Since she has been living a nomadic life for more than a day or two, it was normal for her to pack her bags and leave in a hurry. They had told her at least a few days before they left, or at least a day before. But she can't believe they're leaving so suddenly.
It seemed to be because of the contents of the letter that Cloud had sent.
“Yes. Get up quickly. There is no time. If we are late because of the young lady, how angry will the master be?”
Laura started talking nonsense again. She had been quiet for a few days, crying and snotting, when she heard that Cloud had lost contact. But when she heard that Cloud was safe, she was completely revived.
“Uh, uh.”
Since all the important items were already in Winfred's magic box, there was nothing she needed to take care of separately.
All she had to do was change into her outdoor clothes. Aila had to prepare herself a little mentally, though, because she would be drinking a potion that would change her hair and eye color.
Except for the sudden change, up until that point, there wasn't much difference from usual. However, Aila couldn't help but feel flustered as she went down to the first floor of the inn.
'What's going on...? Are you Capella and Laura?'
Capella and Laura were wearing more elegant and splendid clothes than usual. They looked like a powerful noblewoman and her daughter.
The appearance was so natural. It was as if they had been born with that appearance.
“You’re here, Miss.”
Capella, wearing a luxurious hat with a gorgeous flower decoration, looked down at her and said.
Her red eyes were as cold as usual, but the clothes she was wearing made that coldness into the gaze of an arrogant and noble woman.
“You can go over there, young lady.”
"Uh...?"
It was not the shabby carriage she usually rode in with Laura and her daughter, but the luxurious carriage that Byron rode in.
“Are you sure I want to get here?”
“That’s... Please wait a moment, Miss.”
Byron's man, standing next to the carriage, answered with an embarrassed expression. If you get on, you get on, and if you don't, you don't. What does it mean to wait?
As Aila was staring blankly at the unknown answer, Byron came down. His face was unnecessarily solemn.
“...Come here, my daughter.”
There was no awkwardness like brushing her hair or kissing her as usual. He just put his hand on her shoulder with a stiff face.
And when the carriage door opened, Aila couldn't help but feel even more confused.
The floor of the carriage was open, and there was a narrow space inside where a person could hide. And what's more, they were telling her to go inside.
“It may be uncomfortable, but there’s nothing I can do. For safety, you have no choice but to hide with this father.”
It was hard enough just to hide in that small space, but going in with Byron was nauseating.
No matter how she looked at it, it was a narrow space where two people would have to be stuck together and not be able to move.
“...You want me to go in here?”
With him, too? She has to go into a place where she has to be so close to her mortal enemy that their breaths touch each other.
It was a situation where she couldn't speak nicely.
“My daughter, are you dissatisfied? Even I, your father, am tolerant.”
Byron asked in a gentle tone. But Aila, who knew that behind his gentleness was a complaint that she was rebelling against what he was saying, quickly shook her head.
“I’m fine, but I’m worried that my father might be uncomfortable.”
As usual, Aila responded with a half-hearted remark, and Byron nodded in satisfaction before taking the initiative and lying down on the carriage floor.
In the first place, it was not a situation in which she could avoid it by saying she did not like it. Aila closed her eyes tightly and lay down next to Byron. Then, the carriage floor closed.
It wasn't completely sealed, as air had to circulate, but it still wasn't a pleasant feeling to be trapped in a small space with no light coming in.
Soon, the sound of high heels hitting the wooden floor was heard. It seemed to be Laura and Capella.
Soon, the carriage started off. The regular clatter of hooves and the rubbing of wheels on the ground could be heard.
Being in a dark space, her senses, which were already sensitive, seemed to become several times more sensitive. Byron's breathing and heartbeat were terrifyingly loud.
Besides, she didn't like the fact that her body kept touching Byron's. Because they were lying together in such a small space, it seemed like Byron was holding her.
It was such a terrible moment, just like the moment when she died at Byron's hands. She couldn't stop crying, and she felt an unbearable anger rising inside her.
'Let's think about something else. It will pass soon.'
Aila tried to change her mind. But unfortunately, there was nothing else in her life. She lived her whole life only for Byron.
She tried to recall the faces she missed, but it didn't work. Thinking of Roderick and Ophelia added sadness and guilt to her unbearable anger, and her mood only went downhill.
That was when.
'...Winfred.'
Winfred Ulysses Vito Peles.
Thinking about that child, her seething insides seemed to calm down a little. The way he got angry and told her not to treat him like a child. The way he suddenly added honorifics to every word and spoke to her in a half-formal tone.
The way he used the magic scroll to pretend to be cool, and the way he looked at her with sparkling eyes as if to say, “Well done, huh?”
At the time, it was just funny, but now that she thinks about it, it was really cute.
Her heart, which had been pounding with anger, began to calm down little by little. Yes, there was Winfred.
This was the first friend she had made in her entire life, whether it was her last or this life.
Aila closed her eyes tightly and sent her memories back to that night, to that moment when they lay together on the roof, looking at the stars.
Her mind was instantly at ease, though not so much that she forgot that Byron was by her side.
Winfred gave her the strength to endure those terrible times.
***
“You still haven’t found it?”
“m..Yes. As you ordered, I searched every hospital in the city, no matter how small, but I found no information at all that the man with the wound around his eye had received treatment.”
At her subordinate's report, Alexia rapped impatiently on the desk. That night, they quickly sealed the gates and searched the city, but they could not find any trace of Cloud.
They had already considered the possibility that he might have escaped outside the city walls and thoroughly searched the surrounding villages, but there was no significant result.
‘...It wasn’t a minor injury.’
The feeling of her sword cutting Cloud was still vivid in her fingertips. It must have cut quite deeply. Was it an illusion?
No, once he got hit in the head with her heavy sword, it wouldn't have been strange at all if he had lost consciousness from the impact, even if he hadn't been cut off.
But in that situation, the person who was dripping blood suddenly disappeared. It was truly unbelievable.
'This was my mistake.'
She bit her lip. Fortunately, there were no deaths, but there were many who were seriously injured. The healing magic saved their fading lives, but it didn’t relieve their suffering. It was truly painful to see those who were injured because of her foolishness suffer.
As she leaned back in her chair with a headache coming on, she received a call from her subordinate, saying that Winfred was looking for her.
“...Phew.”
If Winfred was looking for her, there was no time to be fretting like this. Alexia let out a heavy sigh and got up from her seat.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
When Alexia found Winfred's room, he was sitting at his desk, reading something seriously. She sat down in the chair at the Prince's order, and with a dark expression, waited for Winfred to open his mouth.
“My Father has sent you an answer, Lord Dexen.”
Winfred spoke with an expression that made it impossible to read his thoughts. At his words, Alexia closed her eyes tightly. A deep furrow formed between her eyebrows.
A few days ago, an operation to capture Cloud failed, and she sent a letter to the Emperor begging for forgiveness.
Many of her subordinates were injured due to her own mistake, and she even missed the traitor she was trying to catch. It was something she might have to step down from.
It seemed like the answer had arrived.
Alexia quickly got up from her chair and knelt on the floor.
“Give your order, Your Highness.”
She had a solemn expression on her face, as if she would follow any order given to her to end her life on this spot.
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