Aila, who had been picking up branches with her head down, was startled by Cloud's words and looked up at him.
Capella comes to get her. What this means is...
This meant that soon Aila would return to the arms of her beloved parents, and the couple would die at Cloud's hands.
Two months had passed by so quickly since Aila had started living with the couple.
Since this was on a mountainside, she didn't feel the heat that much, but summer was passing and fall was just around the corner.
“...”
As she paused, her mind racing with thoughts, Cloud silently approached Ayla and crouched down to collect the sticks for her.
“Are you alright, Miss?”
He asked her with a worried expression, apparently because he couldn't figure out why she had suddenly broken down.
"...Yes."
And Aila looked at him, biting her lips.
Originally, she had planned to act independently, but it occurred to her that perhaps she could enlist Cloud's help in her plan to rescue Debbie and Scott.
It was a chance to test whether he had truly turned to her side and whether she could trust him completely.
“Cloud.”
“Yes, Miss. Please speak.”
“...I will save the uncle and the aunt.”
At her words, Cloud was so surprised that he unconsciously snapped the branch he was holding in his hand.
Because he couldn't figure out how on earth she knew about his plan to kill the couple.
Byron's order to kill the couple came after Aila had settled into this cabin in the woods. She had no time to eavesdrop.
He couldn't help but ask with a dumbfounded expression.
“How did you know that?”
“...Isn’t it something you can understand with just a little thought? There’s no way that vicious person would let the root of the trouble live.”
There was no need to add to Cloud's confusion by adding something unbelievable like "regression" or something like that, so she shrugged and brushed it off.
And thankfully, Cloud seemed to accept her excuse.
"...Yes."
"I'll tell you two to run away immediately after I leave. So you just... lie and say you've dealt with them. Understood?"
She was worried that Debbie and Scott might not make it to the safe house she had prepared and be caught by Byron, but if Cloud could just lie to her, she could buy time until she could hide safely.
“...Hmm.”
And Cloud groaned in embarrassment. He seemed hesitant to actively help Aila.
Aila, angry at his indecisive attitude, stood up with a branch in her hand and snapped sharply.
"Think carefully. Is it okay for an innocent woman and man to be sacrificed simply for Byron's desires? Where did the conscience that tormented you for deceiving me go? Doesn't something like this sting you?"
"That's a conscience that's activated selectively," Aila said, snorting excitedly as she turned around.
And Cloud, left alone, pondered her words.
The couple was truly innocent. They were simply unfortunate enough to fall under Byron's spell and be used. Could he really kill such a couple without feeling any guilt?
Although she had only spoken about this one incident, her words sent ripples through his heart like a stone thrown into still water.
He had tried to ignore the fact that he had harmed countless innocent victims under the pretext of protecting his family. The guilt he had barely managed to repress, now rising to the surface, seemed to be troubling his heart.
‘...This kid always makes adults feel ashamed.’
Cloud chuckled and looked in the direction where Aila had disappeared.
"Oh my, Aila. Why do you look so sad? What happened? Why are your clothes so dirty? Did you fall or something?"
“Did you fall? Are you hurt anywhere?”
When Aila returned to the cabin, clutching a bundle of twigs, a couple, startled by her pale face, ran up to her and made a fuss.
“Clothes? Why are my clothes...?”
Aila, unaware that her clothes were dirty, panicked and examined the hem of her skirt. From crouching down to pick up the wood, leaves, and dirt clung to it here and there.
“Ah, this isn’t a fall...”
At the words, "I was just trying to pick up a stick and this is what happened," Debbie shook out the hem of her dress with a look of disappointment on her face.
“There was no need to get down on your knees to pick it up...”
It was heartbreaking to see a child living in a stranger's house due to an adult's circumstances, feeling self-conscious.
And Debbie's warm touch added guilt to Aila, who was already upset.
Even though it wasn't her true intention, the fact that she had deceived such a good couple brought tears to her eyes.
As Aila burst into tears, Debbie and Scott became even more flustered.
“Aila, why are you crying? You’re upsetting the lady. Huh?”
Debbie wiped Aila's tears with a handkerchief she'd made herself. Scott's hands flapped in the air, lost and at a loss. His movements clearly showed his bewilderment.
Aila barely managed to swallow her tears and opened her mouth. She needed to explain to protect Debbie and Scott, but what could she possibly do by just crying like this? She felt pathetic.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, uncle... I actually lied to you both.”
“You’re lying? What do you mean?”
When Aila confessed her mistake in a tearful voice, the couple tilted their heads in bewilderment.
“Tomorrow... the woman who came with me will come pick me up.”
“...Your mother said?”
"The woman who came with me?" It seemed odd for a mother to be addressed. Debbie tilted her head in confusion, but Aila raised her voice and denied it.
"That woman... isn't my mother! The story about being chased by debt collectors and the story about my older sister living in the neighboring village are all lies. I'm sorry for lying to you..."
She bit her lip hard to keep from crying again.
She felt relieved when she confessed the truth she had been hiding, but she also felt sorry for the couple who felt betrayed.
“...What do you mean? She's not your mother.”
"Were you kidnapped by that woman? If that's the case, you should go to the authorities for help..."
But rather than blaming Aila for deceiving them, the couple first worried about her, and that affection only made the deceiver's heart ache even more.
“I can’t explain the details, but... when I return with that woman tomorrow, you have to run away here. Otherwise, she’ll try to harm you both.”
She handed the couple the note Winfred had given her.
She wasn't sure if the couple would believe her and follow her instructions, but she had to convince them somehow.
Because this time, she didn't want to lose this kind couple.
“Where is this place...”
The couple who received the note looked at each other with puzzled expressions, as if they had no idea what was going on.
"There are people here to protect you both. I'm truly sorry for getting you involved in this. But... could you please trust me just this once?"
Aila looked at the couple with a desperate voice. Her expression was desperate, as if her life depended on it.
Debbie, who had been silently looking at Aila, opened her mouth and held her hand tightly.
“...Then, Aila. You should come too.”
"Yes?"
“If you follow those who would endanger us, won’t you also be in danger?”
At her words, Aila stared blankly at Debbie's face. She had never imagined she would receive such an offer.
She was grateful for that sentiment. She never thought they would show this much concern for her after deceiving them and lying to them for two months.
Aila liked them even more because they were such a good couple, and she wanted to get more of them.
“...Thank you for your kind words, but I... have to go back with that woman. Otherwise, my life will be in danger.”
As she spoke, she gradually lost confidence. Even when she thought about it herself, her words were not convincing.
But since the curse on her body had not yet been lifted, Aila had to leave this place with Capella, whether she liked it or not.
‘...Wait, now that I think about it, something seems strange?’
In her last life, she performed a ritual to lift the curse before coming to this house. But in this life, why didn't she lift the curse first?
No, now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. The order didn't matter, did it? Right now, she needed to focus on persuading the couple.
“Aila...”
"I'll resolve this matter as quickly as possible and then come find you both. Until then, please stay hidden in the place written on this note."
Aila clung tightly to Debbie's hand, hoping her sincerity would be conveyed through their skin.
And finally...
“Yes, I understand.”
“I will do as you say.”
The couple looked at each other for a moment and nodded.
However, not all problems were solved.
“But, Aila... we’re blind, so we can’t tell what’s written on the note.”
Scott confessed, blushing in embarrassment, but by commoner standards, it wasn't really that embarrassing. They had little opportunity to learn to read and write, so they often only knew how to write their own names.
"Ah..."
And Aila sighed softly. It was something she had already known from her past life, but had forgotten.
“What should I do? I don’t know much about geography either...”
If she herself were well-versed in imperial geography, she would have drawn a map for them, but she had been wandering all her life, not knowing where she was going, and had never had time to learn geography.
With a frustrated expression, she read the address Winfred had written down, hoping Scott and Debbie would remember it and find their way home.
Capella comes to get her. What this means is...
This meant that soon Aila would return to the arms of her beloved parents, and the couple would die at Cloud's hands.
Two months had passed by so quickly since Aila had started living with the couple.
Since this was on a mountainside, she didn't feel the heat that much, but summer was passing and fall was just around the corner.
“...”
As she paused, her mind racing with thoughts, Cloud silently approached Ayla and crouched down to collect the sticks for her.
“Are you alright, Miss?”
He asked her with a worried expression, apparently because he couldn't figure out why she had suddenly broken down.
"...Yes."
And Aila looked at him, biting her lips.
Originally, she had planned to act independently, but it occurred to her that perhaps she could enlist Cloud's help in her plan to rescue Debbie and Scott.
It was a chance to test whether he had truly turned to her side and whether she could trust him completely.
“Cloud.”
“Yes, Miss. Please speak.”
“...I will save the uncle and the aunt.”
At her words, Cloud was so surprised that he unconsciously snapped the branch he was holding in his hand.
Because he couldn't figure out how on earth she knew about his plan to kill the couple.
Byron's order to kill the couple came after Aila had settled into this cabin in the woods. She had no time to eavesdrop.
He couldn't help but ask with a dumbfounded expression.
“How did you know that?”
“...Isn’t it something you can understand with just a little thought? There’s no way that vicious person would let the root of the trouble live.”
There was no need to add to Cloud's confusion by adding something unbelievable like "regression" or something like that, so she shrugged and brushed it off.
And thankfully, Cloud seemed to accept her excuse.
"...Yes."
"I'll tell you two to run away immediately after I leave. So you just... lie and say you've dealt with them. Understood?"
She was worried that Debbie and Scott might not make it to the safe house she had prepared and be caught by Byron, but if Cloud could just lie to her, she could buy time until she could hide safely.
“...Hmm.”
And Cloud groaned in embarrassment. He seemed hesitant to actively help Aila.
Aila, angry at his indecisive attitude, stood up with a branch in her hand and snapped sharply.
"Think carefully. Is it okay for an innocent woman and man to be sacrificed simply for Byron's desires? Where did the conscience that tormented you for deceiving me go? Doesn't something like this sting you?"
"That's a conscience that's activated selectively," Aila said, snorting excitedly as she turned around.
And Cloud, left alone, pondered her words.
The couple was truly innocent. They were simply unfortunate enough to fall under Byron's spell and be used. Could he really kill such a couple without feeling any guilt?
Although she had only spoken about this one incident, her words sent ripples through his heart like a stone thrown into still water.
He had tried to ignore the fact that he had harmed countless innocent victims under the pretext of protecting his family. The guilt he had barely managed to repress, now rising to the surface, seemed to be troubling his heart.
‘...This kid always makes adults feel ashamed.’
Cloud chuckled and looked in the direction where Aila had disappeared.
"Oh my, Aila. Why do you look so sad? What happened? Why are your clothes so dirty? Did you fall or something?"
“Did you fall? Are you hurt anywhere?”
When Aila returned to the cabin, clutching a bundle of twigs, a couple, startled by her pale face, ran up to her and made a fuss.
“Clothes? Why are my clothes...?”
Aila, unaware that her clothes were dirty, panicked and examined the hem of her skirt. From crouching down to pick up the wood, leaves, and dirt clung to it here and there.
“Ah, this isn’t a fall...”
At the words, "I was just trying to pick up a stick and this is what happened," Debbie shook out the hem of her dress with a look of disappointment on her face.
“There was no need to get down on your knees to pick it up...”
It was heartbreaking to see a child living in a stranger's house due to an adult's circumstances, feeling self-conscious.
And Debbie's warm touch added guilt to Aila, who was already upset.
Even though it wasn't her true intention, the fact that she had deceived such a good couple brought tears to her eyes.
As Aila burst into tears, Debbie and Scott became even more flustered.
“Aila, why are you crying? You’re upsetting the lady. Huh?”
Debbie wiped Aila's tears with a handkerchief she'd made herself. Scott's hands flapped in the air, lost and at a loss. His movements clearly showed his bewilderment.
Aila barely managed to swallow her tears and opened her mouth. She needed to explain to protect Debbie and Scott, but what could she possibly do by just crying like this? She felt pathetic.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, uncle... I actually lied to you both.”
“You’re lying? What do you mean?”
When Aila confessed her mistake in a tearful voice, the couple tilted their heads in bewilderment.
“Tomorrow... the woman who came with me will come pick me up.”
“...Your mother said?”
"The woman who came with me?" It seemed odd for a mother to be addressed. Debbie tilted her head in confusion, but Aila raised her voice and denied it.
"That woman... isn't my mother! The story about being chased by debt collectors and the story about my older sister living in the neighboring village are all lies. I'm sorry for lying to you..."
She bit her lip hard to keep from crying again.
She felt relieved when she confessed the truth she had been hiding, but she also felt sorry for the couple who felt betrayed.
“...What do you mean? She's not your mother.”
"Were you kidnapped by that woman? If that's the case, you should go to the authorities for help..."
But rather than blaming Aila for deceiving them, the couple first worried about her, and that affection only made the deceiver's heart ache even more.
“I can’t explain the details, but... when I return with that woman tomorrow, you have to run away here. Otherwise, she’ll try to harm you both.”
She handed the couple the note Winfred had given her.
She wasn't sure if the couple would believe her and follow her instructions, but she had to convince them somehow.
Because this time, she didn't want to lose this kind couple.
“Where is this place...”
The couple who received the note looked at each other with puzzled expressions, as if they had no idea what was going on.
"There are people here to protect you both. I'm truly sorry for getting you involved in this. But... could you please trust me just this once?"
Aila looked at the couple with a desperate voice. Her expression was desperate, as if her life depended on it.
Debbie, who had been silently looking at Aila, opened her mouth and held her hand tightly.
“...Then, Aila. You should come too.”
"Yes?"
“If you follow those who would endanger us, won’t you also be in danger?”
At her words, Aila stared blankly at Debbie's face. She had never imagined she would receive such an offer.
She was grateful for that sentiment. She never thought they would show this much concern for her after deceiving them and lying to them for two months.
Aila liked them even more because they were such a good couple, and she wanted to get more of them.
“...Thank you for your kind words, but I... have to go back with that woman. Otherwise, my life will be in danger.”
As she spoke, she gradually lost confidence. Even when she thought about it herself, her words were not convincing.
But since the curse on her body had not yet been lifted, Aila had to leave this place with Capella, whether she liked it or not.
‘...Wait, now that I think about it, something seems strange?’
In her last life, she performed a ritual to lift the curse before coming to this house. But in this life, why didn't she lift the curse first?
No, now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. The order didn't matter, did it? Right now, she needed to focus on persuading the couple.
“Aila...”
"I'll resolve this matter as quickly as possible and then come find you both. Until then, please stay hidden in the place written on this note."
Aila clung tightly to Debbie's hand, hoping her sincerity would be conveyed through their skin.
And finally...
“Yes, I understand.”
“I will do as you say.”
The couple looked at each other for a moment and nodded.
However, not all problems were solved.
“But, Aila... we’re blind, so we can’t tell what’s written on the note.”
Scott confessed, blushing in embarrassment, but by commoner standards, it wasn't really that embarrassing. They had little opportunity to learn to read and write, so they often only knew how to write their own names.
"Ah..."
And Aila sighed softly. It was something she had already known from her past life, but had forgotten.
“What should I do? I don’t know much about geography either...”
If she herself were well-versed in imperial geography, she would have drawn a map for them, but she had been wandering all her life, not knowing where she was going, and had never had time to learn geography.
With a frustrated expression, she read the address Winfred had written down, hoping Scott and Debbie would remember it and find their way home.
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