(29) How to Avoid the Trap (2)
As Ariana had expected, the carriage arrived in the small town in the evening.
As the Brontes' carriage entered the castle gates, people flocked to watch.
It seemed news of the Brontes hadn't yet reached this area, so the lord of the castle, Count Gordon, welcomed them warmly. Thanks to Count Gordon's kindness, Ariana was able to stay at his mansion.
The servants unpacked their belongings, and the coachmen took the tired horses to the stables to rest.
While everyone was busy, Ariana stood there blankly. The Brontes entered the mansion with their two daughters, leaving Ariana alone.
"You should come in too, young lady,"
Rosaline whispered, but Ariana shook her head.
"I think it's better for me to just stay here."
If Ariana entered the mansion, the Duke and Duchess would have no choice but to pretend to care for her, as they were always watching.
Ariana didn't want to sit among them and play the role of the delicate, naive daughter until this day.
She would have liked to go outside the mansion and see the city, but with so many eyes watching, that was impossible.
Ariana sat on a stone bench in the Count's garden.
"You go and rest, too."
"I'll stay with you, young lady."
"It must be uncomfortable. It's cold."
"Oh. Just a moment."
Rosaline, who had disappeared for a moment, returned with a blanket.
She draped the thick one over Ariana's shoulders.
"Yours?"
"I'm fine."
"It'll be cold at night."
"It's okay, young lady."
Ariana held up one side of the blanket and motioned to Rosaline.
"Then come here. It'll be warmer if we sit close together."
Rosaline stared at Ariana with a subtle expression before saying,
"You're so kind, young lady."
Ariana smiled without answering, and Rosaline carefully sat down beside Ariana.
Wrapping themselves in a blanket, their bodies warmed up. It had been so long since they felt another's warmth, Ariana felt a pang of sadness. She felt ashamed of herself for being numb to the mere warmth of the mysterious maid.
It was only the beginning, and she pitied herself for craving someone else's warmth so desperately.
'Don't want anything. You shouldn't want anything. There's only one thing I have in this life.'
To destroy those noble yet shallow people who had driven her to hell.
'I can't repeat that.'
Because she wanted to be loved, because she wanted to be accepted, she lived and died without even realizing she was in hell.
She fluttered at a small sliver of warmth, delighted in a heartless smile, and walked deeper into hell.
A woman who is pretty but stupid, of good blood but unsupported, is perfect for exploitation. Destroying a woman who craves warmth and affection is easier than snapping your fingers.
So, people used Ariana until she broke, then abandoned her.
Rosaline's warmth had temporarily dulled her heart, which had hardened once more. Ariana raised her head and gazed at the stars that embroidered the azure night sky.
Each starlight was etched with the faces of those who had pushed Ariana into hell.
Engraving their faces into her heart, Ariana spent the lonely night.
From early morning, the servants were busy preparing for departure.
Ariana boarded the carriage just before departure.
As she got into the carriage, she glanced to the side and saw Rachel staring intently. When Ariana smiled at her, Rachel hurriedly closed the carriage door, as if she had seen something she shouldn't have.
The carriage departed, escorted by the Countess of Gordon.
They ran in the opposite direction from when they came in, passing through the castle gates.
Ariana closed her eyes in the rattling carriage.
"You must be tired. Get some sleep."
"Yes. Wake me up when you get close to the mountain."
I couldn't fully trust Rosaline, so I couldn't sleep deeply.
While I was dozing, I heard the sound of horses' hooves and the crunch of gravel.
How long had passed? Rosaline gently shook Ariana's shoulder.
"Miss, we're approaching the Weifen Mountains."
Ariana opened her eyes wide and checked outside the window.
'I hope nothing happens.'
There was nothing better than arriving in the empire without incident.
If Rachel really tried to kill Ariana here, things would be much more difficult.
'If it goes wrong, I'll die.'
But she was prepared for that.
He who bears a sword must also be prepared to be struck by it.
Ariana quietly clutched her skirt.
The carriage continued to move. It shook more violently as it entered the mountain road.
Ariana tensely listened to the sounds coming from outside.
After another hour or so of driving, perhaps even after entering the mountains, she suddenly felt the sound had changed. Rosaline seemed to feel the same, checking the window and saying,
"The other carriages are moving away."
"Yes," she answered calmly, her mouth dry.
She would do anything with her head, but she lacked confidence in physical strength.
She remembered what had happened a few days ago, when Rounder had attacked her at Pergola.
Rounder wasn't a trained martial artist, but Ariana couldn't overcome his strength.
"It's okay."
Ariana tried to calm her churning heart.
'It's okay. You know this mountain well. If you don't panic, you'll survive.'
Ariana checked the dagger in her arms.
The previous incident had taught her that having a dagger was useless without any martial arts training. But it was better than nothing.
As she was mentally envisioning what was to come, Rosaline spoke softly.
"Here we go."
At that moment, the carriage stopped.
"The coachman is fleeing."
Rosaline's gaze changed.
It shifted from the innocent, delicate gaze of a maid to that of a beast tearing at the nape of its target's neck. Her voice also became lower than usual.
Ariana's eyes widened in surprise at Rosaline's sudden transformation.
The truly astonishing thing happened next.
Rosaline pulled a long sword from within her voluminous skirt.
"Miss. Follow me."
"You...?"
Ariana, about to question Rosaline's identity, realized now wasn't the time.
"Left. We need to go left."
"Understood."
As Rosaline opened the carriage door, the men's harsh shouts rang out.
"A noble carriage! Attack!"
Rachel closed her eyes and tried to maintain a calm expression, but her heart sank.
When she decided to go to the Empire, Rachel sent her maid to contact a mercenary group. They were mercenaries in name only, but they were a mercenary group with a bad reputation, willing to do anything for money.
- "Kill them. Kill them on the spot. Don't even think about selling them alive."
The mountain paths of the Weifen Mountains weren't terribly dangerous, but bandits did appear occasionally. Therefore, she had to hire several knights or mercenaries when passing through the mountain paths.
Jacob, sitting next to her, put his hand on the back of Rachel's hand.
"It won't go wrong this time, right?"
She had told Jacob about this plan. He had to agree with her.
As soon as they left the mountains and entered the city, they planned to feign an emergency and run to the guards for help.
The carriage line was so long they hadn't noticed, but they'd lost sight of their second daughter's carriage, which was following them. Apparently, she'd stopped for a moment, so they'd ask them to go and check.
The guards, rushing along the mountain path, would find the wrecked carriage, attacked by bandits, and the corpse of a maid, slashed to death. And the body of the poor Second Princess.
"There's no way it'll go wrong. I warned the coachman, but she won't get far. We'll kill them all, and the bandits will disappear, so we just have to play the role of parents who lost their daughter."
"We can't enjoy a party after losing our daughter. Wouldn't it be better to return as soon as we confirm her death? We'll at least pretend to hold a funeral."
Men with fierce features, weapons in hand, surrounded the carriage. Ariana could confirm there were over twenty of them.
Rachel was much more meticulous than Ariana had expected. This time, she was determined to kill Ariana.
Ariana shifted her gaze slightly, checking the forest stretching out to her left.
“The enemy is off guard,”
Rosaline whispered softly, sword in hand, glaring ahead.
True to her words, the enemies showed no signs of tension. It was clear they thought a mere maid, wielding a longsword, would be invulnerable to a single wound. Ariana shared the same sentiment
“Rosaline, there’s no need to save me...”
“I’ll cut through the left. Stay close behind me.”
Rosaline spoke firmly and moved.
Arianna hurriedly followed her.
As Rosaline moved, the men didn’t stay still. The men standing on the left side of the carriage approached, swinging their swords menacingly. They clearly thought that would cause Rosaline and Arianna to freeze and burst into tears.
But neither Rosaline nor Arianna acted as they expected.
“Swoosh!”
The sword flashed in Rosaline’s hand.
A red spray of blood spurted out like a fountain where the silver trail had passed.
Ariana couldn't understand what had happened, but she didn't hesitate. She simply stared straight at Rosaline's back and ran after her.
What was disconcerting were the mercenaries disguised as bandits.
They had heard they were only dealing with noble ladies and maids, not with those who could wield swords. While they weren't particularly skilled in martial arts, they were mercenaries who had lived through all the hardships of life. That's why they could tell just how skilled the maid was.
They couldn't even follow the trajectory of the maid's sword.
But they couldn't just let the two women who had killed their comrades go.
They were numerous; a single woman couldn't handle them all.
The mercenaries' eyes gleamed cruelly.
As Ariana had expected, the carriage arrived in the small town in the evening.
As the Brontes' carriage entered the castle gates, people flocked to watch.
It seemed news of the Brontes hadn't yet reached this area, so the lord of the castle, Count Gordon, welcomed them warmly. Thanks to Count Gordon's kindness, Ariana was able to stay at his mansion.
The servants unpacked their belongings, and the coachmen took the tired horses to the stables to rest.
While everyone was busy, Ariana stood there blankly. The Brontes entered the mansion with their two daughters, leaving Ariana alone.
"You should come in too, young lady,"
Rosaline whispered, but Ariana shook her head.
"I think it's better for me to just stay here."
If Ariana entered the mansion, the Duke and Duchess would have no choice but to pretend to care for her, as they were always watching.
Ariana didn't want to sit among them and play the role of the delicate, naive daughter until this day.
She would have liked to go outside the mansion and see the city, but with so many eyes watching, that was impossible.
Ariana sat on a stone bench in the Count's garden.
"You go and rest, too."
"I'll stay with you, young lady."
"It must be uncomfortable. It's cold."
"Oh. Just a moment."
Rosaline, who had disappeared for a moment, returned with a blanket.
She draped the thick one over Ariana's shoulders.
"Yours?"
"I'm fine."
"It'll be cold at night."
"It's okay, young lady."
Ariana held up one side of the blanket and motioned to Rosaline.
"Then come here. It'll be warmer if we sit close together."
Rosaline stared at Ariana with a subtle expression before saying,
"You're so kind, young lady."
Ariana smiled without answering, and Rosaline carefully sat down beside Ariana.
Wrapping themselves in a blanket, their bodies warmed up. It had been so long since they felt another's warmth, Ariana felt a pang of sadness. She felt ashamed of herself for being numb to the mere warmth of the mysterious maid.
It was only the beginning, and she pitied herself for craving someone else's warmth so desperately.
'Don't want anything. You shouldn't want anything. There's only one thing I have in this life.'
To destroy those noble yet shallow people who had driven her to hell.
'I can't repeat that.'
Because she wanted to be loved, because she wanted to be accepted, she lived and died without even realizing she was in hell.
She fluttered at a small sliver of warmth, delighted in a heartless smile, and walked deeper into hell.
A woman who is pretty but stupid, of good blood but unsupported, is perfect for exploitation. Destroying a woman who craves warmth and affection is easier than snapping your fingers.
So, people used Ariana until she broke, then abandoned her.
Rosaline's warmth had temporarily dulled her heart, which had hardened once more. Ariana raised her head and gazed at the stars that embroidered the azure night sky.
Each starlight was etched with the faces of those who had pushed Ariana into hell.
Engraving their faces into her heart, Ariana spent the lonely night.
***
From early morning, the servants were busy preparing for departure.
Ariana boarded the carriage just before departure.
As she got into the carriage, she glanced to the side and saw Rachel staring intently. When Ariana smiled at her, Rachel hurriedly closed the carriage door, as if she had seen something she shouldn't have.
The carriage departed, escorted by the Countess of Gordon.
They ran in the opposite direction from when they came in, passing through the castle gates.
Ariana closed her eyes in the rattling carriage.
"You must be tired. Get some sleep."
"Yes. Wake me up when you get close to the mountain."
I couldn't fully trust Rosaline, so I couldn't sleep deeply.
While I was dozing, I heard the sound of horses' hooves and the crunch of gravel.
How long had passed? Rosaline gently shook Ariana's shoulder.
"Miss, we're approaching the Weifen Mountains."
Ariana opened her eyes wide and checked outside the window.
A tall, long mountain range came into view. In the past, Ariana had crossed that mountain range many times at the command of Victoria or the Third Prince.
There was nothing better than arriving in the empire without incident.
If Rachel really tried to kill Ariana here, things would be much more difficult.
'If it goes wrong, I'll die.'
But she was prepared for that.
He who bears a sword must also be prepared to be struck by it.
Ariana quietly clutched her skirt.
The carriage continued to move. It shook more violently as it entered the mountain road.
Ariana tensely listened to the sounds coming from outside.
After another hour or so of driving, perhaps even after entering the mountains, she suddenly felt the sound had changed. Rosaline seemed to feel the same, checking the window and saying,
"The other carriages are moving away."
"Yes," she answered calmly, her mouth dry.
She would do anything with her head, but she lacked confidence in physical strength.
She remembered what had happened a few days ago, when Rounder had attacked her at Pergola.
Rounder wasn't a trained martial artist, but Ariana couldn't overcome his strength.
"It's okay."
Ariana tried to calm her churning heart.
'It's okay. You know this mountain well. If you don't panic, you'll survive.'
Ariana checked the dagger in her arms.
The previous incident had taught her that having a dagger was useless without any martial arts training. But it was better than nothing.
As she was mentally envisioning what was to come, Rosaline spoke softly.
"Here we go."
At that moment, the carriage stopped.
"The coachman is fleeing."
Rosaline's gaze changed.
It shifted from the innocent, delicate gaze of a maid to that of a beast tearing at the nape of its target's neck. Her voice also became lower than usual.
Ariana's eyes widened in surprise at Rosaline's sudden transformation.
The truly astonishing thing happened next.
Rosaline pulled a long sword from within her voluminous skirt.
"Miss. Follow me."
"You...?"
Ariana, about to question Rosaline's identity, realized now wasn't the time.
"Left. We need to go left."
"Understood."
As Rosaline opened the carriage door, the men's harsh shouts rang out.
"A noble carriage! Attack!"
***
Rachel closed her eyes and tried to maintain a calm expression, but her heart sank.
When she decided to go to the Empire, Rachel sent her maid to contact a mercenary group. They were mercenaries in name only, but they were a mercenary group with a bad reputation, willing to do anything for money.
- "Kill them. Kill them on the spot. Don't even think about selling them alive."
The mountain paths of the Weifen Mountains weren't terribly dangerous, but bandits did appear occasionally. Therefore, she had to hire several knights or mercenaries when passing through the mountain paths.
Jacob, sitting next to her, put his hand on the back of Rachel's hand.
"It won't go wrong this time, right?"
She had told Jacob about this plan. He had to agree with her.
As soon as they left the mountains and entered the city, they planned to feign an emergency and run to the guards for help.
The carriage line was so long they hadn't noticed, but they'd lost sight of their second daughter's carriage, which was following them. Apparently, she'd stopped for a moment, so they'd ask them to go and check.
The guards, rushing along the mountain path, would find the wrecked carriage, attacked by bandits, and the corpse of a maid, slashed to death. And the body of the poor Second Princess.
"There's no way it'll go wrong. I warned the coachman, but she won't get far. We'll kill them all, and the bandits will disappear, so we just have to play the role of parents who lost their daughter."
"We can't enjoy a party after losing our daughter. Wouldn't it be better to return as soon as we confirm her death? We'll at least pretend to hold a funeral."
"The funeral can be held at the villa in the Empire. Just say that Ariana desperately wanted to visit the Empire, and that we wanted to send her on her last journey from the Empire."
Then everyone would feel sorry for the Brontes.
Rachel, who had lost her daughter, Victoria and Helena, who had lost her sister.
They would all come to offer condolences and invite them to offer their condolences. Even nobles who weren't close with each other would try to show kindness to those who had lost family members.
"In fact, this is a chance to catch Her Majesty's eye. We will be the center of conversation this social season."
Then everyone would feel sorry for the Brontes.
Rachel, who had lost her daughter, Victoria and Helena, who had lost her sister.
They would all come to offer condolences and invite them to offer their condolences. Even nobles who weren't close with each other would try to show kindness to those who had lost family members.
"In fact, this is a chance to catch Her Majesty's eye. We will be the center of conversation this social season."
***
Men with fierce features, weapons in hand, surrounded the carriage. Ariana could confirm there were over twenty of them.
Rachel was much more meticulous than Ariana had expected. This time, she was determined to kill Ariana.
Ariana shifted her gaze slightly, checking the forest stretching out to her left.
“The enemy is off guard,”
Rosaline whispered softly, sword in hand, glaring ahead.
True to her words, the enemies showed no signs of tension. It was clear they thought a mere maid, wielding a longsword, would be invulnerable to a single wound. Ariana shared the same sentiment
“Rosaline, there’s no need to save me...”
“I’ll cut through the left. Stay close behind me.”
Rosaline spoke firmly and moved.
Arianna hurriedly followed her.
As Rosaline moved, the men didn’t stay still. The men standing on the left side of the carriage approached, swinging their swords menacingly. They clearly thought that would cause Rosaline and Arianna to freeze and burst into tears.
But neither Rosaline nor Arianna acted as they expected.
“Swoosh!”
The sword flashed in Rosaline’s hand.
A red spray of blood spurted out like a fountain where the silver trail had passed.
Ariana couldn't understand what had happened, but she didn't hesitate. She simply stared straight at Rosaline's back and ran after her.
What was disconcerting were the mercenaries disguised as bandits.
They had heard they were only dealing with noble ladies and maids, not with those who could wield swords. While they weren't particularly skilled in martial arts, they were mercenaries who had lived through all the hardships of life. That's why they could tell just how skilled the maid was.
They couldn't even follow the trajectory of the maid's sword.
But they couldn't just let the two women who had killed their comrades go.
They were numerous; a single woman couldn't handle them all.
The mercenaries' eyes gleamed cruelly.
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