(31) Seeping Warmth (1)
Ariana froze.
She stared at what was unfolding before her, unable to even blink.
'My lord? Who? The Northern Duke? Rosaline's? Why...? ...?'
Cyrus remained cold even with Rosaline covered in blood before him.
"Only 32. You've grown weak. Have you lost your skills because you've been a maid?"
"I was lax. I will gladly accept the punishment."
Rosaline didn't make any excuses, even though she hadn't fought properly to protect Ariana.
"Well, then..."
Feeling like she was about to be punished at any moment, Ariana unconsciously ran to block Rosaline's path.
Cyrus gave Ariana an indifferent look.
"What are you doing?"
"Rosaline got hurt protecting me."
“If you get hurt like this while protecting just one person, you can’t be the leader of the Black Knights.”
The word “Black Knights” made her gasp.
“Rosaline... the leader of the Black Knights?”
“Yes. Oh, and her name is Louis.”
“Louis...”
Only then did Ariana understand why Cyrus seemed pleased by the compliment to the maid.
“You assigned me Rosaline, no, Louis.”
“...”
“You helped me?”
“Then?”
Ariana took a deep breath.
Now she understood how things were going.
The new maid. She seemed naive, but smart, and seemed greedy, but she didn’t covet Ariana’s wealth. The maid who strangely acted like Ariana’s right-hand man. As expected, no one would help Ariana without a reason.
The Northern Duke had something he wanted from Ariana, and that’s why the ‘maid’ he sent acted like Ariana’s right-hand man.
As she assessed the situation, her wavering eyes froze, and her crumbling heart hardened.
Ariana spoke calmly.
“I had a plan I could execute and achieve on my own. However, Your Excellency indeed sent this woman, making things easier. If Your Excellency asks for my help in the future, I will definitely help you.”
“How can I trust future promises?”
“Right now, I have absolutely no power to help Your Excellency. I imagine Your Excellency wouldn’t want to exploit me now, would you?”
“Clever.”
“Your Excellency is so elusive, you’ll likely come to collect my debt no matter where I am. I will definitely repay your help. Now, excuse me.”
Cyrus blocked Ariana’s path as she staggered forward. Ariana swallowed a sigh and looked up at him.
“The sun is setting. You always have a plan, but your plans won’t work against the wild beasts.”
He was right.
Ariana, too, was contemplating how to escape the forest after the sun had set.
The setting sun dyed the sky orange. Mountain night came quickly, and soon it would be so dark it would be impossible to see even an inch ahead.
Ariana knew that if she needed help, she needed to ask for it.
She didn't want to entangle herself with the Northern Duke, but she couldn't let those feelings get in the way.
"I'll ask for your protection."
"Very well. I won't let this become a debt."
Ariana said.
"The Duchess will inform the guards as soon as we reach the city beyond the mountains. She'll probably say I stopped the carriage without permission, and she didn't realize I wasn't following. The guards will be here soon."
"I see."
"There's a cave a little way down the ledge below that cliff. It leads to the other side of the mountains."
"You've been trapped in the ducal palace, yet you know the geography better than I do."
"I've always planned to escape."
As Ariana expected, Cyrus didn't probe further.
He nodded, and Louis moved.
After Louis tossed the mercenaries' bodies over the cliff, she took a rope from her pack and wrapped it around her hand.
"It would be best if you went down first, my lord."
"No."
Cyrus took the rope from Louis.
"You carry Ariana down."
"Yes."
Ariana felt she would rather be held by Louis than Cyrus, but she was worried about Louis's injuries.
"I'll just jump."
Cyrus frowned at Ariana's words.
"Are you only thinking about dying?"
“I won’t die. I can jump.”
“Don’t be stubborn.”
When Cyrus nodded, Louis wrapped his arms around Ariana’s waist.
“Excuse me, Duchess.”
“Duchess...”
While Ariana was flustered by the unexpected title, Louis held Ariana tightly and jumped from the cliff, holding the rope with his other hand.
Unlike when Ariana had fallen alone before, the two landed safely in the middle of the cliff.
“My Lord, we have arrived.”
The dangling rope was pulled up the cliff, and then Cyrus jumped alone. Ariana sighed at his light landing.
“Jumping off this cliff was so easy. I was prepared to die.”
Just as Ariana remembered, there was a cave on the cliff’s middle ledge. The entrance was small and difficult to find, but the cave grew wider the further inside.
Cyrus whistled before entering the cave. A snow-white eagle flew in and landed on Cyrus's shoulder.
Cyrus tied a note to the eagle's ankle, sent it flying again, and then entered the cave.
Ariana and Cyrus walked side by side, Louis following behind.
Ariana groped along the dark, damp cave walls.
There was only one path to the lake within the cave, so there was no need for a light.
"Were you planning to escape across the mountains through here?"
Cyrus's voice boomed inside the cave.
"Yes."
"You're not afraid in this darkness."
"I'm not afraid of the dark."
"Oh, right. You weren't afraid of the dark. Then what are you afraid of?"
"Right now, Your Excellency is my greatest fear."
"This is shocking. I've helped you all this time."
"I owe you so much. Just thinking about what you expect from me makes my heart clench."
The thought of finally being free from Rachel's clutches made her heart feel a little lighter. The journey to the East would be fraught with danger, but she didn't want to dwell on those thoughts right now.
"My heart reacts to my own thoughts. I didn't know you thought of me that much."
"How could I possibly be thinking of something else when Your Excellency, so beautiful as if the moon god had descended, stands before me?"
"You're truly a good liar. By the way, are your feet okay?"
Ariana froze.
She stared at what was unfolding before her, unable to even blink.
'My lord? Who? The Northern Duke? Rosaline's? Why...? ...?'
Cyrus remained cold even with Rosaline covered in blood before him.
"Only 32. You've grown weak. Have you lost your skills because you've been a maid?"
"I was lax. I will gladly accept the punishment."
Rosaline didn't make any excuses, even though she hadn't fought properly to protect Ariana.
"Well, then..."
Feeling like she was about to be punished at any moment, Ariana unconsciously ran to block Rosaline's path.
Cyrus gave Ariana an indifferent look.
"What are you doing?"
"Rosaline got hurt protecting me."
“If you get hurt like this while protecting just one person, you can’t be the leader of the Black Knights.”
The word “Black Knights” made her gasp.
“Rosaline... the leader of the Black Knights?”
“Yes. Oh, and her name is Louis.”
“Louis...”
Only then did Ariana understand why Cyrus seemed pleased by the compliment to the maid.
“You assigned me Rosaline, no, Louis.”
“...”
“You helped me?”
“Then?”
Ariana took a deep breath.
Now she understood how things were going.
The new maid. She seemed naive, but smart, and seemed greedy, but she didn’t covet Ariana’s wealth. The maid who strangely acted like Ariana’s right-hand man. As expected, no one would help Ariana without a reason.
The Northern Duke had something he wanted from Ariana, and that’s why the ‘maid’ he sent acted like Ariana’s right-hand man.
As she assessed the situation, her wavering eyes froze, and her crumbling heart hardened.
Ariana spoke calmly.
“I had a plan I could execute and achieve on my own. However, Your Excellency indeed sent this woman, making things easier. If Your Excellency asks for my help in the future, I will definitely help you.”
“How can I trust future promises?”
“Right now, I have absolutely no power to help Your Excellency. I imagine Your Excellency wouldn’t want to exploit me now, would you?”
“Clever.”
“Your Excellency is so elusive, you’ll likely come to collect my debt no matter where I am. I will definitely repay your help. Now, excuse me.”
Cyrus blocked Ariana’s path as she staggered forward. Ariana swallowed a sigh and looked up at him.
“The sun is setting. You always have a plan, but your plans won’t work against the wild beasts.”
He was right.
Ariana, too, was contemplating how to escape the forest after the sun had set.
The setting sun dyed the sky orange. Mountain night came quickly, and soon it would be so dark it would be impossible to see even an inch ahead.
Ariana knew that if she needed help, she needed to ask for it.
She didn't want to entangle herself with the Northern Duke, but she couldn't let those feelings get in the way.
"I'll ask for your protection."
"Very well. I won't let this become a debt."
***
Ariana said.
"The Duchess will inform the guards as soon as we reach the city beyond the mountains. She'll probably say I stopped the carriage without permission, and she didn't realize I wasn't following. The guards will be here soon."
"I see."
"There's a cave a little way down the ledge below that cliff. It leads to the other side of the mountains."
"You've been trapped in the ducal palace, yet you know the geography better than I do."
"I've always planned to escape."
As Ariana expected, Cyrus didn't probe further.
He nodded, and Louis moved.
After Louis tossed the mercenaries' bodies over the cliff, she took a rope from her pack and wrapped it around her hand.
"It would be best if you went down first, my lord."
"No."
Cyrus took the rope from Louis.
"You carry Ariana down."
"Yes."
Ariana felt she would rather be held by Louis than Cyrus, but she was worried about Louis's injuries.
"I'll just jump."
Cyrus frowned at Ariana's words.
"Are you only thinking about dying?"
“I won’t die. I can jump.”
“Don’t be stubborn.”
When Cyrus nodded, Louis wrapped his arms around Ariana’s waist.
“Excuse me, Duchess.”
“Duchess...”
While Ariana was flustered by the unexpected title, Louis held Ariana tightly and jumped from the cliff, holding the rope with his other hand.
Unlike when Ariana had fallen alone before, the two landed safely in the middle of the cliff.
“My Lord, we have arrived.”
The dangling rope was pulled up the cliff, and then Cyrus jumped alone. Ariana sighed at his light landing.
“Jumping off this cliff was so easy. I was prepared to die.”
Just as Ariana remembered, there was a cave on the cliff’s middle ledge. The entrance was small and difficult to find, but the cave grew wider the further inside.
Cyrus whistled before entering the cave. A snow-white eagle flew in and landed on Cyrus's shoulder.
Cyrus tied a note to the eagle's ankle, sent it flying again, and then entered the cave.
Ariana and Cyrus walked side by side, Louis following behind.
Ariana groped along the dark, damp cave walls.
There was only one path to the lake within the cave, so there was no need for a light.
"Were you planning to escape across the mountains through here?"
Cyrus's voice boomed inside the cave.
"Yes."
"You're not afraid in this darkness."
"I'm not afraid of the dark."
"Oh, right. You weren't afraid of the dark. Then what are you afraid of?"
"Right now, Your Excellency is my greatest fear."
"This is shocking. I've helped you all this time."
"I owe you so much. Just thinking about what you expect from me makes my heart clench."
The thought of finally being free from Rachel's clutches made her heart feel a little lighter. The journey to the East would be fraught with danger, but she didn't want to dwell on those thoughts right now.
"My heart reacts to my own thoughts. I didn't know you thought of me that much."
"How could I possibly be thinking of something else when Your Excellency, so beautiful as if the moon god had descended, stands before me?"
"You're truly a good liar. By the way, are your feet okay?"
Only after he pointed it out did she realize the pain.
She'd been injured so many times during her escape that her entire body ached and stung. She'd been so tense that she relaxed, and sleep had fallen upon her.
"I'm fine."
"You're good at lying even when you don't have to."
The next moment, Ariana's body floated up. Cyrus had picked her up.
Ariana squeezed her eyes shut.
Why did this man always act so unexpectedly?
"Your Excellency. Aren't your arms precious, used to annihilate enemies?"
"Are you saying you don't want to be held by someone like me, so I should put you down when you say nice things?"
“Don’t waste your precious strength on me. You’ll be at a loss.”
“You don’t even blink when a man’s body is before you, but I wonder how you act when you don’t know where to put yourself.”
“Isn’t Your Excellency worried about the peace of the North?”
“So, are you saying I should stop harboring unnecessary questions and just let it go?”
Louis, following behind the two, wasn’t sure what expression to make.
She’d heard it from Isaac, but she hadn’t expected it to be this severe.
Louis, who had been by Cyrus’s side for so long, had never seen Cyrus act this way toward a woman.
'My lord seems a little lacking when he’s surrounded by a woman he loves.'
Louis was clever, and like Noah, she didn’t show her emotions. She simply followed the two quietly, seemingly absent.
Ariana’s chattering voice gradually slowed and quieted, then stopped completely.
Only the sound of her soft, even breathing could be heard.
Cyrus spoke in a low voice.
"Louis, check ahead."
"Yes."
Louis quickly moved forward, following the path. After a while, she came to a wide open space where a lake spread out.
After checking that there were no dangers nearby, Louis returned to Cyrus.
"There's a lake. It's safe."
"Yes."
"The Duchess skipped meals yesterday and today."
"It would be best to take a nap and feed her when she wakes up. She'll have no appetite if she's tired."
"Should I go ahead and get ready?"
"Yes."
After Louis left, Cyrus looked down at Ariana, who was sleeping in his arms.
People usually have a relaxed expression when they're asleep, but Ariana wasn't like that. Even in her sleep, her shoulders were stiff, and her brow was deeply furrowed, as if she'd been plunged into the flames of hell.
Cyrus wondered if Ariana ever cried, but he longed to see her smile brightly like last time.
"You gave me something good."
Thanks to Ariana, he'd obtained a letter related to a past incident.
"As compensation, I'll make you smile."
Isaac and his men seemed to misunderstand Cyrus's feelings, but that didn't matter.
Cyrus had found value in Ariana, and he planned to watch her grow until she matured. Ariana wasn't the type of woman who would give up what she had just by threatening or grabbing her leash.
So he had to treat her with care and respect, until the day came when he could use her.
When Ariana woke up, the first thing she smelled was a delicious aroma. The delicious smell brought back a forgotten hunger.
Growling—
“You must be hungry.”
Startled by a voice beside her, she sat up, only to realize a thick blanket was wrapped around her.
Only after smelling the damp air and the scent of water did she remember what had happened before she fell asleep. She must have been in Cyrus’s arms, talking to him.
'You really didn’t just fall asleep?'
Her face flushed at the thought of falling asleep so defenselessly in his arms.
“Is this a cave lake?”
She'd been injured so many times during her escape that her entire body ached and stung. She'd been so tense that she relaxed, and sleep had fallen upon her.
"I'm fine."
"You're good at lying even when you don't have to."
The next moment, Ariana's body floated up. Cyrus had picked her up.
Ariana squeezed her eyes shut.
Why did this man always act so unexpectedly?
"Your Excellency. Aren't your arms precious, used to annihilate enemies?"
"Are you saying you don't want to be held by someone like me, so I should put you down when you say nice things?"
“Don’t waste your precious strength on me. You’ll be at a loss.”
“You don’t even blink when a man’s body is before you, but I wonder how you act when you don’t know where to put yourself.”
“Isn’t Your Excellency worried about the peace of the North?”
“So, are you saying I should stop harboring unnecessary questions and just let it go?”
Louis, following behind the two, wasn’t sure what expression to make.
She’d heard it from Isaac, but she hadn’t expected it to be this severe.
Louis, who had been by Cyrus’s side for so long, had never seen Cyrus act this way toward a woman.
'My lord seems a little lacking when he’s surrounded by a woman he loves.'
Louis was clever, and like Noah, she didn’t show her emotions. She simply followed the two quietly, seemingly absent.
Ariana’s chattering voice gradually slowed and quieted, then stopped completely.
Only the sound of her soft, even breathing could be heard.
Cyrus spoke in a low voice.
"Louis, check ahead."
"Yes."
Louis quickly moved forward, following the path. After a while, she came to a wide open space where a lake spread out.
After checking that there were no dangers nearby, Louis returned to Cyrus.
"There's a lake. It's safe."
"Yes."
"The Duchess skipped meals yesterday and today."
"It would be best to take a nap and feed her when she wakes up. She'll have no appetite if she's tired."
"Should I go ahead and get ready?"
"Yes."
After Louis left, Cyrus looked down at Ariana, who was sleeping in his arms.
People usually have a relaxed expression when they're asleep, but Ariana wasn't like that. Even in her sleep, her shoulders were stiff, and her brow was deeply furrowed, as if she'd been plunged into the flames of hell.
Cyrus wondered if Ariana ever cried, but he longed to see her smile brightly like last time.
"You gave me something good."
Thanks to Ariana, he'd obtained a letter related to a past incident.
"As compensation, I'll make you smile."
Isaac and his men seemed to misunderstand Cyrus's feelings, but that didn't matter.
Cyrus had found value in Ariana, and he planned to watch her grow until she matured. Ariana wasn't the type of woman who would give up what she had just by threatening or grabbing her leash.
So he had to treat her with care and respect, until the day came when he could use her.
***
When Ariana woke up, the first thing she smelled was a delicious aroma. The delicious smell brought back a forgotten hunger.
Growling—
“You must be hungry.”
Startled by a voice beside her, she sat up, only to realize a thick blanket was wrapped around her.
Only after smelling the damp air and the scent of water did she remember what had happened before she fell asleep. She must have been in Cyrus’s arms, talking to him.
'You really didn’t just fall asleep?'
Her face flushed at the thought of falling asleep so defenselessly in his arms.
“Is this a cave lake?”
“Yes.”
“How long did I sleep?”
“How long did I sleep?”
“About four days?”
“Is that so?”
“Just kidding.”
Ariana glared at Cyrus.
The lake cave was covered in glowing mushrooms. The blue light from the mushrooms made his white face glow pale. His silver hair also glowed blue, like the sky.
Cyrus brought her a plate and said.
"You slept for about three hours. I didn't put any poison in it, so you can eat it without any worries."
"Thank you."
A few pieces of well-cooked meat were placed on the plate. Ariana, staring down at the deliciously smelling meat, suddenly wondered,
"Where did you get the plate?"
“Just kidding.”
Ariana glared at Cyrus.
The lake cave was covered in glowing mushrooms. The blue light from the mushrooms made his white face glow pale. His silver hair also glowed blue, like the sky.
Cyrus brought her a plate and said.
"You slept for about three hours. I didn't put any poison in it, so you can eat it without any worries."
"Thank you."
A few pieces of well-cooked meat were placed on the plate. Ariana, staring down at the deliciously smelling meat, suddenly wondered,
"Where did you get the plate?"
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