Her voice dropped sharply.
"There is a high possibility that there is a cave or shelter over there to escape the snow and wind."
The soldiers soon nodded and scattered. Someone held a torch high to shine into the crevices in the rocks, while another swept through the snow with the tip of a spear to survey the terrain.
Odelia took a deep breath. Tears welled up in her eyes from the biting wind, but she opened her eyes wide and surveyed her surroundings. The certainty that the children were clearly nearby tightened in the center of her chest.
"Look carefully, and raise the signal immediately if you find anything."
A short, firm command spread into the forest, cutting through the swirling snowflakes.
A moment later, a sharp sound burst from the edge of the forest. It was the barking of a hunting dog. Soldiers ran toward it, waving torches.
What emerged through the snow was a shadow sunken beneath the rocks, a presence like a breath escaping from the darkness.
“It’s a cave!”
The soldier pointed at the entrance with the tip of his spear. The entrance, half-buried in snow, looked like just a pile of rocks at first glance, but as they approached, a gap leading inside was clearly revealed.
The hunting dog howled sharply and dug into the ground in front of him with its claws. It trembled as if in a frenzy, chasing a familiar scent.
Odelia leaped off the horse in an instant. Her fingertips trembled, but her gaze became fiercely sharp.
She gestured toward the soldiers holding shields.
"Seal the entrance! Check inside. Do not scatter under any circumstances."
The soldiers nodded in unison and moved.
Odelia slowly stepped into the cave, clutching the edge of her cloak.
She walked slowly like that. In a corner of her vision, she saw something familiar.
Small feet.
The tip of the child's shoe, wet with snow and covered in dirt, was sticking out over the rock.
It felt as if her breath had been caught in her throat, and her neck tightened. Odelia forced her stiffened fingertips into a fist and reached out her hand.
"Herse... Herse, it's me. It's Odelia."
Silence followed for a moment. A faint presence crept from behind the rock.
Then, very slowly.
Herse appeared with a pale face. He was tightly hugging the sling wrapped around Eileen.
The small shoulders were trembling. Tears and snot were mixed together around the child's eyes, but the hand holding the younger sibling was clinging on tightly, as if determined never to let go.
“Come here.”
Odelia's voice trembled.
Herse stepped out from behind the rock, hesitating. Footsteps approached Odelia slowly, yet distinctly. Eileen, held in those small arms, was letting out only very faint breaths from inside the swaddling blanket.
Odelia hugged the two children in an instant. As her trembling fingertips touched their cheeks and backs, she finally realized that this was reality, not a dream.
"It's okay... It's okay now."
A gentle pat that instantly melts away the cold and anxiety.
Herse's lips trembled. And as if finally bursting, the child sobbed uncontrollably in Odelia's arms.
"Sob... sob... He said he'd kill me the moment I get out of here! He said he'd kill me!"
The two small hands burrowed deeper into Odelia's cloak without letting go. The child's voice was steeped in despair and fear, yet at the same time, it was split between relief and faith.
Odelia hugged Herse's head, suppressing the burning sensation spreading around her eyes. Eileen's small breath and Herse's hot tears touched her chest all at once.
Odelia hugged the children in her arms even tighter. Herse was still sobbing, and Eileen let out only weak breaths from inside the swaddle.
"Lord! There is movement near the exit!"
A soldier at the rear shouted while clutching his spear.
Suddenly, dozens of torches flashed beyond the snowflakes. A flag bearing a golden eagle hung proudly in the blizzard. It was the Imperial Guard.
“Please identify yourself!”
Philip raised his voice while aiming his spear forward, but the answer came back as a sharp shout.
"Lord Talamand, Odelia! You are being arrested on charges of treason!"
At the same time, the soldiers drew their swords in unison. As the gleaming blades lined up against the falling snow, the children burrowed deeper into Odelia's embrace in terror.
The officer at the front shouted.
"The investigation is complete. It has been revealed that a large-scale military force was assembled in Talamand without authorization, and soldiers were armed without the Empire's permission! Their numbers amount to hundreds, which serves as proof of treason preparing for a civil war!"
Another soldier then took over the shout.
"Furthermore, there is testimony that the disappearance of Count and Countess Herdel's child and Marquis Bardo's legitimate son was used as a pretext to lead troops into the Imperial Capital! This has been compounded by the fact that the people were incited and Talamand's resources were mobilized without authorization. All of these constitute charges of treason!"
A sharp voice echoing amidst the snowstorm. The blade within it was aimed solely at one person. Odelia.
The blade gleaming on the snow-covered ground shone coldly, as if trying to deny everything she had built.
Odelia's eyes gleamed fiercely.
The name Fabiana flashed through her mind like lightning in an instant.
Ah. So all of this was her doing. The kidnapping, the disappearance, the rumors—it was all a trap set to ensnare me from the very beginning.
She gasped for breath. Anger surged up to the throat, but Odelia gritted her teeth and swallowed the emotion.
Her fist, hidden beneath the snow, was clenched tightly. The cold snow melted and flowed down the back of her hand, but she did not even flinch.
Rather than showing anger, she had to endure this situation. Because the children were still in her arms.
His breath rose and fell rapidly, but his voice was filled with cold determination.
"If the condition is that the children are returned safely... I will follow you here."
“My lord!”
Philip shouted in bewilderment. However, Odelia shook her head firmly.
"If we fight back like this, Talamand itself will be in danger. Right now, me being captured... is the way to protect Talamand. So, take the children and return to the castle immediately."
She looked down at the faces of the children she held in her arms for the last time.
Herse's eyes were bloodshot with tears, and his little fingers were still clutching the hem of her cloak.
Eileen's faint breath continued dimly even in the cold air.
The image of Talamand overlapped with the figures of these children. The image of the land she had to protect, the territory just beginning to take a leap forward as it established its foundation.
Odelia handed the children to Philip. Trying hard to suppress the trembling in her fingertips, she patted Herse's back one last time.
"Don't worry. I'll be back soon."
With those words, she walked straight forward toward the sword-wielding imperial soldiers. The sound of her footsteps was buried heavily in the snow.
“Arrest her!”
With a heartless shout, cold iron chains were fastened to Odelia's wrists.
Snowflakes continued to scatter, and the front of the cave was covered in the weight of the imperial flags and soldiers. The sound of children wailing echoed through the forest.
Odelia raised her head and looked up at the sky beyond the blades and torches. Dawn was still far off, and only the blizzard covered the earth.
Her chained wrists were cold, but Odelia's gaze did not waver.
As the soldiers grabbed her from both sides, Damian and Philip tried to step forward almost simultaneously. However, they could not advance any further in front of the Imperial Guards blocking their path with their swords.
Odelia turned her head for a moment. Her eyes met the two people through the falling snow.
There wasn't a single word, but a single glance was enough.
It's okay. Don't worry.
As her gaze softened, Damian whispered low, his tightly closed lips trembling.
"Don't worry too much. I will go straight to His Majesty—"
Odelia took a small breath and quietly smiled.
"Herse must have been very scared, so please comfort him."
With words that echoed like a final plea, the soldiers drove Odelia forward.
“Take it away!”
Footprints followed on the snow, and the sound of chains clashing scattered coldly in the dawn air.
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