It was around noon when Presepe arrived near the Forbidden Forest.
"..."
With a loud noise, the carriage came to a smooth stop. Presepe, who had been sitting with her back leaning back, rose and cautiously opened the window.
'Ha.'
Along with the refreshing scent of the forest, she saw knights setting up their tents and busily coming and going.
'Then is Siegfried here too?'
But she preferred not to run into him if possible. If they met for no reason and weird option choices pop up like they did with Ivan, wouldn't she be the one who ends up stressed out?
"It seems you were awake."
She craned her neck to peek out the window, but suddenly her view was blocked.
It was because of Fenrir, who was blocking the window.
“Ah, Grand Duke.”
"I must receive a report from the Knights here. You may remain in the carriage, Lady Presepe. Yes, I'll be leaving soon."
"Then is this carriage going somewhere else?'
"You're going to the village near the Forbidden Forest."
A heart near the Forbidden Forest?
"Is it because Lady Vanessa, Lady Presepe's mother, who was executed, lived near the Forbidden Forest before entering the harem?"
So, the place where Vanessa lived?
Presepe's eyes sparkled and shone.
"..."
Fenrir, who was gazing at Presepe, smiled faintly without realizing it.
He knew it well, too. That Presepe was curious about her parents. Then, surely, she would have liked to go to Vanessa's hometown.
Furthermore, the Knights planned to be stationed in front of the Forbidden Forest. They had absolutely no intention of keeping Presepe in a place like this.
Originally, he intended to take Presepe to the village and then come here alone, but unfortunately, he had to pass in front of the Forbidden Forest first to reach its heart.
“Come here.”
"Huh? Who?"
Presepe tilted her head slightly, and not long after, the man she had seen several times on the way and who had also greeted her approached and stood close to the front of the carriage.
"I have met you a few times, Lady Presepe. My name is Kevin."
Kevin greeted her politely and said.
"Throughout your stay here, Kevin will escort you, Lady Presepe, whenever I am away. He is a trustworthy fellow, so you do not need to worry."
He was someone Fenrir had met while wandering the battlefields for a long time, also of the lowest social class.
Kevin was skilled in martial arts like Fenrir, and his abilities were outstanding. However, Fenrir did not assign him to Presepe solely because of such abilities.
It was because, just like him, they were supporting characters who hadn't even been given any specific role in this world.
So, to put it another way.
A safe person who is less likely to harbor strange feelings for Presepe and become obsessed
"I look forward to working with you. If you need anything or have any inconveniences, please let me know right away."
“Yes. Thank you..."
And it was that moment.
"Grand Duke Fenrir."
A very familiar voice was heard.
It was Siegfried approaching from afar.
At the same time, Fenrir quickly reached out his hand. Then, he nonchalantly closed the window that Presepe had left open.
"Thank you so much for coming. It must have been a long journey; I hope you weren't too tired."
Siegfried's voice buzzed through the closed window.
"However, this carriage is..."
“Kevin.”
At Siegfried's words, Fenrir called out Kevin's name instead of answering.
"It was an honor to meet you, Sir Siegfried."
"Let's Go!"
Kevin, mounted on the horse, could be heard muttering to the coachman driving the carriage. Not long after, the carriage started moving again, and only then did Presepe let out a sigh and slump back into his seat.
'It seems Siegfried hasn't heard the news yet.'
Even if Dietrich sent someone directly from the Imperial Palace, it would take some time to reach the Forbidden Forest. They would likely arrive today at the earliest.
'I should avoid running into him as much as possible.'
But Vanessa said so. She told her to go to the Forbidden Forest.
Come to think of it, that was a problem too. With the Knights stationed there like that, how could she possibly approach the Forbidden Forest? And what excuse was she going to give Fenrir?
"Ha..."
A heavy sigh escaped from between Presepe's lips. However, not long after, as if trying to regain her composure, she rubbed her face and muttered.
"No, no. Still, it's something that we made it this far. If things had gone the way they usually did, I would have just been stuck in a mess dealing with crazy people."
Yeah, you should think positively.
...But why did Vanessa tell Presepe to go to the Forbidden Forest?
And that was right before execution.
Presepe kept racking her brain right up until he reached Vanessa's heart, but he could not find the answer in the end.
***
After riding in the carriage for about 20 minutes, a really small thought came to her.
It was a much closer distance than expected.
"Invasion by monsters was a daily occurrence for the villages near the Forbidden Forest. Stolen, killed, and devoured."
She didn't believe everything Ivan said, but that remark seemed to be true. Since it was this close, she supposed there would be no way to escape if the monsters attacked. Even then, the damage was likely minimized because the Knights were stationed there guarding the area...
"Lady Presepe, please disembark safely."
Kevin opened the carriage door and spoke in a kind voice, and Presepe carefully stepped out of the carriage.
Then she looked around.
"Yes, it is a very small village..."
"Yes, that is really true."
At a glance, it was a very small and old village, just as Kevin had said.
...Presepe's mother said Vanessa lived in a place like this?
"This is the lodging for Lady Presepe and the Grand Duke. Although it may not be as comfortable as a townhouse in the capital, I have heard that preparations have been made in advance, so you should not experience any major inconvenience."
Ah. So the Grand Duke shares the same quarters as me.
Presepe paused briefly at the unexpected remark, but she didn't dislike it.
No, on the contrary, it was good. Because the closer Fenrir was to her, the more stable Presepe felt.
"You must be tired, so you can go straight up and rest, or you can get some fresh air."
"Are you saying it's okay to wander around?"
"Yes."
Kevin answered with a smile.
"The Knights will be living in barracks set up in front of the Forbidden Forest, so you do not need to worry about running into them. All of the Grand Duke's private soldiers will also be stationed here."
That was very fortunate.
"When the Grand Duke is present, you may go with him, but when he is not, you must accompany me. After all, this is a dangerous area."
For Presepe, there was absolutely nothing wrong with this. She could move around freely. She could also find out about Vanessa.
Of course, she still had to move around with Fenrir and Kevin, but she was grateful for even this much. Especially for someone like her, who had been living confined inside the Tower.
"However, since it's a bit small, there probably isn't much to see here. Why don't you go inside and rest for a while before looking around?"
Kevin continued speaking.
"Since you have been in the carriage all day today, you must be tired."
"Yes. I'll do that."
Having finished his answer, Presepe looked up at the old building in front of her.
It did seem quite old, but since preparations had been made, it shouldn't be too inconvenient. To be honest, she wouldn't have had any intention of complaining even if she were thrown into the middle of the Forbidden Forest.
It was just as she was about to enter the building with Kevin, thinking that.
"Um. Just a moment...!"
What came from behind was a strange voice she had never heard before.
Presepe and Kevin stopped in their tracks at the same time, as if they had planned it, and turned around.
Then, she saw a woman running towards them, panting, in shabby clothes.
“What’s going on?”
Kevin also seemed like a stranger. With a puzzled expression, he looked at the woman and asked.
Could she have some urgent business? Presepe stared at the woman with wide eyes.
A worn-out apron stained haphazardly with dirty water, disheveled hair, clothes as old as that building, sun-tanned skin, and fine wrinkles.
The woman, who clearly showed signs of having lived a hard life, appeared to be around the age of Presepe's mother.
"My name is Malea. Uh, um..."
"..."
"I have cleaned the place very thoroughly, so please feel free to let me know if you need anything! Anything at all."
“Okay, I understand.”
It was about time she left, but the woman hesitated and showed no intention of moving.
'What on earth is this...'
Presepe was puzzled. But at that moment, an unexpected remark came out of Malea's mouth.
"It's been a really... really long time since I last saw you, Presepe."
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