5. Bread and dagger (69)
Shien wandered through the cold night.
The northern moon scattered a particularly sad light. It was to the point of giving goosebumps whenever the cold silver light penetrated my retinas.
The night wind was like a whip.
Every time the north wind blew, her delicate skin felt like it would tear. The red cheeks conveyed a tingling pain.
The weather was not good for a walk.
Even so, the princess couldn’t stop her devastated steps. Even the pain or the cold could not awaken the girl’s spirit.
It’s my fault.
It was words of self-reproach that stuck like sharp shards of glass. As if a dry blade of wind brushed her skin, an endless sense of shame struck the girl’s tender heart.
everything is my fault
“Huh, uh… … .”
Suddenly, the princess’ breathing became rough.
Unable to bear it, the body hid itself under the wall. Those light gray eyes were constantly shaking.
Several scenes passed before the eyes of the princess who covered her ears.
The first meeting that was struck by lightning.
The reliable back that protected the princess from the dark priest.
Even after that, Ian never blamed her. He always treated the princess with a soft smile.
So, the princess inadvertently had a presumptuous thought.
It was a clumsy mindset that I might be able to be forgiven.
It was stupid.
The princess made another mistake.
The spirit of the princess who experienced her first real fight was unstable. It was also after he had damaged his personality for the first time. For the first time in my life, my hands were shaking and the magic was not working properly.
The price was disastrous.
If the princess had used her hand a little faster when Ian was fighting the Snow Leopard Mine.
If it had been, Ian would not have gone missing. Furthermore, there would be no way he would lose his memory, and he would never become a traitor to humanity and point his blade at the princess.
It was a cruel tragedy.
The princess was already indebted to Ian.
To make such a pitiful mistake again before paying off the debt.
It had been several days since he had tangled his hair and reproached himself.
Even so, the princess’s mood did not improve at all. On the contrary, the sense of loss of losing a hero of mankind, a wonderful knight that he adored, was even greater.
Even more so, when the responsibility lies with her, it goes without saying that her feelings.
“Huh, ha… Heuuu, aaagh!”
With a thud, the girl’s head hit the wall.
It was dirtying Shien’s mind like boiling mud. Whenever that happened, the girl would abuse her body as if in a fit of fuss.
I thought that would make my thoughts clearer for a while.
But regret is always too late.
It was spilled water anyway. It was best to find a way to save Ian somehow.
But, how the hell?
As the conundrum burrows into the brain like an awl, thinking becomes messy again.
A thump, followed by the sound of the princess banging her head against the wall.
The vision clears with the sharp pain. The princess was engrossed in thought as she chewed her nails. My whole body was trembling.
think, think
How about a hostage exchange?
Wouldn’t the imperial princess be a more valuable pawn than Ian? The princess was willing to risk her own life as long as she could sacrifice herself to save Ian.
“Ha, ugh… … .”
It wasn’t an idea I had in mind.
However, the shock of the first murder and the loss of the man she loved had already ruined the girl’s brain. The desire to somehow atone for her sins dominated the princess.
The more I thought about it, the better it got.
Shien goes to the elves, and Ian returns to humanity.
amnesia?
If we talk, it might come back. At least it was several times better than siding with the elves and being branded a traitor to humanity.
Of course, Shien would have to suffer all kinds of humiliation.
She was a girl who grew up as a golden jade leaf in the imperial family. He was well aware of the fact that he could not expect a precious treat in a coniferous forest that lacked everything.
scary and scary
But now, it was the only salvation for the girl whose life had turned into hell. Didn’t he say that a rescue team led by Delphine and Elsie had just been dispatched?
It wasn’t impossible if I could convince them well.
Shien brushed off his unpleasant imagination and delusional about what would happen after that with his hazy eyes.
Ian will come back.
On the other hand, Shien is dragged away by the elves and does not know what will happen to her. While suffering so much, Ian will be embraced by women again.
Delphine Yurdina.
He might covet the fox’s body again. It was an incident that once gave her a strong sense of inferiority and defeat that made her teeth tremble, but it didn’t matter.
Ian, who has regained his memory, will think of the princess every night.
It was the result of reasoning based on his mentality that he had observed so far. Right before bed, while eating, even when hugging another woman.
Ian will not be able to erase the princess from his mind.
I didn’t even expect love anyway.
The princess had already committed too many sins. I didn’t have the jaw to say that I wanted to be held in Ian’s arms with a thick face.
Then, what is the problem with remaining as scars?
Maybe one day Ian will come to her rescue.
Will I be able to ask for forgiveness then?
Punishment is the most classic means of washing away sins. If he could earn Ian’s forgiveness after struggling for several years, Shien was confident of doing so.
Then, again, someday.
Warm heat floated over the princess’s mind. Memories rising like steam illuminated the landscape of one night.
It was the image of the day when the two men and women mixed and shared pleasure.
“hahahaha… hehehe, yes… … .”
A gasp began to blend into Shien’s voice.
The princess held her breath as much as she could and inadvertently took her hand down. Like an adolescent girl opening her eyes to sex for the first time.
However, the princess’s body had to froze in a moment.
A popular chuckle was heard somewhere.
A rustle and the noise of stepping on my eyes caught my ear. The princess, who was about to do a secret act, held her breath even more.
This place was a rare place even in Yurdina Castle.
In the first place, only those whose status was guaranteed could enter Yurdina Castle. Except for servants, most of them were nobles.
There was no reason to come to such a remote place in the middle of the night.
I wouldn’t know if I had arrived by walking blankly like the princess.
There was a small hole in the stone wall. It was the right size for Shien, who was confident in his eyesight, to peek beyond it.
Light gray pupils abruptly covered the wind hole, and cold moonlight poured into Shien’s eyes.
I saw the shadow of a man in the distance.
He was wearing thick clothes, so his detailed appearance was unknown. But even looking at those drooping shoulders, it was the back that conveyed the feeling of senility.
The princess’s light gray pupils were torn instinctively.
It was so blurry that I couldn’t see in detail, but I couldn’t see any positive emotions.
Anxiety, nervousness, despair.
The gloomy color almost made the princess frown.
However, the princess’s true surprise had not yet begun.
“…stop it.”
Could it be that the words were thrown at her?
The princess was startled and almost inadvertently stood up. But just before that, another man’s shadow overlapped behind the man’s shadow.
It was an excellent stealth ability.
The princess became more suspicious of this suspicious meeting and listened.
The brilliant moonlight reflected, illuminating the face of the newly appeared man.
It was a masked monster.
He started talking in a crackling voice. It was a distorted voice.
“Sir Alex is dead. Is the secret well kept?”
“I told the messenger firmly. A terrifying friend is aiming for his neck…”
The helpless reply kept the masked assailant silent.
The frail man turned his tired eyes to the assailant.
“By the way, this is a face I’ve never seen before… Do you think the church has enough manpower these days?”
“It’s not a problem for the Marquis to worry about.”
marquis?
As soon as the princess heard those words, she forcibly swallowed the screams that erupted.
It was only after sliding down the wall, covering my mouth with both hands, that I could barely breathe.
Marquis.
Isn’t there only one Marquis staying in Yurdina Castle?
Marquis of Yurdina.
He was the owner of this castle.
**
Only gray light scattered over the burned village.
Delphine stood in front of a tomb made of snow. Her bloody eyes were aimed at the burial mound with the greatsword stuck in it.
“Alex…….”
There was a mixture of emotions in the woman’s voice.
Why did Alex come here?
Marlowe was single-handedly in charge of the disappearance case, but Delphine had never heard of such a report.
Someone else saw it and shook the system, or.
Delphine couldn’t bear to think of other possibilities.
He was a loyalist who had served the family even before she was born. I didn’t want to put a disgrace on after death.
And again, the truth will come out soon anyway.
Delphine’s eyes glanced back. There, a woman with reddish-brown hair, with a pale expression, was spraying liquid on the ground.
Next to him, a small-sized girl caught up with him and was bursting with exclamation.
“Wow, ah! It’s a footprint! Hey, commoner! How did you do it?”
“I made it on the way.”
It was a voice filled with intense fatigue.
Upon Emma’s confession, Elsie remained silent with a slightly awkward expression.
The process of exploring the coniferous forest was a forced march itself.
It would have been an even harsher schedule for Emma, who was not even outstanding in her own strength. Still saving time to sleep, making a potion.
Elsie couldn’t help but be stunned by that will.
“My life, it’s as good as wasted anyway. I would have died without Ian… So, I want to help Ian in any way possible.”
“That, yes…”
There was a deep determination in Emma’s pale green eyes, which only scan the ground. Deeply sunk, crystallized will.
Elsie immediately burst into laughter and clung to Emma.
“Commoner, is that right?! I like you… If you find the master, I’ll give you special permission as a concubine!”
It was a way of speaking that seemed to have already reached an end.
Delphine snorted inwardly, but didn’t deliberately provoke Elsie.
After all, that little boy wouldn’t know.
The sweet whispers we shared that day, and the pleasure that passed by burning our spines white.
Delphine smiled slightly at the sense of superiority and immorality. And on the other hand, my chest was tight.
I need to find it, sir.
As if responding to that yearning, Emma’s roaring cry resounded.
“Found it! Traces of movement as a group!”
Delphine’s startled eyes turned to Emma. Indeed, there were footprints lined up in a dizzying manner.
They were all signs pointing in a certain direction.
Delphine was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
I finally found it.
Where Ian left.
In a day or two at the latest, he would be able to discover his hiding place.