chapter 118………………………………..
My uncle had definitely said that the Delbe family had a guardian that day.
If we’re talking about the guardians of this world, he meant those who protect the Trencia Forest of the Kerace family or the Foboa Forest of the Foboa family.
But the Delbe family didn’t have a forest.
“‘In the backyard, on a tree,’ he said.”
He said the guardian was there.
And he also said that the guardian hadn’t shown itself for decades.
At the time, I think I just lightly dismissed what my uncle said.
Besides, I had more important matters to take care of first, so I didn’t make the effort to look for it.
“I am curious, though.”
Anyway, since I had some time before escaping, I decided to go by the old house first.
I could tell the Duke that I missed the place.
And if anyone asked how one could miss an abandoned mansion with no one living in it, I was even ready to shed a tear.
After making that plan, I packed a small bag and stood in front of the study.
“Miss Anne.”
When Butler Dubuie opened the door, the Duke greeted me.
Stacks of enormous papers were piled on his desk, and the Duke himself was flawless, not a single hair out of place.
After taking a sip from his teacup and setting it down, he spoke.
“So, you have something to tell me? You’re not thinking of leaving me behind, are you?”
“…!”
“Anne?”
The Duke, who had been joking with a smile, looked even more startled at my shocked expression.
His face showed a deep sadness.
“Anne, you’re not planning to go to where Chevert is, are you? Leaving me all alone?”
“No. I’m not going there.”
The Duke let out a relieved sigh, brushing his chest.
Then, sensing that there was more to what I meant, he furrowed his brow and asked:
“Then… are you going somewhere else?”
“I just… wanted to visit the house I used to live in for a little while.”
“The house you lived in?”
“Yes. The Delbe family mansion.”
The Duke’s brow relaxed, and he fell into thought.
“That place… is in the southern Merthewa region, isn’t it?”
“…!”
Gasp. How does he know?
I thought he would never know.
The first person to bring me to this mansion was my uncle, and the Duke back then had paid me no attention.
“Anne, you didn’t really think I wouldn’t know the region you grew up in, did you?”
He spoke softly, yet there was a hint of disappointment in his voice.
“There’s only one thing I don’t know about you.”
“What’s that?”
“Your birthday, which you still haven’t told me.”
“Oh. I… I’ll tell you later. Within this year.”
“Alright.”
I smiled and replied, but my heart was racing madly inside.
He doesn’t know nothing about me except my birthday?
I could smell the obsession.
If I ran away now, no matter where I went—even if it were another world—he would come after me.
I swallowed hard, my mouth dry with tension.
But it didn’t end there.
The Duke’s next words filled me with a terrifying dread.
“Then I shall go with you.”
“…Eh?”
Where the heck!!!
I don’t understand how this is happening.
Two days later, inside the extra-large carriage of the Kerace family.
The Duke, Crimu, Kautz, and I were all seated comfortably.
Woof woof!
Ah, I almost forgot Roro, who had grown from a puppy to a dog.
Through the open windows, the petals of early summer flowers fluttered in.
“Wow!”
Crimu leapt around the carriage in excitement.
“Here, Crimu. Take it.”
The Duke placed a cookie into Crimu’s tiny mouth.
I watched helplessly, silently shedding a tear.
“Anne, do you want some too?”
I shook my head listlessly.
Kautz noticed and spoke to the Duke in my stead, saying I hadn’t slept well last night.
‘…Ugh! My perfectly planned escape has been ruined!’
In an instant, my escape plan had turned into a family outing.
And the Duke chose a carriage instead of teleportation for a romantic summer trip.
He said he had never traveled with Crimu before, and at least while his two older sons were away, he wanted to grow closer to his youngest.
‘Then just go with them! Why turn my escape into a trip!’
This must be a dream.
It cannot be real.
I closed my eyes quietly, hoping that when I opened them, I would be safely escaping with Kautz.
“Anne.”
The Duke’s gentle voice woke me.
I opened my eyes and saw him smiling softly.
“Were you planning to run off somewhere?”
“…Huh?”
I flinched inwardly.
He somehow knew.
“Anne, I know everything.”
“…You know everything?”
Oh no, he knows I’m trying to escape.
I’m ruined. Completely ruined.
No wonder he was following me so persistently last night, even with the butler trying to stop him.
I shouldn’t have underestimated the Duke.
“Yes. You’d be anxious while Chevert is away.”
“…?”
“You’re about to marry your fiancé, but you worry that Chevert might not return, or might come back hurt.”
“…?”
The more I listened, the more questions arose in my mind.
It seemed the Duke had completely misunderstood in a different direction.
He gently held my hand.
“Anne, can you trust me and wait? That Chevert will definitely survive. So will Londo.”
“…Yes, Father. I’ll trust you.”
The bloodline of Kerace will survive.
I sighed deeply, reminding myself of the family motto.
The Delbe Family Mansion, southern Merthewa region.
“Huh? The house is all broken.”
Crimu pointed to the corner of the mansion, which really was crumbling.
Even a child could see that the house was in poor condition.
When I stayed here, it wasn’t this bad.
After being sold to someone else, no one lived here.
The abandoned two-story house was about to collapse at any moment.
“Since no one lives here, it’s not being maintained. That’s why it’s like this.”
Kautz tried to reassure me while observing my expression.
I hadn’t lived here long, so I wasn’t too sad.
Though I did sigh—after all, I had said I missed my childhood home, and everyone had come along, only to see it in such a state.
The Duke approached and gently patted my shoulder.
“Anne, don’t worry.”
“Yes.”
“If you want, we can rebuild it.”
“No, I’ll just go to the backyard for a moment. Everyone else can look around.”
It felt a little guilty telling them to “look around comfortably” here, but I had no choice.
I needed to meet the guardian urgently.
Once I confirmed that no one was following, I entered the backyard.
And there, I found:
“Huh? You’re still alive, huh?”
A single tree stood right in the center of the backyard.
It was taller than an adult and thick enough that two people could hold it with outstretched arms.
It looked exactly as I remembered.
“But it’s way too empty, isn’t it?”
I circled the tree, thinking.
Even if it’s not the Trencia Forest of the Kerace family, there should be at least ten trees.
And yet, there was only one.
“Phew.”
I leaned my back against the tree trunk with a sigh.
Creak.
“…?”
Something felt off.
I realized I shouldn’t stay there any longer and tried to straighten up.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, I tilted backward, my center of gravity shifting sharply.
In an instant, it felt as though someone grabbed me from behind, and everything went dark.
“…Ouch. That hurts.”
When I opened my eyes, my butt ached.
I must have landed hard on the ground.
Then I realized I had just fallen from the tree I had been leaning against.
“…Where am I?”
I quickly scanned the surroundings.
Green grass, bees and butterflies flying, the scent of flowers in the air.
A beautiful world stretched endlessly.
Swish, swish.
Then came a faint artificial sound.
Someone was here in this natural world.
I turned my head quickly.
Under the shade of a large tree, an elderly woman was busily writing.
I approached cautiously.
“Um… excuse me…”
The woman looked up at me over her glasses perched on her nose.
After staring for a long moment, she raised one corner of her mouth.
“It’s you, isn’t it?”
“Eh? You… know me?”
“Of course. Didn’t you drown Trencia recently?”
“…I… did?”
