Chapter 40
Ethan seemed to feel the same thing, leaning his body slightly toward the stone house.
“…Does something unusual happen often in Crowell’s territory?”
“…As far as I know, no. But I can’t really say for certain.”
From inside the stone house, which should have been empty, a presence could be felt.
But clearly…
When I listened carefully, a faint, barely audible human voice reached my ears.
“Please… help me…”
“…But I’m not the only one hearing this, right?”
“Yes. I hear it too.”
Again, something started to twist and shift.
By my memory, this shouldn’t be possible.
And this time, it can’t be because of Rimos Terrion—so why?
“Thank you so much for saving us…!”
“To receive help on Lady Crowell’s journey home… I can only feel truly grateful…”
“Benjamin! Stop crying!”
“But I’m just so thankful… waaaah…”
I comforted the man who was sobbing uncontrollably, while the woman kept glancing at me. I supposed she felt awkward about getting on the horse in front of me, the young lady of the house.
I shrugged my shoulders to show her it really wasn’t a problem.
“It’s fine. Injured people come first.”
Though the mountain path was rough, it was familiar enough for me to manage. More importantly, I could now see the outer walls of Crowell Castle in the distance.
‘It would be wrong of me to ride a horse while leaving these injured people behind.’
The people found inside the stone house, which should have been empty, weren’t just one person—they were two: a man and a woman. Both had severe head injuries.
Introducing themselves as the twin secretaries working at Crowell Castle, Benjamin and Ella were bound in a pitiful state, looking utterly miserable.
They were tied back-to-back, leaving no easy way to free them.
Once Ethan drew his sword and cut through the stubborn ropes, the two could finally move freely—but they seemed too weak to walk, so we put them on the horse first.
They explained that two nights ago, after finishing their work in the castle late at night, they were kidnapped on their way home.
“We haven’t wronged anyone!”
“That’s right. We’re from a different territory, and we were only recently employed at Crowell Castle.”
Ella, who was comforting Benjamin, glanced at me with huge eyes full of indignation, as if on the verge of tears.
No wonder I had never seen these castle staff members before. If someone were secretly kidnapped and vanished while no one was around, it makes sense that I wouldn’t have remembered them.
Normally, I wouldn’t have passed through this area at this time anyway.
So, perhaps, things started going awry right from the time of the monster hunt.
Then… all I did was happen to rescue two unfortunate servants.
No matter how I looked at it, they didn’t seem like omens of danger.
I offered a small smile, as if to reassure them.
“Is that so?”
“Yes! This is the first time meeting Lady Crowell, but you really resemble Miss Diana, just as she described every day.”
“Hmm, indeed…”
“…Ah.”
Benjamin and Ella seemed close to Diana. Judging by their age, Diana likely had no trouble befriending them.
“Is Diana doing well?”
“Yes! She says she wants to see Lady Crowell every day. Even though we’ve never met you before, it feels like we’ve known you for a long time.”
“Really… Diana must have liked you two a lot.”
“Of course. Miss Diana would sneak out with us through the hole we discovered!”
“Ella, we agreed to keep that a secret!”
“…Ah! I’m sorry. Can you just forget it?”
The two of them were anything but discreet with their mouths.
Outside the castle is dangerous. But since we haven’t passed the outer walls, it should be okay.
“Well… they’re at the age when they’d naturally want to play outside.”
I heard Benjamin and Ella whispering to each other, “Isn’t Edith also sixteen…?” How am I supposed to respond to that?
Thinking of Diana made a smile escape me.
My beloved younger sister.
Even in my past life, she stayed by my side until my final moments.
How can a sister not related by blood be so precious? Sometimes even I found it astonishing.
At that moment, Ethan, who had been quietly listening from behind, quickened his pace to match mine.
“Edith.”
“Yes?”
I turned my head slightly to look at him. He squinted and whispered into my ear.
“You’ve already misstepped three times. If you’re tired, tell me. I can carry you.”
“That’s… fine.”
“I said don’t refuse.”
I had twisted my ankle a few times while lost in thought, though I tried not to show it… How did he notice?
And, really, it wasn’t like I couldn’t walk.
‘Ethan… that guy…’
Had he gotten a taste for carrying me after the first time?
I rolled my eyes and spoke.
“I’m fine. And now that I think of it, Ethan…”
“Hmm?”
“The ride on your back is not very comfortable.”
“……”
“…Haven’t you heard that before? Well then.”
“……”
Leaving the speechless Ethan behind, I quickened my pace.
Teasing Ethan oddly lifted my spirits.
“Are you abandoning me because my back is uncomfortable?”
“Keep up.”
Ignoring Ethan’s voice behind me, I continued walking.
Having a companion who didn’t ask too many questions was unexpectedly convenient.
The wolf monster hunt had ended earlier than expected, and though unplanned, we had rescued the local villagers. Now all that remained was to return safely to Crowell Castle.
I walked lightly toward Crowell Castle. Even the crunch of dry leaves beneath my feet felt lively.
At this moment, I had no inkling of what awaited me at Crowell Castle.
Perhaps the messenger had arrived in time to inform the castle of my expected arrival, for the knights at the outer wall straightened immediately and lowered their spears when they saw me.
“Lady Crowell! Welcome back.”
“Baron is waiting at the main keep.”
I nodded lightly in greeting.
“Yes. It’s been a while. But on my way, I found these injured people. Could you treat them?”
I pointed to the two injured people I had brought on the horse. A knight, surprised, took the horse and confirmed their identities.
“Of course. Ah, they’re the secretaries who were recently employed.”
“They were kidnapped, weren’t they? Didn’t you know?”
“We haven’t had contact with the keep in the past few days. We’ll inform him together. By the way…”
The knight gave a pleased smile and bowed slightly.
“They’ve grown so much in just a year.”
“They’re at an age where they grow quickly.”
“Milady… see you later! Thank you for saving us!”
While speaking with the captain of the guard, Benjamin and Ella’s voices continued ringing with gratitude.
I waved at them as they gradually faded into the distance.
It was surprising that the kidnapping hadn’t been widely reported, but indeed, they were the castle’s secretaries.
They would likely be questioned about how they were kidnapped and what happened afterward.
‘I doubt they’ll reveal anything I don’t already know.’
If lucky, perhaps there might be signs beyond that. Anyway, I was about to enter the castle…
For some reason, the knights didn’t immediately open the gates and kept glancing at me. The captain did the same.
‘What’s going on?’
Was something wrong?
Then I turned and realized. Could it be…
“…This is my friend I met at the academy, Prince Behemoth.”
“I’ve heard so much about you! Thank you for accompanying our lady. It’s an honor!”
So that was it.
As if waiting for me to introduce him, the knights eagerly straightened and bowed again.
It wasn’t strange that they already knew from the letter sent to Crowell Castle mentioning Prince Behemoth’s accompaniment.
No knight in this remote castle would normally see the only prince of such a prestigious ducal house. Still, their fervent demeanor was striking…
The knights’ gazes seemed even more intense because I had returned from the academy’s first vacation accompanied by Prince Behemoth.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all!!”
Such enthusiastic voices…
Ethan, unsurprisingly, merely greeted lightly, accustomed to this reaction.
“……”
Then the knights started looking at me.
Why are you looking at me? Do you want me to say more? Are you crazy? Why would I…
I ignored the knights’ longing stares and finally stepped through the castle gates with Ethan.
