Chapter 27
Now, it felt like even raindrops wouldn’t dare fall on me without his permission.
Since I mostly stayed indoors, time passed slowly for him.
Even so, he didn’t waste that time—after obtaining a sword, he trained diligently with it.
Though he was told he could train outside, he insisted on staying by my side, saying that an assassin might sneak into my room in the meantime.
I told him that wasn’t necessary, but once Lucenbique made up his mind, he wasn’t the type to listen to others.
It wasn’t until I brought up the need to gather herbs for Erkan that he seemed to remember it at all.
“That’s right… That seemed like an urgent matter.”
“Then let’s go together.”
At my words, he paused to consider.
“Is it really that dangerous? I’m pretty good at climbing mountains.”
“It’s not about whether you can climb. The mountain itself is rugged, and since it belongs to a lord, if we’re caught gathering herbs, it could be a serious problem. If I get caught, I’ll probably just be fined or beaten a few times, but Hestia might not get off that easily. That’s what worries me.”
“Ah…”
That certainly could be a serious issue.
“And it’s even more concerning that Hestia is disliked by both the royalists and the noble faction.”
Before he said that, I was just about to ask whether the lord of the mountain was aligned with the royalists or the nobles.
But after hearing him, I felt no need to ask.
“Then what should we do? I’ll go with whatever you think is best, Lucenbique.”
That seemed to deepen his dilemma even further.
“What do you want to do, Hestia?”
“I want to go together. Like you said, if I stay here, there’s a chance I might run into Lotron—my so-called father.”
Until now, I had thought, there’s no way that’ll happen, but now I was being stubborn for no real reason.
Even I was surprised at myself for acting this way.
I wondered—Was my desire to be with Lucenbique really that strong?
After thinking a bit more, Lucenbique nodded.
“If you’re worried about being alone, then it’s best we go together. Honestly, I also feel more at ease with you by my side. Last time, I rushed back trying to return quickly, and I nearly got into several accidents.”
“What?”
It was the first I’d heard of it, so I asked, and Lucenbique turned his head away, looking as if he had just said something he shouldn’t have.
“Then we should get ready. When are we leaving?”
Lucenbique looked like he wasn’t sure if he’d said the right thing.
“It’ll be fine. Nothing will happen.”
I told him I would go get ready and stepped outside.
I changed into clothes suitable for mountain hiking and returned to where he was waiting.
Seeing that I was ready to leave, he looked even more conflicted, but I had no intention of listening to any objections at that point.
But then came an unexpected obstacle—Beatrice.
I hadn’t told her on purpose, and I’d changed clothes alone so she wouldn’t find out. I feared she might stop us if she knew.
Yet, somehow, she showed up right where we were.
At first, she only found my outfit a little odd. But then, as if she had pieced things together, she glared at Lucenbique.
“Brother!”
“Beatrice. I already told you—I’m going with her. If she stays here alone and Father comes, it won’t be good. It’s safer for her to be with me.”
Beatrice looked torn, unsure what would be best.
But her hesitation didn’t last long.
The gatekeeper rushed in with urgent news.
His Majesty the King had arrived.
The moment Lucenbique and I locked eyes, he grabbed my hand and ran.
We avoided the main gate where the king would be and fled in another direction.
We ran without speaking, heading toward the Jaiphron Merchant Guild, thinking we could find a carriage or horse there.
My lungs burned, and I felt like I couldn’t run another step—but I pushed myself, not wanting to slow him down. Then, suddenly, he crouched in front of me.
“Get on. Hestia.”
“But…”
“Hurry. We don’t have time to argue.”
I thought it’d be faster if we both just ran. I didn’t believe even Lucenbique could run while carrying me.
But he picked me up anyway and ran with almost the same speed as before.
I was stunned, not quite able to believe it as I clung to his back. Lucenbique didn’t pause for a second and soon we arrived at the Jaiphron Guild.
Cassia was staying there, and she quickly came down upon hearing we’d arrived.
“Deputy Leader, what’s going on?”
“His Majesty has come looking for us.”
“Oh dear. That’s a serious problem. And your face looks completely healed—it’ll seem suspicious.”
“The reason won’t matter. If I look well, he’ll probably say I should return to the palace.”
As I explained, both of them seemed to finally grasp the gravity of the situation.
“Any later and it would’ve been too late. It’s a good thing His Highness was with you.”
Cassia quickly arranged a carriage for us.
“We don’t have time to waste. Let’s go quickly. I just wish you could’ve gotten a sword from Sir Erkan before leaving.”
“What about the people still at the villa? Beatrice might cover for us, but what if His Majesty doesn’t believe her?”
“I’ll take some people and go back. I’ll also ask Sir Erkan to meet you. Don’t worry too much about things here.”
“I’ll trust you with that.”
Lucenbique nodded and told me to get in the carriage, then took the reins himself.
I could tell how anxious he was from how fast the carriage moved.
He probably assumed the king would send people to search the area. After nearly thirty minutes of nonstop riding, he finally pulled over.
He knocked on the carriage door and opened it, concern written all over his face.
“Hestia, are you alright?”
“Yes. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“That’s not true. You must’ve been very shaken.”
I was touched that he even considered my feelings in a moment like this.
I hadn’t expected him to be so attentive, and it made me emotional.
“Let’s keep going. We’re almost there. It’s just dark enough now to head into the mountain.”
“What about the carriage?”
“There’s a place in the woods where we can hide it.”
He returned to the driver’s seat and resumed driving.
Another thirty minutes passed before we stopped again, and Lucenbique knocked to let me know we’d arrived.
I got ready to step out, and he opened the door.
“Be careful from here, Hestia.”
“Okay.”
It was already starting to get dark outside.
“May I hold your hand? The ground is uneven—you might trip.”
At his polite request, I held out my hand.
Lucenbique took it gently, as if holding a delicate glass.
“How far in do we need to go?”
“Just about ten minutes.”
He had chosen the carriage stop location wisely. It was hidden from view—a spot you couldn’t easily see from anywhere else.
Originally, he wouldn’t have needed to do any of this. But because he had been a prisoner of war, he had unwillingly become skilled at so many things.
Still, I didn’t think all of it was just a curse or misfortune.
I felt that, someday, these experiences would provide him with knowledge and strength he would need.
If fate could’ve been avoided, that would’ve been better—but since we were already here, I decided to focus on the positives as I followed him.
“Today, we’ll just work briefly before it gets too dark. Then we’ll sleep in the carriage and start again at dawn. If you’d prefer to wait in the carriage, just say so, Hestia.”
“No, I think it’s better if I go with you.”
That was all he needed to hear.
From that moment, Lucenbique didn’t hesitate. He kept walking—but frequently looked back to check on me.
“Are you okay, Hestia? Let me know if I’m walking too fast.”
“No, I’m fine. You’re not too fast.”
I hadn’t known he could be so considerate. I was genuinely moved.
“Just a little farther.”
“Do the mountains have guards? Have you ever run into soldiers or anything?”
“That doesn’t happen often. People rarely come this far in. Occasionally someone comes out here to hunt, but they usually stick to better paths. I’ve never seen them this deep.”
“Let’s hope we don’t run into anyone this time either.”
Lucenbique nodded.
It was a meaningless exchange, but somehow, those little words helped ease the silence between us.
“By the way, I forgot to bring food.”
Lucenbique spoke as if the thought had just occurred to him—and I only realized the problem then, too.
We hadn’t packed clothes or anything else either, but those could be endured.
Food was another matter entirely.
