Chapter 38
Tap, tap.
The further down we went, the stronger the wind became. As I expected, this underground staircase must lead outside.
‘What was he trying to hide so badly?’
I didn’t just want to figure out what cards he held—I wanted to know what kind of person he really was.
As I was thinking this, Asha stopped walking, and I stopped as well.
She spoke in a calm, steady voice.
“Princess, there’s a tunnel ahead.”
“A tunnel?”
“Yes. It’s a tunnel with a very high ceiling.”
Her voice carried an unusual weight—so unlike Asha.
‘Judging by how many steps we’ve taken, we must have long left the castle. So the tunnel must be the boundary to the outside.’
“Who would build an underground passage like this?”
I didn’t answer but quickly rewound my memories, recalling what Prater had said.
‘Glacies Castle is designed to be fortified in case of emergency.’
Right. He had said it was fortified in emergencies. In that case, it wasn’t strange at all for there to be a secret underground passage.
“Prater mentioned this before. He said since Glacies Castle is used as a fortress in emergencies, it’s not strange that such an underground tunnel exists.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
Asha gave a slight nod. We walked through the tunnel for a while, and then Asha stopped again.
“There are stairs going up ahead. Be careful as you climb.”
“Okay.”
So that’s why she stopped. I grabbed her hand and carefully climbed the stairs one by one. With each step, my breathing became heavier and my thighs ached.
What could be up ahead? What is Russell hiding?
Just as my calves began to hurt, Asha gently grabbed my arms and said with a kind smile:
“You did well. The entrance is just ahead.”
“Thanks.”
I reached out for the door handle as I expected, but the moment my hand touched, a sharp voice shouted and my hand was pushed back.
“Princess! You mustn’t touch it!”
“Huh? Why?”
I barely had time to feel pain on the back of my hand. My senses sharpened, and I caught a faint, sweet scent.
“This… is His Highness the Duke’s magic. If you touch the vines, you’ll be burned to nothing without a trace.”
“This flower… is it called Blaze?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
The sudden question caught me off guard. I stammered in reply.
“Ah, that…! When I was at the Duke’s house, it bloomed in the backyard.”
“I see. Moving around must have been difficult with such a dangerous flower around.”
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to suspect anything and nodded in agreement.
“Yes, as you said, it’s called Blaze. If someone touches the vine, the flower binds them and burns them completely without a trace.”
“Right… that’s how it was.”
I only learned about Blaze to survive the slums. I had seen and smelled it before, but never touched it.
“I’ll remove it.”
“What? How?”
Before I could ask, I heard her take a sharp breath.
“Asha?”
Then, as soon as I called her name, a strange force like splitting wind hit me.
‘What just happened?’
No sound was made, so I had no clue what she had done.
Thunk, tap.
The stems fell limply to the ground.
“Phew…”
Asha exhaled calmly and composed herself. I was left completely bewildered.
“It’s done. You can go now.”
“Asha, just now…”
“Oh, that?”
She cleared her throat awkwardly, and it didn’t seem like she had intentionally hidden anything.
“This is the only magic I can use… It’s nothing as grand as His Highness the Duke’s.”
“You can use magic too?”
I asked in surprise, and Asha looked embarrassed.
“It’s not grand enough to be called magic! I’m also from a commoner background. I don’t mind if you ask, so feel free.”
I hadn’t meant to interrogate her, but I reacted instinctively, suspicious after seeing her act strangely.
“No, it’s fine.”
I was grateful that she didn’t hide it. The servants in my memories had always been careful around my sister, unable to act freely.
‘Maybe I can trust her.’
Thinking that, I opened the door and was immediately hit by a cold wind.
“This is…”
Whoooosh.
The scent was familiar. More importantly, we were outside in a forest—the very forest where Russell had insisted on keeping the gravestone hidden.
“Asha, step aside for a moment.”
I thought it would be best to use the stick to check the surroundings, though I wasn’t sure it would work.
Just as I tried to place the stick on the snow-covered ground:
“Princess, wait!”
I froze. Was there another dangerous flower like Blaze?
“There’s a flower that blocks the deployment of magic. That’s why even if you tried to use the stick’s power, the forest couldn’t be detected.”
“As I thought…”
No one else would plant such a thing except Russell.
‘This place is important to him.’
Sorry, but I couldn’t promise to not enter.
“Asha, can you remove all those flowers?”
“Huh? It’s not difficult, but… are you sure?”
“Yes. I’ll take full responsibility.”
Asha hesitated briefly, then nodded firmly.
“Okay. I’ll remove every flower I see.”
“Thank you.”
Three minutes after Asha started removing the flowers that interfered with magic, a clear, crisp chime rang in my mind.
“I found it! Princess.”
“Yes. Just as I expected.”
Using the stick to scan the area, I revisited the gravestone with Asha’s help.
I caught a familiar scent and wrinkled my nose.
“Are there flowers on the gravestone?”
“Yes. Could this… be from His Highness the Duke? The flowers aren’t frozen.”
“Probably.”
‘It’s better not to touch the gravestone.’
If I collapsed like last time, Asha would be in trouble too. So it was better to leave it alone.
At that moment, Asha asked:
“Princess, what did you find when scanning with the stick?”
“No one nearby. But there’s one thing that bothers me.”
“It’s probably the bear, right?”
“Exactly.”
I nodded, acknowledging her observation. There were no suitable dens for a bear in this forest. It was strange for a bear in hibernation to wander here.
‘Let’s sort this out.’
I tapped the stick on the ground twice. Asha’s gaze fixed on me. I spoke.
“I thought Russell came too quickly when the bear attacked. But with this passage, it would have been possible for him to reach me fast.”
“True. Then what happened to the bear?”
“It wasn’t a bear that normally lives around here.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
From here, it was mere speculation—but plausible.
“The north borders the Kasus Kingdom.”
Asha didn’t answer, but I could suddenly hear her heartbeat loudly.
“So… the bear came north because it couldn’t find food in Kasus Kingdom?”
“Maybe…”
This wasn’t something I could tell Asha. I needed to speak to Russell.
I focused my gaze on the gravestone. Even unseen, I knew it was there. I had scanned it with the stick, and I had been there before.
“I need to go back.”
“Yes! I’ll accompany you to your room.”
“No, this time it’s different.”
It wasn’t the room.
I gripped the stick tightly in my hand.
“I need to go see Russell.”
