Chapter 107

“T-That can’t be. He would never…!”

“Can you truly be so certain when you don’t even know the identity of the person who asked for your help?”

At Evan’s words, the mage’s mouth clamped shut. Evan’s gaze looked ready to tear him apart at any moment. To be honest, Evan didn’t care at all whether the Empress lived or died. In fact, it would be a relief if she did. She had been an eyesore, constantly bothering Lepina.

But in the process, Lepina had vanished. He didn’t even know where she was.

She had been kidnapped last night, so she couldn’t have gone far. Evan ground his teeth. He knew all too well how difficult it was to search every corner of this massive capital. Even as time passed, there were no results. It was different from when he searched for her at sea; back then, he knew her destination, which pirate crew had been released, and the location of their hideout. This time, he had absolutely no information.

“You are the one holding the key. If you won’t open your mouth, I’ll make you open it by force.”

The mage gulped. The man before him was deadly serious.

“I—I really didn’t think he would try to kill someone… that’s why I lent him my mana…”

Though he was called a mage, he wasn’t a powerful one. He was little more than a commoner who had barely earned the title. Even simple spells that other mages performed with ease would leave his mana completely depleted after a single use.

However, that person had told him he was needed and had even saved his mother. So, he had manifested his mana into a physical form and handed it over, hoping that even this tiny speck of power would be of help.

“Then see it for yourself with your own eyes. Lead me to where Fedeshar is.”

The mage was about to nod when his eyes flew wide in shock.

“P-Fedeshar? You mean…!”

The mage’s jaw dropped as he learned the identity of the person he had helped, but Evan didn’t care about his surprise or confusion. He pushed the mage forward.

“Find him. Unless you want your mother to be brought here.”

The mage’s face turned pale. All the talk of background checks and his loved ones had been for the sole purpose of blackmailing him. The mage swallowed hard and began to concentrate. Because he had given away his mana, he could sense its general location even from a distance. However…

“Um… it seems he has used up all of my mana…”

“……”

“I—I’ll look again, more carefully!”

The mage began searching for even the faintest trace of his remaining mana, realizing that if he didn’t find it, he was a dead man.

A short while later, what they discovered was a burnt-down house.

***

I trudged along the path. I didn’t know exactly where I was, but I used the massive Imperial Palace visible in the distance as my guide. No matter how much I walked, the palace didn’t seem to get any closer, making me wonder if I was even heading the right way.

“That jerk had a reason for letting me go so easily…”

He was confident that even if he let me go, I wouldn’t reach the palace until the Empress was already dead. I shouted into the empty air ahead of me.

“Hey, you piece of trash! If I get eaten by wild animals, it’s on your head!”

Rustle—

Even the grass swaying in the wind made me jump. With no sign of another human soul around, it was only natural to be scared. I caught my breath.

“I’m not scared. I’m not scared.”

But I was!

I briefly considered going back to where Fedeshar was. At least he didn’t seem to have the intention of killing me. But by the time I turned around, it was too late. I didn’t know where I had come from or which way to go.

“……I’m lost, aren’t I? Definitely lost.”

A cold wind whipped through my hair. The ground was uneven, making my heels ache, and the dress I had bought with such excitement was now covered in dirt. I sat down on a large rock nearby. I kicked off my shoes and checked my heels; they were red and raw.

“Sss…”

Looking at the scraped skin and the blisters that were about to form, I wanted to rest, but the thought of being left alone late at night was scarier.

“Isn’t there a passing carriage somewhere?”

I scanned the surroundings, but all I saw were trees and grass. I let out a small sigh. Lacking the courage to put my shoes back on, I held them in one hand and started walking again, looking for anything that resembled a road.

“Ah, I miss Evan…”

The clear sky felt resentful, oblivious to my plight. The floating clouds reminded me of Evan’s hair. Whenever I stepped on a pebble on the bumpy road, I’d pause to check my soles, and whenever I heard a strange noise, I’d glance around nervously, wondering if it was a wild animal.

Fortunately, this was near the capital, so no monsters appeared. While regular wild animals were still threatening to me, they were much better than monsters.

“My heart is racing… I’m seriously going to throw salt the moment I get back to the mansion. On the house, on the carriage… no, maybe I’ll just wash in salt water. What kind of misery is this…!”

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I moved my feet diligently, but the palace, which had been the size of a pea, only slowly began to take on a recognizable shape. I considered taking a shortcut, but there was no path a human could possibly take. I swallowed my sighs and kept walking.

“Ack!”

My feet and ankles finally screamed that they couldn’t go any further. I fell flat on the ground. Tears threatened to spill. My ankle, which had only just healed, felt like it was throbbing again.

“Dammit… Fedeshar, that jerk! I saved his life when we were kids, and this is how he repays me!”

In a surge of annoyance, I threw my shoes. Come to think of it, I didn’t even know why I was struggling so hard to save the Empress. What benefit was there for me to save her while my own body was getting wrecked?

Just then, a breeze blew by, fluttering my bangs. Along with the wind, I saw a small ball of glowing green light.

It was Phil. Which meant Evan was nearby.

Tears began to stream down my cheeks. Seeing this, Phil moved around frantically as if panicked. I burst into loud sobs, as if Evan were right in front of me.

“Waaaaah! Evan…!”

“Lep!”

As I sat there crying like a child, Evan appeared. I could see beads of sweat between the strands of his disheveled hair. Upon seeing me, he let out a long sigh of relief. When I didn’t stop hiccuping and crying, he immediately knelt in front of me.

“Are you hurt? Hmm?”

At his soothing voice, I nodded silently. When he asked where it hurt, I whined that everywhere hurt.

“My feet…”

Evan’s gaze landed on my feet first, and he grabbed them firmly. They were dirty, covered in scrapes and dust.

“E-Evan…! Let go…”

“No. Wait a moment.”

As if possessed by a master physician, Evan examined my feet with a sharp, focused gaze. He clicked his tongue softly.

“To have such wounds… I shouldn’t have let you go alone that day…”

When I flinched slightly at his gentle touch because it stung, Evan’s expression hardened further. I shook my head and said,

“No. I was the one who said I’d go alone…”

Evan carefully wiped away my tears and pulled me into a tight embrace.

“I went to the place where you were supposed to be, but there was nothing left but a burnt-down cabin. Do you know how terrified I was? Truly…”

He ground his teeth so hard it made a sound, saying he could still feel the fury from that moment. Evan’s heart beat slowly. It felt like the heart of someone that had stopped for a moment and was only just beginning to beat again.

“I am still so lacking. I always say I’ll protect you, yet I let you fall into danger… This isn’t even the first time. I always arrive to help too late.”

“But you still come to help.”

His self-deprecating tone made me feel solemn. In the first place, it was a problem that could have been avoided if I had been more alert.

“I’m the same. I thought I’d be okay, but I wasn’t. I’m always being targeted, and I keep causing trouble for you.”

“That’s—!”

It wasn’t just Evan who had come to find me. Ben and others appeared from behind him.

“Did you find the Young Lady?”

“Yes. Lep, let’s go get you treated.”

Evan lifted me up gently. I didn’t want to broadcast my tearful, childish state to the whole world, so I buried my face in his chest. Honestly, I also just wanted to feel safe.

“I feel like you’re carrying me like this every time lately… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I actually like it. And as I told you before, don’t say you’re sorry at times like this. Say something else.”

“……Thank you for coming to save me.”

Relieved, I eventually lost consciousness for a moment in Evan’s arms.

***

Liman stood by the entrance, checking his watch. The Duke had been arrested, the Duchess was running around trying to resolve the incident, and the Young Master had left to find the Young Madam.

All of this had happened in just one day. Even having dedicated his life to the Duchy for so long, such a major crisis was rare. While the Duchy wouldn’t crumble easily, poisoning the Empress was a different matter. Whoever had planned this was beyond bold—they were utterly reckless.

“Butler! The Young Master is returning!”

Liman’s eyes brightened at the servant’s words, and he looked in the direction they were pointing. Seeing that not only Evan but also Lepina was safe, he let out a massive sigh of relief. Seeing Lepina leaning weakly against Evan, Liman began barking orders at the staff.

“Prepare everything so the Young Madam can rest peacefully!”

“Yes, sir!”