Chapter 1.8

Adrian often climbed the mountain behind the count’s mansion every night in the novel.

The reason was his swordsmanship training. Although he had lost all his memories, his body remembered everything faithfully.

Naturally skilled in swordsmanship, Adrian consistently trained, and at the point when he became a villain, he brought a bloodbath to the empire as the most excellent swordsman.

So, I decided to climb the mountain that night.

My condition had improved a lot after resting at home all day. I briefly wondered if it was a good choice to chase him to his training spot, but to become friends, shouldn’t you see each other often?

I went to his room, but as expected, it was empty. As I climbed the mountain for about 10 minutes, picturing the place described in the novel, Adrian’s figure appeared.

And I was captivated.

His beautiful silver hair, as if spun from moonlight, was fluttering in the autumn breeze, and his movements as he swiftly rotated his sword were even elegant for swordsmanship.

And the guy wasn’t wearing a shirt.

While Claire must have seen his bare body countless times to whip him, this was the first time I was seeing his body without any bleeding.

As if to claim all the moonlight for himself, his entire body was emitting a soft glow under the moon.

“What are you doing there?”

He said, sheathing his sword.

“Ah… haha. How long have you known?”

“Since you set foot here.”

“Sorry, did I interrupt you?”

“Did you come alone?”

“Yeah.”

I tiptoed closer to him, looking around the dark mountain ground as if there was something there. But when I looked up, Adrian had closed the distance and was standing right in front of me.

“Huh?”

He raised his hand and touched my forehead. I was so startled I stood motionless.

“Cedric said you were sick.”

There was no awkwardness at all in a slave calling a knight by his name. It seemed Hailey had told her brother that I wasn’t feeling well today.

“I’m better now.”

“You have a fever.”

“Really?”

I unnecessarily brushed my forehead where he had touched it. Adrian didn’t seem very curious about why I had come.

Well, it wasn’t as if Claire searching for Adrian was a new thing.

Adrian slowly turned away from me. I followed him, leaving my dazed feelings behind. The guy, who I thought would tell me to get lost immediately, simply let me tag along.

After walking a bit, a spring where one could wash appeared. The light was a little brighter near the water, making the lamp I brought with me pointless.

As Adrian bent down to wash, his back was fully exposed in the moonlight. When I saw the countless whip marks on his back, my hand reached out to touch him without my knowing it.

“Does this… still hurt?”

The moment my hand lightly touched him, Adrian flinched and turned around, snatching my hand away. At that, both of us staggered, and we both began to fall into the water at the same time.

Adrian caught my waist and held me as my body fell backward. Fortunately, Adrian didn’t fall completely into the water, but my bottom got completely soaked.

The water was almost up to my thighs, so I was completely submerged up to my head.

“Phew.”

He immediately pulled me out and held me close to him. Adrian was already standing in the water, and when I came to my senses, I was stuck to his bare body like a leech.

“Whoa, I’m sorry, Adrian.”

I tried to pull away from him in horror, but Adrian didn’t let go. He carried me out of the water and started tearing open the front buttons of my clothes.

It was cold in the mountains on an autumn night, and I was already trembling, my lips turning blue. But if I took all these clothes off, I would have nothing on… I had no choice but to call him.

“Adrian?”

As if my voice had brought him to his senses, Adrian was startled and pulled away from me. Then he turned his back.

“Wait a moment.”

He soon went somewhere and came back quickly. He seemed to have brought the clothes he had taken off before training.

“…Take yours off and put this on.”

Fortunately, the clothes I had on were a two-piece outfit, with the exception of the under-petticoat.

Adrian’s clothes were a plain white color, and they were so long and loose that my body was almost completely swallowed by them.

Adrian went back into the water, found my shoes, and brought them out. We then immediately descended the mountain together.

“I’m… sorry. I just bothered you.”

“…”

I wanted to become friends, but it felt like I had ruined everything. I felt like I was just heading toward a horrible death.

I still trembled from the cold, although Adrian’s clothes had helped a bit.

When we descended the mountain and reached the gate to the count’s mansion, Adrian stopped walking.

“Huh? Why?”

“What count’s lady goes around late at night dressed like a naked slave?”

So, Adrian was worried about my reputation. Didn’t that mean we had become friends?

I looked at him with sparkling eyes without realizing it, but Adrian’s blue eyes were cold and shining without looking at me at all.

‘Still a long way to go.’

“Adrian, I’ll go ahead then.”

 

***

 

“Achoo!”

The next day, I had a terrible cold. It was a good excuse to take a few days off, so I decided to rest fully for a few days. It was like a gift to myself for all the hard work I had gone through since coming here.

A few days later, it was the day I was supposed to go to the orphanage with Glenn.

When I got up and went outside, the eyes of many men in the count’s mansion followed me.

“Are you alright?”

The first one to run up was Glenn.

“Of course.”

And a little further away, Owen and Cedric stood with worried faces. My heart swelled with pride, feeling that all my hard work had not been in vain.

“Adrian, go and get the horses.”

But the name that was called out immediately made me stiffen with tension.

Was it because I hadn’t seen him since I wore his clothes and came down the mountain that day?

Soon, Adrian and the stable master appeared, leading four horses. Of course, I assumed Glenn, myself, Owen, and Cedric would be leaving, but Adrian got on a horse instead of Cedric.

Seeing my surprised expression, Cedric immediately came over to me.

“I have some work to do for the Count today, so I can’t accompany you. Adrian said he would go instead, so I told him to. I’m sorry.”

“No, no need to be sorry. We’re just going to check on the children. Cedric doesn’t need to go.”

I glanced at Adrian, but he was on his horse, looking straight ahead. And so we rode toward the St. Vincent Orphanage.

When we arrived in front of the orphanage, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

Countless knights with the Imperial crest lined up in front of the entrance. The moment my group and I dismounted, the Crown Prince appeared from inside the orphanage.

“Your Royal Highness!”

I called out to him too loudly without realizing it. And in that instant, I couldn’t help but look at Adrian.

It was the meeting of the male lead and the sub-male lead of this novel. And the female lead had not yet appeared. I couldn’t even guess what situation their meeting here would cause.

Adrian had already dismounted and was bowing his head. In this world, a slave could not dare to look at the face of a royal.

“Claire.”

No matter what, the Crown Prince only looked at me, smiled brightly like the sun, and walked straight toward me.

“Your Royal Highness, what brings you here…?”

“Ah, I received a report that you were coming here.”

“What? From whom…?”

“Didn’t you tell her yet, Sir Glenn Doherty? That I recommended you to be appointed as the count’s aide.”

Glenn had already dismounted and was standing to my left.

“I did not tell her Your Highness would be here today.”

I don’t know what my expression was, but it must not have looked very good, as Glenn made an excuse to me.

I was just so anxious about this situation where the Crown Prince and Adrian met.

“Your expression is a bit strange for seeing your fiance.”

“Fiance? We are not yet…”

“Yes, I know. Aren’t you tired of hearing that ‘fiancee-to-be’ talk?”

“I’m sorry, Your Royal Highness, but what brings you here?”

“It’s partly to see you, and also to look around the Imperial fortress in this forest.”

“A fortress?”

“Yes, there’s a fortress in this forest used to confine royals.”

‘A fortress to confine royals?’

The moment he said that, I felt Adrian raise his head. All my senses were focused on him, so I reacted quickly to his movement.

I reflexively turned my head and looked at Adrian. I saw Adrian glaring at the Crown Prince with a strangely distorted face.

The Crown Prince, following my uneasy gaze, turned his head. At that moment, I shouted at Adrian.

“Adrian, bow your head. Do you, a mere slave, dare to look upon the face of His Royal Highness?”

At my words, Adrian immediately bowed his head.

The Crown Prince looked at him for a moment but soon turned his head back to me. In times like these, the title of the notorious villainess came in handy.

“Please come into the orphanage with me. There’s a lot I’d like to explain to you.”

I gently took the Crown Prince’s arm and stood beside him. And we quickly went inside.

The orphanage was so different from the last time I saw it that it was hard to believe it was the same place. Since Glenn was involved in the overall operation of the orphanage, he did most of the explaining for me.

I was worried about Adrian, who was still standing outside, but there was nothing I could do right now.

“This is truly wonderful, Lady Claire.”

“You are too kind.”

“Too kind? I’ve heard very interesting things about what you’ve accomplished here. And it’s amazing how you’ve transformed this place. It’s a worthy step for a Crown Princess.”

The Crown Prince walked around the orphanage with his hand still on my arm. As the inspection was about to end, a woman who seemed to be a music teacher came out and had the children stand up and sing a song.

It was so surprising to be able to hear such beautiful children’s singing in a place that used to be so horrible. The children’s singing also softened the expressions of everyone in the orphanage.

When the song ended, Amy, the six-year-old girl I first met here, came up to me with a bouquet of flowers.

“My lady is an angel.”

Amy, who lightly kissed me on the cheek, whispered to me with her cute pronunciation. The feeling of being kissed on the cheek by a child was very strange.

Amy’s single angelic word seemed to reduce some of the worries that had accumulated in my heart.

After all the events, the Crown Prince asked me to go to the fortress with him, but I was in a hurry and politely declined his offer.

“Your Royal Highness, I’ve been suffering from a fever for a while.”

“That’s right. She’s just gotten better after suffering from a high fever for several days.”

Glenn’s words came at the right time. To be honest, I was fine, but I wanted to see Adrian’s face as soon as possible.

“Oh, I didn’t know… If I had known, I would have sent you a royal physician.”

“A royal physician? That’s too much. Besides, I’m already all better, so don’t worry. I’m just a bit tired, so I’ll be going back first.”

The Crown Prince smiled gently at my words, came closer, and held my hands tightly. His warm and soft eyes sparkled.

“Then, when you’re fully recovered, come visit me at the palace.”

“At the palace?”

“Yes.”

“Yes. I understand, Your Royal Highness.”

“Sebastian.”

“Pardon?”

“My name is Sebastian.”

“Yes…”

Sebastian disappeared down the forest path on a white horse like a character from a fairy tale. When the procession of the Crown Prince and his royal attendants was no longer visible, I looked around.

But Adrian was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared from the orphanage without a word, and one of the horses he had ridden was also gone.

“Where did Adrian go?”

Owen, who sensed my presence, looked for Adrian, but I quickly began to make excuses for him.

“I sent Adrian on an errand. Don’t worry about him, Owen.”

“When…?”

“Just before we came here. Adrian will find his way back to the count’s mansion on his own.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Perhaps he would never return to the count’s mansion. Adrian’s expression earlier was that serious.

If he had disappeared like this, Adrian would become a runaway slave. Moreover, if he had regained all his memories, it would mean my life was in danger.

“So hurry up and get ready to go back.”

My mind was so complex with thoughts about the missing Adrian that I couldn’t remember how I had made it back to the count’s mansion.

I went back to my room, changed my clothes, and went to Adrian’s room just in case, but as expected, he wasn’t there.

But I couldn’t go back to my own room, so I bit my nails and paced around his room.

I hadn’t even met Celine yet, so what would happen if he had regained all his memories?

I couldn’t predict a single thing.

The darkness came to Adrian’s room. I didn’t know how long I had been there. How tormented must Adrian have been in a room with no clock or lamp?

Waiting for him, I fell asleep on his small desk in his room. In my dream, I had a nightmare that Adrian, holding a brand with my name engraved on it, was chasing me.

“No… No! Don’t do it!”

I woke up startled, and at the end of the long shadow of the lamp, a familiar figure appeared.

“Adrian?”

There was no answer to my call. But he slowly turned to face me. Adrian’s face was faintly visible in the light of the lamp.

“When did you get here?”

His cold eyes were clearly filled with vigilance and distrust.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I was worried that you might be punished if you looked at His Royal Highness’s face…”

“…”

“If you’re upset about me shouting earlier… I’m sorry.”

I approached him as he just stared at me without an answer. When I got closer, he ran his hands through his hair and sat down on the bed.

He looked so tormented. From his appearance, I knew something had changed. I was scared, but I was brave and gently placed my hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t touch me.”

Adrian said without even lifting his head. His voice was so cold that I pulled my hand away from him as if I was pulling my hand from cold ice.

“Adrian?”

As I stumbled backward, Adrian stood up and followed me. Adrian’s eyes, reflected in the light, shone so coldly that they hurt.

“Did you… did you know everything?”

“Huh? What… what?”

“Is that why you taught me to read, brought me a dagger, and… took me to that place?”

“What… what are you talking about?”

“Yes, that’s the kind of woman you are. Amazing, Claire Ianster. You are truly great.”

“Adrian, you… I think you misunderstood something.”

“Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding? You knew everything. Are you tired of whipping now? So you started a new prank. Is that it?”

“Adrian, what are you talking about? I, I was just trying to help you, trying to become friends with you…”

“Claire Ianster?”

I thought we had gotten a little closer. I thought my feelings had been conveyed a little.

“You’re evil.”

“Adrian.”

As I called his name again and tried to put my hand on his shoulder, he slapped my hand away.

“Get lost.”

It felt as if I had gone back in time to the very beginning.

 

***

 

Adrian had clearly recovered his memories.

And after that, he didn’t show up at the training ground. Owen looked for Adrian, but I told him not to for the time being, as I had given him a task.

At the same time, my heart began to race. And something happened that ignited the fire in my heart.

“I think I’ve found your sister.”

A sudden, thunderous sound came from the Count, who had called me after a long time.

For the past few days, my father had been leaving me in charge of the mansion’s domestic affairs and traveling for quite some time, and he had finally found news of Celine.

“Pardon?”

I was very surprised, but I didn’t make a mistake like saying, ‘Already?’ After that, my father immediately called all the knights in the house and ordered them to go to where my sister was.

I went back to my room and paced.

‘Why? Why so soon?’

Celine was supposed to return a year after I became the Crown Prince’s fiancée.

‘I’m not ready yet…’

As of now, I wasn’t even sure that Adrian wouldn’t kill me. Right, it was time to put the plans I had only been thinking about into action.

The relationship I thought I had with Adrian had suddenly become more difficult because he had regained his memories.

With a firm resolve, I hastily had Sally bring me a map of the Empire.

I shouldn’t run into Celine. My instincts told me so. She was the kind-hearted female lead, but her appearance would soon lead to my death. In any case, from my point of view, she was someone I shouldn’t meet.

The strength drained from my body. I had tried so hard, but the look in Adrian’s eyes a few days ago was perhaps more savage than ever.

In a hurry, I spread the map Sally had brought on the floor. And with great care, I sat cross-legged on the bed and took a deep breath.

I closed my eyes and threw a coin with all my might from a distance toward the map.

‘The North!’

A mysterious place that is the setting for many romance fantasy novels, with a cold and gloomy atmosphere. I, a Korean, Cha Seyoung, can endure both the cold and the heat.

And who would have imagined it? That I would leave for the North.

Moreover, the setting of this novel is the South.

According to my father, Celine would arrive at the mansion within a week. I planned to get everything ready during that time and leave the house before Celine returned.

I went to the market and found Adam, the information broker I had found out about a while ago.

“I’m planning to go to the North.”

Adam was famous for his good skills even in the capital. And he was rumored to be quite tight-lipped.

“There’s not enough time to create a Northern identity.”

“I’ll pay you double.”

Adam glanced at me and immediately opened his mouth. He was a man with a square jaw who looked quite serious.

“I will prepare it as soon as possible.”

“It must be ready in five days at the latest.”

And a week later, I also arranged for a coachman and a carriage to take me away at dawn. I was still short on cash, but I had some jewels, so that was a problem I could handle in the remaining time.

When I returned home after finishing all the preparations, it was already late at night.

But in front of the house, which should have been quiet, there were knights from the Imperial family, and torches were brightly lit in the mansion’s garden, which should have been dark.

“My lady, where have you been?”

“What’s all this about?”

“The Crown Prince from the Imperial family… phew, he came to see you, my lady.”

“What?”

It was only natural. The news that the lost daughter of the Ianster family had been found would reach the Imperial family first.

I was flustered for a moment, but it was better to meet him, finish things, and leave.

“He’s been here for a while. The Count is also anxious.”

As I entered the drawing room, listening to Sally’s whisper, I saw the anxious faces of the Count and the Crown Prince.

I took off my gloves and slowly approached them.

“What brings you here?”

“Claire, show some manners first.”

The Count hastily blocked me as I was about to approach the Crown Prince.

“That’s fine. I’d like to talk to your daughter alone.”

The Count looked more anxious, but he couldn’t disobey the Crown Prince’s order. Now that Celine had been found, he probably didn’t want me to meet him. As my father hesitated and left the room, the Crown Prince opened his mouth.

“Nothing has changed.”

“Pardon?”

“Even if your sister returns to this house, nothing has changed for me.”

“What on earth do you mean?”

“You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you…?”

Of course, that wasn’t the case. But this situation was very difficult for me, so I calmly chose the right answer to his words.

“I am not yet the Crown Prince’s fiancée. I’m just a candidate with the Ianster family name.”

It took only a few seconds for the anxiety in the Crown Prince’s eyes to change to a different expression.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

He suddenly changed his posture and sat deeply into the drawing room sofa. The atmosphere, which changed in an instant, overwhelmed the surroundings.

“So that’s it. Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s not your decision to make anyway. Ethan! Go and call the Count Ianster.”

The Count must have been standing by the door, as he immediately entered at the Crown Prince’s command.

“Count Ianster.”

Sebastian didn’t look at the Count and only looked at me as he spoke.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

“I, Sebastian Quinze-Nouais, Crown Prince of this Empire, intend to take the daughter of your family as my consort.”

The Count knelt on one knee and paid his respects.

“It is an honor for our family, Your Royal Highness.”

“I will take your second daughter, Claire Ianster, as my consort. And the engagement ceremony will be next month.”

“What? But!”

However, the Count’s words were stopped by the Crown Prince’s action of raising his right hand.

“Nothing more will change, so there’s no need to say anything else from now on. Let’s go!”

The Crown Prince’s expression as he stood up and hastily turned his head was subtle. The Crown Prince soon left the drawing room, and as if on cue, the Count opened his mouth.

“What is all this about?”

“…I don’t know either, Count.”

“So all those things you said to me about giving up your place to your sister were all lies? I should have known. I thought you had changed a little.”

I let out a hollow laugh at the Count’s words.

“Believe what you want to believe. You wouldn’t listen to a single word that comes out of my mouth anyway, would you?”

“Claire!”

I felt that any further conversation was meaningless, so I left the room without even showing my respects.

I briefly worried that something bad might happen to the Ianster family after I left, now that the Crown Prince had acted that way, but this was not the time to worry about such things.

I had bigger problems to worry about.

 

***

 

Despite the commotion from yesterday, the morning in the mansion was quiet.

And just in time, news arrived from Sam in the market that my typewriter was finished.

“Where are you going so early in the morning? You didn’t even take me with you last time.”

As I was getting ready to leave in a hurry, Sally blocked my way.

In fact, it was unthinkable for a noble to go out without an attendant in this world, but since the situation was so urgent, I had been secretly coming and going outside the house.

“I was just about to ask you to come with me.”

But today, I had a lot of luggage, so I decided to take Sally with me.

“Where are you going?”

Just as I was about to go outside through the back door with Sally, I heard Cedric’s voice.

“Oh? Just a short outing.”

“Alone like this?”

“No, Sally is here too.”

“I will accompany you. It’s dangerous outside.”

At Cedric’s words, Sally muttered beside me.

“He never cared where you went before, so why is he like this now?”

“Sally, was that a monologue?”

Cedric ignored Sally’s words as if he hadn’t heard them and walked ahead of us.

When I went outside and hailed a carriage for hire like a taxi, Cedric’s eyes widened in surprise. A hired carriage travels a fixed route at a fixed time like a bus.

“Why aren’t you using the family’s carriage?”

“Why wake up the knight—I mean, the coachman—so early in the morning? Let’s go.”

When we got in the carriage, Sally pouted her lips.

“That handsome knight is treating you very differently these days, isn’t he, my lady?”

But from Sally’s words, I caught a different point.

‘Handsome?’

It was hard to tell if she was complimenting him or scolding him, so I just tilted my head and looked out the carriage window.

Soon, I met Sam and was faced with my typewriter. Since there was no concept of patents in this world, I could only obtain a monopoly that was valid in the market.

“It was quite a struggle to make.”

Sam was smiling proudly, looking down at the work he had created. I pressed each key of the finished typewriter one by one. The crisp feeling of the keys on the paper was quite satisfying.

To be honest, I didn’t think this typewriter would be completed on time. Of course, it was a little inconvenient as the paper didn’t automatically go up, so I had to manually adjust the dial a bit.

“This is amazing, Sam. You’re a genius.”

“Then 10 percent of the sales amount will be given to me.”

Instead of answering, I grabbed Sam’s hand and shook it up and down.

As I struggled to carry the typewriter, which was carefully wrapped in a velvet cloth bag, Cedric came and stood in front of me.

“What is this?”

“This is a typewriter.”

“A typewriter?”

“Yes, I made this. It’s a great thing… but there’s no way to explain it.”

Since Cedric showed curiosity about the object, I told him a little about the typewriter without much thought.

And I never thought that would bring me any results later on.

Exactly five days after I entrusted the job to the information broker Adam, I was disguised as the daughter of a low-ranking noble from the North with no title.

According to him, her family had all died in a carriage accident recently. They were people who had no trace left behind as their house and remaining property were put up for auction.

 

***

 

The day I got my new identity, I took off the cloth from the typewriter and engraved the name ‘Hubert’ on the right side. I carefully arranged the letters and branded them with fire, and it looked quite good.

Hubert Ianster, it was my father’s name, the first one I had ever had, combining both my previous and current lives.

It was my first and last gift to him, which I would leave in my father’s study as I left the house at dawn tomorrow.

But my resolve to leave before the female lead arrived was thwarted that night, thanks to Celine, who returned home earlier than scheduled.

“Father…”

Celine was truly beautiful.

She was the spitting image of the portrait of the Countess in the center of the stairs leading to the second floor of the mansion’s main building.

Her shiny, silvery-gray hair and eyes were the Ianster purple. Her features were pure and her demeanor was delicate.

She was indeed the female protagonist of the novel.

“So you’re Claire.”

Her voice was also beautiful.

“Hello.”

“What do you mean, ‘Hello’ to your sister? Just talk to me comfortably.”

“Yes…”

As Celine’s voice beautifully echoed in the drawing room, joy came to the faces of the servants. Some people still remembered her from childhood.

And in the Count’s eyes, as he looked at Celine, love, guilt, and countless raw emotions were intertwined.

I felt a little bitter, even though I wasn’t Claire Ianster. I wished I had left without seeing her.

“It’s late. Let’s hear all the stories tomorrow. We have many long days ahead of us.”

The Count, who looked like he was about to cry, couldn’t let go of his daughter’s hand and spoke.

“Yes, Father. But Claire. If you’re not tired, would you like to stop by my room for a moment? I brought you some gifts…”

Honestly, I didn’t want to follow her. I instinctively knew. At least in this novel, I was not her match… But when she asked me with her kind eyes, I couldn’t pretend not to.

“Yes.”

When we left the drawing room door, all the servants and knights in the house were gathered. The spacious lobby was filled with people.

It was only natural that everyone’s curiosity and attention would be poured out on the legitimate daughter of the Count’s family who had been lost and was now returned.

And I saw Adrian after a long time. Seeing him looking gaunt, a sharp pain shot through my chest.

He normally didn’t set foot in the main building, but when he heard that Celine had returned, he was mixed in with the crowd.

‘Is this what it means to be the female lead?’

Seeing that even a guy who seemed to have no interest in anything in the world came here just because Celine appeared, it seemed that Adrian was destined to fall in love with Celine.

Even so, I was foolishly glad that I could see his face one last time before I left.

The guy, who was a head taller than everyone else, stood there with his shining silver hair fluttering, making his already beautiful face look even brighter in the light of the chandelier.

For some reason, I hated that he was looking at Celine.

‘Heh, it’s a little… sad that I won’t see your face again. Goodbye, Adrian.’

But at that moment, I heard words that made me doubt my ears.

“Adrian…?”

I was surprised by Celine’s whisper and turned to look at her. Celine didn’t know Adrian yet. But she seemed so shocked that she didn’t even notice me looking at her.

“The brand… is gone?”

I gasped. After that, Celine suddenly said she was tired and hurried back to her room, and I, too, didn’t want to be with her any longer, so I hurried back to my room.

When I entered my room, I saw goosebumps on my arm.

‘The brand is gone? What does that mean? Does that mean Celine is also from another world like me? Or is she from the future?’

I was truly confused. And I was so scared. I had been able to remember bits and pieces of the novel’s content at every necessary moment, but this time, no matter how hard I tried to remember, nothing came to mind.

If Celine knew everything, she must be a scarier sister than I thought. I had to get out of this house as soon as possible.

And a few hours later, I was on a carriage heading North, with a bundle of luggage in my arms and a large leather bag I had made on my back.

I ran without a moment’s rest until the sun rose, and only after crossing the border of the territory did I let out a sigh of relief.

Yes, I had succeeded in escaping.