Chapter 70

Minuelle, who had been dragged into a teahouse after circling the busy street several times, no longer seemed to bother hiding her expression.  

It was as if someone had written “I’m annoyed” in big letters across her forehead. Watching her from a distance, Ramande and Esadien chuckled faintly despite the tension.  

— That’s so Minuelle.  

“It’s fine to be bothered. I just wish she’d hold back a little more in front of the enemy.”  

— Agreed.

Despite Minuelle’s attitude, Austin didn’t seem to mind in the slightest and remained leisurely.  

“This cold air was pleasant at first, but now it’s just too cold.”  

“Shall we head back, then?”  

“Have you ever been to the desert, Lady Minuelle? The sun burns so intensely, even the air turns hot.”  

“…Not a fan of heat, actually.”  

“That’s unfortunate. I’m hotter than a desert at high noon in bed.”  

Minuelle’s face paled as she struggled to suppress her gag reflex.  

‘No one asked about your bed antics, thank you very much!’

Was this a new form of rejection? No matter what she said, it didn’t get through.  

And that annoyed Minuelle even more—he wasn’t treating her like a person, just a means to exploit the power of the Karnian family.  

And then another realization struck her.  

‘He’s not like Esadien. Not at all.’ 

Both were equally hard-headed.  

But encountering Austin, who genuinely sought to use her, made it clear—  

‘You just wanted to use my family as a shield from the start.’  

‘That’s not true.’

She hadn’t believed it back then, but now she realized: Esadien had never intended to use her.  

‘Then… could it be…’  

‘I love you. I was too late to realize it.’ 

…He had meant that, too?

As Minuelle came to this conclusion, her eyes wandered aimlessly across the table.  

She had been so cold to Esadien. She even made him cry.  

‘Ugh.’

Feeling a pang of guilt, Minuelle pressed her forehead with her hand.  

Austin, crossing his legs, asked, “Is something wrong?”  

“…No.”  

Minuelle quickly lifted her teacup to hide her expression.  

She had momentarily forgotten where she was and drifted into thoughts of the past.  

‘The past… That’s right. It’s all in the past.’ 

He’s gone now, an opportunity missed, a faded emotion.  

The guilt would linger like a stubborn stain, but—  

“I think you’re tired. Shall we head out?”  

“Let’s.”  

She had only just taken a few sips, but the joy of returning home outweighed any regret over wasted tea.  

She sprang to her feet with barely concealed relief.  

Austin chuckled briefly.  

“That’s the brightest you’ve looked all day.”  

“Thanks to you.”  

Minuelle replied curtly and quickly climbed into the carriage, moving fast enough to stir a cold breeze.  

After a while, the carriage began to slow, and the coachman’s voice was heard.  

“There are several carriages coming from the opposite direction. We’ll slow down for a moment.”  

Austin remained unbothered, and Minuelle leaned back against the cushion, not thinking much of it.  

‘It’s not like something bad will happen just because we slow down a little.’  

There’s a saying: if you rush, you rush to your grave.  

Clatter, clatter, clatter.  

But as the sound of fast-approaching hooves and wheels grew louder, a strange feeling crept in.  

‘They’re waiting for us? Our carriage?’ 

It seemed unreasonable, but on narrow roads, when two carriages met, the one of lower status had to yield.  

In Roquate, noble hierarchy made things unpredictable, but this was Karnian territory.  

‘And… there’s a royal in this carriage.’

Just as Minuelle reached for the curtain to peek out the window—  

Crash! 

The carriage door burst open, and a hand clamped over her mouth.  

 

***

 

The knights sensed something was off around the time the carriage carrying the Second Prince and Minuelle reached the outskirts of the commercial district.  

“Where are they going?”  

“We don’t know the destination.”  

“Get all the forward units gathered.”  

As if aware of the knights’ actions, the carriage suddenly accelerated.  

“After them!”  

Rather than heading back to the castle, the carriage sped toward an empty field at full tilt.  

But a carriage, being heavy, couldn’t keep up a chase pace for long.  

“Your Highness, Lady Minuelle! If you’re inside, please open the window!”  

“Knight, don’t resist—step down!”  

Eventually, the knights surrounded the carriage.  

But just then, the driver, who had shown no signs of alarm until now, vanished like smoke—only his clothes were left behind.  

Yet that wasn’t even the most shocking part.  

A knight forced the carriage door open and shouted,  

“They’re not inside!”  

Ramande and Esadien arrived shortly after with the rearguard.  

No one needed to say anything—one look at the grim atmosphere and they knew something had gone wrong.  

“What the hell…?”  

— We walked right into their trap.  

Esadien, used to situations like this, kept what calm he had left.  

— Around the time they left the city, several carriages entered.  

“You mean… they switched carriages then? Without even stopping?”  

— If the timing’s right, it’s possible. Anyone can do it with a bit of training.* 

Ramande hesitated, and Esadien said quietly,  

He had never expected someone who wasn’t even a friend—certainly not Theodore—to believe in or support him.  

— If you can’t trust me, I’ll go alone. Just take me to the spot where they passed.  

“What do you think you’re going to do alone…?”  

— We need to return and report to the Grand Duchess, don’t we?  

“…Fine.”  

Ramande, unable to overcome Esadien’s stubbornness, eventually relented and took him to the place where the carriages had passed.  

— Don’t worry too much. Minuelle has a spirit with her. And if things got dangerous, she would’ve pressed the knight’s emergency bell first thing.  

Esadien remembered how she had pressed it even while falling from somewhere.  

— And she still has that potion you made, doesn’t she?* 

Ramande’s worry eased slightly, but he forced himself to keep a stern expression.  

“I wasn’t asking for your comfort.”  

— …Of course.

Receiving comfort from someone who loves the same person—that was too humiliating for any man.  

Understanding that, Esadien offered only a brief farewell.  

— Then I’ll see you later.

Watching Esadien slip away into an alley, Ramande murmured to himself,  

“He’s grown up a bit… somehow.” 

 

***

 

Esadien had learned, from the time he escaped the palace, that he could communicate with animals.  

But asking for help from animals was harder than it seemed.  

— You want me to find a human? They go in and out of that inn all the time, chirp chirp. 

The birds pointed him to a nearby inn.  

— Helping a human? You’re still a naive half-breed. Try getting chased out after being hit with a broom for chasing mice, then we’ll talk. Tsk tsk.

The alley cats were indifferent at best.  

Esadien was quickly growing desperate.  

— What am I supposed to do…  

His earlier words to Ramande were partly meant to reassure himself.  

What if Minuelle couldn’t use the potion? Or the emergency bell?  

She wasn’t yet able to fully harness the spirit’s power.  

The human heart is so fickle.

That small body he had once loved for being close to Minuelle now felt suffocating.  

— Even if she hates me… I want to save her. 

He looked down in despair at his small, round paws.  

He missed having a human body—missed being able to swing a sword, to hold Minuelle, to protect her properly.  

Of course, Minuelle wasn’t the type to stay safely tucked in someone’s arms.  

She was someone who would always push forward, finding her own power.  

He had known that since she rolled into him covered in dust at the Caduren estate.  

No—he had known it even earlier, since the time she hugged him in the emperor’s secret garden.  

‘Does it hurt a lot? I’m sorry…’

That soft voice echoed in his memory.  

Droplets began to fall in front of his paws.  

— It hurts.

Because he was worried for her.  

Because he couldn’t help her.  

It hurt—and it was unbearable.  

Then, just as he trembled, a slow voice reached him.  

— I heard you’re looking for a human, child.  

— …?

Even before Esadien could lift his head, a foul stench struck his nose.  

Ugh. 

Before him stood a dog—black fur, matted and dirty, one eye cloudy with a film.  

— Yes! That’s right!

Esadien practically leapt with excitement.  

Who cared if it was dirty or smelly?  

There was no better animal than a dog for tracking humans.  

In his gratitude, he even used honorifics without thinking.  

— What a good little one you are.

The dog, being an animal, sensed Esadien’s gratitude even more clearly and softened its tone.  

— So. Who are you looking for?  

— A young woman. One who smells like me…

As he explained, Esadien felt his face grow hot.  

“Smells like me” sounded way too intimate.  

Sure, it made sense to a dog—but he was human, and it was embarrassing.  

Good thing his fur covered the blush.  

— Tell the birds too, will you?  

— Excuse me?* 

Looking up, Esadien saw a group of birds perched on a branch overhead—  

The same birds that had earlier half-heartedly directed him to the inn.  

— Go on, chirp.

— We’ll help this time, chirp. Since the elder asked.

Esadien hadn’t expected much, but he gave them the information anyway.  

In desperate times, even a bird’s claw might help.  

— She has pink hair… and the man with her had hair that shone like a gemstone.  

— Both of them have pretty unique colors, chirp!  

After some predictable commentary, the birds scattered in all directions.  

— Now, let’s go too. 

The dog sniffed Esadien a few times, then let him hop onto its back and began searching by scent.

  

***

 

He hadn’t expected much from the birds, but they came through.  

After narrowing the search area with their help and verifying the carriage’s scent, Esadien was finally able to locate Minuelle.  

— This seems to be the place.

— Glad we found it. Shall I come in with you?  

The dog kindly offered to guide him inside as well, but Esadien shook his head.  

Austin was cruel enough to harm even beasts.  

— No. Please wait here with the birds. I’ll reward you afterward. 

— A reward, huh. You really talk like a human, little one. 

— I…  

— I’ll wait. Go without worry. 

The dog lay down comfortably, birds perched on his head.  

Esadien bowed slightly in thanks and quickly scampered into the building.