Chapter 56
So, I decided to end things here and stood up. I sucked the remaining potato off my fingers, dusted off my skirt, and greeted them.
“Well, I’ll be off now. Someone’s waiting for me at home.”
“U-Uh…what?”
To be precise, I was worried about our household ‘fairies’. They probably hadn’t made any rash moves out of concern for my safety. With a knife at my neck, it wasn’t as though they could have saved me. Even if a fairy godfather had shown up, it wouldn’t have been possible.
But Ernst isn’t one to go easy on anyone. He’d probably capture them without asking questions. Before that happened, I needed to get back quickly, explain the situation, and make it clear it was my fault. So, as I prepared to leave in a hurry, one of the hot-headed men suddenly raised his voice.
“Hey, what the hell! Who said you could just leave like that…!”
He sounded loud but not scary. After talking with them, I could tell—they weren’t the type of people who could kidnap or harm someone. They came this far because…
‘They probably felt desperate to do something.’
Kidnapping and confinement shouldn’t be excused, but how desperate must they have been? They had come to the edge yet couldn’t bring themselves to cross the line, proving just how dire their situation must be.
That’s all the more reason I had to help ensure their best efforts didn’t veer into crime—for their sake and for my child’s future.
As I turned away, they seemed to realize this, and two of them shook their heads and held the other back.
Then, with weary voices, they gestured to the lodge door.
“We can’t escort you, but it’s getting late. You’d better go.”
“Sun’s still up. Your husband’s probably looking for you.”
“Hey, come on. You can’t just let her go like that…!”
All three hesitated for a long moment, then looked down at the ground in gloom.
They really seemed sick of it all. How much must they hate it, bearing guilt for burdening neighbors and relatives, their eyes dark with worry? And now, threatening an unknown pregnant woman—even if I wasn’t really pregnant.
Seeing their self-loathing expressions, I couldn’t just leave. So, I went over, gave them a light pat, and said,
“Look, I was only startled.”
It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t, but I wasn’t scared.
From the beginning, their actions were too clumsy. There were other reasons I wasn’t afraid, but since I had no intention of introducing them to our household fairies, I gently comforted them instead.
“I appreciate hearing your stories. I learned a lot.”
“……”
“I’ll make sure to repay you for the potatoes.”
If this harshness wasn’t merely created by the times—or if it became a trial that my child would one day have to face—I fervently hoped that even a bit of the burden on their shoulders would be lightened, that the darkness on my child’s path would recede. With that, I took each of their hands and held them tightly.
Then, as I turned, opened the lodge door, and stepped out…
“…He’s waiting outside.”
Of course, right behind the door stood one of Ernst’s knights—no, fairies—bowing with his head lowered, ready to step in at the slightest hint of trouble.
Knowing Ernst, he’d have wanted to come himself, but leaving Lilian alone was unthinkable, so he likely ordered Sir Dane to watch over me instead. Sir Dane’s awkward smile confirmed it.
“Is he very angry?”
I asked, cautiously gauging his reaction. Instead of answering directly, Sir Dane gave a knowing smile.
“Shall we go?”
…He’s furious, then. Well, with the lack of security, he’d told me not to leave the house, and here I was, causing this mess.
As I wrapped myself in the cloak he offered, I looked back to see the three men staring, wide-eyed, at the unexpected sight. Worried they might suffer consequences, I tugged on Sir Dane’s sleeve.
“They’re simple, kind people.”
“That is for him to decide.”
He cut me off curtly, leaving me to glance around silently. I’m not the most perceptive, but I was sure the lodge was surrounded by knights. They always kept a watch around me.
It was Marquis Elva who told me that when Ernst and I were staying at Köln, there were people who replaced the roof leaves daily to keep out the summer heat. That was hardly something one person could’ve managed alone. He had ‘fairies’ helping him.
Fairies, indeed. There are no coincidences, they say. After all, didn’t he arrive shortly after my water broke? That’s because one of those watching knights quickly informed him.
It must’ve been the same this time as well.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.