Chapter 94
It was a reflexive action, trying to hold onto that faint voice.
When she grabbed his hand with both of hers, Blake flinched in surprise. But Angelina held his hand tightly, refusing to let go, and he didn’t push her away either.
Then, as if possessed by something, Angelina reached out one hand toward him.
Her fingers touched his cheek and moved hesitantly, like a blind person trying to learn someone’s face.
“Miss Flaubert…?”
Though Blake was bewildered, he let her do as she wished.
Her face was contorted in apparent pain, and her gaze, looking at him, was severely shaking.
It was a strangely unfocused gaze that was looking at him but not seeing him.
Meanwhile, Angelina, struggling to grasp the voice and not even aware that she was touching his face, was partially achieving what she wanted.
‘…fine but what’s okay about…’
The child’s voice continued.
Though broken, it didn’t stop.
And the blurry scene that had been passing like a flash of light began to take shape instead of fading away.
‘…can’t see in…’
But once the outline reached a certain point, it didn’t become any clearer.
It was a ‘distinct’ haziness, as if there had never been a clear image to begin with.
And that voice whispered.
‘Kindness is something you’re born with. I’m not.’
“…!”
Angelina withdrew her hand with a start.
“Miss Flaubert?”
Blake, equally startled, caught Angelina as she nearly fell backward.
But what came out of Angelina’s mouth was completely unexpected.
“That’s… what brother said…”
“Pardon?”
“Brother must have… told me that…?”
Angelina muttered the same words while clutching her head tightly.
“Just whose…”
“Miss Flaubert.”
Seeing Angelina’s incoherent state concerning him, Blake decided it would be best to help her regain her composure first.
He gently shook her shoulder. But there was no response. She kept biting her nails as her gaze wandered aimlessly.
Through her shoulder, he could feel her trembling, and Blake couldn’t stand by any longer.
He used the best method he could think of at the moment.
He pulled her into his arms.
Haley, who was nearby, panicked and stamped her feet but couldn’t intervene, and Laura also frowned deeply but didn’t interfere.
They knew this was the fastest way to calm her down, and intervening would only make things worse.
Blake held her tight enough that it might have been difficult for her to breathe.
And whispered in her ear.
“It’s alright, everything will be fine.”
He held her tighter, hoping to reach her.
“Nothing’s wrong. Shh… it’s okay.”
He kept whispering the same words while holding her tight.
After a while, her trembling subsided.
Only after confirming that even the slight tremors had completely disappeared did he slightly loosen his arms.
But he didn’t let go immediately, waiting until she was completely stable and had regained her senses.
Shortly after, when her breathing returned to normal, she moved her hands.
Blake, who was loosening his arms, thinking she would push him away, froze momentarily at the strength of her grip on his clothes.
But soon, as if drawn by something, he raised his hand to cradle the back of her head. He began to stroke it slowly.
It used to be so awkward before. The action that had been so clumsy when he did it unconsciously at the Flaubert villa had somehow become natural.
She didn’t reject it, and instead gripped his collar even tighter.
Blake thought he heard her let out a small laugh while in his arms.
After a while, Angelina composed herself first.
“Are you alright?”
Blake asked while checking her face, and Angelina responded with a smile.
“Yes, I’m better now.”
“Was it because of what we discussed earlier?”
The Angelina he had known would casually drop big news and barely react to hearing about the Order’s terrible tyranny.
But as a person, such things couldn’t truly be without effect.
He wondered if she had been dealing with those emotions alone where no one could see. If perhaps after hearing about this incident too, she finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.
He could understand why she did it, as he himself had been hiding his pain and swallowing his emotions since childhood.
But that the world couldn’t be lived alone was also one of the wisdoms he had learned long ago in the Dark Forest.
“How about taking a rest? Or I could listen to Yansen’s story alone and relay it to you later, Miss Flaubert.”
Blake, concerned, thought it might be better to skip over or soften some of the harsher details.
“It’s fine. I need to be there to ask questions, too.”
But Angelina refused this.
“Then let’s rest for a moment first.”
“But…”
“We’ll be staying here tonight anyway. So we have plenty of time.”
Though Angelina showed impatience, Blake, more worried about her condition, held her back.
“Miss Flaubert.”
Seeing the slight unease still remaining in her eyes, Blake took her hand in his.
“There’s no need to rush. Time is on our side.”
“….”
Though it was a groundless statement, Angelina felt a strange sense of stability from the strength of his hand holding hers.
So with a completely relaxed face, she nodded.
“You’re right. Being hasty will only lead to mistakes. Let’s take a break.”
As Angelina accepted his suggestion, Yansen, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, finally spoke.
“It seems we’ve only discussed heavy matters since you arrived. It looks like the hunters have returned, so let’s eat dinner and rest today. I’ll tell you the rest tomorrow.”
***
Angelina was given a room to share with Laura and Haley by a pair of siblings, while Blake volunteered to camp outside. He used the tent and sleeping bag often used by hunters.
While the caught deer and wild boar were being transformed into dinner, Laura and Haley checked on Angelina’s condition.
“There’s nothing wrong with your body.”
Haley, who had checked her condition by flowing magical power through her body, spoke with concern, and Laura bowed her head.
“I apologize, Miss. I couldn’t do anything when you were in such a state.”
“Why apologize for something like that? You probably felt there was no need to intervene since the Duke handled it well. I haven’t known Laura for just a day or two, have I?”
“….”
Even with her consolation, Laura wasn’t reassured. She still wondered if she could have handled it as well as Blake had if she had stepped in.
“Why did that happen to you?”
Haley, who was nearby, asked.
“You suddenly started talking about the Marquis and everything. Do you remember?”
Though she hadn’t been gasping for breath or fainted, her behavior had been unnatural enough to worry about seizures.
If she couldn’t remember, it might be more serious than it appeared, so Haley and Laura quietly waited for Angelina’s answer.
“Just remembered something from the past.”
“From the past?”
At Haley’s question, Angelina lowered her gaze as if lost in thought.
A bucket of water that the sibling owners of this room had provided for Angelina to use for washing was visible.
Staring quietly at the water’s surface in the dipper, Angelina slowly began to speak.
“Haley, how long have you been by my side?”
“Me? I think it’s been about a year now.”
“Laura… has it been about ten years?”
“It’s been ten years since I entered the Flaubert household, and eight years since I was assigned as your dedicated maid.”
Angelina took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before raising her head.
“Long before I met you two… when I was about 7 years old?”
She spoke in a gentle voice.
“I was trapped alone in the Dark Forest.”
“What?!”
“….”
While Haley was greatly surprised with her eyes and mouth growing round, Laura’s expression didn’t change.
“Laura, you already knew, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Though they both knew the other knew, they had never confirmed this fact before.
This was the first time bringing up this story.
“H-how did you end up in the Dark Forest? At 7 years old and not knowing magic, that place is…”
Haley asked while anxiously shifting from foot to foot as if it were happening right now.
“I can’t remember that part.”
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