Chapter 191
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
“Lead the way.”
Of course. She couldn’t have been dead. She would probably appear right now, slap him across the face, and hurl sharp criticisms at him. He could vividly picture her standing against him with eyes full of fury and vitality.
His steps quickened as he followed the knight.
Eventually, they stopped in front of something covered by a white cloth.
Mikhail looked at the knight who had led him here, looking confused about why he had been brought to this place.
The knight immediately explained.
“There was a casualty in the village due to the heavy rain. The villagers say that among the bodies that were washed up, there was a woman with red hair.”
Mikhail’s hands trembled slightly. The knight walked inside and stopped at a particular spot.
He pointed to the red hair that had emerged from under the cloth.
“There’s a body of a woman with red hair.”
Mikhail cautiously approached and bent down, his eyes catching the red hair.
It was unmistakably red.
With trembling hands, he carefully pulled the white cloth away.
As the red hair slowly came into view, his mouth went dry.
“They said it was discovered a few days ago.”
The height of the body and the silhouette emerging from the cloth were similar to Emilia’s.
He wanted to reach out and hold her delicate, white ankle, which was protruding from under the cloth.
He would do anything to confirm whether it was her.
But if it was her?
Mikhail hesitated with faltering steps.
“If we don’t confirm the identity now, they’ll cremate her with the others in a few days.”
At the knight’s words, Mikhail pulled the cloth down again.
His heart was pounding as he neared her face that was about to be revealed.
“Hah!”
He almost collapsed from the sudden weakness in his legs, but he managed to steady himself.
It wasn’t her.
A wave of relief washed over him, and he felt an overwhelming surge of emotions he couldn’t explain. He wiped his face with his hands and took a deep, controlled breath.
“It’s not her.”
“I understand.”
The knight shook his head, saying this wasn’t the person they were looking for.
Mikhail scanned the area with blank eyes.
‘Emilia…’
Where could you be…
He had been soaked by the rain, and his body felt heavy.
“It might be best to return to the Duke’s estate now.”
At the knight’s suggestion, Mikhail reluctantly began to move.
As he passed through the crowd and was about to board the carriage, his gaze drifted through the people.
“…Wait.”
For a brief moment, he vaguely sensed the scent of roses.
Instinctively, he followed the fragrance, weaving through the crowd.
Mikhail pushed his way through the crowd for quite a while. Sensing the tension, people began to step aside. This allowed him to look at his surroundings at a glance.
However, despite searching, he couldn’t spot any red hair anywhere.
The fragrance he had sensed earlier grew fainter. Mikhail came to a halt.
❖ ❖ ❖
Emilia clutched her chest. Hiding into an alley, she removed her cloak, revealing her brown hair.
‘I thought our eyes met… but… no, it can’t be.’
Among all those people, there’s no way he could have recognized her. She had the cloak on and had dyed her hair.
There was nothing left for him to find.
Emilia stood frozen in the alley for a long time, unable to move. Eventually, instead of hiding among the people, she decided to go around through the back of the alley.
‘Is he looking for me?’
She thought he might feel relief after believing her to be dead.
It had been a month since she escaped the Duke’s estate, so it wouldn’t be strange if he thought she was dead or gave up.
Her plan had been flawless. She stopped at the edge of the cliff, let one horse loose, and tied the other to a tree.
Then, she pushed the carriage over the edge with Dell.
With the sound of the carriage breaking echoed, when she peeked, it was clear that no one could have survived the wreckage.
Emilia, along with Dell, rode down the path. She tied a piece of her dress to a tree branch at the edge of the cliff to make it seem like she had fallen into the ravine when the carriage fell.
Afterward, Emilia and Dell went to a place where no one could find them.
The back streets of Delphora.
There, she hid with Dell. Emilia immediately dyed her hair.
But she couldn’t stay hidden there forever. She didn’t have the money, and she had to find another way. It was then that she met a person who was a great help to her.
Had it not been for their assistance, Emilia would have been found out much sooner.
Avoiding people’s eyes, Emilia entered an alley, tightly gripping her cloak, and went into a building.
“Madam! Where on earth have you been all this time?”
“I was looking for someone to disguise as me and had to lay low before coming back.”
Emilia shook the rainwater off her hands.
“How much longer do we have to stay hidden like this?”
If she mentioned almost encountering the Duke, Dell would probably faint. Emilia changed the subject without saying anything.
“By the way, it seems like we haven’t been getting the newspapers lately. Do you know anything, Dell?”
“Oh, I’ve been taking care of that.”
A man interrupted their conversation. He bowed his head and greeted them.
“Was today the day you were supposed to come?”
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