Chapter 95
When did he follow me?
No.
Had he known from the beginning that I was staying here?
The moment I saw Lloyd’s stiff expression, I froze without realizing it.
But I quickly composed myself and avoided his gaze.
“Don’t concern yourself with me.”
Just as I was about to enter the inn, his voice stopped me.
“Baldomer will have sent people out.”
I flinched and stopped.
Baldomer had sent people out?
Impossible.
Kallion wasn’t the kind of man who would mobilize his people merely because I had disappeared.
Ah…
Perhaps he was looking for me because he was worried I might steal confidential information again.
That seemed possible.
“If you stay here, they’ll find you quickly.”
“……”
As I hesitated, unable to answer.
He took my hand and smiled.
“Let’s go to my separate residence first.”
“Your separate residence…?”
If it were the main Silverstel estate, Baldomer’s reach might extend there.
But if it were one of Silverstel’s secluded private residences, even Baldomer would have difficulty searching every single one.
And somehow, I thought I knew exactly which residence he meant.
A beautiful ice mansion on the mountainside not far from here.
The Saint Paul estate, named after the flower that bloomed on winter mountain cliffs.
It was also the estate where Lloyd and I had spent our newlywed years.
Of course, he couldn’t possibly know that when making the suggestion.
But because I retained all the memories of that place, I couldn’t readily agree.
“I don’t want to owe you anything.”
At my stiff words, Lloyd tilted his head slightly.
Then he murmured so softly I could barely hear him.
“Baldomer’s dogs are already here.”
“What…?”
Startled, I glanced around.
At Lloyd’s gesture toward the window, I looked inside the inn.
Two men in black robes were asking the innkeeper something.
My shoulders stiffened.
When I stood there unable to decide what to do, Lloyd took my hand again.
“Let’s go to my carriage first.”
“But my luggage…”
I looked toward the inn awkwardly.
He smiled.
“If you mean that tiny bag with practically nothing in it, I already moved it to the carriage.”
“What…?”
When did he…
No.
Setting that aside, taking someone’s belongings from their room without permission was the sort of thing a rogue would do, wasn’t it?
For a moment, I was stunned by how completely unlike the Lloyd I knew that behavior was.
Before I could even become angry, he smiled brightly enough to make it difficult and pulled me along.
“Let’s go.”
Before I knew it, I had been dragged along by his hand and climbed into Silverstel’s carriage.
Just as he said, my modest travel bag was neatly placed inside.
While I remained confused by the sudden turn of events, the carriage abruptly began speeding away as though someone had been waiting for us to board.
* * *
Saint Paul.
The beautiful estate known as the Ice Mansion looked exactly as it had back then.
Because it was used only as a separate residence, there were only a few caretakers, leaving the estate not merely quiet but almost empty.
Despite its enormous size, it was difficult to find another person there.
And that was precisely why I had found it so comfortable.
As I stared blankly at the estate, submerged in memories, Lloyd smiled and walked ahead.
“You’ll catch a cold. Come inside.”
At his urging, I forced the memories away and entered the estate.
“I asked Marsha to prepare a room in advance.”
Everything had been prepared as though my arrival at the estate had already been planned.
I stared in bewilderment.
Lloyd led me to the room he said would be mine.
It was the largest and most beautiful room in the estate.
“Stay here for the time being, Juliana.”
It was none other than the room Lloyd and I had used as our newlywed bedroom in my previous life…
I stopped in the doorway and froze.
I turned toward him, wondering if perhaps…
But he was simply wearing his usual gentle smile.
Apparently interpreting my stiff expression differently, he asked worriedly.
“Do you not like the room? If that’s the case, I’ll ask Marsha to prepare another one.”
“No.”
There were already very few servants in this estate.
I didn’t want to make several people work unnecessarily just because of me.
And making a fuss over memories only I possessed seemed excessive.
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