Chapter 40
Maeve still felt a little awkward with this kind of conversation.
“I’ve only lived here my whole life, so I find outsiders fascinating. Where are you headed?”
Instead of answering truthfully, Maeve asked how much further she had to walk. The woman quickly changed the subject and, along with her answer, poured out her complaint that things had been really difficult since the well dried up.
When she filled the sacks with water, the woman reached out her hand, offering to take them. Maeve refused and shouldered the two now-plump water sacks. As Maeve walked without showing any sign of difficulty, the woman, as if that was also amazing, watched her with glittering eyes, asking her various questions.
Finally, upon reaching the village, Maeve said goodbye and sent the woman back. The woman, with a face full of regret, turned her back and moved away, saying she had someone to look after.
As Maeve approached the wagon, carrying the thickly filled water sacks, the donkey approached her happily and nudged her side. Maeve scratched the donkey’s muzzle, finished loading the sacks, and entered the village elder’s house.
In front of the fireplace, the elderly village elder was sitting in a rocking chair, deeply asleep. Maeve was careful not to wake him as she climbed the stairs to the room.
Opening the window of the room on the second floor and looking down, she saw Colm, who had not been visible before, loitering near the wagon.
“What are you doing there? It might rain again.”
When Maeve spoke that way from above, Colm was startled, as if caught stealing.
With a pale face, he looked around and then, spotting Maeve above him, he answered in an unwelcome tone, as if making an excuse.
“The horse, I was trying to see the Maeve!”
Maeve followed his gaze toward the stables. One horse tied to the wagon, and the rest…
Two horses were not visible.
“Two horses are gone. Did Fionechta take them out? …And the Prince Declan?”
Maeve asked, as if to herself, propping up her chin. Although he must have heard clearly, Colm gave no reply.
Very intuitively, she felt something strange. Maeve immediately headed to the Prince Declan’s bedroom. The bed was empty, and the Prince Declan’s clothes and belongings were left behind exactly as they were.
Maeve went into the room belonging to Fionechta and Colm next door. There were two beds, and one side was cleanly vacant. As if only one person had stayed there from the start.
As soon as Maeve confirmed this, she slipped out of the village elder’s house. And she quickly approached Colm, who was still loitering near the wagon.
“Did Fionechta take the Prince Declan?”
Colm’s face turned pale when he saw Maeve suddenly close to him, yet he did not answer right away.
“…He, he must have.”
Maeve stared intently at him with an expressionless face.
Thinking about it, she had already felt something strange about Fionechta since the incident with Rory. Nevertheless, she hadn’t bothered to question it. Just as both the Prince Declan and Maeve found Rory quite unwelcome, she figured that perhaps Fionechta also disliked Rory and was just looking for an opportunity.
Maeve approached Colm closely, nearly grabbing him by the collar, and stared at him intently.
“…What is the gain from killing the Prince Declan?”
“W-What?!”
Colm exclaimed in surprise, as if screaming, and questioned her back.
Maeve asked calmly, regardless of his reaction.
“Are you his accomplice?”
“No!”
Colm looked genuinely ignorant of everything. Right. If he had given a separate order, he would have kept silent so that it wouldn’t reach a cowardly coachman like this, and a maidservant like Maeve who seemed like nothing special.
“Where did they go?”
“Why, why?”
“I need to check. To see what happened to him in the meantime.”
If the Prince Declan had truly died in the meantime, she had no reason to stay with these people any longer.
No, in fact, there was also the option of running away alone even now, without needing to check. That would probably be better. Before Fionechta returned, she could steal valuable supplies, as well as a horse, which was essential for long-distance travel, just as Rory had, and quietly leave.
The easy journey she had planned—to piggyback on others—might have long since fallen through. No need to check. Yes. Even now, she could just…
However, Maeve stood stock-still in her place.
It wasn’t because the Prince Declan’s face, resolved to somehow make the remaining journey work, came to mind. It was certainly not out of guilt, wondering if she had forced a dying person to live only to meet a more miserable death.
No, perhaps it was.
“Y-You shouldn’t go.”
Colm answered, rolling his eyes as if he already knew what Maeve was planning to do.
“Oh really? What did Fionechta tell you?”
“…H-He didn’t say anything. But I… I know. He’s a scary person, anyway. Rory, that bastard, just wanted to steal things…”
“Yes. I know. He probably just needed an excuse to kick him out.”
Maeve pointed it out indifferently and untied the horse that was tethered to the wagon and mounted it.
“Anyway, I’ll just go and check. You wait here. I still need you. If you try to run away midway, I will find you somehow.”
“…A-Are you crazy?”
Maeve did not answer and turned the horse’s head. And she immediately galloped toward the village’s entrance and exit.
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