Chapter 46
“It’s true. That woman has taxidermy as a hobby. Every time she saw me, she licked her lips, saying she wanted to create a more beautiful and valuable work of art.”
It was an unexpected motive for kidnapping, but the tension that had stiffened Maeve’s shoulders eased considerably. Regardless of Prince Declan shuddering and recalling the terrifying memory with the princess, she put Fionechta’s body back down with a relaxed face.
“Is he dead?”
“No, he’s still alive.”
But he will probably die soon, Maeve thought, looking down at Fionechta’s face, which was turning pale.
When Maeve shifted her gaze toward Fionechta’s legs, Prince Declan asked, “What are you going to do?” Maeve answered calmly, recalling what Fionechta had done to Rory.
“Break his ankle. Just in case he tries to follow us.”
At those words, Prince Declan inhaled sharply, his face tensing up.
“Wait a moment, I’ll do it.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, I will do it. I can’t keep asking you to do such rough work.”
“I already did it.”
Maeve, who had broken one of Fionechta’s ankles without a sound, looked up at him and said.
Prince Declan looked down at her with a dumbfounded face and said.
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That I might be harmed by that… scoundrel.”
Before Maeve could answer, Prince Declan said, “No, never mind. Don’t say it.”
Prince Declan looked up at the empty air with a surge of emotion, recalling the words Fionechta had spoken moments ago, unaware that he was listening.
“It’s a relief that we got rid of that attendant first; it saved us a lot of trouble.”
It felt as though the blood was draining from his entire body.
“Never mind. I… I was ridiculously foolish.”
“You weren’t foolish, you were just naive. You’ve never experienced anything like this, have you?”
As the Prince Declan mumbled with a self-reproachful look, Maeve insisted on correcting him.
The beautiful face, stained with mud in places, turned back to her.
“Yes. Because I grew up only in the castle. Because I never needed to have this kind of sordid experience.”
“…”
“I’m not mocking you. I’m mocking myself.”
The Prince Declan grew quiet after saying those words. Maeve prepared to fish out a handkerchief she had washed previously from her pocket.
However, the Prince Declan did not sob with shaking shoulders as he had at the inn. After staring at the empty air for a long time with bloodshot eyes, he slowly turned his body toward the rear.
“Let’s go back.”
Maeve watched as the Prince Declan walked unhesitatingly into the mud, comforting and soothing the visibly disgruntled horses as he returned.
Maeve offered the handkerchief she had already taken out to the Prince Declan. Prince Declan accepted it without demur and wiped his face, which was starting to cake with damp dirt.
“Thank you, Maeve.”
Colm remained alone in the village elder’s house, waiting for the party to return. It had been an hour since Fionechta had issued a loaded threat to him and left with the Prince Declan, and the maidservant had then returned as if she knew beforehand and chased after them.
Colm nervously bit his fingernails. The village elder, not knowing the reason why the coachman was left alone acting that way, spoke to him a few times before going inside.
Colm wished they wouldn’t return. Even if that small maidservant was a little strong, she wouldn’t be able to handle such a skilled mercenary. He had heard that Fionechta and the Prince Declan went to that swamp that no villager ever visited, under the pretense of fishing. Perhaps they drowned there.
The maidservant might return alone, shuffling, and say they couldn’t be found anywhere. Good.
Then what should he do?
All sorts of unproductive hypotheticals swirled through Colm’s mind, making his heart pound rapidly. He just wanted to go home. He hadn’t wanted to leave from the start.
His mother and siblings were simply excited, calling it a family honor when they heard the monarch himself had ordered it. A family honor! The word family didn’t even suit their shabby household.
The more he thought about it, the more unbearable the indignation became. Unlike the other party members, he hadn’t even received that advance payment. He had simply been roped into joining by the badgering of his mother and siblings who kept urging him to hurry up and leave.
No, maybe my mother and siblings received that advance payment.
Colm’s pale face hardened coldly.
Clatter!
Colm’s head turned at the sound of the door opening. The village elder flinched at Colm’s face, which looked gloomier than before, then pointed outside the door with his hand.
“It looks like your party is returning. See, I told you they wouldn’t have drowned in the swamp. Isn’t that a relief?”
Indeed, three horses were seen approaching in the direction the village elder pointed. The Prince Declan, dirty and covered in mud all over, dismounted first and walked this way. Colm’s eyes widened.
Fionechta was nowhere to be seen. There were only the two of them.
“Ah, Your…”
Colm awkwardly began to speak toward the approaching Prince Declan. What should he say?
I’m glad you returned? I was worried?
He wasn’t glad, nor had he been worried. And Colm lacked the brazenness to greet him with a blatant lie.
They were close by now. The Prince Declan’s blue eyes found him. However, instead of speaking to him, he walked right past Colm.
“…I need to rest first.”
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