episode_0068

“… … .”

“… .”

“… … .”

“… .”

Under the calm moonlight that did not even cry all night, four silences were descending like thick darkness.

Knock, knock.

Only the sound of burning embers tells us that this is not a space of nothingness.

The space prepared for camping, the members of the food tour group gathered there were speechless, looking down at a person lying next to the campfire.

A woman with disheveled white hair, a face that looked like she had been covered in sewage, and a body that was so dried up that she could be called a witch.

Knock, knock.

After completing simple first aid, Mr. Rendler stood up, shaking his hands.

To prevent infection, I disinfected the wound and applied ointment, then warmed up her icy body and tore up a page from the healing spell book I had bought in case of an emergency.

Although immediate recovery is unlikely, the essential elements needed for revival will gradually increase.

Ariel, who had been silent, spoke with a bewildered look on her face.

“So… I heard crying on the top floor and went to check… and Princess Le Miang was crying alone? T, that’s what you’re saying… ? That’s ridiculous… .”

It can’t be helped.

It was a sight that was hard to believe even if you saw it with your own eyes, so how could someone who heard it through a story believe it?

King of the Snowfields, great ruler of the Northern Territory.

The highest authority after the king.

Who would believe that the youngest daughter of the Duke of Logan Winterfell, armed with all sorts of great fame, was withering away to death alone in an abandoned mansion in a forsaken land?

If we had not been tortured for insulting the Grand Duke of Winterfell by carelessly speaking such words, we would have been lucky, and we had to remain silent for a long time after witnessing it firsthand.

“What the heck is going on?”

The lender asked me as he tied up the bundle containing the first aid supplies, but I didn’t really have an answer for him.

Because, just like everyone else, it was the first time I had seen her since the Battle of Engagement.

Because I didn’t expect our reunion here.

What on earth happened in the past six months?

no.

It was also absurd that the area around the Archduchess’s domain was so quiet until the youngest daughter of the Archduchess of Winterfell came to this land that had been left in ruins for twenty years, not far to the northwest of the castle.

It had to be loud and noisy.

Whether it was the grand duke’s massive search for his blood relatives, or the speculation about the third grand duchess’s engagement that ended after only six months, there had to be some noise for some reason.

Because that would be normal.

Not the abnormal state of Lemian Winterfell.

Because that would be realistic.

Not the unrealistic lonely death of Lemian Winterfell.

But, all the way here, I had never heard a single rumor about Lumian Winterfell.

It was just a busy and peaceful place with people preparing for the bitter cold.

“Have you heard any rumors about Princess Lemian?”

I looked around at the members and asked, but all I got in return was the expected silence.

“What on earth happened…?”

“I don’t know either. But I’m sure it was something unusual.”

Rachel answered Ariel’s question like this.

Something unusual.

As Rachel said, it was clear that something unusual had happened, to the point that saying something unusual felt like an understatement.

And it was most likely related to the bloody handkerchief he was holding tightly even though he was unconscious.

I was even crying while looking down at the handkerchief.

There are probably two main reasons why I am crying here, and not in the Great Siege.

Either kicked out or ran away.

If it was the former, then Lumiang must have committed some great mistake and been excommunicated.

I don’t know what the mistake was, but if it’s enough for a father to excommunicate his daughter, it’s probably not an ordinary mistake.

If it’s the latter, then someone else must have made a big mistake.

And that someone is most likely Deron Kelley.

If it weren’t for him, there would be no one in the castle who could have driven the heroine, Lumiang, to death.

If he was the mastermind behind this whole thing, then I should have been rebuked for my foolishness in thinking that he wouldn’t do anything foolish because Lumiang’s father was a grand siege master with his eyes wide open.

‘What on earth were you thinking, and what did you do, Deron?’

also.

The shock that was passed on to Lumiang due to someone else’s mistake must have been so great that it caused him to suffer from aphasia.

So much so that I can’t even begin to fathom it.

To an extent that can never be measured.

I saw the renderer.

“Can you wake up?”

“It’s hard to be sure. The condition is so serious.”

“Is that so.”

“The healing spellbook will probably take effect first, so we’ll have to wait and see until tomorrow.”

Indeed, the condition was so critical that even a slight pulse would have disappeared if it had been even just a little bit late.

He looked down at Lumiang, who was lying next to the campfire, with complicated eyes.

My heart felt heavy because the decisions I made to avoid repeating the unfair past life seemed to have had a lukewarm effect on the current situation.

I don’t know how the original story would have developed, but one thing is certain: the protagonist would not have committed suicide in this abandoned land without any warmth, in this ruin where no one would recognize him.

‘hmm….’

Even if I went back in time, I wouldn’t have changed my mind, but the feeling that the decisions and actions I made to avoid the Hupi House ended up causing the Hupi House in Le Miang was enough to weigh on my heart.

As I was sighing quietly, the lender asked me a question.

At this moment, at this time, it was more important than inferring the reason for this situation.

“What are you going to do?”

The question is how to deal with the sudden appearance of variables.

There were two answers.

Should we give them a little help in their chance reunion and go our separate ways like before, or should we figure out the truth and turn chance into inevitability so that we can walk the same path?

Having already witnessed Lumiang’s fainting, it was impossible to close my eyes and ignore it as if nothing had happened.

However, it was not something that could be done without any clear reason for the division.

It was a time when careful judgment was needed, as my decision could have caused serious harm to the members.

In normal circumstances, it would have been right to safely return her to the Grand Duke’s castle, but with the Grand Duke’s family not actively seeking out their blood relatives and Lumiang’s actions seemingly distancing herself from the Grand Duke, it was not ‘normal’ to do so readily.

“Hmm… .”

I stroked my chin and spat out a sigh, feeling lost in thought as I watched the members’ whereabouts unfold, but there was not enough information to make a decision.

That’s why.

“Let’s wait until he wakes up first.”

There was no choice but to postpone the decision.

It was impossible to move a long distance while carrying the fallen Lumiang.

And our next destination is the Marquisate of Eris, which we must pass through via the Grand Duchy.

Since hastily taking Lumiang to the Grand Duke might have caused more harm than good for both parties, it seemed best to wait for her to wake up.

anyway.

She must have the answer to this question.

So we decided to stay in this abandoned land for a while until Lumiang wakes up.

**

“How is it?”

“The pulse is slowly returning, but he is still unconscious.”

Three days had passed since they arrived at the abandoned land, the former Baronial domain of Bedran.

Three days had passed since I had reunited with Lumiang, but she was still in a deep sleep.

Fortunately, the road was visible.

My breathing was steady and my pulse, which had been slow, was gradually speeding up.

I wondered if there might be a pursuer, but there was no sign of them for three days.

‘If there had been a pursuer, they would have caught him long ago.’

The Archduke, who had never tried to run away and was physically pushed to her limit, would not have been able to shake off her pursuer.

When I looked around, I saw footprints clearly indicating, ‘I’m going here.’

That means the Duke of Winterfell isn’t looking for Lemian.

It was a question.

Grand Duke Logan, a man who values his family’s honor and prestige, would certainly not be happy to see the news of the Third Grand Duchess’ lonely death spread throughout the kingdom.

For it would be a disgrace to the great House of Winterfell.

He will become a father who cruelly abandons his daughter, and the House of Winterfell will become a weak family that cannot protect its family.

Or perhaps, it was the humiliation of abandoning a child to prevent a greater humiliation.

I don’t know if there was some kind of promise or deal, but it’s bound to be quite a strange part.

Of course, from the beginning.

‘No matter how much it was because of the family tradition, it was strange to have her marry the ringleader of school violence.’

I don’t know if it’s because I, as a modern person, can’t understand the sensibilities of the Middle Ages, or if the way things are unfolding is so strange that an adult like me can’t understand it, but the only way to solve all these questions was for Lumiang to wake up.

And so the fourth day arrived.

Ariel went out to gather vegetables and greens to cook with, Rachel went out to escort Ariel, and Nan was left alone to guard the campsite and Lumiang while Old Man Rendler went out to collect firewood.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Under the clear, cloudless sky and warm sunlight, I was able to meet Lumiang, who was wide awake with her eyes wide open.

It’s Lumiang with the same eyes we had when we first saw her.

As if I don’t understand.

As if in disbelief.

I silently handed over some things to write to Lumiang, who was staring at me with those eyes, but when she woke up four days later, she just stared blankly at me for a long time.