episode_0267

Alina, who was the head maid of the mansion.

Her hands were trembling as she held a piece of paper.

‘Is this…is this really true, Miss?’

A letter left by Lady Hera to herself.

There were stories written here that were absolutely unacceptable.

But I had no choice but to believe it.

If it were anyone else, I would have treated him like he was crazy, but I couldn’t do that to Miss Hera.

“I have to show it quickly.”

I must show this letter to Athena as soon as possible.

As soon as that thought occurred to her, Alina immediately ran out of the room.

Athena’s bedroom, reached after passing through the long hallway of the mansion.

It was still a long time before she should have been asleep, but Alina couldn’t wait until morning.

– Smart

“I will go in, master.”

With a short word, Alina opened the bedroom door.

A dark room where you can’t see even an inch ahead.

Alina turned on all the lights in the room without hesitation, even though she knew it was very rude.

“Master. You must hurry and see this letter-…..Huh?”

Alina’s words stopped there.

Of course, he was sure that Athena was sleeping.

But the bed that Athena was supposed to be lying on…

It was so cold and empty

*

– ..I don’t truly love you.

“……”

A carriage pulling a load.

The coachman, who was leading the horse with his whole body covered in a hood, suddenly let go of the reins of the horse that had leaked out earlier.

I just stared blankly ahead for a long time.

As the horses gradually lost control and began to run off on their own paths, the coachman finally adjusted the reins and began to lead the horses.

Cadduk-

an indescribable, bizarre sound

Even the horses running in front were shaking slightly, as if they felt fear.

“…..I don’t love you..”

The coachman muttered to himself, repeating the sound he had just heard from the luggage compartment.

“How can you say that, Hera.”

The coachman leads the horse again without saying a word.

The coachman’s eyes are visible under the hood.

It was like a shabby sun whose light had gone out.

*

“Huh…?”

I looked at the old man with eyes that were shaking violently.

“Why are you doing that?”

An old man looking at me with a calm face.

As I looked into his eyes, which for some reason were blue in color, my heart began to pound rapidly.

He told me that the people I love are ‘them’.

I didn’t say anything like that to him.

‘It’s probably because of my mood.’

Clearly I’m overreacting to something that was said based on guesswork.

The old man just said they were them. He didn’t say who they were.

It could just be a broad generalization.

No but..

‘Do you usually think that the person a woman loves is a woman?’

When it comes to love, don’t you think of it as the normal love between a man and a woman?

“Why are you like that? You look nervous.”

My body began to tremble at the old man’s words.

Even his smile, which had previously seemed so kind, now felt eerie for some reason.

“Ah..no, it’s a little cold..”

“Is that so.”

Since then, the old man hasn’t said anything.

I looked at the old man with growing anxiety and spoke cautiously.

“But…where is this carriage going?”

“Didn’t you say you were going west?”

“Well…where in the west?”

The old man looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, then stroked his beard a few times before answering.

“I’m moving to a new place, you know. I’m going to that house.”

“Is this your house?”

“Yeah. It’s a very cozy and comfortable house. I think I’ll probably live there for the rest of my life.”

The old man’s eyes that never take their eyes off me for even a moment.

I scratched my cheek with an awkward smile.

“Hehe..Is that so? Then I think you can just drop me off at any village on the way!”

“No, that’s not true.”

A rejection that comes right back.

I opened my eyes dazedly and looked into the old man’s eyes.

“It’s fate that we met like this, so let’s treat each other to a meal.”

“Yes..? Ah..no, that’s not necessary..”

“Ah. By the way, did you say you were going to the port? Don’t worry, I’ll take you there after you eat.”

I waved both my hands at his kindness, which felt excessive, and answered urgently.

“Ah..no! You don’t have to do that. I’m just on my way-”

“Don’t give up.”

The quiet voice of an old man interrupts me.

The old man’s eyes were looking at me seriously, as if he was refusing to accept anything like a rejection.

When I looked into his eyes, my voice became difficult to speak.

But I tried hard to open my mouth and speak…

“Ah..no. I..I..”

“Don’t refuse.”

This time again, it was cut sharply like a knife.

I rolled my eyes here and there for a moment, not knowing what to do, but then I thought that this couldn’t go on, so I slowly walked to the end of the carriage and opened the tent.

What catches your eye is an endless expanse of grassland.

It was a place with a beautiful, bright moon shining on the Pururun grass.

I tried to smile brightly and spoke to the old man.

“Ah..! I..I’ll get off here. I think I can walk from this side.”

The old man raised an eyebrow at my words and asked.

“In this meadow where there is nothing?”

“That..I..I know this place! I have an acquaintance who lives nearby. Thank you so much for giving me a ride..!”

After saying that, I immediately tried to jump out of the carriage.

If it weren’t for the old man’s hand grabbing my wrist.

“Sit down.”

“Yes..?! Ah..no, I have to get off here..”

“Sit down.”

As he grabbed my hand hard, I fell into the carriage.

“Ahh..!”

I frowned and took a shallow breath.

‘Wha…what kind of old man’s power…!’

I quickly got up and looked at the old man.

“What are you doing..?”

The old man, who had been looking at me with calm eyes, tapped the carriage floor as if telling me to sit quietly.

“Just sit down without saying anything. If you don’t want to hurt me any more.”

I clenched my fists at his incomprehensible words.

“I thought it was suspicious.. Could it be the kidnapper?”

“…..”

The old man didn’t answer at all, as if he had been hit hard.

I looked at the old man, biting my lip once at the fact that my prediction was correct.

“..Something feels strange. Who ordered you to kidnap him?”

“You’ll find out who it is when you get there.”

I raised both my fists at the sound of his calm voice.

Then the old man wrinkled his forehead.

I ignored him and spoke to him in a low voice.

“If you block it, I’ll have no choice but to go through. So don’t block it.”

“….haha.”

The old man laughed hollowly at my words.

He slowly got up and met my eye level.

“I don’t know who told you to do this, but go and tell them clearly. I have no intention of going back now.”

“Yeah, I know that now.”

The old man’s speech seemed to have changed considerably.

For some reason, the familiar tone of speech made me feel a sense of discomfort that I had felt before.

I bit my lip again and looked at the old man.

“Get out of the way. No matter how old you are, I won’t spare you.”

“Are you really going?”

“Yes. I warn you in advance that I am not weak at all.”

I would have liked to have used it, but unfortunately, I had already exceeded the daily limit on the number of uses allowed in Ruyter.

It’s much more efficient to just go through it with your body.

I didn’t want to use up all my strength, but it seemed like the old man had no intention of getting out of the way.

‘I guess I’ll have to just knock him out.’

An old man who just keeps looking at me.

I took a step towards the old man with a poisonous mind inside.

At that very moment, he grabbed the old man from behind and was about to gently strike his neck.

Boom-!

“Ugh!!”

The old man grabbed me by the collar and threw me straight into the carriage.

The wall of the carriage was destroyed along with the luggage.

I looked at the old man with trembling eyes, unable to understand what was going on. He slowly began to walk towards me.

One step. One step.

Every time he approached, something changed.

Blue manas began to disperse around him like fog, and the old man’s body began to twist little by little.

His body gradually became smaller. His beard disappeared in an instant, and his hair, which had previously been gray, turned a beautiful blue color.

The old man walked another step and finally came to me.

no.

He wasn’t an old man.

“Ma….Mari..ya..”

When I looked into the girl’s eyes, I couldn’t help but collapse to the floor.

“…..”

Marie looks down at me with eyes that cannot read my emotions.

Thinking that this couldn’t go on, I grabbed Marie’s leg and said urgently.

“Ma..Maria, I am!”

But I couldn’t continue speaking.

“Ah…”

“Okay, Mom.”

When Marie reached out her hand towards me, it was as if something was stuck in my throat, and my voice became muffled.

“Ah..huh..?”

I tried to speak in a stammering manner in an embarrassing situation, but all that came out was babbling.

Marie put her hand on my head.

Suddenly, sleep began to creep over me.

The last thing I saw as my consciousness faded away.

It was Marie’s face looking at me with an expression of sadness that was indescribable.

“Killing my heart…once is enough.”

With Marie’s sad words.

My consciousness just fell into a deep sleep.