Episode 169
As we were racing through the darkness, focused only on moving forward, Noah suddenly drew closer and spoke to me.
“Ayla.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s take a break.”
“A break?”
“Yeah. We’ve been riding non-stop for hours, and the horses are exhausted.”
“Oh, you’re right. Let’s stop for a while.”
Now that he mentioned it, our pace had slowed considerably since we first set off. Soon, we stopped by a large tree.
I felt a sense of urgency, with time pressing on my mind, but I knew that resting properly was important if we wanted to keep going. Looking at the tired horses made me feel a pang of guilt for pushing them so hard.
“Let’s sit down,” Noah suggested.
“Okay.”
We tied the horses near the tree, and Noah laid out a blanket on the ground before sitting down. I sat next to him.
“The moon is bright tonight, thankfully,” Noah said, glancing up at the sky. “If it weren’t, it would’ve been hard to travel this far through the dark.”
I followed his gaze. The sky was clear, with the moon shining brightly, casting a soft glow over everything.
“Yeah, it really helps.”
“We’re just taking a short break now, but when we reach the next village, we’ll find an inn and rest properly. Alright?”
“Okay. But brother, how much farther do we have to go?”
“At this pace, we should arrive in two or three days.”
“We’ll get there before the Crown Prince, right?”
“We should. There’s no reason for him to hurry, so he’ll likely stop at villages along the way.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
“So don’t worry too much.”
“…Thanks.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Feeling?”
“I know you’re fine, but I just want to check.”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
“By the way, when did you learn to ride a horse? I thought we’d need a carriage, so I was surprised when you wanted to ride.”
Noah hadn’t been around during my riding lessons, so he didn’t know. Before we left, he had assumed I would need a carriage, but I suggested we travel on horseback instead.
“The Duke taught me.”
“Blighton taught you?”
“Yes. Do you remember when I fell off a horse as a child?”
“Of course I do. Just thinking about it still makes my heart race,” Noah said, holding his chest with a frown as if he could still feel the anxiety from that day.
“After I recovered, I told him that I wanted to ride freely one day. So, he taught me how to ride.”
That day had made me so happy.
Just recalling those moments with him made me smile, even in this cold weather. It felt like a gentle spring breeze was warming my heart.
Thinking about it now, there wasn’t a single moment with Lloydin that didn’t bring me joy.
“I see. Well, I’ll go feed the horses. You stay here and rest.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, you stay and rest. It’s cold, so wrap yourself in the blanket.”
“Okay.”
Noah got up and went over to the horses. I watched him for a moment before turning away, closing my eyes to conserve energy.
But no matter how much I tried to empty my mind and relax, I couldn’t stop thinking about one person.
‘Lloydin.’
Is he still safe?
He must be. But I worried endlessly—about whether he was injured during the war or if he was hurt somewhere.
Please, just stay safe until I get there.
Lost in thoughts of Lloydin, I didn’t even realize Noah had returned until he sat back down beside me after feeding the horses.
I opened my eyes and looked at him.
“Aren’t you cold? Here, take this blanket. And thank you for agreeing to help me, brother.”
The night was much colder than I had anticipated. The farther north we went, the more frigid it became. I knew it would only get colder from here on out, with little hope for warmth.
I handed Noah the blanket, apologizing again as I did.
“No need. I’m not that cold. You keep it.”
He gently refused the blanket and wrapped it around me again.
“And stop apologizing.”
“But…”
“Ayla.”
“…Alright.”
When Noah spoke with such a firm tone, I had no choice but to comply.
“What did you ask Jade to do?” Noah asked, changing the subject.
“Jade? Oh, I asked him to investigate the Emperor.”
“You said the Crown Prince gave the Emperor some kind of black potion, right?”
“Yeah. You know how people with divine power can trace both divine and magical energy within a person, right?”
“That’s right. It’s possible.”
“So, I asked him to explain everything to Princess Daina and find a solution together.”
“Princess Daina?”
“Oh, you didn’t hear?”
“Hear what?”
“About Jade and Princess Daina.”
“What’s their relationship?”
“He didn’t tell you? Hm, that’s strange…”
Seeing the genuine confusion on Noah’s face, I suddenly felt a little awkward. I worried that mentioning this might make Noah feel left out.
“What? Is there something I don’t know?”
“Well… Jade and the Princess… they’re going to get married soon.”
“What?”
“They’ve had feelings for each other for a long time… a really long time.”
“Really? How did that happen?”
“I think it’s better if you hear the details from Jade.”
Even though I knew a lot about their situation, I felt it was right to stop here.
“Maybe Jade was too distracted to mention it.”
“Hm, so that’s what was going on? Ah, now that I think about it, your divorce also caused Princess Daina’s engagement to fall through, didn’t it?”
Noah’s sharp eyes fixed on me as he spoke.
“Yes. The Crown Prince used that to pressure me.”
“So, you did that for Jade? To protect him and the Princess?”
“No, it wasn’t because of them. Everything was just… complicated. That’s all.”
“…I see.”
Noah smiled gently, as if he understood more than he was letting on, and ruffled my hair.
“Oh, right. I visited the temple a few months ago. It was the first time I met Princess Daina.”
“The temple? Why did you go there?”
“I wanted to learn more about the Black Forest, but I had no other leads. I thought someone at the temple might know something.”
“Did you meet anyone?”
“Yeah, I met Priest Gabriel.”
“Priest Gabriel?”
“Yeah, he’s a friend of Father’s, so it wasn’t hard to arrange a meeting.”
“And what did he tell you?”
“Unfortunately, he didn’t know much about the Black Forest.”
“Ah…”
“But he did tell me this: there’s something at the center of the Black Forest, something that started it all.”
“The center of the Black Forest…”
Noah and I exchanged a glance, both of us thinking the same thing.
“The ruler of the Black Forest.”
“Yes, I think so too. Based on what I overheard from the Crown Prince’s conversation with that man, it seems like the ruler draws energy from people.”
“Oh, I remember him saying he could barely resist the thirst.”
“Exactly. That’s why the Duke and the army are stationed near the forest—it’s the easiest way to feed on people, through war.”
“That makes sense.”
“Noah.”
I fixed my gaze on him, my expression serious.
“There’s something I really want to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t want the Duke to be dragged into war anymore. I want to set the Blighton family free.”
“But I heard the Blighton family is bound to the empire by an unbreakable vow.”
“That’s right. I don’t know exactly what that vow is, but I believe it’s connected to the ruler of the Black Forest.”
“So, what are you planning to do about that ruler?”
“I think this is our chance.”
“But this could be really dangerous.”
“If we miss this opportunity, who knows when we’ll get another?”
“Ayla…”
“I don’t want to burden you, but I needed to tell you because I think you deserve to know.”
“And the plan? Have you thought of a way?”
“Huh?”
“You wouldn’t bring this up unless you had something in mind.”
“Oh, yeah… I have a plan, but…”
“What is it?”
“I’ll handle it—”
“Ayla.”
“Yes?”
“Do you really think I’m just going to stand by after coming this far?”
“But… like you said, this is incredibly dangerous. That’s why I should be the one to—”
“Are you trying to bear everything alone again?”
“Huh? But Noah…”
“Tell me. What’s your plan?”
No matter how much I tried to dissuade him, Noah remained firm and resolute.
