At the southernmost tip of the Rivolain Territory, in Nartavan.
A woman’s piercing scream echoed from the run-down inn on the outskirts.
Simultaneously, the sound of objects shattering filled the air one after another, but no one paid any attention.
“Good thing we have an empty inn.”
Cheniel, who was waiting outside the room, said to the butler standing beside him.
When they traveled from town to town, the butler would always take the farthest outlying, crumbling inns.
Cheniel was quite dissatisfied, but given Liliana’s wanted status, there was nothing she could do.
But at this moment, he applauded the butler’s decision.
If it had been a busy, upscale inn, people would have found them and reported them long ago.
How much time had passed?
Just as Cheniel was beginning to think her legs were getting sore, the room fell silent.
“It seems to be over.”
The butler knocked softly on the door and spoke in a dignified tone.
“Master, I will go in.”
The butler was careful not to frown as he stepped into the room.
All the dishes had been thrown away, and there were shards of glass everywhere.
Even the bedding had been slashed with a knife, sending down feathers flying into the air.
Despite this chaos, Liliana remained impassive, chewing her lip and glaring at the butler.
“How long do we have to stay here and hold our breath?”
Liliana’s Nartavan hideout was a sanctuary she had painstakingly cultivated.
She’d traveled far and wide to stay hidden and wait for the right time to strike again.
However, due to the unsettling situation in the village, they had to stay holed up in this inn for several days.
During this time, they heard rumors about Duke Cassian.
The imperial family reportedly took control of the mansion and confiscated all of Cassian’s territories.
“What has become of the great Cassian?”
Recently, Liliana has been struggling with controlling her emotions.
Whether it was the extreme circumstances that made her hysterical or the lack of a watchful eye, the lower-ranking people were suffering because of it.
The butler sighed softly and opened his mouth.
“If it’s Duke Cassian himself, surely he must have some plan.”
“I heard that he was defeated by the crown prince and was sent to the palace, what plan can he have?”
Liliana clenched her fists tightly, her fingertips trembling.
Her boiling emotions were hard to control.
‘Was I always like this?’
Despite having maintained a calm and composed demeanor, Liliana found herself engulfed in thoughts as she took deep breaths in the darkness before her.
She couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
Branded as a traitor with no room for redemption, she would spend her life on the run, and if caught, she would face the gallows.
“I can’t trust my father anymore…!”
Merely hiding wouldn’t solve anything.
With determination gleaming in her purple eyes, Liliana asked,
“How many funds do we have in Nartavan?”
“……More than enough for the master to live in luxury for the rest of her life.”
Though not an exact figure, Liliana seemed satisfied with the response.
“You always seem to understand my intentions very well.”
“You’re too kind.”
The butler bowed respectfully.
Liliana felt her emotions calm down and took a deep breath.
Originally, she had intended to use the funds from Nartavan to help her father, but…
“Change of plans; we’re taking it all and leaving the Empire.”
With things as they were, she had to survive, even if it meant doing so alone.
As much as she valued her position, honor, and power as Cassian, she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her life for them.
On the other hand, with money, she could regain her position and power at any time.
Luckily, there was a port here.
It was the perfect place to pay a large sum of money for clandestine passage.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
The story of Cassian’s rebellion spread across the empire in no time.
People would gather for days on end to talk about Cassian.
It wasn’t just a simple rebellion; it revealed all sorts of things that would make anyone angry.
“……So, they were all in that basement!”
“My cousin’s cousin, who went missing not long ago, was also there…….”
“There were not only imperial citizens but also people from other ethnic groups.”
“These despicable creatures! They call themselves nobles, but they’re nothing but troublemakers! It makes my blood boil!”
Under the collapsed clock tower was a chamber that stretched across the entire basement of the mansion, all the way to the base of the mountain behind it.
And within it were beings so grotesque that calling them ‘experiments’ would be too kind.
Along with various experimental tools, chemicals, and research journals proving the grotesque experiments conducted, the meaning was clear.
<Biological experiments.>
Thanks to Rohiriel’s decision to release the sleeping gas, the royal knights and Julion were able to rescue people and secure evidence without any interference.
If it weren’t for Rohiriel’s actions, the researchers would have disposed of all the evidence, causing headaches.
“I was near that clock tower and saw the people being rescued. They didn’t look human at all.”
“It’s dreadful… How could such a thing happen?”
“Come to think of it, isn’t the prince’s wife Cassian too? She’s from a family of traitors, but I wonder what will happen to her.”
“But she did cure the Emperor and Empress…”
“Hey, how do you know if it’s not a trick? Come to think of it, wasn’t the Crown Princess called the Poison Witch when she was still Cassian’s lady? There must have been something fishy going on.”
The trust in Rohiriel, which had already been declining due to Roxis’s rebellion, had now hit rock bottom.
Listening quietly to people’s conversations, Zenid pulled her hood further down.
Unpleasant sounds surrounded Zenid as she passed through the marketplace to buy bread.
Hastening her steps, Zenid stood in front of the bakery she was looking for.
“Excuse me, do you have strawberry cream bread?”
Asking for something not on display, the owner glanced at Zenid with suspicion and silently went into the shop.
Soon, she emerged with two strawberry cream breads.
“We don’t have any today, but these are leftovers from yesterday. Will these do?”
“I’ll take them. How much is it?”
After paying the price, Zenid hugged the bread bag close to her chest and quickly left the marketplace.
Strawberry cream bread was Shahadna’s favorite.
As Zenid imagined Shahadna enjoying the bread, a smile formed naturally on her lips.
‘Even if you don’t have memories and emotions, your taste buds should remain the same.’
Eating favorite foods could trigger memories or emotions.
Zenid hugged the bread bag tightly once again and hastened her steps.
“The two-story inn on the outskirts…”
Four days had passed since the clock tower collapsed, and Zenid still hadn’t been able to join Rohiriel.
The passage Rohiriel used in the office and the one Zenid used in the clock tower were completely opposite, and they didn’t even lead to the same town.
So they had agreed on a third village as the meeting point in advance.
Zenid’s footsteps, which had been moving incessantly, suddenly came to a halt.
In front of her was the two-story inn with a somewhat shabby but sturdy signboard.
‘This is it.’
Zenid swallowed nervously and tightened her grip on the bag of bread.
With a creak, the old door opened, and a middle-aged woman who seemed to be the innkeeper greeted her.
“Welcome. Meal? Or room?”
In response to the woman’s question, Zenid calmly asked,
“Do you happen to have a room rented under the name Shana?”
“Shana?”
“Yes. We’re supposed to meet here.”
“Shana, Shana…….”
The innkeeper murmured as if trying to remember, then suddenly clapped her hands.
“Oh! Those two ladies, right? They rented a room yesterday morning. They asked for a triple room, considering a guest.”
“Which room is it?”
“Let me see… It’s room 205. I haven’t seen them leave, so they’re probably inside.”
“Thank you then.”
Zenid climbed the stairs, repeating “205” to herself.
It was the room at the very end.
Standing in front of the door, she felt a tightness in her chest, a sense of unease creeping over her.
She had heard about serious issues with her memory and emotions and had mentally prepared herself.
But now that she was about to face her, she felt nervous.
Zenid clenched her fist tightly and gave a soft knock on the door.
There was a faint sound of movement from inside the quiet room, and soon the door opened slowly.
There stood Rohiriel with brown hair, dyed in yet another new color.
“Zenid!”
“Miss, I’m relieved to see you safe.”
Rohiriel smiled brightly at Zenid’s safe arrival.
Zenid returned the greeting with a nod, then shifted her gaze inside.
“Come in first.”
Rohiriel stepped aside, allowing Zenid to cautiously enter the room.
Inside, there was a woman sitting at a table against the wall.
Zenid intuitively recognized her as Shahadna.
“I was just telling her about you.”
“….about me?”
Rohiriel smiled gently as she pulled out a chair for Zenid to sit in, seemingly aware of Zenid’s confusion.
She said she had no memories and no emotions.
Whether or not she realized Zenid’s confusion, Rohiriel turned to Shahadna.
“Teveroka, this is my friend I just told you about; her name is Zenid. Would you like to say hello?”
As Zenid approached the table, Shahadna’s face came into view.
Ashen hair and, more strikingly, sky-blue eyes that shone brightly.
Her delicate, round face and soft features harmonized perfectly.
The eyes Zenid had longed for for over ten years gazed directly at her.
“It’s nice to… meet you. I’m Teveroka?”
The voice that flowed out was unmistakably Shahadna’s—a voice Zenid would never forget in her lifetime.
[Milady, I’ll save you. So please, don’t give up.]
[May I call you Zenid?]
[Thank you for being with me, Zenid.]
[Please take care of our Rottie… Zenid. Please, be Rottie’s family in my place.]
Memories of the past, long buried, stirred in Zenid’s mind.
The pain she had buried deep since Shahadna’s passing resurfaced, pouring out uncontrollably.
“Ah…….”
Emotions surged through Zenid, rising from her nose to her eyes, from her eyes to his cheeks, and from her cheeks down to the floor.
Shahadna, facing Zenid with a puzzled expression, while Rohiriel handed her tissues.
But Zenid could not stop crying for a long time.
Her eyes reddened, her nose flushed, and her voice faltered until she could catch her breath again.
