As soon as the carriage left the crown prince’s palace, I took off the coat that had been suffocating me.
“I’ll get off first, pretending to be a maid. You just need to stay on until the end.”
Finally, I felt like I could breathe again. It was as if the air had been stifling me.
“That, Milady.”
“What are you waiting for, Daisy? Hurry up and take off your coat.”
Unlike me, who felt relieved, Daisy was pale with fear.
“Se-Seeing the crown prince say all that, could he have suspected something?”
Meeting Redian seemed to have turned her excitement about going home into fear of deceiving the crown prince.
“Looking back, even this carriage seems suspicious, and the coachman and the attendants looked at us strangely. Could everyone have noticed?”
For Daisy, who was new to fleeing, everything was a concern.
“It’s okay. People are not as interested in us as you think.”
The idea of setting the world on fire to find the female lead was just a fantasy. Throughout all my possessions, if anyone ever desperately chased after me when I ran away, it was for one reason only. Because the scapegoat had disappeared.
“Of course, they wouldn’t be interested in me. I’m talking about you, Milady.” Daisy grabbed my hand tightly. “You’ve been staying by the crown prince’s side and hanging out with his close aides recently, so you might not have heard the outside world’s news!”
Her eyelashes trembled as if she was overwhelmed.
“The once powerful Grand Duke Benio family, locked their gates out of fear of the crown prince, so that says it all.”
Her words were interrupted by the constant shaking of the carriage. Since the coachman was from a private company, not from the duchy, and the carriage was rented, it couldn’t be helped.
“What are you talking about? I receive daily reports on state affairs through Francis. So there’s no way I wouldn’t know what’s going on outside.”
Just as I tried to resume our conversation,
“Lord Francis is a close aide to the crown prince, right? The sedative that you asked us to deliver to the crown prince’s palace- Oh gosh!”
Hiiing, with a loud neigh, the carriage suddenly shook violently with a thud.
“Oh gosh, are you alright, Milady?”
“What on earth?”
It was so sudden that I nearly flew out of my seat.
“Coachman, are you trying to hurt princess by driving so recklessly?”
“I’m sorry.”
Pretending to be a maid, I opened the window and called the coachman. The road wasn’t rough, nor were there any obstacles.
“We paid double the security fee since it’s a long journey.”
Moreover, this coachman had enough experience to have served the imperial family until just before his retirement. So, the problem must be with the horses or the carriage itself.
“Either the carriage is faulty, or the horses weren’t managed properly.”
“That can’t be.” The coachman frowned at my accusation. “Actually, this is the fastest way out of the empire, but…” He then looked around seriously and added, “There used to be a superstition during my master’s time that this place was so unlucky that people avoided it. They said it was where the commanders of the devil world gathered.”
“Commanders of the devil world?”
“Ah, I’m talking about the direct subordinates of the Devil King. They each lead their own legions, so they’re called commanders.”
I looked at him, wondering what he was suddenly talking about.
“But superstitions are just superstitions. There haven’t been any problems for decades…”
He didn’t seem to be making excuses or beating around the bush. Rather, he looked genuinely scared.
“Recently, there have been rumors of problems on this road. I thought it was just an excuse from coachmen who didn’t manage their horses properly.”
“What kind of problems?”
“Well…” The coachman hesitated for a moment and then looked back at the horses. “They say the horses suddenly act as if they’ve seen a ghost. Their eyes are rolling back in fear.”
Indeed, the horses that had been running swiftly until just before leaving the empire were now foaming at the mouth and staggering.
“Though noble families’ horses might be relatively free from evil spirits because they are adorned with protective flags on their saddles for decoration, private companies like ours don’t go that far.”
<I’m sorry, Princess. It’s because Los suddenly started having fits.>
<He wasn’t like this before. Did he see something?>
Why did that scene flash through my mind at this moment?
“Recently, there have been reports of coachmen going missing around here. They likely fell off the hill due to tired horses rather than evil spirits.” The coachman, wiping away his sweat, pointed somewhere. “Just past this hill of Wenis Hill, there’s a lakeside. Let’s rest there for about an hour.”
Wenis Hill. That meant I was close to where I had to get off.
“Please wait here for a moment, Coachman. I have something to talk to the princess.”
Waiting by the lake for an hour was tight on time. If someone else discovered the magic circle, it would be quite troublesome.
What should I do?
After closing the window, I leaned on my forehead.
Since my destination is nearby, should I go ahead and leave Daisy behind? But leaving Daisy alone when even the coachman was scared might lead to unforeseen incidents.
It’s only about an hour, so should I wait with her before sending her off?
My mind was torn between the two options. However,
“Daisy.”
There was only one decision I could make.
* * *
Even after Siani left for Benega, Redian remained unchanged. Contrary to Lisfeld’s expectation that he might occasionally inquire about her news, he asked nothing, acting as if everything would proceed as he believed. And exactly on the sixth day, the morning that, according to the plan, Siani’s party should have settled in Benega.
“…”
Lisfeld, waiting in Redian’s chamber for the morning report, had replayed the past five days hundreds of times in his mind. Not knowing when Redian would ask about Siani, he prepared himself accordingly. However,
There hasn’t been a single carriage entering Benega from the capital in the past six days.
The news that arrived just yesterday seemed like someone’s prank.
What does this mean? Lisfeld bit his lower lip hard.
Anyone crossing the regional boundary had to leave a record. He had seen with his own eyes the carriage carrying Siani moving away from the crown prince’s palace. Yet, not a single carriage had entered from the empire.
Could it be that they haven’t crossed the regional boundary yet, so there’s no record? No, that couldn’t be. By now, they should have reached Benega’s center.
Upon learning this fact, Lisfeld immediately tracked down the coachman. However, traces of the coachman and the company-owned carriage vanished overnight.
What could it mean? What had happened?
“Your Highness, are you awake?”
When a long shadow cast into the room, Lisfeld bowed his head. Redian, in a robe with slightly damp silver hair, walked out, casually brushing his hair aside.
Please. Lisfeld hoped for just one more day. To find a clue, just one more day. So far, Redian had not asked about Siani, so perhaps today could pass without incident.
“I will report today’s schedule.” Thus, Lisfeld began as usual. However,
“Master must have arrived in Benega by now.”
The low voice that emerged allowed no room for error as if waiting for the precise moment to provide an accurate answer.
“Where is she staying, and who is she meeting today?”
Seated on the sofa, Redian flipped through the documents Lisfeld had placed there, searching among various current affairs for records sent from Benega.
“Your Highness, we should receive a reply from the lord of Benega by this afternoon.”
Instead of making excuses or beating around the bush, Lisfeld quickly informed him of the most critical point.
“I also found it strange that we have not yet received any news from the lady, so I have contacted the lord.”
“…”
However, Redian continued to flip through the documents without responding. Scars across his exposed shoulders seemed to narrate his past.
“I even tracked down the coachman, but all I heard was that contact with the affiliated company has been lost.”
In the chilling silence, only the sound of pages turning could be heard.
“If you could just give me a little more time…” When Lisfeld couldn’t bear the silence and began to speak,
“Lisfeld.” Finally, his hand reached the last page of the documents. “Am I not asking?”
The gaze, which had been fixated on the paper, slowly shifted.
“Siani Felicite.”
“…”
There was no emotion to be felt in the dark blue eyes that met the light.
“Where is she now?”
As if that was the only thing he was asking.
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