“Dana.” Carl placed his hand on my shoulder. “Why are you suddenly like this?”
I flinched at the moment.
Carl’s hand. That grip was so terrifying that I repeated it to myself with all my might. I must not show that I’m scared.
If that moment happened, everything would be revealed. This person would realize it in an instant. Just like I saw in the memories of the land.
“Why is your heart beating so fast?”
However, Carl had already felt my pulse from our close bodies.
“Why are you so scared?”
No. He mustn’t find out. If he found out that I’m afraid of him, then…
“How much did you hear?”
In an instant, I came to my senses. I knew exactly how I had to act, almost as if it were an instinct for survival.
“I’m scared…” Letting out a trembling voice, I lifted my head. “Uncle, are you alright?”
I expressed the desire to cry out of fear more intensely, with tears welling up in my eyes.
“That person hit you, Uncle.”
“…Uh?”
“He hit you, Uncle, what to do…”
My voice naturally quivered as I met Carl’s eyes. But fortunately.
“Did you get hurt anywhere?”
Fortunately, I could perfectly disguise it as concern for him.
“What to do?”
Then I gently stroked Carl’s reddened cheek, where he had been hit by Natan, letting my tears flow.
“What should I do? It must be hurt. What to do…”
Tears streamed down my face. They looked like tears filled with worry and sorrow.
“Sob, sob, what to do? What should I do…”
I sobbed and cried as if the only thing I could say was that as if I couldn’t bear the thought of Carl being subjected to such violence. And Carl just stared blankly at me.
How long did the silence last? After a while, Carl barely managed to speak, as if his throat was choked. “I’m fine…”
Carl looked bewildered. As if bewitched, he wiped away my tears one by one with his hand.
“Haha.”
Suddenly, he laughed.
“Goodness. Haha.”
Carl rested his chin on his hand.
“Ah, sorry, ah, hahahaha!”
“…”
He started laughing. As if he couldn’t hold back the laughter that was bursting out.
“Ah, sorry, Dana.” After laughing for a while, he pinched my cheek. “It seems like you’re the only one who worries about me. Really… Ah, sorry.”
Carl appeared to be holding back his laughter forcefully. “It’s just so amusing. Sorry, sorry.”
“…”
I roughly understood what he meant. Right. Who would worry about someone like you? If anyone should be worried, it’s about the person being dealt with you!
“Thank you for worrying about me, Dana. But don’t cry, okay?”
Carl, still smiling broadly, hugged me and patted my back. “It hurts my heart when you cry.”
Don’t be ridiculous. You shouldn’t say things you don’t mean.
“How much did you hear?”
In the end, you’re going to kill me…
* * *
“Alright, now stop crying, and let’s think about what to do.”
After the situation somewhat settled, Carl, still beaming, pinched my cheek again. He had been pinching my cheek every chance he got.
“My cute niece caused trouble, so we ended up having to attend the ritual.”
Suddenly, I felt a surge of anger.
I caused trouble? I prevented you from almost causing a huge disaster!
“What exactly is that ritual? Tell me now.”
Carl also admitted that he could no longer hide it. “Dana, do you know how babies are made?”
“…”
What? I was so astounded that I just stared blankly at him.
“Looks like you don’t know.” Carl nodded as if he had expected it. “How babies are made is—”
“…I know.”
“Uh?”
“I said I know.”
Then, Carl looked shocked. “Y-You know that?”
“…”
“Who told you?”
If I said I knew it myself, he’d probably faint.
I fully realized that this person saw me not as an equal adult woman but entirely as a newborn baby. Why is he acting like this when there’s barely any age difference between us? So annoying.
Anyway, Carl, after belatedly coming to his senses, explained. “That… Anyway, it’s about adding a sense of community… something like that.”
“I see.”
It was clear why Carl had tried to keep it a secret.
So, did this guy hear what happened while sleeping with me at the mill last night? Listening to that weird noise as background music, patting my shoulder, and telling me to sleep quickly? He was definitely not a normal person.
“Then, what are you going to do?”
“What else? Of course, we have to run away.” He smiled softly, grasping my shoulder. “I’ll steal a carriage and leave it openly in the forest, so just wait a bit.”
Hearing that, I politely replied. “Be careful. What if Uncle gets hurt?”
Of course, I wasn’t worried at all. It was just a line I delivered, having pretended to worry earlier, so it made sense to say it. However,
“Yeah, I’m a little scared too.” Surprisingly, Carl seriously nodded. “But I learned some basic self-defense in the army, so I should be able to survive.”
“…” I could only watch in stunned silence at Carl’s impressive pretense.
After Carl left, I finally relaxed and collapsed. My mouth was dry from how tense I had been.
Crazy person. A really insane person.
I had heard rumors that Carl Windsor was very brutal during his military days. But I had thought those rumors and legendary tales were somewhat exaggerated for army propaganda. The usual Carl Windsor I knew was soft like whipped cream and sometimes clumsy. Honestly, it was hard to imagine him as a soldier…
It was really, really scary.
It was the scariest scene I had ever seen in my life. I never wanted to see it again.
At that moment, Carl does not seem like a human but a completely different creature, just like a monster capable of killing humans at will.
And from this incident, I realized. Carl Windsor is a truly threatening enemy, and… I must not let him find out I’m his enemy. Never, under any circumstance, it must not be revealed.
I sighed deeply while waiting for Carl. He would surely bring the carriage without any problem. So now, I just need to go back to Windsor Mansion. That’s all I need to do, but…
“Help me!”
Why does that voice keep coming to my mind even in this situation? Even after witnessing that terrible slaughter scene, the girl’s voice didn’t fade away. On the contrary, the closer it was time to leave, the more intense it became.
Is it really okay to leave her like this?
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Ok I’m glad I purchased this chapter. Much more soothing (?) than the other. Now I can breathe normally and wait for the other to be released.