No More Regrets, Just K*ll Me

 

The bed was empty. For some reason, Carlothian was not beside me. I draped a shawl over my shoulders and stepped out of the room to find him. The mansion was unusually noisy today.

Looking out the window, I saw several large carriages gathered outside, with many servants bustling around them. I stared at the scene for a moment before quickly hurrying down the stairs.

“What’s going on?”

I asked the servants, who were busy loading the luggage. One of them turned to me and said,

“We’re preparing to depart for Anrize, madam, or rather, Miss Ariadeline.”

“Anrize?”

I blink in surprise. He did mention that we would depart as soon as possible, but have they already prepared everything? This man was incredibly decisive.

“Have you seen Carlothian?”

“The Duke is probably doing the final checks.”

“Then he must be in his office. Thank you.”

I clutched my shawl tightly and went back up the stairs toward the office.

Bang!

Without a word, I pushed the door open. Carlothian gazed at me calmly, seemingly accustomed to my abrupt arrivals. I approached his desk and asked,

“Are we really heading to Anrize today?”

He continued signing papers without looking up and replied,

“Yes, we should be able to leave by this afternoon.”

“Isn’t this a bit too sudden?”

“The sooner, the better. Why? Did you want to go on a different day?”

I scratched my cheek.

“No, I don’t have a specific day in mind, but I didn’t expect we’d be leaving so soon.”

“Then there’s no problem.”

I stared at him for a while, recalling the conversation we had yesterday. The memory of it lingered in my heart, but seeing how unaffected he seemed, I felt a little miffed.

“Hmm.”

I crossed my arms and continued to glare at him. Carlothian, still focused on his papers, eventually looked up when he noticed my persistent gaze.

“Do you have more to say?”

“Not really, um?”

I suddenly noticed a deep scratch mark on the side of his neck. Surprised, I reached out and pulled down his shirt collar to get a closer look at the wound.

“…Did I do that?”

“It’s nothing new.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever left such deep marks before.”

Of course, last night had been particularly rough, but I didn’t expect it to be this severe.

“Yesterday was particularly rough, I suppose. The full moon is approaching.”

“Oh!”

The full moon! I had completely forgotten about that.

“That’s part of why we’re rushing to Anrize. Once we get there, the effects of the madness will be minimal.”

“Y-yeah, that makes sense.”

“It’ll take about a week to get there.”

“Then, what about the madness that happens within that week…?”

“I’ll handle it, so don’t worry about it.”

“How can I not worry?”

Even though I protested, he didn’t even pretend to listen. I glared at him, but eventually I sighed and left the office.

I went back up to the bedroom and lay down, staring at the ceiling.

“That man… I can never tell if he’s being kind or just indifferent.”

He doesn’t understand others’ feelings at all. I hugged the pillow and buried my face in it.

Time passed, and by early afternoon, all the luggage was loaded onto the carriage.

Now, once Carlothian and I were ready, we could depart.

“Since it’s a trip, it’s better to wear something comfortable.”

“I’ve packed all of Miss Ariadeline’s things and put them in the carriage.”

“Molly, you’re coming along, so make sure to take good care of her.”

“Of course! Miss Ariadeline, just trust me.”

“Haha, okay. I’ll trust you.”

After changing into a light dress, I went downstairs with Molly. Carlothian, who had already finished his preparations, was doing a final check.

After reviewing the items and supplies with his attendant, he turned to look at me.

He was wearing a light jacket, which was different from usual, but it seemed the aura of a high noble couldn’t be shaken off. His face was quite radiant. I squinted my eyes.

“What’s with that expression?”

“It’s blinding.”

“What is?”

“There’s just something about it.”

Carlothian frowned, looking confused, but I didn’t feel like explaining further, so I walked lightly toward the largest carriage we would be taking.

As I saw the large carriage, I suddenly felt the reality of embarking on this journey with him. For some reason, I felt like something new and exciting was going to happen in Anrize, and my steps grew lighter.

“Take my hand.”

Carlothian, who had approached without me noticing, opened the door himself and extended his hand to me. I stared at his hand for a moment before taking it and climbing up into the carriage.

Carlothian also followed and got into the carriage.

However, it was a bit noisy outside. I opened the carriage window and saw his aides gathered to see us off. Wait a minute. Are they really here just to see us off?

“How are we supposed to handle all of this on our own?”

“Your Grace, you need to take this into consideration!”

“Sir, the number of documents…!”

Swoosh—!

Their voices were filled with desperation, but Carlothian ruthlessly pulled down the curtain of the carriage window. It was quite pitiful to watch.

“Aren’t you being too hard on your aides?”

Carlothian, sitting with his arms crossed, pointed to a corner of the carriage. There, a thick stack of documents was piled up. Not just a stack, but stacks of documents.

“They’re just whining.”

“Wow, it seems the position of Duke isn’t something just anyone can do.”

“Of course not.”

At that moment, one of the servants shouted.

“Everything is ready!”

“Let’s go!”

With the shout of the servants, the carriage slowly began to move.

Thus, the carriage set off toward Anrize.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

In the large room, only darkness enveloped everything. In the center of the pitch-black room, a single candlestick flickered, casting dim light around.

“Yes, the Duke of Denaves has left for Anrize.”

In response to someone’s voice, a man standing at the boundary between darkness and light answered.

“Yes, I just received word that he left today.”

“Anrize. That guy has been there before, hasn’t he?”

“That’s correct.”

The man, sitting in the large chair with his back to the candlestick, gazed out the window while rubbing his chin.

“He’s probably after the holy relic again.”

“But it’s a relic that hasn’t been discovered for thousands of years. No matter what he does, he won’t be able to get his hands on it.”

The unidentified man clicked his tongue briefly.

“Even so, we can’t be complacent.”

“That’s a valid point.”

The mysterious man pointed toward the door with his finger.

“Pass on the message to the spies of the Denaves family.”

“Yes.”

Under the candlelight, the man responded by kneeling on one knee and bowing his head.

“If there are signs of him obtaining the relic in Anrize…”

His finger slowly fell downward.

“Whoever it is, deal with them and bring back the relic.”

“I will obey.”

As soon as the mysterious figure finished speaking, the one who received his orders retreated and vanished into the darkness.

The man left alone merely stared out at the darkened window, clicking his tongue in frustration.

“I wish he had disappeared like his father did…”

A sigh of regret fell on the window.

On the finger of the person who spoke so lightly about the tragedy of the Denaves family was a large gold ring that glimmered in the candlelight.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

The road to Anrize was in better condition than I had anticipated. I had thought that since this is the place where the former high priest had hidden the relic, it would be in a very remote area.

Carlothian quickly cleared up that question.

“Since then, Anrize has become a major tourist destination.”

“Tourist destination?”

“Yes. It became a mountain that radiates a sacred aura, and those who believe in gods began to make pilgrimages there.”

I pondered for a moment and tilted my head.

“I understand that, but I don’t get how it became a major tourist destination.”

“The people of Anrize didn’t want to miss that opportunity.”

“Uh, could it be…?”

I opened my mouth as something came to mind. Carlothian nodded.

“The people of Anrize built a temple at the mountain’s peak. A massive temple with over a hundred and twenty pillars.”

“That certainly sounds like it would become a tourist attraction.”

Such a place would surely attract those obsessed with money.

“Yes, so there will probably be more people than expected. We might even encounter some individuals who are headed to Anrize along the way.”

“I see.”

I sat on the carriage sofa, dangling my feet. With so many people around, it seemed unlikely that no one would be searching for the relic.

There must be someone, but the fact that it hasn’t been found suggests it’s definitely well hidden.

In the original story, there had never been any precise information about the relic.

‘Will I be able to find it?’

That thought flooded my mind. But I shook my head vigorously.

‘I will find it no matter what.’

Carlothian shook his head as he saw me clenching my fist.

After a full day of traveling, we finally reached the first village.

Marze, a village located on the way to Anrize.

The carriage stopped in front of a luxury accommodation that had been reserved in advance, and the nearby main street was bustling with people.

I took Carlothian’s hand and got out of the carriage, looking around at the surroundings.

“Wow, I didn’t expect there to be so many people.”

“It’s only natural since the holy month is approaching.”

So it’s like the summer vacation season,huh? I muttered to myself as I got out of the carriage, and Carlothian seemed to interpret it differently.

“Even if you don’t like the accommodation, bear with it. It will get better as we get closer to Anrize.”

“Excuse me? No, that’s not what I was grumbling about!”

When I said this in surprise, Carlothian frowned. I gently smoothed his furrowed brow and pulled on his arm.

“Come on, let’s head to the room! I’m so excited to be outside the capital after such a long time!”