I could hear Miss Raiolla shouting at the children cleaning the garbage room beyond the wall.
‘I guess she is willing to supervise until the cleaning is completed.’ I leaned against the door, gazing up at the cobweb-covered ceiling. Actually, I wasn’t locked here anymore the moment I discovered that secret passage. Beyond that was the outside world I craved. I could take in as much fresh air as I wanted and climb trees to my heart’s content. I also needed to find a cure for my incurable disease.
Yeah, that’s right. All I wanted was outside this orphanage.
‘Should I just escape now? How in the world would I wait a week here? Do I wanna die of starvation? After all, if I’m adopted by the duke, I’ll come back to save everyone, so why am I hesitating?’
“Yes, wherever Leah goes, I will go with you.”
The heroine will come to pick up Luka soon. If he just waits for another year…
However.
‘In the original story, before the heroine arrived, I was the one who helped him, who tried to flee, when Raiolla caught Luka and attempted to break his leg.’
[Instead, I’ll break your leg!] It was part of the male lead’s recollections of his past, and it was extremely traumatic for him.
‘Will there be anyone like me who helps Luka when Raiolla tries to do that to him, like in the original? What will happen to Luka if I run away, and that happens tomorrow?’
If I escaped alone, I was certain he would do everything he could to flee. My head told me to leave the male lead’s matters to the female lead, but Luka had become someone I couldn’t abandon.
“I’ll be with you,” I said to the child, trembling from nightmares every night.
* * *
Clak~ Tik- clack~
“Aiiish!! Why did I stay stuck here–!”
In the end, I didn’t escape by myself. I suppose I have a conscience as well. My worries about Luka kept my feet from moving. Furthermore, visiting Duchy Rayes’ high threshold without justification was troublesome. Unless you bring the missing Crown Prince.
Nonetheless, I had no intention of being discovered dead after a week of starvation. Instead, I waited until everyone was asleep at night and desperately tried to open the door with the wire I had. I had asked the children not to look for me in the morning because I wasn’t feeling well and would be resting in the closet room all day, so I couldn’t hear a voice looking for me. But Luka may be surprised that he hasn’t seen him all day. And yet he wouldn’t be able to alert Raiolla.
‘Just wait a bit more, Luka.’
Fortunately, this place was the farthest away from Raiolla’s room, so I didn’t have to worry about waking her up, but I still moved quietly.
Tick, tick–
“Ahh- why isn’t it working… please!!”
‘It has been a dozen tries already.’
Tick- tick- Clack~
“Uh?”
‘Did it work?’ Just as I removed the wire and was about to turn the doorknob,
Creak~
“…?!”
Oh gosh, I didn’t open the door. Someone was trying to open it from the other side. I took a step back and covered my mouth with both hands to keep from screaming.
‘Is that Raiolla?’ Is she? Will I end up crippled like the original?’ I dashed into the clothes pile before the door opened. And just by a hair’s breadth, it opened. The person who came in quietly closed the door again and walked toward me.
‘Please, please, pass me by…!’ However, the voice that came into my ears and overshadowed my pleas was familiar.
“Leah, I know you’re here.”
‘Luka…?’ I got out of the pile of clothes. His familiar hand grabbed mine and helped me out.
“Luka, how did you get here! You aren’t fully recovered yet and you left the infirmary?” At my words, Luka looked at my scarred hands and said,
“I thought you were leaving me.”
Saying that he looked at me with red eyes that glowed especially brightly in the dark. His words were calm, but the slight tremor I felt over my hand made me wonder if this kid was too flabbergasted when I abruptly disappeared.
“Why would I leave you? I asked you to come with me.” I paused for a moment, “Anyway, how did you open the door? I don’t think you have the key.”
“…I just put a wire in and it opened.”
‘Huh? I couldn’t do it even if I tried for over thirty minutes? Opening doors is some kind of male lead buff?’ As I wanted to burst into tears at the absurdity of this world, Luka hugged me tightly.
“Don’t disappear from my sight again. For real, never again.”
I shook my head slightly in response to the desperate voice in my ear.
“I promise.”
The close distance, close enough to hear my heartbeat, faded, and when I looked into his eyes again, bright blood-colored eyes contained me. I said to Luka,
“Luka, are you ready to go there?”
“Did you find the passage?”
“That’s right. We can go out anytime. To the outside world awaiting us.”
Originally, I had no intention of escaping right away after securing the passage. But the longing for freedom grew bigger and bigger like paint spreading inside me. Also, it was rare for Luka and me to enter this place, where we would not normally be able to enter, late at night, taking advantage of the time everyone was sleeping. The only things ready were an open passage and two strong legs, but my guts were telling me to run away now.
However.
“There may be more difficult moments for you than now.”
If he returned now, it would be far worse than before, with no family to greet him in the imperial capital. Since his disappearance, the empress had been bedridden, and his only sister had left the empire to find Luka.
‘Am I making a difficult decision too easily for you?’ My face was so crumpled that it didn’t look like that of a child who had found a way out. Luka looked at me, raised the corner of his lips slightly, and smiled, opening his mouth, which had been closed for some time.
“My heart hasn’t changed. Wherever Leah goes, I will go with you.”
