“Hiccup!”
A familiar sound echoed through the room.
Idel unconsciously covered her mouth, thinking she was the one hiccupping again, but soon realized it wasn’t her.
The culprit was Gianna, who stood bewildered amidst the chaotic situation.
“Hiccup, hiccup!”
“Pfft!”
Idel burst into laughter, hanging limply on the servant’s arm without realizing it.
Gianna’s puffy, tear-stained face as she hiccupped was quite amusing.
“…How unsightly.”
Idel whispered to herself in a low voice with a hint of laughter. At that moment, the girl, who had been covering her reddened face and bowing her head, suddenly looked up.
“Just now…”
Idel’s wide, innocent-looking eyes and expression appeared before her.”
As she stared intently at Idel, who was slowly moving away, she suddenly noticed a small clue and rapidly blinked her eyes.
‘She definitely just laughed! She even joked!’
She hadn’t misheard or misseen anything.
Her heart, which had been tinged with sadness and resentment, began to beat again.
Sure enough, what Idel said to Sylvia was a lie.
‘Idel doesn’t dislike me.’
It was a short encounter, but Gianna was convinced that Idel, whom she had met, was quite an affectionate person.
Honestly, she didn’t understand why she lied in front of Sylvia…
‘Why did she do that?’
Blinking her eyes rapidly and pondering, Gianna looked at Idel with a puzzled expression.
Idel was fussing at the servant to let him go, glancing back and forth between Gianna and Jacob.
At that moment, a strange realization struck Gianna.
‘…could it be that she’s trying to help me?’
What did Sylvia said at first?
‘Miss, are you alright? What on earth happened here…’
Yes, that’s right. Sylvia had first pointed out Gianna’s appearance, which was unbecoming of a noble lady.
And then she asked Idel about it.
Gianna’s mind vividly replayed the events she had just experienced.
Quietly recollecting her memories, she finally realized that Idel had taken the blame for her.
‘Idel even kept the hideout a secret for me.’
Thinking about that, her nose stung again.
If Idel, who had casually looked at Jacob, thought, “Ah, so he’s the one who got his clothes taken away,” she would be jumping up and down.
“Let go of me!”
“Miss Idel, please stay calm; you shouldn’t be making such a scene.”
“Huh! Do you think I’d run away?”
As Gianna watched the struggle between the servant and Idel, she wiped her tear-stained face with her sleeve.
With her vision clear, she could see Idel’s thorny expression and the servant shaking their heads in annoyance.
The sharp-eyed child quickly realized this.
Instead of telling the truth, Idel lied to help her, knowing that no one would believe her.
*Sniff!*
Sniffling, Gianna tightly clenched her small fist.
‘The stars were right. I’m a big sister now.’
And big sisters protect their little sisters.
Whether it’s a monster from a fairy tale or an adult who only wants to make her look bad.
This time, Idel protected her, but next time, she would definitely protect Idel, and this determination ignited a fire in the young Gianna’s heart.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Despite Gianna’s determination, Idel’s probation became longer and more difficult.
With all the servants, including Sylvia, insisting vehemently, it became an established fact that Idel had harassed Gianna.
‘Apparently, Gianna broke down in tears in front of the Duke, insisting that I didn’t do it…’
She doesn’t think that’s going to work after all the bad things she’s done.
Idel discreetly sniffled and glanced around the unusually quiet room.
From now on, he would have to stay alone in the annex for a week.
Of course, she would receive essential supplies for daily living.
There were also servants stationed nearby in case of emergencies.
‘They just want me to appreciate the people around me while making me feel uncomfortable.’
Normally, the servants take care of almost everything.
The Duchess asked with worried eyes if this was really okay, as if it were a somewhat unconventional measure.
‘Of course it’s fine.’
In fact, it’s great.
‘Now that I’ve found the secret path, this is practically spoon-feeding me. Anyone who sees this would think it’s a setup or that there’s a system window.’
Idel pulled out the items for her escape from under the bed and glanced outside the window again. There was no one under the terrace.
Since she was on probation and didn’t have many places to go, she figured they would just post guards at the main entrances for safety.
“This is truly the best.”
She tossed the bag containing her supplies out onto the terrace and quickly changed her clothes.
It was a pair of boy’s shorts that felt similar to the ones Gianna had worn before.
“Guess they’re a bit big for me.”
Idel murmured quietly as she checked her appearance in the mirror. As long as she didn’t look like a nobleman’s child, it was fine.
‘The thing I was most worried about was finding ordinary clothes that I could wear outside the Duke’s mansion…’
Idel picked up the quaint letter and the scribbled map that had been placed beside the clothes.
It was an unexpected gift that solved her worries.
[Idel, I’m inviting you to my hideout! If you feel lonely or scared, make sure to come! Oh, and of course, feel free to come whenever you miss me!
P.S. I sent extra clothes in case you don’t like getting your dress dirty. I got them from Jacob.
P.P.S. …It’s not your fault; I’m sorry I couldn’t stop Dad.]
Idel reread the letter she had read earlier and muttered again as she slid the note and box under the bed.
“I’m grateful for the help, but isn’t this kid too kind?”
How could she send gifts to someone who called her stupid? Being so kind would only lead to being taken advantage of in this messed-up world.
Idel worried about Gianna for a moment, then quickly shook her head.
‘This is not the time for that.’
Time is of the essence now. Idel stuffed a pillow under the blanket to make it look like she was sleeping, then grabbed the doorknob.
She recalled the path she had mapped out in her mind, the preparations, and the contingency plans in case something unexpected happened.
“Phew. Let’s do this.”
There could never be a 100% perfect plan, but Idel cautiously envisioned her plan’s success.
Coincidentally, the secret path Gianna had revealed and the hideout were close to the townhouse where Melisa had stayed.
‘Of course, I didn’t go adventuring in the mountains like Gianna did.’
Still, it was better than not knowing the way at all.
According to the map she found in the annex library, the route wasn’t difficult.
All she had to do was go straight down west from Gianna’s hideout.
‘Let’s go.’
Idel, clenching her fist once more, took a deep breath and stealthily slipped out of the room.
A few hours later…
“…I did it.”
Idel finally managed to escape from the Duke’s mansion and arrived at a quite familiar street.
She had set out before dawn, but by the time she reached the streets, the sun was already high in the sky.
Her small stature had slowed her pace, causing the journey to take longer than expected.
‘It’s okay. I made it in the end.’
Any minor setbacks could be overcome. She took a deep breath and carefully surveyed her surroundings.
As expected, people paid no attention to her.
While her pale skin could not be completely hidden, the dirt, leaves, and sweat that covered her helped conceal her distinctive appearance.
‘…It feels comfortable.’
A sense of liberation she hadn’t felt in a long time sent shivers down her spine.
‘This is what it means to live.’
With clenched fists, she focused her gaze, burying the overwhelming emotions.
To experience this feeling again in the future, she had to remain vigilant and complete today’s mission.
‘But just in case, I should cover my face quickly.’
The people working at the Duke’s mansion might be out and about.
With that in mind, Idel quickly retrieved a piece of cloth from her bag. It was given to her by the servants to use if her clothes got dirty.
Carefully covering her hair and face, she resumed her steps. Finding the way wasn’t difficult. The Raven’s Nest was quite famous, after all.
‘There are noticeable signs.’
Idel’s gaze fell on the wall adorned with a giant raven emblem.
This was to be the battleground for her battle today.
