101.Pretending to be a Couple (1)

“Are you an imperial citizen?”

The hunter asked, gripping the spear with a sharp blade tightly. He held the sandpaper he had been using to smooth the wood and waited silently for my answer.

Hiding someone that the nobility was looking for was a serious crime. However, I couldn’t betray someone I had already claimed wasn’t here, so he might decide to quietly get rid of me.

Perhaps, I was more dangerous in this forest than any wild beast. Especially to a mere commoner.

I had to be cunning.

“No.”

I shook my head and met his gaze squarely. Then I spoke in a clear voice.

“As you can see, I am a member of a minority group. I was merely working as a maid in an imperial noble’s household and was on my way back home. I got swept away by the swollen river and ended up here.”

I managed to come up with an excuse to narrowly escape the crisis.

My hair was both a target of hostility and a means to soften his wariness. The color of my hair clearly indicated my status without the need for words.

At least red hair did not belong to an aggressive or dangerous tribe.

I glanced at him furtively. His menacing expression gradually softened, indicating he found my explanation convincing.

“Indeed. That’s why I saved you. Your status is clear just from your hair color. I’ve heard that people with red hair gather in the west. You must have been on your way there, right?”

He quickly dropped his hostile gaze and lowered his guard before speaking to me.

He put down the spear he had finished sharpening and picked up a blanket lying next to him. Then he placed it on my knees with a rough gesture.

“Cover yourself.”

“I already have a blanket.”

There was already a blanket on the makeshift straw bed. Though it was short and thin, it covered my knees.

“That’s not enough. This one is made of fox fur, so it’ll be warm. Your body is swollen. I barely managed to save you from being swept away, so it’s no wonder you aren’t warm yet.”

At his words, I extended my fingers. My palms were wrinkled and bore faint marks.

“You were on your way home? Then you must not have a place to stay.”

“…Yes.”

I clutched the blanket. Although there were embers in the brazier, the wet clothes made me feel cold. The bed had no warmth at all.

“Stay until you fully recover. I don’t stay here often, so you can stay as long as you like. Only my nephew drops by occasionally to sharpen his weapons, so you won’t be too inconvenienced.”

“Your nephew?”

“Yes. It seems he was here today.”

As he finished speaking, a dark shadow appeared under the door.

The voices outside grew closer until the door suddenly burst open.

The old wooden door swung open so forcefully it seemed like it might come off its hinges, then slammed back into place.

A large shadow appeared against the backlight of the doorway. It was a man with a broad build.

“Uncle, where are you headed today…?”

The rough-looking man stopped mid-sentence when he saw me sitting on the bed.

“Who… who are you?”

He shut his gaping mouth. Then, as if clutching a lifeline, he gripped the quiver slung over his shoulder tightly.

He was large in stature. Though not as intimidating as the hunter sitting on the stump, his rugged face looked capable of tearing through a wild beast’s hide.

It was amusing to see a man who seemed fearless of anything in the world turn pale at the sight of a woman sitting on the bed.

“I picked her up.”

“What? You can’t just pick up people like that, Uncle.”

He stammered, sweat dripping down his forehead.

One of his hands, aimlessly wandering through the air, held a piece of paper.

The paper looked tiny compared to his large hands, like a delicate flower he was carefully holding.

“Just kidding. She was swept away by the river when it flooded last time. She had nowhere to go, so I decided to let her stay here for a while.”

“What? Then, what about me…?”

His gaze flickered toward me, and when our eyes met, he jerked his head away, his face turning bright red.

Though he seemed to be sulking, it wasn’t out of dislike. It was more discomfort at having a stranger, especially a woman, in the hunter’s house.

“I’m sorry. I’ll leave as soon as I warm up.”

At my words, he shivered again and quickly shook his head, his face flushed to his ears.

“No, it’s fine. Please stay as long as you need.”

The hunter chuckled, exposing his yellow teeth at his nephew’s awkwardness.

“My nephew is just flustered because it’s been a long time since he’s seen a young woman. No one new comes to our village, and it’s full of old folks. I’m considered young around here.”

The hunter laughed heartily, looking at his nephew with amusement.

The young man still couldn’t meet my eyes and kept his head bowed. Despite being the owner of this house, he looked out of place, shuffling his feet and unable to sit anywhere. His awkwardness was endearing, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“So, what’s the occasion? It’s still a while before you go hunting.”

“Oh, right. I came to give you this.”

He seemed to snap back to reality at the hunter’s words, fumbling in his pocket. He seemed to forget he was already holding a piece of paper in his other hand.

Realizing his mistake, he sheepishly unfolded the crumpled paper.

“I swiped it from the pocket of a knight who was searching the village.”

“You’re still picking pockets, aren’t you?”

“No! This time, I took it for a just cause. They were the ones who wrecked the village first.”

He straightened the paper and showed it to the hunter. Over his shoulder, I could see that it resembled a wanted poster.

There was an empty square in the middle. However, instead of the usual portrait, the square was blank, surrounded by lines of text.

“It only says they’re looking for someone but lacks precise information. It says the person went missing after being captured by kidnappers, so they probably assume they’re dead. I saw them searching the waters and the forest instead of the village.”

I took a sharp breath.

There was no room for excuses. This was about me. Despite the lack of a portrait, the description of hair color, age, and distinguishing features pointed unmistakably to me.

“The knights seem to think they’re dead. So why bother coming into the village? Do they think we’re hiding a corpse?”

I swallowed quietly. It was a relief they hadn’t drawn a portrait of me. I might have ended up on a wanted poster before my gravestone could be etched.

Though not a detailed notice, it was clear they were searching for me.

I wanted to lean in and verify the details, but unnecessary movement might draw suspicion. I clutched the blanket tightly, hiding my hands beneath it.

They continued discussing the unknown person on the wanted poster, oblivious to my pale face.

“They’re searching everywhere, even conducting brutal interrogations of young girls. They even tried to open a coffin in the neighboring village during a funeral.”

“Geez. Whoever’s missing must be important. They wouldn’t act like this even if a national traitor escaped.”

Faking my death had worked. Deon must truly believe I drowned in the river. The signal had been lost in the deep waters.

I gripped the blanket tightly. The fox fur had become so rough from my tight hold that its original pattern was nearly gone.

The blood vessel replacement theory held true.

I had finally escaped him by dying.

Since they were still searching for me, did they not know that Elizabeth’s child was the next blood vessel?

Given the chaos of the kidnapping, they likely hadn’t had time to check on the child in her care.

So, I just needed to wait until Deon discovered the child’s identity. Once the new blood vessel was revealed, the knights’ search would calm down.

Of course, once they realized the blood was thinning, they would hunt me down again.

Where should I go now? The belated question surfaced.

I had always planned to run, but never thought about what came next.

I lost track of the situation because I acted rashly, thinking only of the danger to his life. Plus, I had no tools or supplies, having been captured by kidnappers.

I felt hopeless.

As I let out a small sigh, I made eye contact with the man.

He quickly looked away, awkwardly clearing his throat.

* * *

“Bored.”

I lay down on the grass and closed my eyes. The sound of the flowing river reached my ears. The breeze lightly brushed my cheeks as it passed by.

In front of the cabin, the river was calm, as if it had never been turbulent.

Despite seeing the river frequently, it had never swollen except for the time I was swept away. It was hard to believe I had been carried this far by those waters.

The small village, far beyond the capital, was where the cabin I now stayed in was located.

I had been in the village for quite some time.

Time passed with a monotonous tranquility.

Life in the cabin was incredibly dull. The quiet often brought back old memories. Though I tried to forget, thoughts of the imperial palace crept in occasionally.

At first, it was resentment. Then gradually, the emotions faded.

Had the kidnappers found Isella? Was Elizabeth safe?

These minor curiosities lingered in my mind.

The gentle waves rippled on the river.

The area around the cabin was devoid of wild animals, making it quiet. Occasionally, a lone deer would come down from the forest to drink from the river and then disappear.

The peace was almost excessive. Seeing the beautiful scenery frequently made it lose its charm.

I crouched by the river and tossed pebbles into the water. Just to create some noise. The pebbles plopped into the river, creating small ripples.

I couldn’t hide forever. Once the search waned, I needed to leave the empire as quickly as possible. The day I left this cabin had to be the day I left the empire.

With that in mind, I picked up another pebble.

My reflection, with dark hair, shimmered in the clear, clean water.