Episode 139

After half a day of nonstop travel, the carriage finally crossed into the southern region just as the sun began to set.

The Chetwind estate, which I hadn’t seen in a long while, was as peaceful and serene as ever.

With the sea stretching beside it, a cool, fresh breeze flowed in through the window.

Seeing the white walls of Chetwind Castle, bathed in the colors of the setting sun and standing against the ocean, I felt a strange lump rise in my throat.

Maybe it was because, unlike my last visit as a guest brought by chance, I was now returning as a granddaughter of the family.

Suddenly, I found myself wanting to visit the room where I had once seen Isabella Chetwind’s portrait—the portrait of my mother.

As we reached the front of the castle, the carriage gradually slowed down.

When we finally came to a halt, I grasped Desar’s outstretched hand and stepped down from the carriage.

Stretching a little after the long ride, I immediately noticed several pairs of eyes awkwardly staring at me.

“…Huh?”

The Chetwind servants, who had come out to welcome the Count and Countess back, were all staring at me.

Apparently, they hadn’t been informed that I would be arriving with the Count and Countess.
They seemed unsure how they should treat me.

At that moment, a man who appeared to be the butler stepped forward from among the hesitant servants and bowed deeply.

“Welcome to Chetwind, my lady. I am Bayden, the butler who has served the Chetwind family my entire life.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Bayden. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

He had been one of the people I met during my last visit to the estate.

“Thank you for remembering me.”

Bayden smiled at me with his wrinkled eyes, looking at me with a strangely emotional gaze.

While the Count and Countess had stayed two extra days in the capital, word had clearly reached Chetwind about me.

They must have learned that I was the daughter of the missing Isabella Chetwind, and the granddaughter of the lord of the house.

Even though it wasn’t Isabella herself who had returned, the arrival of her daughter seemed to stir deep feelings in Bayden.

At that moment, Harry approached and asked,

“Did you get carsick on the way, Sierra?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Harry nodded and then spoke to Bayden.

“Bayden, Sierra will be staying with us at Chetwind for a week. Make sure she has everything she needs.”

“Of course, my lord.”

Just then, a middle-aged woman, who appeared to be the head maid, bowed to Harry and said,

“I had a guest room prepared immediately, but it will take a few hours to properly air out the dust.”

Just as I had noticed during my last visit, it seemed that guests were rare at the Chetwind estate.

The number of servants was minimal for such a large mansion, and they only seemed to maintain the essential areas.

Because of that, it looked like there wasn’t even a room immediately ready for a guest, and the head maid looked rather troubled.

With the sun already setting, time was tight to prepare a room for tonight.

“It’s alright. I’m fine with any room.”

I truly didn’t mind whether the room was perfectly prepared or not.

At that moment, Catherine stepped in and said,

“In that case, why don’t we let her stay in Isabella’s room? It’s always kept perfectly clean.”

At Catherine’s words, the head maid spoke up in a slightly surprised voice.

“Lady Isabella’s room, you say?”

“Yes, please guide her there.”

Catherine nodded with a warm smile.

Soon after, the head maid began leading me down the corridor to the room where I would be staying.

As we walked, the head maid spoke with a soft, affectionate smile.

“I still can’t believe it. In my memories, Lady Isabella is still just a young girl. I never thought I’d meet her daughter someday…”

Most of the Chetwind servants were middle-aged.
Many had spent half their lives serving the estate, and it seemed the head maid was no exception.

“When Madam asked us to open Lady Isabella’s room, I was honestly shocked. Until now, no one was allowed to enter except for the young maid who handled the cleaning.”

“Is that really true?”

To think they would so willingly let me use such a special room.

I even remembered that during my last visit, completely unaware of its importance, I had entered that room without hesitation.

“I think Madam has finally begun to lay down some of the longing she’s carried all these years. And it’s all thanks to you, Lady Sierra. Oh dear, now I’m getting emotional.”

The head maid wiped away a tear discreetly and stopped in front of a door.

“Here we are. Though the owner is no longer here, we have always kept this room clean and tended.”

I stepped inside the room she opened for me.

Mother’s room, which I was visiting once again, was still immaculate, as if its owner had only just left that very day.

The cozy-looking bed, the papers and fountain pen neatly arranged on the desk—
everything looked fresh and new, as if recently bought.

And then…

I walked step by step toward the portrait of my mother as a young girl.

Seeing it now, I realized just how much it resembled the portrait I had seen at Drenihan.

‘Well, of course. They’re the same person.’

My heart felt warm and fuzzy inside.

Even if I had no memories of my mother, I felt as if I was getting to know how radiant and beautiful she had been, in my heart.

“Please call if you need anything, my lady.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

The head maid gave a satisfied smile and quietly left the room.

I tossed my small bag onto the sofa and slumped down, relaxing for the first time in a while.

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the Holy Sword, Kirios, which was practically radiating its presence from inside the bag.

Wuuung—wuuung—!

Since choosing me, Kirios had been wrapped tightly in a red cloth.

‘There it goes again.’

I sighed inwardly.

It had buzzed noisily all throughout the carriage ride, and now it was throwing another tantrum the moment we arrived.
It felt like it was nagging me, demanding to know when I was going to finally take it out.

A resonating sword was a rare thing.
It was a blade that had gained wisdom over countless ages.
A sword with a will of its own—frankly, it was a little terrifying.

It wasn’t like I was hesitating for no reason.

Wuuung—! Wuuuuung! Wuuuuung!

“…….”

Honestly, it sounded like it was cursing at me.

No matter what people said about it being a Holy Sword or a Masterwork Blade, to me it was just a noisy nuisance.

[Tell that brat to shut up already.]

Finally, Askan couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up.

“You can hear the sword, Askan? What is it saying…?”

[It’s furious you’re treating it like trash even though it chose you. It’s grumbling about your arrogance and disrespect.]

Askan snorted.

[Serves it right for choosing someone who’s never even properly held a sword.]

“My thoughts exactly.”

I had only brought it because Harry insisted we formally present the Holy Sword at Chetwind.
Honestly, I should have just left it behind.

[Still, you’ll need it. You’re not planning on meeting Bergeus completely unarmed, are you?]

“I was, actually…”

[Have you lost your mind.]

“But you said you’d protect me, Askan!”

I protested, suddenly feeling uneasy.

[There’s always that slim chance, you know.]

“I’ve never even swung a sword before. It’s going to be too heavy for me to even lift!”

At best, bringing it along would be completely pointless.

Askan spoke nonchalantly.

[You’re an idiot. Kirios is a sword that chooses its wielder. It recognizes hidden potential. If it chose you without hesitation, it means you have freakish talent.]

“I have talent…? Even if I do, I’m still a complete beginner.”

[If it’s making that much noise to be let out, just carrying it will be enough. It’ll handle the rest itself.]

It would move on its own just by me holding it?
That only made me want to touch it even less.

[More importantly, how are you planning to reach Aisil Lake? There’s a barrier around it. You can’t just stroll in.]

The southern region had always been known as an area that needed protecting.

Because the barrier between the human world and the demon realm was weakest here, it had always been a fierce battleground in history.

Even Aisil Lake, where the Evil Dragon slept, was located here.

And the ones guarding all this were the sacred house of Chetwind—the protectors of the south.

“I have access to Aisil Lake through Chetwind’s authority. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to find the key that lets me pass through the barrier.”