TISND Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Jeremy walked ahead, tears streaming down his face.
Why did I have to be so stubborn?

All he wanted was to spend time with Helena.
To share meals, work in the fields, and chat like they used to.

But as time went on, Helena grew busier. More and more people sought her out, though he couldn’t understand why.

Jeremy didn’t like it.
To him, Helena was the first friend he’d ever had outside of Joshua.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, there were moments when she even felt like a mother to him.

“Jeremy, don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying.”

Is this what it feels like to have a mother? he wondered.

Every time he held her warm hand, he felt safe, no matter how many eyes were on him.

He used to envy children holding their mothers’ hands, walking happily beside them. But now, he didn’t envy them at all—especially since meeting Helena.

“You’re lying. You are crying.”

“I said I’m not!”

Joshua was a realist, while Jeremy still longed for love and attention.

Despite pretending otherwise, he missed the comfort of a mother’s embrace.

But Caligo was too busy, and his twin had vanished somewhere, leaving him alone.

He couldn’t bring himself to ask his father for love. Sometimes he wished he had other dreams, like Joshua.

But Jeremy had never dared to dream of a future.
It was all he could do to cope with the loneliness and sadness of the present, which left him confined to the mansion.

He didn’t know what to do or how to move forward.
Showing others his hurt and vulnerability caused by his former mother only wounded his pride further.

Then he met Helena.

“Have you eaten?”

At first, he thought, ‘What kind of woman is this?’
Even now, he still thought she was the strangest person he’d ever met.

But she didn’t pretend to be friendly or have ulterior motives.
She simply asked him if he’d eaten, with no other agenda.

“If you’ve eaten, then go.”

Jeremy, who had spent his days wasting time in bed, was finally drawn out into the world again.

For the first time, he noticed the dampness of soil. He learned what vegetables on his plate looked like as they grew and how life flourished.

At night, lying in bed, he often wondered what kind of food Helena would make for him the next day.

But now… Helena was gone.

“Why did she do something so foolish?”

The mountains were dangerous. She must have gone in without knowing what to expect, and now she was missing.

How foolish.

“She doesn’t know a thing about mountains.”

He had to find Helena as soon as possible.
The adults had already marched far ahead. Jeremy cursed his small body, so useless in moments like this.

He had to save her from danger.
Because it was his fault she was in danger in the first place.

“It’s my fault…”

Jeremy wiped his tears with his sleeve.

Come to think of it, the clothes Jeremy was wearing now were also a gift from Helena.

According to one of the servants, they were too small for Helena to wear in the first place.
From the beginning, it seemed she had intended to give them to him as a gift.

“Father! This won’t do. We need to split up and search!”

Jeremy couldn’t stand just waiting for the other search parties to find her.
Even as they descended the mountain path now, he felt stifled.

“What kind of foolish idea is that?”
Joshua intervened.

“I’ve lived in Frantor my whole life; I know this area like the back of my hand.”

“The snow makes it hard to distinguish paths,” Joshua countered.

“It’s just snow!” Jeremy retorted.

For those who had lived in Frantor, the mountains were familiar territory.

Jeremy had often explored the mountains with Joshua and felt confident about his abilities.

“It’s too dangerous; I can’t allow it,” Caligo said firmly.

Even if Jeremy was familiar with snowy mountains, Caligo couldn’t let a child, especially in the midst of a snowstorm, wander alone.

“Father! It’s just a mountain! I’ve been wandering around here since I was little, I know this place well!”

“That doesn’t mean I’ll send you alone.”

Jeremy couldn’t understand his father’s reasoning.

“The mountain is so vast; splitting up to search would be more efficient!”

“The mountain is so vast, which is exactly why I can’t let you go alone.”

“Why don’t you trust me?”

“Stop being stubborn, Jeremy.”

Even Joshua, tired of Jeremy’s insistence, chimed in.

“Do you want to go missing too? Stop being so unreasonable and just listen to Father.”

“This is so frustrating!” Jeremy yelled. He wanted to run off right that moment.

Time was of the essence. Any delay could put Helena in greater danger.
Jeremy was confident. He knew the terrain well and was used to the snow.
He didn’t want to waste any more time.

“Fine, I’ll go on my own! I can find her!”

In the end, Jeremy broke away from the group and bolted forward.

“Hey, hey! Jeremy! Stop! Come back!” Joshua shouted in alarm, but Jeremy didn’t look back.

‘Hmph. He doesn’t even play with me anymore.’ Jeremy was, in part, upset with his twin for ignoring him lately.
But finding Helena took priority.

He believed that if he could find her like a hero, his father would surely forgive him.

“I’ll be fine!”

The young lord of the Impenetrable Fortress believed that the blood of Frantor running through his veins would keep him safe.

The Frantor family, after all, was known for their courage, sending even their women into battlefields without hesitation.
What were snow and mountains to someone with such lineage?

“Jeremy!”

Just as Jeremy, already imagining himself as a hero, charged forward, Caligo followed close behind.
He couldn’t possibly leave his son alone in the vast mountains.

“Why don’t you trust me? I told you I can handle it on my own!” Jeremy protested, upset and sulking even more.

“There will be time to prove yourself later.”

“I can prove myself now! I’m not a child anymore!”

What was so scary about a mountain? Jeremy felt like he could run barefoot without a problem.

“Don’t follow me! I’ll find her on my own! I’ll come back to the estate after finding her, and we can meet there!”

In the end, the child shouted and took off running.

Caligo was about to chase after him when it happened.

“Ahh, ahhh!”

This was a snow-covered mountain. No matter how familiar one was with the terrain, it was impossible to notice downhill slopes or protruding rocks hidden beneath the snow.

Jeremy, having lost his footing, tumbled down a steep slope.

“Jeremy!”

Caligo and Joshua shouted desperately as they ran after him, but the boy had already fallen down the incline.

It felt like he’d plummeted off a cliff, and his entire body ached. He was lucky there was snow to cushion his fall.

His ears were ringing, and he could faintly hear his family calling for him from above.
He had to go back… but his body wouldn’t listen.

It was too frightening, too cold, and worst of all, his ankle wouldn’t move.

“Sob, hic… what do I do, what do I do?”

What if he got stranded here forever and never saw his family again? The thought sent waves of terror through him.

“Father! Joshua!”

Though there was commotion above, no one seemed to be following him down the slope. The steep incline made it impossible.

Cold wind seeped through the tears in his clothes from the fall.

“Someone, please, please help me, waaahhh!”

The boy’s loud cries echoed through the silent mountain.

And then, suddenly, he felt a presence nearby.
“W-who’s there?”

He was certain he wasn’t alone. The thought that it might be a wild animal crossed his mind—a realistic possibility.

‘Why did I even think I could find Helena alone?’

Overcome with fear, Jeremy could only cry louder.

If he stayed there with his injured leg, he’d surely fall victim to a wild animal.

‘I have to move, I have to…’ But his body still wouldn’t obey.

Just then, a voice rang out.
“Who’s there?”

It was a clear, feminine voice.

“Are you lost?”

“Yes! Hic, yes! Please, please help me!” Jeremy sobbed as he cried out for help, not even registering how familiar the voice sounded.

“This is the second lost person I’ve come across today. Honestly, locals are the worst—they take the mountains too lightly and act recklessly,” the woman muttered to herself.

Hearing her nonsensical complaint somehow brought Jeremy a sense of relief.

‘I’m saved!’

And as his fear began to subside, things he hadn’t noticed before came into view.

“Ribbons?”

Tied to the branches here and there, ribbons marked the path.

The presence grew closer, and soon enough, the figure revealed herself.

It was Helena.

“Jeremy?”

“You!”

“What are you doing here?” Her face was full of disbelief.

Overwhelmed with relief, Jeremy burst into tears again.

“You—you’re lost, aren’t you? Are you hurt? Huh? Are you okay? Tell me, are you okay!”

“You know… no matter how I look at it,” Helena muttered,
“You’re the one who’s lost and injured.”