TISND Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Helena was on her way back with a basket full of strawberries, feeling quite pleased.

Thanks to the information she got from a local, she had managed to pick more wild strawberries than she had expected.

Carrying the basket in one hand, she happily made her way down the mountain. The sight of the juicy, ripe strawberries and the red ribbons tied to tree branches made her feel like the heroine of a fairy tale.

She thought to herself that taking walks like this wasn’t so bad after all and continued her trek with excitement.

But then, she heard the sound of what seemed to be a lost person.

“This is exactly why you can’t let your guard down,” she muttered.

For Helena, this was already the second time she had encountered someone lost.

‘Is it really my job to rescue lost people when I’ve only been in Frantor for a month?’

Although she had spent much of her life climbing mountains, she was always thorough in her preparations.

Especially in winter, complacency in the mountains was unthinkable.

That’s why she had tied red ribbons to the branches as markers, just in case something unexpected happened.

But she never imagined that the lost person this time would be Jeremy.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

Why was a boy who should’ve been waiting at the mansion out here in the mountains?

‘What’s going on? Am I dreaming right now?’

“Waaaahhh!”

In any case, comforting the child took priority.
At a glance, Jeremy was covered in scratches and bruises.

His chubby cheeks bore fresh cuts, and he looked like he had difficulty moving, likely from tumbling down the slope.

“First, let me check your condition. Does your leg hurt?”

“It hurts! Waaaahhh! Did I break a bone? Will I never walk again?”

Calming the panicked boy, Helena carefully examined him.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have any broken bones or serious injuries. Considering he had rolled down a steep slope, it was a miracle his injuries were this minor.

“No, you’re fine.”

“Am I going to die like this?”

“With that imagination of yours, it seems your head is just fine,” she quipped.

How Jeremy had managed to get there was a question for later.

The priority now was to get him back to the mansion and have a proper physician treat him.

“You’re not going to die, so don’t worry.”

Helena soaked a handkerchief in water and began cleaning the boy’s face and wounds.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Her calm demeanor gradually soothed Jeremy, and his sobbing began to subside.

If anyone else had said such words, he might have scoffed and dismissed it as bravado. But somehow, Helena’s words felt trustworthy.
More than anything, her sincere gaze reassured him.

“It’s going to sting a bit, but bear with it. I’ll cut the pain that could last two weeks down to just one.”

Helena took out bandages and other supplies from her bag, then crushed some nearby herbs to treat his injuries.

Her actions were confident and smooth, without hesitation.

“You… You don’t just farm? You know medicine too?”

“Technically, I have some interest in pharmacology. And I learned a bit of medicine from someone I know.”

Helena wrapped the basket she had brought in a cloth and slung it over her shoulder. Then, turning her back to Jeremy, she crouched down.

Jeremy tilted his head in confusion at her strange behavior.

“What are you doing?”

“Piggyback.”

“What?”

“Climb on.”

Jeremy hesitated and muttered in embarrassment.

“How can you carry me? I’m heavy. There’s no way you can do it.”

“I can.”

“How?”

“Do you think farming is child’s play?”

Helena moved closer, positioning herself so Jeremy could wrap his arms around her neck.

“Farming takes strength too, you know.”

She may have been an adult, but to the boy’s eyes, she had always seemed small and frail.

Helena carried Jeremy on her back much more steadily than he had expected.

“You’re warm.”

Feeling the warmth rising from her back, Jeremy’s tension gradually melted away.

He had never been carried like this by anyone before. A small grin spread across his face.

“Hm? What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Helena, still carrying Jeremy, began walking along the mountain path.

Before long, curiosity about why Jeremy had ended up here began to surface.

After all, it was Jeremy himself who had said he wanted strawberries.

What could have driven him to leave the safety and warmth of the mansion and show up here in such a miserable state?

More than that, his sense of urgency weighed on her mind.

“Hey, Jeremy, did something happen at the mansion—”

Just as she was about to ask, Helena felt an ominous presence.

The sharp sound of metal scraping against armor reached her ears.

And not just a single source — it was the movement of a large group.

It was an army.

A chill ran down her spine.

“Could it be…?”

Had the defensive line been breached, and the enemy forces descended into Frantor?
Was Jeremy fleeing from the safety of the mansion?

The thought seemed plausible.

The peaceful days had made her forget for a moment: the plains behind Frantor were still a battleground.

The soldiers descending the mountain path moved swiftly, as if searching for something or someone.

“Hey, Jeremy.”

The thought struck her that they might be after Jeremy.
The enemy’s most coveted target for revenge would be the bloodline of Frantor.

Even if it cost her life, she had to protect him.

“Huh? What is it?”

Jeremy tilted his head at the uncharacteristically serious tone in Helena’s voice.

“I’m going to run now, so hold on tight.”

“What?”

“And if—if something happens to me—”

“Huh?”

What on earth is she talking about? Jeremy was baffled by her increasingly grave expression.

“Run straight west. Don’t look back, just run. Find Dr. Aiden. He’ll take care of you. There’s some money I’ve set aside for you, too. It’ll be enough to get you through until you’re an adult.”

“What are you even saying right now?”

“Alright, I’m running now.”

“What? Why? Whoa!”

Without further explanation, Helena started running with everything she had. She sprinted desperately, her eyebrows practically flying in the wind.

Jeremy, still clinging to her neck, could only yell in confusion, having no idea why she was behaving like this.

However, there was something Helena had overlooked: her body was no longer as strong as it once was.

Carrying both the load on her back and a twelve-year-old boy wasn’t easy, even for her.

As a result, the distance between them and the approaching army began to close.

“There they are!”

The voices of the soldiers were close enough to be heard clearly now.

Realizing she couldn’t keep going, Helena set Jeremy down on the ground.

“Hey, this isn’t going to work. You need to run. Remember what I said? Head west.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Jeremy… I wanted you to never know the horrors of war, but maybe that was just my selfish wish. Still, there’s no choice now. Leave me behind and run. I even brought a weapon, just in case.”

“Why would I leave you and run?”

“Then do you want to die with me?”

“Who said anything about dying?”

The army was drawing closer. It was already too late to run.

Fear welled up in her. She could vividly imagine herself torn apart by swords and spears.

But no matter what happened to her, she couldn’t let Jeremy experience such a fate.

Gritting her teeth, Helena pulled Jeremy into her arms to shield him.

But then she noticed something.

The soldiers’ uniforms and faces looked strangely familiar.

“Helena! Jeremy!”

Like the wind, Caligo ran toward them and pulled Helena into a tight embrace.

“…Your Grace?”

“Thank goodness! You’re all safe!”

The soldiers erupted into cheers, their relief and joy evident.

Helena, utterly bewildered, stood frozen. ‘What is going on? What’s happening here?’

“Are you hurt?”

“What?”

‘Why is he suddenly asking if someone’s hurt?’

“I asked if you’re injured!”

“I… twisted my ankle and got some bruises.”

Helena thought he was asking about Jeremy’s condition.

But when she calmly responded, Caligo misinterpreted it as her being hurt and immediately began checking her for injuries.

His actions were so gentle and careful, it was as if he was handling fragile glass. He even cupped her cheeks, his urgency apparent in every motion.

Under normal circumstances, Helena’s heart would’ve been pounding from such close contact with him. But right now, she was too shocked to feel flustered—just confused.

“Why are you checking me? Your son is the one who got hurt. Jeremy!”

“…What did you just say?”

“And why are there so many soldiers? This is scary!”

Helena’s bewilderment prompted the captain of the guard to step forward and answer.

“The Duchess was reported to have thrown herself off a cliff. We hastily assembled a search army.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Even Jeremy, who had been quietly observing, chimed in.

“Wait, wasn’t she missing?”

“…What?”

“Missing? Weren’t we attacked by enemy soldiers descending from the mountains?”

“What?”

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances.

Among the group, only one person seemed to grasp the situation, though he looked utterly defeated by it all.

“…Ah.”

Joshua let out a breathy chuckle through his teeth.

‘One misunderstanding on top of another… and another… How did it snowball into this mess?’