WWDNND Chapter 8

“What’s going on?”
“My lady, that is…”

Even Sophia, who was always composed, looked unusually flustered.

It was understandable. The commotion outside must have been caused by something even she hadn’t anticipated.

“What is the meaning of this?!”
“Step aside!”

A rough voice rang out, followed by a loud noise, and suddenly, the door burst open. Sophia and Veronica, caught off guard, turned their heads.

“My lady…!”
“…Sir Raven?”

Men dressed in black stormed into the room.

The tall man leading them pulled down the hood covering his face, and upon recognizing him, Veronica’s eyes widened.

“It’s really… Sir Raven?”
“Yes, it is me, my lady.”
“Ah…”

Veronica clenched her teeth as if holding back tears.

I watched their reunion from behind, feeling quite pleased.

The elite knights handpicked from among the best of the Duke of Winston’s forces—the Crow Knights, led by none other than Raven Hunter, stood before us.

[Did I do well, Master?]
“Yes, well done.”

Around my neck, the red gemstone that housed Desmond’s essence gleamed.

Veronica had happily turned the bracelet’s jewel into a necklace for me, simply because I had asked for it with a bright, innocent face.

After all, a child’s wrist was too small to wear a bracelet.

On the day I made my contract with Desmond, I had used him to send an additional letter to the Duke of Winston—one that informed him of the current situation.

Hearing that his daughter had been locked away in a room would have infuriated him.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, he would have wanted to investigate immediately.

And in case it turned out to be true, he would have ensured that only his best knights were included in the investigative team to rescue Veronica.

“There is no time, my lady. We must leave this place at once.”

Sir Raven spoke firmly. His eyes swept around the room before landing on me.

“Could it be that this child is…”
“Yes, this is my daughter, Claudia. Dia, come here.”
“……”

As I approached, Sir Raven’s expression became unreadable.

I had heard that people from the North often had dark hair and eyes, but seeing it for myself was another thing. Sir Raven’s jet-black hair and eyes were especially striking.

Somehow, it made him feel a little familiar, though his face was stiff as he looked down at me.

“I’m taking Dia with me.”
“Ah… But the carriage is not suited for a child.”
“I thought so.”

At Sir Raven’s words, Veronica’s expression darkened.

She worried more about my well-being than anyone else. It was only natural that she was concerned about me suffering in a cramped and uncomfortable carriage.

But just as he said, we couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Even though he had intentionally come while that bastard Cedric and Haven were away from the mansion, it was only a matter of time before they found out about this.

“Mother, I’m fine.”
“But…”
“I want to leave this place, Mother.”
“……!”

Veronica’s eyes widened at my calm tone.

Then, as if making up her mind, she nodded.

“Alright.”

From there, things moved swiftly.

Whether it was because the Debora Knights were in shambles without Haven or because the Crow Knights were simply that skilled, I couldn’t tell.

But in no time at all, the three of us were outside the room we had been unable to leave and safely inside the carriage.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

“We did it.”
“…Mother.”
“Yes, Dia, doesn’t it feel like we can breathe now?”
“……”

No, I feel like I’m about to die.

I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, so I just nodded.

The issue wasn’t the hard carriage.

[Master, it’s been a while since I’ve been outside, so I might be remembering wrong, but… Don’t people usually die when they dress like that?]
“……”

Shut up, Desmond. I already feel like I’m dying.

I couldn’t yell at him in the cramped carriage, so I just glared at him murderously.

[Ah, I got it! Master, you look just like… a snowman! One of those dumb-looking things made of snow! Hahaha!]
“……”

I’m going to kill him. I swear I’m going to kill him.

Grinding my teeth, I muttered to myself.

As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t argue with Desmond.

Even to my own eyes, I probably looked just like a snowman right now.

“…Mother, I’m hot.”
“Oh my.”

Wrapped in countless layers, I whined to Veronica.

She gave me an apologetic look.

“But it’s very cold outside.”
“It’s not cold in the carriage…”
“That can’t be true. The wind is blowing right in.”
“……”

She wasn’t wrong.

It seemed they had deliberately chosen an old carriage to avoid suspicion.

But because it was so old, it had holes here and there, letting the chilly air seep inside.

Still, wearing this many layers was suffocating.

This was beyond worry—this was madness!

“Then can I at least take off the topmost one?”
“That’s the thickest one.”
“Then the one underneath—”
“Our sweet Dia, you can endure just until we arrive at the duchy, right?”
“……”

Veronica smiled warmly as she spoke.

Sigh.

She was only worried about my well-being.

Would sweating a little really matter?

With a sigh, I nodded, and Veronica gently stroked my head.

“Are we going to meet Grandpa?”
“Yes, that’s right.”

She nodded but didn’t look too certain.

The fact that the Duke of Winston had sent the Crow Knights was a good sign, but they hadn’t seen each other in over five years.

I could sense the unease in Veronica.

‘Actually, I’m the bigger problem here.’

Unlike in the original story, Claudia had survived.

But the Duke of Winston had never once met Veronica after she had married against his wishes.

He had never approved of the male lead.

Unlike Veronica, who had fallen for him at a royal ball at first sight, the duke had been repulsed by his illegitimate birth.

His beliefs were deeply rooted in noble traditions.

‘Which means he might hate me, too.’

Thinking of my violet eyes—ones identical to the male lead’s—I let out a quiet sigh.

“I want to meet Grandpa soon.”
“Fufu, do you?”

Even if he rejected us, it didn’t matter.

If he slammed the door in our faces, if he hated me for looking like my father—none of it mattered.

Because I had knowledge from the original story that he wouldn’t be able to refuse.

[Master, your face looks really evil right now! Like you’re plotting something really bad!]
“…Shut up.”

I muttered ominously and hugged my teddy bear tightly.

Desmond whined for a while.

Creak.

“……?”

Not long after we had set off, the carriage came to a stop.

I peeked outside in confusion.

“You must disembark here.”
“This is the place?”
“Yes.”

It seemed Veronica and Raven had already discussed this.

I had wondered why we were traveling through the mountains, and now I understood.

“Oh.”

A large teleportation circle was drawn in a clearing.

The Crow Knights were responsible for intelligence missions for the duchy and had secretly placed magic circles throughout the empire.

This must be one of them.

“The magic stones are sufficient. We can use it immediately.”
“Thank you, Sir Raven.”
“It’s my duty.”

Veronica, Raven, and I—held in Sophia’s arms—stood at the front of the magic circle, surrounded by knights.

“Activating the teleportation.”

My eyes sparkled as the magic circle lit up.

Unlike the others, who were used to it, this was my first time seeing magic.

This was the fantasy world!

With excitement, I watched as everything was engulfed in light…