When the Main Protagonists Broke Up

And to make matters worse, honorific words, not half words, came out.

Ryan frowned as if he didn’t like something.

“Miss.”

“Looking at me calling me lady, it seems like Lian is right….”

At that time, the roar of monsters was heard from beyond the wall.

“Aagh!”

“Kaaak!”

We stopped our conversation and quickly approached the wall and looked down.

Those who could not overcome the wind and were pushed out were getting nervous.

Then he glared at us with a ferocious face and soon disappeared into the forest.

“It seems that the strength is lacking because the day is bright.”

“Yes, I guess.”

It was fortunate.

The wind came and saved everyone, but before that, we had already lost too much power.

If we continued to fight here, we could have really been annihilated.

I had to hurry up and rest to get my energy back and replenish my strength.

“Let’s go in. Come in and talk.”

“All right.”

“I, Lian go in too…ruler.”

Again, I almost said an honorific, but I managed to change it when Lian’s eyes narrowed.

“Okay, lady.”

All eyes were on us.

No, to be precise, he was heading towards Lian.

First, I had to talk to Lian.

After that, I had to explain it to them.

However, the prince’s attendant suddenly appeared in front of us.

“His Highness the Crown Prince wants to see you right now.”

So, we headed straight to the command and control room where the prince was.

I reached the command and control room and tried to go inside, but Lian hesitated from behind.

Looking at her like that, she looked like Lian again.

“Lian, it’s probably because of you that His Highness called. So let’s go in.”

I took him inside.

Upon entering, the prince was sitting with a tired face.

‘To be tired of the subject of nothing he did.’

No matter how weak you are, shouldn’t you come out and pretend to fight with a sword?

This time, he clearly understood why the imperial family was not treated this way.

Why are the three dukes more trusted by the imperial people than the imperial family?

‘Because I act like that, no one will respect me.’

Inwardly, I muttered about the crown prince and the imperial family. “Everyone has worked hard.”

“No, Your Highness. We just did what we had to do.”

As if I hadn’t thought about anything until just now, I answered warmly with a smile on my lips.

“No. As the crown prince, I had to set an example on behalf of the imperial family, but unlike the duchy, I had no power, so I was very sad that I had to just stare at it.”

‘I know, I know.’

The knights were ordinary people, just like the imperial family, without any innate powers.

But they were prepared to die and went out and fought.

However, I didn’t find it nice at all for the person called the crown prince to do nothing because he had no strength.

Maybe it’s because I’ve seen the deaths of my comrades, the deaths of my people right under my nose.

Anyway, that’s why I was so offended by the prince who only valued his own life.

Me, Aiden, and Rian didn’t reply anymore.

Then the prince cleared his throat as if he was embarrassed and told us why he had called us.

“I heard that a wind suddenly rose during the battle just now and it saved everyone.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The prince looked behind me with a deliberately serious expression.

“Is that the person who caused the affair?”

I was referring to Ryan.

No, in other words, he was referring to a man named Lian.

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Do you know anything?”

Aiden asked the prince directly.

“Hmm, it’s the wind….”

The prince was lost in thought for a moment.

We waited quietly until the prince opened his mouth.

“There used to be a wind family.”

“The family of the wind?”

“Wasn’t there only three families of dukes: a fire family, an iron family, and a water family?”

Aiden and I spoke at the same time.

“It has already been 20 years. I heard that before you were born, the family of wind disappeared and the Duchess and her son fled. But after that, we couldn’t find even a trace of the two, so everyone knew they were dead.”

It’s the family of the wind….

“Why don’t we know about such a big deal? If it were true, I would have heard it somehow.”

If there was a family of wind, it was clear that they would have heard it everywhere.

However, neither in Belita’s memories nor in the novels, the story of the wind family could be found.

“Of course, you couldn’t hear it. Because the entire empire has been ordered to keep quiet about everything related to the House of Wind.”

“Is it Hamguryeong?”

“That’s right. If anything about the House of Wind was said to be summarily executed on the spot, no one would have had the courage to say it.”

“Ah….”

“But to think that someone related to that family was still alive. So are you Clayton Louden?” Clayton Louden?

It was a very strange name.

Is this guy Clayton Louden, not Rihanna?

I turned around and looked at the man.

The man nodded slowly.

‘Ah….’

When he admitted who he was, he felt strange.

It felt as if the child I had just left my hand and left.

“But I am still Rihanna.”

But he hurriedly added.

That meant he was still the Lian I knew.

“Does that mean you won’t take back the Luden family?”

“I will get it back. Because there is a reason to get it back.”

A man named Lian and Clayton Louden was not taking his eyes off me while he was talking to the crown prince.

“This is the reason I need to get it back…. But even if you go back to the capital, you’re just a traitor’s son.”

‘What? traitor?’

“So, are you saying that the Luden family rebelled and were destroyed?”

I interrupted the two of them and immediately asked the prince.

“You’re right. For treason against the imperial family, Kendrick Luden, the head of the Luden family, his retainers, and all who worked there were beheaded. The only ones who escaped alive are, as I said before, Duchess Ariel Louden and Prince Clayton Louden.”

However, the prince’s attitude was quite peculiar.

In the face of a survivor of a family guilty of treason, he maintained a calm demeanor.

“…It was not treason.”

Just then, a voice filled with anger came from behind.

“My father never committed treason.”

He was talking like someone who knew something.

‘Didn’t he say he had no memory?’

When he got Lian, he said he couldn’t remember anything.

But now he was talking like someone who knew everything.

Did you regain your memory with sudden growth?

It was a possible guess because the situation that made no sense had already unfolded before her eyes.

‘Well, I can ask about that later.’

Now was the time to focus on the conversation between the two men who were spitting out things I didn’t know.

“It wasn’t treason? can you be sure? Can you prove it?”

“….”

He couldn’t say anything to the prince’s words.

After a while, he opened his mouth with a voice full of determination, as if he had finished his thoughts.

“I will definitely prove it. And I will get my family back.”

But the more I listened, the more the man who said these things didn’t seem like Lian at all.

He called himself Lian, but he wasn’t the Lian I knew.

Now, Ryan…does not exist.

The boy who was shining his eyes at me was gone.

The boy who had been loyal and sincere had disappeared.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I was saddened at the fact that I was sent away without being able to say a proper goodbye.

“Belita?”

When Aiden called for me, I quickly recovered my emotions and looked at him.

“Are you okay?”

“…yes.”

“My lady, are you okay? Weren’t you hurt earlier?”

Then a man named Clayton, who had been standing behind me the whole time, came up to me.

Then he looked at me with worried eyes.

“Are you okay? Keep talking.”

This person isn’t Lian, so you can’t stop talking about it.

I made up my mind and smiled softly at him.

But on the other hand, when I raised my voice again, Lian’s expression hardened in an instant.

“Oh, come to think of it, all three of you must be tired, but I was holding on for too long. Let’s go get some rest today and we’ll talk again next time.”

The prince urged us to leave, probably feeling the awkward atmosphere between us.

We greeted the prince and left the command and control room.

“Miss….”

As soon as he came out he called me.

“I have something to tell you, my lady. Please take your time.”

I nodded quietly.

“Aiden, go get some rest first.”

“…Yes, then.”

Even as he said that, Aiden’s eyes didn’t seem to leave me.

I stared at him until his back figure disappeared.

And when he was completely gone, I looked up at a man named Clayton.

“Go to my room.”

“…yes.”

So we walked side by side and entered my room.

After we sat down at the table, we didn’t speak to each other for a while.

It was complicated in my head to know what to say and where to start.

However, both of us were rapidly fatigued to pass the time.

So I quickly gathered my thoughts and asked him the most curious questions first.

“What happened?”

I raised my voice a few times, but now it came out naturally.

But he frowned again as if he didn’t like the way I treated him.

“Miss.”

“I am no longer a girl. Although your position has not yet been fully restored.”

“Even if my status is restored, you are my master forever.”

“You can’t say things like that carelessly. I’m not the owner…!”

I shook my head at his words with an uncomfortable face and replied.

It was a society with clearly divided classes.

As I listened to their conversation earlier, I decided to accept the changed relationship between us.

No, the current situation was not a problem that I could say I would not accept.

I don’t know what caused him to wander the streets and join the circus, but he was Clayton Luden from the start.

It was better to quickly admit that it could not be changed no matter what.

It was much more reasonable to admit it and decide what to do next than to continue to deny it and waste time.

“Miss…please….”

As I continued resolutely, he appealed to me with a desperate expression.

I let out a deep sigh.

It seemed like it would be better to say it for sure.

I came up with an effective method to help you clear your mind as quickly as possible.

“Rian.”

I blurted out the name Lian, trying to get him into a position where he could hear me better and choose how to talk.

When I, who had been stubborn until just now, called him Lian, his face instantly brightened.

“This will be the last time I call you Ryan or hold back my words.”

At my words, Lian’s expression immediately turned sullen.

“Rian.”

“Yes, lady.”

Lian answered in a manly voice, now fully mature.

Well, Lian has always been like that.

He followed me well and even pretended to die if I told him to.

I smiled lightly at him and continued talking.

“First, I want to hear from you. What happened all of a sudden?”

Ryan stared at me for a moment, perhaps trying to understand my intentions.

“Can’t you tell me?”

“No!”

He quickly denied it.

“I can tell you everything. So please don’t say that.”

“Okay, calm down. Then can you tell me step by step?”

I calmed down the rarely agitated Rian and waited for him to open his mouth.

And after a while, he opened his mouth and started answering my question.

“I don’t know either. When the lady was in danger, all I could think of was to save her. I wanted to have the power to save her. As I was thinking about it, something was released from my body. Soon it appeared in the form of wind, and at that time I did not even recognize that my body had grown.”

“By the way, I knew a lot from the conversation you had with Her

Highness, the Crown Prince, so have you lied to me all this time?” “Not at all. I didn’t really have any memories until my body got bigger. However, as the power manifested, the lost memories returned.”

“Lost memories?”

Also, what I guessed earlier was correct.

‘That’s right.’

Hearing that Lian wasn’t cheating on me somehow made me feel more at ease.

“Yes, the first time I met you, I really had no memory. I couldn’t remember who I was or why I was wandering the streets as if there was a fog in my head.”

“So, do you remember everything now?”

“Yes, it is.”

Ryan nodded his head in response.

I thought about it while listening to Lian’s words for a while.

Then….

Has something that has been imprisoning Lian all this time been released?

Was the desire to save me, the power that bound him loosened by his earnest desire for power?

‘Ah!’

A while ago, the crown prince said that the Luden family was destroyed before I was born.

That meant that it was 22 years ago.

Taking a closer look at Lian’s changed appearance, he was clearly in his mid-twenties.

“Didn’t His Highness, the Crown Prince, say that your family affair happened more than 20 years ago? So how old are you now?”

Now that he has all his memories back, he must know how old he is.

“Twenty-eight.”

“Twenty-eight?”

“Yes.”

Twenty-eight, that’s six years older than me.

A boy who thought he was 16 turned into a young man of 28 overnight, no, in just a few seconds.

I took another closer look at the grown-up Lian.

Originally, he was about a span taller than me, but now he is about half a span taller than me.

I saw them standing side by side with Aiden earlier, and they were about the same height.

The physique and the hands on the table were so much bigger than the Lian I knew was nowhere to be found.

‘And the face….’

Even when we first met, Lian was very pretty.

Because the boy was handsome, I had no doubts that when Lian grew up, he would become a great beauty.

There was a handsome handsome man sitting in front of me who had no error with my faith.

Her grayish hair hung down to her waist, clearly showing the passage of time.

But now Bonnie noticed the only thing that hadn’t changed in Lian’s appearance.

It was the eyes.

Those eyes that looked at me clearly, like a lush green forest, did not change.

It was then that their eyes met.

And when we met those eyes, it was as if Lian, who was nowhere to be found, had reappeared in front of me.

“Miss?”

“Oh sorry. Thinking about it for a while How far have we been talking?”

I spoke quickly to avoid feeling upset.

“I told you I was twenty-eight.”

“That’s right, so when you’re twenty-eight….”

I was about to ask Rian about what had happened in the past but hesitated for a moment.

I hesitated whether it was right to ask Rian about this.

Seeing that he had been destroyed, the things in the past must have hurt him, but I was worried that he was going through those wounds again.

And since I was young, I might not be able to remember it properly.

“Feel free to ask, lady. I am ready to answer you anything.”

Then, Lian noticed my feelings and smiled lightly.

“But I won’t ask you if you don’t want to think about it.”

Anyway, because of the power of the wind, Lian’s existence was revealed to everyone.

That’s why it was clear that when this war ended, the story of Lian would have already spread throughout the capital.

Then I didn’t want to ask anymore because I could ask my father about the Luden family at that time.

“I’m really fine. And I want to tell you my story in person.”

I could feel Lian’s sincerity in wanting to let me know what she had been through.

I nodded slightly.

“I was four years old.”

Starting with those words, Lian voluntarily or unwillingly unraveled a long story that he had never been able to tell anyone.

And I silently listened to Ryan’s words.

* * *

24 years ago.

Imperial Year 402.

It was an exceptionally sunny spring day.

It was a nice day, so it was a good time to play outside.

So Clayton Louden, the only prince of the Luden duchy, one of the four dukes of Baltheus, was playing with his nanny in the garden basking in the sparkling sunlight.

“Gongja, look at this.”

“Wow!”

The nurse scattered several petals over Clayton’s head.

Clayton giggled, clapping his fern-like hands.

At that time, when I was playing with my nanny, a man rode a horse with an urgent expression.

Then he hurriedly got off his horse and quickly entered the mansion.

Clayton looked at it for a moment before returning to his play.

But after a while, several people came out of the mansion.

Among them were the man who had just entered and Clayton’s mother, the Duchess of Louden.

“Clayton!”

His mother called him in an urgent voice.

“Mother!”

Clayton called for his mother and ran to him on short legs, but she came faster to him.

“Come here.”

Mother took him in her arms.

He wrapped his arms behind his mother’s neck as if clinging to her to keep from falling.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yes!”

Clayton liked to see his mother hug him, so he burrowed deep into her arms and laughed.

As I entered the mansion, the man who had been riding a horse earlier approached me.

“You must go quickly without delay.”

“The Duke, the Duke really….”

My mother’s voice trembled.

“The Imperial Knights will come soon. So you must hurry!”

“…Got it. But shouldn’t others also avoid it?”

“Only when Confucius is alive can we plan for the future. So don’t worry about us.”

There was a hint of spleen in the man’s voice.

“How did the Luden family get falsely accused of treason….”

‘Treason?’

Clayton tilted his head.

The word treason was too difficult for Clayton, who was still young.

“Mother, what is bar dinner?”

Unaware of how serious the situation was, Clayton asked his mother with an innocent expression.

Instead of answering, her mother just stroked his head.

“Madam, please come this way!”

Despite the man’s words, the mother’s feet remained still.

At that time, Clayton caught sight of the people working in the mansion.

They all bowed their heads towards him and their mother.

“Ha….”

I heard my mother’s watery sighs overhead.

“I’m sorry. As the mistress of the family, I couldn’t protect you until the end. Please do not forgive me for running away so cowardly.”

At that time, the middle-aged man in the front raised his head and opened his mouth.

He was someone Clayton knew.

It was the butler of the mansion.

“No, madam. We have received enough from Master and Madam. So run far away. Never get caught. Master Clayton is the only hope of the Luden family and the one who will bring the family back in the future. So go without looking back.”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Mother muttered nonstop to say sorry.

It was then.

Thump-!

The sound of something breaking came from far outside the mansion.

“The Imperial Knights must have arrived! We will block this place. I will make the most of my time. So go ahead!”

“Everyone take care of yourself. Somehow, I will surely live and see you again.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Madam, let’s go!”

The man who had come earlier on horseback urged the mother.

The mother’s feet, which were stuck on the floor and did not look like they would fall, fell.

And the mother ran madly after the man, holding him in her arms.

“Mother!”

My body was shaking and I felt uncomfortable.

So, no matter how much I called my mother to stop running, she didn’t answer.

After a while, they reached the bedroom.

“I heard that only you two know about the secret passage here.”

“That’s right, it’s a place that no one can open except for the duke and me. Take Clayton for a while.”

His mother handed him over to a man.

“I hate it!”

Clayton screamed that he was afraid of being held in the arms of a stranger.

“Clayton.”

His mother called out to him with eye contact.

“From now on, you must never make a sound or cry. Yes this is play It’s a new game, but it’s a contest to see who keeps their mouth shut the longer. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Ugh, yes.”

I was going to say no because I didn’t think it would be much fun, but I reluctantly replied that I would.

It was because the mother’s image in his field of vision looked so sad.

My mother had tears welling up in her eyes, but she managed not to shed them.

He even looked dangerous, as if he were about to collapse at any moment.

It was so obvious to him that he didn’t know anything about it, so he had no choice but to answer like that.

If she answered like that, her sad mother’s image would disappear and she would return to her usual self, smiling at him.

“Good, my son. If you do well to the end, I will give you a prize.”

“Wow- Sao Joa. Whoops!”

I was so happy to hear that I was given a prize, so I made a noise and covered my mouth with my small hand.

His mother looked at him and smiled softly.

“Lady…!”

The man urged her mother again, and she went near the bed.

Then, after touching something near the bed, she nodded at the man and started pushing the bed.

“I will do it.”

The man put Clayton on the floor and pushed the bed together with her mother.

As the bed was pushed back, the floor was exposed.

Then the mother just started scrubbing the floor.

Then he mumbled something in an inaudible voice.

Then, after a while, the door on the floor suddenly opened, revealing a large space.

“Go in quickly.”

But it was incredibly noisy outside.

Someone’s shouts and screams caught Clayton’s ears.

“My mother….”

Even though I decided not to speak, the sound was so frightening.

So Clayton looked at his mother anxiously and reached out for a hug.

“Go!”

“You…!”

“Getting the two of you out of the mansion safely is the last task the Duke has given me. So go ahead!”

The man caught up with Clayton and placed him in his mother’s arms.

After his mother hugged him, he went into the room.

There were stairs so going down was easy.

“Duchess, hold on.”

A man called for his mother, who hurriedly went down the stairs.

“Take it. The duke told me to tell the madam.”

“This is a ring….”

“Yes, and please-”

“Ouch! No!”

Now people’s screams were coming right in front of their noses. “Brother, you must bring back the Luden family. Do not forget that only then can you avenge today’s humiliation and insult.”

The man spat out his words quickly and immediately closed the door on the floor.

When the door closed, it was dark everywhere.

I couldn’t even see my mother’s face.

“Oh-.”

“Shh!”

His mother whispered to him in a low, barely audible voice.

“Quietly. Got it? huh?”

Clayton nodded vigorously.

Then there was the sound of something scratching the floor above the closed door.

It was the sound of the bed being put back into place.

Thud-!

Then something crashing, then people shouting, then screaming, then a crowd of footsteps, then….

Soon the surroundings became quiet.

“….”

“….”

I don’t know about Clayton, but he knew that he shouldn’t open his mouth now.

So he was quietly buried in his mother’s arms without a single word.

How long has it been since you stayed in the dark like that?

“Let’s go, baby.”

My mother, who hadn’t said a word until now, spoke to me in a quiet voice and stepped away.

As my eyes got used to the darkness, I could see the shape of the space.

The mother looked around for a moment, then hurriedly walked with Clayton in her arms in the direction of the road.

After walking for about ten minutes, we came to a dead end where there was no longer a road.

Mother put him down and searched the area as before.

Then, after fiddling with something, he opened the door.

It was dark outside as if the sun had already set.

It was suitable for moving to avoid the eyes pursuing them.

Even then, Clayton hadn’t opened his mouth.

As if he was proud, his mother stroked his head.

The two immediately came out.

It seemed to be a forest because the trees were standing densely.

The moonlight shone through the trees.

But her mother didn’t let go of the man she was holding from earlier, as if it wasn’t hard.

No.

It will definitely be difficult.

Because my mother’s breathing was very rough.

Clayton tapped his mother on the shoulder.

Then he waved his hand back and forth with the action of asking him to come down.

It meant walking.

Mother stared at him for a moment, then set him down and kissed him on the forehead.

“Thank you, my baby. Let’s go, Clayton.”

As soon as he heard his mother’s words, Clayton took her hand.

And the two of them took one step on the dark road.

I don’t know where the end is, but I ran away to a place where no one can find, and a place where I will never be caught.

It’s been a few days since I’ve been hiding in the woods like that.

Suddenly, his mother took him down the mountain.

Clayton followed his mother somewhere with the robe pulled over his head.

The place we arrived at was a plaza with a huge crowd of people.

Then, a voice was heard next to the two of them.

“What happened?”

“Looking at the poster over there, they say it’s treason?”

“The Luden family rebelled?”

“Yes.”

“Oi, what is this….”

“There is no end to human greed.”

“Nothing. Even if you have everything like that, you are greedy for other people’s things, so in the end, you end up like that.”

To them, the downfall of a family was just an interesting story, and they showed no sympathy or sympathy.

“It is not treason.”

Mother muttered in a very low voice that I couldn’t understand if I didn’t pay close attention.

“The Luden family, the duke is absolutely not the kind of person….”

It was so small that no one could hear her, but she kept repeating the words in a sullen voice.

“Mother….”

Clayton quietly called his mother.

Then she opened her eyes wide and looked at him.

“Ah! baby…I’m sorry. I am so sorry for you.”

Then, I took him in my arms.

“I will definitely get rid of this false accusation even for you. I will never forget this figure of the day.”

It was a voice that only he could hear, but there was a strong will in it.

Floating-!

As I was crouching in my mother’s arms, I heard the sound of a drum somewhere.

Floating-!

“A family with 400 years of prestige goes like this.”

“No, nothing lasts forever.”

“By the way, do you see the thing you did on the Duke’s neck over there? Is that what it is?”

“That sounds right. I heard that it controls the power of the duchy.”

“That’s why Duke Luden can’t use his strength. But you said it was made in an iron family?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I heard that the iron family did a great job in catching the rebels this time.”

“Is it the age of Bayern now?”

“Aren’t your duke’s hands precious? But as the only one of the four, the second baby is born soon, in fact, you have the most advantage among the four families.”

“In the family of water, Confucius was born last year, right?”

“Yes. The fire family is still there.”

“He will protect Baltheus only when many babies are born.”

“Yes. We are all alive thanks to them.”

“The monsters have been quiet for the past few years…. By the way, did you mean that Duke Luden plotted treason by using that hideous monster?”

“I heard he tried to become an emperor carrying a monster on his back.”

“Heh heh, that’s true.”

Floating-!

When the drum finally sounded for the third time, screams rang out everywhere.

Clayton was locked in his mother’s arms and couldn’t see anything.

I just remembered that the trembling felt in my mother’s body hadn’t stopped for a while.

How long has it been

The people in the square were leaving their seats little by little.

He also left the plaza holding his mother’s hand and sneaked into the woods.

After that, they lived in various places for over 20 years, avoiding tracking.

During those years, her mother grew older, but Clayton still had the features of a child.

“Clayton, it’s time to take your medicine.”

Clayton took the water bottle from his mother’s hand and inhaled the contents in one gulp.

What he drank now was a potion that slowed down his body’s growth.

Twenty-two years had passed since the potion, but Clayton was still a twelve-year-old child.

My mother was a collateral of the water family.

So he had the power to make special potions.

However, since they were not direct blood relatives, they did not have as strong power as direct blood relatives.

“I’m going somewhere for a while tonight. So make sure you lock the door well. Understand?”

“Yes, mother.”

Time passed and it became night.

Following his mother’s request earlier, Clayton locked the door and went to sleep alone under the covers.

His mother had told him everything about his family for the past hour.

He told them to never forget that he was the only heir to the wind family.

And he said that someday the day would come when he would regain his family, and until then, he did not neglect his studies and martial arts.

In fact, Clayton was a genius.

He never forgot what he had seen.

Twenty-two years ago, the days when the family collapsed were still vividly remembered.

As I thought about it so much, I didn’t even notice the time passing.

But her mother, who said she would come back soon, still hasn’t returned.

‘Where have you been?’

I was so worried that I couldn’t stay still.

Until now, wherever my mother went, she always returned on time.

Never been this late.

Concerned that something might have happened, he got out of bed and put on his robe.

Then, disobeying her mother’s words to keep the door closed, she walked out of the house.

Around the lonely house in the deep forest, I couldn’t hear a single human presence.

I heard only the sounds of insects flying around, the rustling of leaves in the wind, and the cries of animals, but I had never heard human speech.

Maybe that’s why it stuck in my ears more.

It wasn’t near, but it sounded like someone was screaming from a distance.

Clayton closed his eyes and focused on the sound.

“-ah!”

“Catch!”

‘Catch?’

The sound got closer.

At the same time, several gasping breaths could be heard.

Clayton ran quickly towards the sound.

Then, below, my mother was being chased by dozens of people.

As I was about to call my mother, my mother’s eyes met.

His mother gestured to him to be quiet.

And beckoned him to come somewhere.

I knew very well where it was.

He carefully went to the direction his mother had pointed out so as not to be seen.

After a while, I saw a small cave with a hole barely big enough for one person to fit through.

This place is located quite far from the house where I live now, and it was a place I made as a hiding place in case of an unexpected event.

The hole was so small that no adult male could fit through it.

Only a small mother or child could fit inside.

Clayton went inside the cave and checked the situation outside.

Mother still hadn’t come.

He bit his lip in embarrassment.

‘Mother….’

Thinking of going out again, I got up and saw my mother looking around near the cave.

“Mother!”

I was glad to call my mother, and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw him.

And she too quickly came into the cave.

“Clayton, are you okay?”

She asked, hugging him tightly in her arms.

“Yes, I am fine. What about your mother?”

“I’m fine too.”

“Who are these people? Who is after your mother?”

“I’ll tell you everything when it’s quiet, so let’s hide here for now.”

“Yes, mother.”

So the two of them watched the outside from inside the cave.

And after a while, those who were chasing the mother appeared.

“Where are you?”

“Where did you go?”

“I’m sure he went up here!”

They were looking for their missing mother.

He was carrying a torch, but it was so dark that he didn’t seem to notice that there was a small cave.

But that person…!

As soon as he recognized the man by looking at his face in the torchlight, Clayton looked up at his mother.

Mother nodded as if she knew what he meant.

‘Why is the butler….’

The man with a familiar face was the last man to bow his head on behalf of the servants of the mansion 22 years ago.

“Ah, damn it!”

“I could have caught it.”

“Let’s dig deeper. Must find I must take you to the Duke.”

“Let’s go!”

Their footsteps receded.

‘Duke?’

Who are you talking about?

Which of the three dukes are you referring to?

While waiting for them to leave, full of doubts, the mother buried her face in her hands.

“Ha….”

It was a sign of deep frustration.

“Mother….”

Clayton called her softly.

She stroked his hair

“Little bit more…Let’s endure a little longer.”

“…yes.”

So they hid in the cave all night.

Time passed and the morning was bright, and the light was seeping inside.

However, the two still did not come out of the cave.

I knew that moving during the day was incredibly dangerous.

So they waited for another night.

As time passed, it became dark everywhere.

It was time to go outside.

The two looked around carefully for a moment before leaving.

The pursuer had already gone far yesterday, so he couldn’t feel any presence.

Relieved, I got up and came out of the cave.

Mother stood for a moment and looked around.

“Mother?”

“I don’t think we should go back home.”

Clayton thought so too.

Perhaps if I had searched this mountain, there was no way I would not have found the house.

“Then where are we going?”

“First, let’s go to the place where we used to live.”

“In the past…Yes, I do.”

They moved house every few years.

It was to avoid possible tracking.

This was the first time their location was discovered by those who were looking for them.

So the houses before that will be safe.

“Come on, Clayton. Let’s say I’m going to pick it up later when things quiet down.”

“Yes, mother.”

It was also a wise mother’s decision not to leave important items in the house.

Not knowing when this might happen, I always buried the things I had brought with me the day I ran away, away from where I lived, where only the two of us knew each other.

The two looked around and quickly walked up the mountain path.

Riding over the mountain was the best way to go unnoticed rather than going down the road.

But it was a time when I was walking fast, hiding in the dark.

I thought he had already left this place, but I heard the sound of other people’s urgent footsteps, not the footsteps of the two.

Clayton’s eyes met his mother’s for an instant.

The two of them nodded at the same time and ran at full speed.

I was running like crazy, looking straight ahead.

“Found!”

The man’s loud voice echoed in the mountains.

“Where are you?”

“This way!”

The pursuers began to gradually close the gap between them.

Clayton ran faster, holding his mother’s hand.

But his mother couldn’t keep up with his stamina.

“Mother!”

Mother slowed down.

It was only a matter of time before I was caught by them on my way.

“Let’s go. Heck, you can go. So don’t worry.”

However, in his view, his mother was already the limit.

It was clear that he was out of breath because he kept running uphill, not flat.

“Mother….”

“Let’s go, quickly. Whoops.”

He knew he couldn’t stop there.

He took the lead and led his mother.

But it seems that God is no longer on their side.

Suddenly it started raining heavily.

I couldn’t see properly because of the rain and the wind that was blowing.

Also, when it rained, it was more difficult to climb the mountain path because the floor was slippery.

And as she thought so, her mother’s foot slipped.

“Ugh….”

No matter where she was hurt, her mother groaned in pain.

“Mother!”

“I hear a sound from over there!”

Hearing Clayton’s call for his mother, the hound-like humans were quickly gathering towards them.

“Clayton! Go!”

Then his mother sat down and urged him to go first.

But he could never go alone, leaving his mother behind.

“Mom, get up.”

“What?”

“Come on. Get up!”

At the son’s will to not be able to leave his mother behind, she was forced to carry her on his back.

It wasn’t that hard when I got up with my mother on my back.

There was a reason I had been training under my mother’s guidance, but my mother was much lighter than I thought.

Thinking of how hard it must have been for such a small person to have raised himself all this time, Clayton was moved to tears.

But now I couldn’t afford to indulge in such feelings.

Clayton climbed the mountain again with his mother.

“Clayton.”

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