When the Main Protagonists Broke Up

He got up from his seat with a surprised expression and came closer to the grate.

“Yes, I went as you told me and it wasn’t hard to find.”

“I’m glad you came home safely.”

“Here you go.”

Without hesitation, I pulled out my pocket from my bosom and handed it to him.

“You said to bring it to me. But there was something else in it besides what the duke asked for.”

“Yes? If it’s something else….”

“Open it.”

At my words, he quickly opened the pouch to check what was inside.

I quietly watched how much he did.

Clayton took out the ring and the folded paper all at once.

And the ring unfolded the paper right away without checking it properly.

It was quite dark because it was a dungeon.

So I made a small fire in my palm to make the letter more visible.

He lifted his head and looked at me with a small smile as a sign of thanks.

But that smile didn’t last long.

After checking the contents of the letter, the smile disappeared from Clayton’s face in an instant.

And his hand that held the letter trembled, and at last, tears began to flow.

“Duke….”

“Mother…Mother….”

He handed me a letter

I meant to read it too.

But I already knew what the letter was about.

Still, I received a letter from him and read it again.

[Dear Clayton.

Clayton.

I am leaving this letter because I believe that you will surely be alive.

If you see this letter, come to the third place we lived.

I’ll be waiting there until you come.

I love you, Clayton.]

The text of the letter was short.

But it was a very important letter that contained everything.

I looked up and looked at Clayton.

“I need to get out of here right now.”

“Yes?”

But, saying that he had to go out immediately, he put the ring on his finger.

“Hey, wait!”

I hurriedly stopped him.

“It will be dangerous if you leave here now.”

“But my mother is waiting for me.”

“I know that, but still….”

I quickly shook my head.

If Clayton gets out of here, he will definitely be wanted immediately.

That would complicate things, and that was never good for me or Clayton.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yes?”

“I will go and bring the Duchess carefully.”

So I said I would go instead.

“But it is too risky. If they are discovered, the Heitz family will also be in danger.”

“Are you okay. I’ll bring you there so you won’t be noticed. And you need a place to stay. I’ll find out right away, so the Duke is here.”

“But….”

“This is the best. Is not it?”

Clayton had no further answer.

“And don’t wear the ring, keep it secretly in your bosom.”

He nodded.

“Perhaps even if I bring the Duchess, I won’t be able to see her right away. But don’t worry, I’ll take you to a safe place. Did you know?”

“…All right. If anything happens, you must let me know.”

“Okay.”

After my answer, Clayton began to explain to me where the third house was.

I took the same careful note of the location of the ring as I did last time.

Then, after reassuring him, he got out of jail.

The next morning, I set out on the road again with William.

“I’m sorry, Sir. When everything is done, I’ll give you a long vacation.”

The ducal family had numerous escort knights, but William was the only one I could fully trust.

Again, it was about Clayton, so I couldn’t bring anyone else with me.

“It’s okay, lady. Protecting her is my job and my mission. So don’t be sorry.”

Unlike two days ago, we were pulling a carriage, not a horse.

A carriage was better than a horse to bring the Duchess of Louden.

For security, William drove the carriage instead of the coachman.

Instead of sitting in the carriage, I took a seat next to William and talked to him.

The place where the Duchess of Louden was supposed to be was about 5-6 hours away from the capital.

Still, it was fortunate that it was closer than the mountain I went to last time.

“Thank you for saying that. But take a vacation.”

“All right.”

“And….”

As soon as we started talking, I told him what I wanted to ask him from before.

“What are you going to do with Mary?”

“Yes?”

Embarrassment and shyness crossed William’s face for a moment.

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t know by showing off like that, did you?”

“…sorry.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to apologize.”

I thought William would misunderstand what I was saying, so I quickly resumed my conversation.

“Mary is very dear to me. Sir William, of course. I can’t tell you how happy I am that these two only look at each other and care for each other.”

“Miss….”

“So I want to ask you. What are you going to do with Mary? I want you to tell me what you think.”

“I want to spend the rest of my life with Mary.” William answered my question without hesitation.

His eyes were genuine and straight as he said that.

I was relieved internally by his attitude.

He had no doubt that a person like this would surely make Mary happy.

“I’m glad that that’s what you meant. But, as you know, Mary is hesitant because of the difference in status.”

“I know. And Mary said that she would never leave the lady’s side until she got married.”

I remembered what she had told me when I first asked Mary about her relationship with William.

“But I don’t want that.”

It was sad to be separated from Mary, but nonetheless I hoped that she would soon be happy with William.

‘I don’t know when I’ll get married, but I can’t keep my lover apart.’

Of course, I will get married someday, but there were so many mountains to overcome for my marriage.

So now Mary and William were first.

“I’ll give Mary a last name.”

“Yes?”

Only nobles had surnames here, and commoners had no surnames.

Since Mary was a commoner, giving her a surname meant making her a nobleman.

“It means to buy an identity and give it to Mary.”

“Miss….”

It seemed that the time had come for Mary to put into practice what she had been thinking about, not wanting to do.

“If you give Mary a family name similar to Sir’s, wouldn’t Baron Roins object?”

“…Probably.”

“Okay, then let’s do that.”

“Thank you, lady. How should I repay this favor….”

“I have already received enough from you guys. Now it’s just my turn to give.”

“Miss…. I will swear allegiance to the young lady and the Heitz family for the rest of my life.”

William spoke to me with a slightly different but similar look from when he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Mary.

Maybe it’s because of the eyes he has that I can trust him this much.

Good and honest eyes.

His firm heart, which I had seen earlier, touched me again.

“Thank you.”

I replied to that with a smile.

The carriage ran and ran until it came near the place Clayton had told me about.

“This is also a mountain.”

“Yes.”

We pulled the wagon into the mountains.

However, as expected, after going a little further, a terrain appeared that could no longer drag the wagon.

“Let’s walk.”

“All right.”

As we went deeper, we came across a derelict house that was too foreign to be in the mountains.

“Looks like there.”

“Let’s go.”

After walking a little further, we arrived at the door.

“Wait here. I will go alone.”

“My lady, no. It’s too dangerous alone…!”

William shook his head and held me back.

“It will be fine. I’ll scream in case of danger. So wait here.”

“…All right.”

After his answer, I carefully knocked on the door.

Smart-.

As expected, no sound could be heard from inside.

Smart-.

I knocked on the door again just in case, but it was the same.

I looked at William, nodded once, and carefully turned the doorknob.

I thought it would be locked, but when the door opened, I went inside, slightly embarrassed.

I quietly closed the door and looked inside.

The interior of the wooden house was very modest. And the Duchess of Luden was nowhere to be seen.

‘Could it be that there isn’t one?’

Then the table came into view.

On the table was a bowl of leftover soup, a basket of bread crumbs, and a spoon.

‘I guess he hid because he felt like a human being.’

Noticing that the Duchess was inside the house, I took another careful look around.

And called the Duchess in a small voice.

“The Duchess of Louden.”

Again, there was no answer.

“Duchess Louden, I am the person sent by Clayton, Duke of Louden. So-.”

I, who kept spitting out words to get the Duchess to appear, couldn’t speak anymore.

For suddenly I felt an unfamiliar presence behind me, and a cold, sharp dagger aimed at my throat.

I forgot to breathe in the moment of tension and looked at the dynamics of the person threatening me from behind.

“Who are you?”

At that time, a thin but sharp, sharp voice came from behind.

“This is Belita Heights.”

I didn’t hesitate to reveal who I was.

Then she felt a flinch in her back.

“Heights? If it’s Belita Heights, is it the princess of the Heitz family?” “Yes, that’s right.”

Without losing my composure, I answered whatever she asked.

“How did Princess Heitz come here?”

“I came at the request of Duke Clayton Louden. You can rest assured that I am not a dangerous person.”

“How can I believe that?”

In fact, she had no reason to blindly trust me.

Clayton and the Duchess lived in hiding from the public eye for over 20 years.

And since she had been betrayed by the person closest to her, the Duchess’ reaction was quite natural.

So, I knew that and brought something.

I put my hand into my arms for a moment to show what I had brought.

“Don’t move!”

However, the Duchess drew her sword closer to my throat, probably misunderstanding that I was going to pull out something like a weapon against her.

Now, it was so close that a sharp blade could cut your throat if you moved just a little.

I opened my mouth without losing my composure.

“I have something to show you. It is proof that I came here on behalf of the Duke.”

Saying that, I quickly took out the ring from my bosom.

It was a ring of the wind family with white jewels emitting light.

In prison, I told Clayton to keep the ring safe, and he handed it back to me.

I meant to take it just in case.

I couldn’t write a letter right away, so when I met his mother, I meant to let him know that I was on his side.

“That…!”

Having said that, she was silent for a moment.

I waited for her without saying or doing anything.

And after some time the sword fell from my neck.

I slowly turned back.

Then a small, frail-looking middle-aged woman who resembled Clayton stood there, eye to eye with mine.

We looked at each other, but for a while no one spoke first.

I was contemplating what to say, and the Duchess stared at me with sharp eyes, the dagger still pointed at me.

I opened my mouth by handing her the ring first.

“Let me introduce myself again. My name is Belita Heights of the Duke of Heights.”

The Duchess reached out with one hand and took the ring from my hand.

But her gaze stayed on me.

Then, as if he felt that there was no further threat from me, the sword that had been extended to me was retracted.

Then, the hardened expression loosened, and a voice that was even duller than before flowed from the Duchess’s mouth.

“I am Ariel Luden of the Luden duchy.”

“Do you trust me?”

“This ring is the ring of our family. And the only people who know where this ring is are me and Clayton. Having this ring means that the princess is a trustworthy person for Clayton. That’s why I must have told you where I am.”

The Duchess of Luden explained her thoughts to me one by one.

As I listened to the Duchess, I could sense at once that she was a very wise person.

“Thank you for trusting me, Duchess.”

“Sit over here. Sit down and talk.”

“Yes.”

She led me to a small sofa.

“I am sitting. I’ll bring you tea.”

“It’s okay.”

When I said it was okay, she just smiled a little and turned to the kitchen.

In the meantime, I sat on the sofa and organized in my head the words I had to say to the Duchess.

‘I’ll have to talk about Clayton and ask about the butler.’

After a while, a teacup was placed on the table.

“Drink. It can’t be compared to the tea the princess drinks, but it’s worth drinking nonetheless.”

“No. It looks very tasty. Thank you, madam.”

I took a cup of tea and sipped it.

I don’t know what kind of tea leaves it was brewed from, but the fragrant aroma came up and the taste was very good.

“It is delicious. It smells so good.”

“It’s a tea brewed with flowers that are common in this forest.”

“A flower?”

“Yes, Anaria is a tea that commoners often drink.”

Unlike the bloody situation where a knife was thrust into the throat just a few minutes ago, a casual and comfortable atmosphere was flowing between us.

But that was a while, and I waited for the Duchess to speak first.

And soon after, the Duchess opened her mouth.

“I went down the mountain a few days ago and heard the news about Clayton. I heard you’re in prison. Can you elaborate on the situation for me?”

“Yes I will.”

I told the Duchess about everything that had happened so far.

I told you everything I knew, from the time I met Clayton, who was Ryan at the circus, to the sudden change he had in the North.

“That’s how it happened.”

“Yes.”

The Duchess of Luden was as calm as my mother.

The whole time I was talking, I was listening calmly, not showing any noticeable agitation, let alone excitement.

“Because I believed he would be alive, I thought there must be a reason why he couldn’t come back. But to think that I suffered so much because I lost my memory….”

However, after hearing the story, she too had tears in her eyes.

I took a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it to her.

“Thank you. Did you know that I was originally from a water family?”

“Yes, I know.”

“I am not a direct descendant of the Maxius family, so I am not very strong. But before we got married, I learned how to make various potions. After Duke Louden went away like that, I had to do anything to protect Clayton and wait for the right time. So the idea was to restrain the child’s growth so that no one would recognize him.”

I listened to the Duchess in silence.

“But if you can’t keep taking the potion, you won’t be able to control your growth, and what you’ve been forcibly suppressing will explode.”

“Ah, that’s why you suddenly grew up like that.”

“That’s right. I was thinking of continuing to feed Clayton the potion until I got the Luden family back. But….”

The Duchess’s expression suddenly twisted sharply.

Maybe he’s thinking about the day he was betrayed.

I thought it was my turn to speak out, so I cautiously opened my mouth.

“I have deep doubts about the extinction of the Luden duchy. So I hope the truth will come out and Duke Clayton Louden will return to his original position.”

“Why? Why is the princess suspicious?”

“I can’t understand how the ducal family of the empire could collapse in an instant like that.”

“Because the evidence and witnesses were perfect.”

“That makes it more suspicious.”

“What do you mean?”

“Before that, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Did you not notice anything strange about the butler that day?”

“What’s strange about it?”

“Yes, wasn’t there a necklace around your neck?”

“A necklace….”

The Duchess thought for a moment.

“It was very dark that day and it rained hard. So I’m not sure if the butler was wearing a necklace.”

“Oh, is that so?”

After all, it was a long time ago, and it would have been difficult to care if the butler was wearing a necklace.

“Oh, wait.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know if he was wearing a necklace, but the butler’s behavior that day was a little strange.”

“Was it weird?”

“Yes, I kept touching my neck as if it was stuffy around my neck.” This is it.

The moment I heard the Duchess’s words, I felt that the butler was also wearing a necklace imbued with iron power.

“Did you really keep touching the neck area?”

“Yes, it was the same when we met at the foot of the mountain, and even when we met at the cliff, we kept touching each other’s neck. But why are you asking that?”

“That….”

I pondered for a moment whether to speak to her.

Then, as I told my parents, I replied with a clue that I was only guessing, not certain about what I knew.

“It’s not yet certain, but I suspect that a necklace imbued with iron power might control people’s bodies and minds.”

“You control people?”

“Yes, you know that necklace suppresses our powers, right? Plus, I’m researching right now thinking that the necklace might be able to control people’s minds as well.”

“Then….”

“It is not clear. But I guess I’ll have to see the butler to find out. You don’t know where the butler is right now, right?”

“Yes, I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

“No. Then the butler will let me look for it. Could you draw a picture of what it looks like?”

“Okay.”

“And…Why don’t you stay here and come with me? You won’t be able to meet the Duke right now. But rather than being here alone, the duke will feel more at ease if you stay in the place I prepared for you.”

“But if my location were discovered, it would be a big blow to the Heitz family. And the Duke of Heitz….”

“Don’t worry about that. My father, like me, has doubts about the Luden family.”

“The Duke of Heitz?”

“Yes, so let’s go together.”

The Duchess was silent for a moment.

He seemed to be contemplating what to do about following me.

I waited patiently for her to make a decision.

And after a while, she nodded softly, and we roughly packed our things and went out.

William was standing near the carriage.

When the Duchess looked surprised at him, I quickly explained him to her.

“This is my escort. And he is also the teacher of Duke Clayton Louden.”

“A master?”

“Yes, when the duke was a knight in our family, I taught him swordsmanship. He’s a trustworthy person, so don’t worry.”

William came closer as if he had seen us.

“Miss.”

“It’s over. Let’s go back to the capital.”

“This person is….”

“I’ll explain when I get back. We don’t have time right now, so let’s go.”

“All right.”

On that road we set out in a carriage.

Running and running, the carriage arrived near the capital.

“Sir William.”

“Yes, lady.”

“Let’s go to Hemoa.”

“Are you Hemo?”

“Yeah, let’s go there first.”

“All right.”

After telling Clayton that I would bring his mother, I struggled with where to take her.

A place where I can’t guess the connection with me even if something goes wrong.

I really needed such a place, and what came to my mind at that time was Hemoa’s Orphanage.

There were also children who had been with Clayton, who were Rihanna, whom the Duchess did not know, albeit only briefly.

“Where is Hemoa?”

“It’s a village near the capital, and there’s an orphanage there.”

“Is it an orphanage?”

“Yes, it is a very warm and nice place. There are also some kids who were with Rihanna, no, Duke Clayton, when he was in the circus.”

“Are there any children who know Clayton?”