Because the view from her room was exquisite.
“Lady, your room is on the top floor.”
Laura said as she led her into the building. It must have been her first time here, but she seemed like she was showing off for no reason.
Even though she could go up to the third floor by stairs, it was an attic that she had to climb up again by ladder. When she opened the old, creaky trapdoor and went up to the room, a nostalgic sight caught her eye.
The scenery seen through the wide windows on both sides was truly beautiful.
Looking east, She could see an ever-flowing river flowing along a vast plain, and looking out the window to the west, She could see a picturesque stretch of mountains.
It was one of the best places to see the sunrise in the morning and the sunset over Seosan Mountain.
‘The question is, how do I escape from here?’
At night, when Laura locked the trapdoor from underneath, it seemed very difficult to leave the room. It was nice to have a window, but since it was on the top floor, it was too dangerous to climb or jump off the wall.
Unlike fortresses with similar structures, it was unclear whether there was even a secret passage here.
‘I’ll have to look for it… It might be difficult.’
She shouldn’t waste her time like this. She bit her nails nervously.
There were still four years left until she could return to the duchy, but she couldn’t help but feel impatient.
It would have been comforting to know just what Byron was planning, but it was really difficult to find out.
“I’ll prepare the bath water soon. Please get some rest first.” You will have to concentrate on training again starting tomorrow.”
“Okay. Thank you, Laura.”
When Laura left the room and left her, Ayla lay down on the stone bed that Laura had covered with a soft blanket.
”I was really sad when I left here.’
Even though she was leaving behind such a stunning landscape, She started crying. She had been a guest here for just over a month. She moved places.
‘I liked the place I moved to, so I quickly forgot about it.’
In this situation, she found herself reminiscing about memories and bursting into laughter.
Where did she go after that, she thinks now. She feels that she liked that place as well. Well, even if she doesn’t make an effort to remember, she will soon find out because she is moving there in a month.
Even if she thought about it right now, it didn’t seem like it would come to mind. Frowning her eyebrows, she shook her head as she tried to recall her memory.
“Lady, the bath water is ready. “Please come down.”
Just then, she heard Laura’s voice calling her from underneath the floor. Raising her heavy body, she opened her trapdoor and left her room.
* * *
That night, she slept comfortably indoors for the first time in a long time, but she could not sleep well. It was because she didn’t feel comfortable.
Ayla, who washed up with Laura’s help, had an unbearable time being taken by Byron, whom she rarely met during the trip.
When she saw Byron kissing her hair like he often did, she wanted to cut it off right away.
She went back to her room without showing any discomfort and started looking for the hidden passage.
It was because she felt like she wouldn’t be able to endure this terrible situation if she didn’t do that.
But the results were disappointing. No matter how much she looked, she couldn’t see any space where a hidden passage could exist due to the structure of the building.
She went to sleep worrying that she would have to pass by like this for a month or so, so she couldn’t get a comfortable sleep.
After wasting several days like that, Ayla once again stood at the training ground near the fortress.
She was tired of the repetitive, meaningless daily life, but she had to endure it. She was used to patience. Because she’s been tired of enduring it since she was young.
“I’d like to do some special training today, young lady.”
Ayla had been lost in thought and came to her senses after hearing Cloud’s words. It’s special training.
Even for her, who always repeats the same routine like a squirrel on a treadmill, there are sometimes special days.
In the name of ‘special training’, it was a rare opportunity to escape from the hiding place where she was always confined and go out to the nearby area.
‘Was it Cloud’s consideration? It seemed like he was bothered by the idea of deceiving me.’
Thinking about it, there was no way that Byron would easily allow her to leave the hiding place. But when she remembered that she was sometimes allowed to go out with Cloud, she couldn’t help but think about that.
She guesses Cloud attempts to alleviate his guilt.
She was so thankful that she was almost in tears. She can’t believe she is trying to alleviate the guilt of ruining a person’s entire life with such meagre consideration.
“Special training?”
“Yes. “I want to climb that mountain.”
However, when she hid her dark feelings and asked with a voice filled with anticipation, Cloud pointed to the mountains to the west. It was a mountain visible from her room.
‘Well, there’s nothing bad about it.’
Since she was always confined, there’s something about being able to go out even once in a while.
Of course, going out was nothing special; it was just hiking, but it would still be a refreshing change of pace.
“Don’t think too easily.” It’s a pretty rugged mountain.”
“Okay, I get it. cloud.”
As she listened to the story, she felt like she remembered climbing that mountain. It was obvious that the slope was steep, and she remembered that there were sections where she had to climb huge rocks.
Normally, it would not be an easy mountain for a twelve-year-old to climb.
‘But it felt good when I reached the top.’
Laura’s mother, Capella, handed over the lunch bag to Cloud. Maybe it was because she overheard their conversation the other day, but the look in her eyes as she handed me the lunch box felt somehow harsh.
It seemed like pressure to do well and not just think about unnecessary things.
Laura always put a cap on Ayla’s head before they left the hiding area. Even though it was a deserted area, they might meet someone on the top of the mountain.
Cloud was wearing a hat and even had a picnic bag in his hands. It looked like they were going on a picnic. If she were younger, she would have been excited.
The slope at the beginning of the mountain wasn’t that steep, so it just felt like a trail with a slight uphill climb.
The leaves were swaying in the cool wind, and a nice smell was coming out.
‘The smell of wood.’
She didn’t expect much at first, but when she got out, she felt so renewed that she unconsciously began to walk easily.
As she was climbing the mountain in a good mood, she felt Cloud’s eyes following her persistently from behind.
It seemed like he was worried that she might disappear.
Ayla might be twelve years old after all. She could have easily outsmarted Cloud with her current skills, but she didn’t have to.
She hadn’t found out anything about Byron’s plan yet, and even if she escaped here, she had nowhere to go.
A rugged mountain with no people nearby. It was a place where her life could not be guaranteed if she got lost alone.
“Take my hand.” The rocks are slippery, so if you trip, you’ll be in big trouble.”
Cloud said in a worried voice, holding out his hand to her.
Ayla looked down at Cloud’s trusty hand in silence.
It was such a strange thing. She feels some kindness in his blunt and expressionless face.
To Cloud, Ayla was the daughter of his enemy, and to her, Cloud was also an object of revenge.
Even though he knew that the slightest kindness he showed to Ayla was a feeling of guilt that came from using a child.
For some reason, her feelings were complicated. She couldn’t forgive him; she couldn’t hate him completely.
“Aren’t you going to catch it, lady?”
“Ah, thank you.”
As she climbed the rock holding Cloud’s hand, the summit of the mountain came into view.
She was sweating as she climbed the mountain in the hot weather, but she felt refreshed.
As she sat down on the rug that Cloud had laid out for her, the wind blowing from the top of the mountain cooled her sweat.
“Let’s eat, lady.”
Cloud said as he took his lunch box from his bag. There was only a sandwich and a lukewarm drink, but she thought it was delicious because she was hungry.
‘The view from here is also very nice.’ I thought the view from my room was just beautiful.’
After taking a bite of her sandwich, she clenched her jaw and looked down to the east. It was very beautiful to see the river flowing and sparkling in the sunlight.
‘Is that the ruins we are currently living in?’ You can see it at a glance.’
The building seemed much smaller than it seemed to be, possibly because it was so tall. The structure that extended from the tall spire where her chamber was located looked like a bird with its wings spread.
Ayla, thinking that it was quite funny that she was distracted by the scenery in this situation, laughed and tried to put the sandwich back in her mouth.
She would have if she hadn’t noticed something strange.
‘what? Is that what my room looks like?’
Her room, located just below the tall spire, looked a little different from what it looked like from the inside.
From what she remembered, the attic was a little more elongated in the east-west direction, with windows. But when she looked down from above, it felt like the lengths of east-west and north-south were the same.
‘Is it an illusion? Otherwise…’
It meant that there was some hidden space.
Even with the thickness of the wall, it seemed as though there would be space for at least one person to enter if there was a hidden space.
Her heart pounded happily with the hope that maybe she could find a secret passage.
“Is it that good?”
Ayla grinned and put the sandwich in her mouth, and she heard Cloud mumbling.
Thank you.