You Will Pay With Your Life For Deceiving Me

“Are you sure, father?”

 

Ayla opened her eyes wide and asked in a surprised voice. Freedom was truly an unbelievable story.

 

“Okay. Of course, you can’t do it alone because it’s dangerous, but if Laura and Cloud are together, there’s no reason why you can’t go out into the city.”

 

Ayla was truly happy with such good news, but soon doubts began to bloom in her heart.

 

There is no way Byron could truly give her freedom.

 

No matter how satisfactory her recent progress may have been, Ayla was the daughter of Byron’s enemy.

 

But isn’t it too loose these days?

 

They’ll always let her have a weapon, and they’ll let her go out when she goes abroad.

 

It was a movement whose true intentions could not help but be questioned.

 

And that night. Ayla was able to understand why Byron suddenly became nice to her.

 

Aside from that reason, she learned one more terrible truth.

 

It was thanks to him quietly leaving the tent while Laura was asleep and overhearing the conversation between Byron and Cloud.

 

“… … “Master, are you serious? You are allowing that child to go out.”

 

“Ah, that’s right. Even if they were the Duke of Weishafen, they wouldn’t have been able to extend their influence to foreign countries. So wouldn’t it be okay sometimes?”

 

Byron paused for a moment, and then the sound of drinking something was heard.

 

“In the first place, if you want to tame a hunting dog, you can’t just discipline it strictly. You also have to know how to let it off the leash sometimes.”

 

That’s right then. Ayla suppressed a sneer in her heart.

 

She thought it was strange that they seemed to be so nice to her these days, but it seemed like it was time to give carrots between ‘carrots’ and ‘sticks’.

 

‘… … There is nothing new about being treated like a hunting dog.’

 

She’s been through it so many times that she’s so used to it now.

 

Ayla focused on the sound coming from inside the tent again, telling her to look forward to the future when she would have her neck bitten by that dog.

 

“Why are you doing this, Cloud? Are you afraid she might run away? There’s no way that a foolish child who firmly believes in me as his father would do that, but even if he did, why worry? You know that I placed a curse on that child’s body, right?”

 

Byron said in a mocking voice.

 

When Ayla heard the story, she felt as though her heart had fallen to the ground.

 

A curse. Hearing this fearful story for the first time, Ayla felt as if someone had poured cold water on her back and looked down at her hands.

 

As if there was a curse mark there that he didn’t know about.

 

“It won’t happen, but if she betrays me and leaves… …. “I can just kill him before he can say anything to anyone. If I just activate the curse, he will be dead in an instant, no matter where he is.”

 

She felt like She was suffocating.

 

Yes, no matter how much he brainwashed her into thinking she was his real daughter from a young age, he should have realized a long time ago that there was no way he could have kept his enemy’s daughter by his side without at least one shackle.

 

And, the thing that scared her the most was this.

 

She is afraid that even if she returns to the duchy in the future, she will have no choice but to follow Byron because of this curse.

 

Wouldn’t it be necessary to kill Roderick even if she knew that he was his biological father?

 

No… … . That won’t happen. It would be wiser for her to end up dying alone.

 

It was when she was making that promise.

 

Inside the tent, a hopeful story was heard, like a ray of light in the thick darkness.

 

“That curse word, but I…” … .”

 

Cloud opened his mouth with a slightly choked sound as if he was in pain. It was a voice with a hint of guilt.

 

“… … Why do you do that? Oh, you’re afraid that Ophelia will notice. That’s it. All you have to do is lift the curse right before sending him to the Duke’s house.”

 

He mentioned her mother’s name and said that he would remove the curse before sending her back to the Duke’s house because her mother might notice.

 

‘… … ‘How is it that my mother notices?’

 

Ayla bit her lip. Somehow, she felt like there was so much she didn’t know about her mother.

 

Then, a memory from her past life suddenly came to mind.

 

It was a memory of me taking her to a shaman and performing some unknown ritual just before entering the duchy, saying there was something I had to do to pray for success.

 

‘Was it a ritual to lift the curse back then?’

 

I wasn’t certain, but listening to the conversation now, I was a pretty plausible guess.

 

If so, it was truly fortunate.

 

She feels she can escape this horrible curse if she hangs on a little bit longer, even if her hands and feet are still trembling and she is perspiring icily.

 

‘I have to go back soon. Laura might wake up.’

 

It should be fine if she wakes up and explains that she needs to use the bathroom quickly. However, if it’s too late, she may have difficulty coming up with an explanation.

 

Ayla left Byron’s tent behind and hurried back to her bed.

 

* * *

 

It was late at night the next day when Byron’s group arrived at the sea. It was not a dock, but a rocky shore.

 

It was a bit of a strange sight for Ayla, who had vaguely imagined a dock just because she was on a boat. It was her first time seeing the sea in real life, but she had seen the dockside scenery in pictures a few times while she was a princess…

 

Although it was a little different from what she had imagined, Ayla was unconsciously mesmerized by the seascape she was seeing for the first time. Because it was dark, she couldn’t see far, but the white waves breaking under the moonlight were very beautiful.

 

The sound the waves made was like a beautiful song.

 

That sound seemed to wash away the fear that Byron could end up dead at any time if he wanted to.

 

The salty, fishy scent of the sea, the sound of the waves. Ayla, who had forgotten reality for a moment while being captivated by those things, returned to reality when she saw the ship prepared for the smuggling country.

 

It was because he was so shocked that all other thoughts ran away.

 

“You’re crossing the border on this boat?”

 

Ayla had exactly the same thought, but it wasn’t her who said this. It was Laura, who was standing next to her, in a surprised voice.

 

That’s because the ship was too small. It was a small ferry boat that couldn’t be compared to the huge ships Ayla had seen in pictures.

 

Going all the way to a foreign country on a narrow river or a boat that can barely be crossed? Is that possible?

 

“No, this ship will only travel to the trading ship we decided to take to Inselkov.”

 

Cloud shook his head and answered.

 

For some reason, the ship seemed too small and weak, but it seemed to be a temporary means of transportation.

 

Cloud continued by explaining that there are severe inspections when boarding a trade ship heading to a foreign country at the dock, so there is no choice but to transfer in the middle.

 

“… … Aren’t you leaving? “Are you planning on spending the night here?”

 

As Cloud’s explanation became longer, Byron, who continued to feel uncomfortable, became angry and expressed his dissatisfaction.

 

“I’m sorry. Let’s get on board, lady. “Let’s leave now.”

 

Cloud held out his hand to Ayla with a puzzled face, and she took his hand and boarded the ship.

 

There are five people on the boat, including Ayla. It was Byron, Cloud, and Laura, mother and daughter. Aside from them, there was only one boatman.

 

It seemed like other people were moving in different ways. Well, the only ones who were dangerous to be seen by others were the five of us, so it was only natural.

 

After confirming that everyone was on the boat, the boatman began rowing. The small boat slowly moved away from the coastline, and the land was soon swallowed up by darkness and became invisible.

 

Floating on the pitch-black sea on a dark night, relying on a small lantern, was a slightly creepy yet interesting experience.

 

How far did it go? A bright light blinked in the distance. It was a signal from a trading ship.

 

“Can we go there?”

 

“yes. please.”

 

When the boatman looked at the light and asked, Cloud nodded.

 

Soon, the small boat they were on reached a huge sailing ship. The sailors who confirmed their arrival lowered a rope ladder from the deck.

 

Byron was the first to climb onto the boat, clumsily holding on to the ladder with his prosthetic hook and free hand, and then it was Ayla’s turn.

 

When everyone got on the deck, the person who seemed to be the captain of the ship greeted them politely.

 

“It is an honor to serve you. Count Senospon has told me several times to treat you well as you are a precious guest.”

 

Ayla looked at the captain, feeling curious about the accent she had never heard before. Judging by his tanned brown skin and unique way of speaking, he seemed to be a foreigner, but when he mentioned Count Senospon, he seemed to be from the Kingdom of Inselkov.

 

“Thank you. “Please take care of me.”

 

Byron grumbled in response. It might have offended him to see a mysterious man whose name he didn’t know behaving so arrogantly, but the captain flattered him and flattered him.

 

“I have prepared water for washing in the cabin. Please come down quickly.”

 

“Okay. “I was already very tired so I wanted to rest, but it worked out well.”

 

As Byron nodded, a sailor guided them to the cabin.

 

The room where Ayla stayed with Laura and her daughter was a simple room consisting of three small beds and a small table.

 

The sailor apologized for being shabby because it was a hastily prepared room for a cargo ship, not a luxury passenger ship. However, in fact, it was a luxurious room that was incomparable to the hardships we had endured while sleeping in the open.

 

After washing cleanly with warm water for the first time in a while, Ayla fell asleep and lay down on the soft bed. Strangely, she felt the floor shaking.

 

Just looking at the cabin, she could not believe that she was floating in the middle of the sea, but the sensation of rocking made her realize that she was on an open ocean.

 

‘… … Interesting.’

 

Although she felt a little pathetic for being excited like a child by going out to the sea in a situation where she could die at any time, Ayla focused on the feeling of the waves rippling beneath her back.

 

She wanted to feel the sea a little more with her whole body, but unfortunately, she couldn’t overcome her fatigue and soon fell asleep…