Chương 174: [Chapter 174] Escape
Neris maintained eye contact with Kilsion and spoke.
"I'd like to greet the person guarding the first floor as well. In the meantime, you can watch for anyone coming on the first floor, and if Nelucian returns, please inform me."
"Understood."
After Kilsion left, a familiar face from the mansion appeared shortly. Neris spoke to him similarly to how she had spoken to Kilsion.
The second knight was a bit more cautious of Neris than Kilsion, but eventually yielded to her calmly persuasive voice. She descended to the first floor with him.
Following Neris's orders, Kilsion diligently watched for 'visitors.' Neris reassured him, saying, "I'll be taking a short walk with this knight, so rest assured."
Kilsion nodded.
Neris left the mansion with the second knight. Crossing the courtyard, she approached the iron bars.
Beyond the iron bars, dense thicket appeared like a deep darkness. However, considering the geography of Pelena, the forest wasn't as deep as it appeared.
In the vicinity of the palace, there weren't many forests of this size. Neris chose a direction. After opening the iron gate and leaving with the knight, she looked into his eyes and said,
"Let's go back now. And immediately leave far away with Kilsion. Nelucian is capable of killing a man like Joseph, who has been with him for a long time, so if you make a mistake, he will kill you too."
"Yes."
The knight bowed without hesitation and returned to the mansion.
Neris took a deep breath and gazed at the forest. The remaining task was to find a safe place to hide until Cladwin, informed by Dora, came looking for her...
"Interesting news. Did Nelucian kill Joseph Carren?"
Suddenly, the person she had been thinking about was standing behind her.
Beside him were Aidan and Talfryn. Knights with familiar faces followed behind. Their poised stance with weapons suggested they were prepared for an attack.
Neris swallowed dryly as she looked into Cladwin's gray eyes.
"...Um... Yes."
Unusually, she couldn't think of what to say next.
***
"Caught?
As Cladwin, wearing the cloak he had taken off, left under the escort of Aidan and Talfryn, Neris couldn't help but think.
'Could I have been exposed?'
It was possible. After all, what Cladwin saw was just Nelucian's knight readily believing her words and betraying his master. It wasn't a particularly strange sight, was it?
'...No.'
It was definitely strange. It was too suspicious. If Neris were in Cladwin's position, she would have arrested her right away and started questioning her.
Yet, this man, or rather, these men, quietly helped her into the carriage, handed her a warm water pouch, asked if she was injured, and sat down.
Neris still didn't know what to say, so she just confirmed that she wasn't injured and sat down.
Although rare in this area, Cladwin's carriage, brought to avoid drawing attention, was ordinary and unmarked. He drew the curtains on the carriage window and explained the situation to Neris.
"Last night, the search started suddenly, and there wasn't time for Dora to inform you. I wanted to rescue you immediately, but it was difficult with the people at the mansion. So, I decided to storm the mansion after being informed of the situation."
"...The attack on the mansion by the people was a diversion?"
Cladwin shrugged as if it was obvious.
"If the numbers are similar, the attacker has the advantage."
"Assuming a fight. How many people did you bring from Maindland?"
"Cladwin must have brought a lot of soldiers from Maindland. There must have been dozens of them at least. While the Elendria family's knights numbered in the tens, including the servants, the total increased significantly.
"Don't worry."
"How can I not worry? You're in danger."
"Danger?"
Cladwin's face, which had been smiling just a moment ago, stiffened.
He never smiled as openly as Nelucian, but he was always composed. It was Neris who seemed to lose composure in his presence.
So Neris felt a bit uneasy at his hardened expression. What had triggered his change in demeanor?
"Why... Did I say something wrong?"
"Yes, as always, the clever Miss Trude. My residence was ransacked as soon as Dora arrived in the morning. It was turned upside down, blood everywhere, and I was alone. Barely managed to inform you that you were under suspicion and then fainted. I immediately armed myself when I woke up. Hilbrin rushed to the mansion in his nightclothes."
Neris fell silent. The imagery was too vivid.
"While arming myself, I quickly roused the men you had informed me about before. Just as we were about to leave fully armored, the contact I had planted at the mansion reached out. The Viscount was busy with the palace, so it was better to ambush you when you left the mansion. So I waited anxiously. I believed that at least if I handed you over, you would be sold off alive."
Certainly, targeting the escort rather than attacking the mansion seemed reasonable to Neris.
Cladwin touched his forehead as if amazed.
"Before we could reach the prepared path, there was a commotion in your escort carriage. There were few planted in the palace, so the news was delayed. The Viscount's knights were in chaos when you suddenly disappeared, and I wasn't sure if it was genuine. So I waited. I thought Keimil had touched you, and I feared the worst."
Please note that the translation has been provided without quotation marks.
His voice grew louder and angrier. It was a voice she had never heard in front of her before.
In Maindland, even when Cladwin tried to get angry, if Neris spoke reasonably, the situation calmed down. So she had never seen him display intense emotions before.
But now, he was undeniably furious. And greatly so.
Neris's voice flowed much softer than usual.
"Fortunately... it was Nelucian."
"Don't use the word 'fortunately.' I almost lost it right there. I was running around like a madman. But it didn't matter. As long as you were safe. So I followed the news brought by Talfryn."
"I heard you. It's unknown territory even for the Viscount..."
"I've been investigating the Viscount continuously."
Talfryn was strangely competent. Due to guilt, Neris couldn't meet Cladwin's eyes and lowered her gaze. She absentmindedly fiddled with the clasp of the cloak he had given her earlier.
A short, heavy silence filled the carriage. After a moment, Cladwin let out a deep sigh.
"The damage is... you following Adrian and seeing what Ellen wore was psychological damage. You almost fainted. And the damage Trude suffered. Since then, she hasn't been eating properly. And how about me?"
Neris disliked being given quizzes in such situations. She gradually lowered her head and muttered almost inaudibly.
"...You helped me competently?"
"You're not much of a joker either. That's just like me, but I don't feel like laughing right now. Because my heart is still racing."
At the edge of her vision, she saw Cladwin drying his face with a towel.
"I'm sorry."
"I regretted a million times for not keeping you in the Emperor's courtyard. If you had even a scratch, I would have been so angry that I might have died. There's no reason for me to live in a stupid world that lets you face anything alone."
"Don't say that."
Neris looked disgusted. But even her protesting voice didn't come out loud yet.
Cladwin looked miserable. And Neris felt uncomfortable seeing someone miserable because of her.
In her past life, the people she cherished were all happy because of her. And they all didn't care whether she was hurt or not. Misery was only hers, and it had to be that way.
How could she make the man who became miserable worrying about her well-being happy again?
Neris felt extremely guilty. In Cladwin's eyes, she saw a mix of sadness, pity, and relief.
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
If anyone should apologize, it should have been her, who had never told the truth. Neris genuinely believed that.
"I was pathetic. If you were so sure that I could fulfill everything you wanted, you wouldn't have taken such a dangerous path from the beginning. You wouldn't have had to tire yourself out in Nelucian's filthy house. If it seemed like I wouldn't be caught by the palace, you wouldn't have had a reason to return to that house yesterday."
"Stop talking nonsense. None of that is your fault."
"I promised to protect you and acted foolishly. I should have killed Adrian when he set foot on my land."
"What are you talking about? If you had done that, the palace would have thought it was right and come after you. What about your people?"
Please note that the translation has been provided without quotation marks.
It seemed like Cladwin wanted to take the blame for everything that had happened so far. However, none of his words were true.
Neris sighed. Even without Adrian, Neris would have found her way to the palace. To seek revenge on the Elendria family. And there was no reason for her to overly rely on Cladwin's power.
But to explain it that way, she would have to reveal a lot. Starting with the real reason for holding a grudge against the Elendria family.
'But.'
She couldn't do it. The words wouldn't come out. And even when she thought rationally, it shouldn't be said.
How many sins she had committed, and how she was foolishly repeating those sins even now.
After a long silence, she blurted out, "I should stay quietly in Maindland for a few years. The Viscount and the palace will argue that they have the right to decide their own fate."
It might be a bit more difficult and take longer to seek revenge discreetly, but it was unavoidable.
Cladwin nodded.
"There's no need for that."
"Why?"
"You're an adult with an academy degree, and your mother is alive and well. What right do they have to determine your fate?"
"You know that doesn't hold in noble society."
Everything is about legitimacy. As long as it appears reasonable and powerful, it holds weight in noble society.
"Does the wife of a junior knight assert her rights over her daughter? When the palace and the Viscount are trying to take the daughter away?
Unless someone deliberately brings up the claim to the authorities, the courts will not pay attention.
"My point is, you have the legal right to determine your own fate alongside the powerful. Then they won't be able to talk nonsense anymore."
"Who? Your subordinate alone is insufficient..."
Before finishing, Neris widened her eyes.
Looking at her face, Cladwin finally smiled.
"Marry me. It's absurd for a distant relative or the palace to arbitrarily decide the fate of the Duke's wife, and everyone would agree."
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