Chapter 50
Thanks to the sudden interruption, Elisa regained her freedom. But when she turned to see who had struck Derek, her mouth fell open.
“Ethan!”
Noah was standing beside him. Ethan seized Derek by the collar and drove his fist into the man’s face again. Elisa hurriedly pulled Noah into her arms, covering the boy’s eyes.
People had already started casting curious glances when Elisa and Derek’s quarrel first broke out. Now that the fight had escalated, passersby had stopped to watch openly. Someone even muttered that they should call the guards.
“Stop it!”
Elisa’s desperate cry made Ethan’s raised fist freeze in midair, as if someone had cast a spell.
“Enough. Let’s go—quickly.”
If they lingered and the guards showed up, they’d be dragged into questioning, and that would be disastrous. Elisa tugged on Ethan’s arm, urging him to leave.
Though his scowl made it clear he hated backing down, Ethan obeyed her, not forgetting to shoot Derek one last searing glare before turning away.
The three of them hurried off, leaving behind nothing but Elisa’s carefully chosen clothes and boxes scattered on the ground—and Derek Grenville, quietly dabbing blood from the corner of his mouth.
“…Do you really think I’ll give up so easily?”
If I can’t have her, then no one can.
His eyes darkened as he stared at the blue box rolling across the cobblestones, gleaming with a damp, predatory light—like storm clouds ready to swallow the sky.
***
Prince Howard had told Elisa: if anything ever happened, she was to send word at once—or, failing that, come straight to Seilport.
This was exactly such a moment. Elisa decided they had no choice but to head for Seilport.
Fortunately, a train bound for Norfen was departing in just three hours. With the innkeeper’s help, she managed to secure tickets in the general compartment. But relief didn’t come.
What if Derek Grenville had followed them? What if he burst through that very door at any moment? The thought had Elisa pacing anxiously around the compartment, unable to sit still. Time crawled unbearably—what felt like twenty hours had passed, but only twenty minutes were gone.
“Calm down, Elisa.”
A steady voice accompanied a large hand settling gently on her shoulder.
“How can I possibly be calm in this—”
“Noah’s frightened too.”
Her sharp retort died on her lips. Ethan was right. Noah sat nearby, face tense and worried, eyes fixed on her.
Seeing him like that brought back a doctor’s old warning: A mother’s anxiety spreads to her child.
Meaning Noah’s fear was entirely her fault.
Get a grip, Elisa.
She couldn’t let her son drown in fear because of her.
Drawing in a long breath, she pushed down the panic clawing at her throat. True peace would only come once they reached Seilport safely, once they found Prince Howard and secured a real plan. But for now, at least, she could steady herself a little.
“Noah, I’m sorry. Mama made you feel so anxious, didn’t I?”
She cupped his round cheeks tenderly, apologizing. Noah shook his head, then patted her shoulder in comfort.
“You’re trying to console me?”
Nod, nod.
“How could you be so sweet?”
Elisa gave a soft laugh and hugged him close. Nestled in his mother’s arms, Noah’s gaze shifted to Ethan.
When their eyes met, Ethan tapped his lips lightly with a finger.
Before leaving to fetch Elisa, he had told Noah to try calling her Mama. He promised she’d be overjoyed.
But Noah had looked stricken then, because the one who’d most strictly forbade him from speaking had always been Elisa herself.
Say nothing. Never let a word slip out.
And now, suddenly, Ethan wanted him to speak? To call her Mama? What if she hated it?
Noah had wavered. But Ethan had taken his little hand, squeezed it, and reassured him over and over. It’s all right. Say it. She’ll be happy.
His father’s words gave him courage. Yet, when the moment came, chaos had swept in, and the timing to speak had slipped through his fingers.
Now Ethan was giving him the signal again.
Noah’s gray eyes—so like his father’s—shifted uncertainly, then his lips parted. But no sound came out.
You can do it. I’m cheering for you.
Ethan mouthed the words silently, smiling.
Obeyed by his father’s encouragement, Noah tried again.
“M…ama.”
The word was barely a whisper, too soft for Elisa to hear.
So he gathered more courage.
〈Don’t speak. Never speak.〉
The warning voice that had haunted him so long echoed in his ear—but it no longer frightened him. Because Papa had told him it was all right. Because Mama would be happy if he did.
“Mama!”
His small voice rang out, louder this time.
“Hm?”
Elisa blinked, startled. The thought that Noah might have spoken never even crossed her mind. She turned instead to Ethan.
“Did you just call me?”
Ethan couldn’t help but laugh.
“As if I’d call you Mama.”
“…What?”
“It wasn’t me. It was Noah.”
Her heart stopped.
Noah… called me Mama?
Disbelieving, Elisa turned to her son. He reached out, cupped her face with his tiny hand, and spoke clearly.
“Mama.”
“…!”
She saw it with her own eyes. Heard it with her own ears. Elisa’s eyes went impossibly wide, her lips parting in shock.
When she didn’t react, Noah worried she hadn’t heard him again and opened his mouth to try once more.
But Elisa beat him to it.
“Yes!”
She swept him into her arms, hugging him tight.
“I am Mama. You called me Mama!”
Her tears of joy soaked his little shoulders.
But Noah, confused, looked to Ethan. She’s crying. I thought she’d be happy. Why is she crying?
Ethan just smiled warmly and gave his son a thumbs up.
Relieved, Noah finally broke into a wide grin.
From the moment she heard Noah’s voice, all of Elisa’s anxiety melted away. It felt as though everything would finally turn out all right.
With newfound hope, she boarded the train to Norfen. Derek Grenville never appeared, and no one recognized Ethan.
From Norfen, they quickly found a carriage bound for Seilport.
But just as the city drew near, the carriage lurched to a stop.
“What’s happening?”
Elisa leaned toward the driver’s window to ask—only for the door beside her to fly open. Someone climbed inside.
“Ah—!”
Her scream caught in her throat when she saw the intruder’s face.
“It’s been a while, Miss Leslie.”
It was Prince Howard’s aide. Calmly, he exchanged a greeting with Ethan, who looked entirely unsurprised. Then he turned to Elisa.
“You came all this way because of Derek Grenville, didn’t you?”
“…How do you know that?”
The fact that he had been waiting here, as though expecting them, unsettled her.
The aide only smiled.
“That’s not what matters, Miss Leslie. What matters is that Derek Grenville knows Baron Estevan is alive.”
The words were true enough, but Elisa’s unease deepened. It felt as though he was deliberately steering the conversation away from her question.
“We have someone watching Derek’s side. So far, he hasn’t moved to report it. I suspect he sees it as his only leverage over you, so for now he’s keeping it close.”
The aide’s voice remained calm, measured.
“Still, if he decides to act, he could expose it at any moment. We need to prepare before that happens.”
Elisa could only nod. He had stripped away every argument before she could voice it.
“…So you already have a plan,” Ethan said quietly.
The aide smiled and nodded.
“Yes. Prince Howard devised a good strategy. That’s why I’m here.”
“And what is this plan?”
“One moment.”
The aide tapped the window to the driver. At once, the carriage turned sharply and began retracing its path.
“Where are we going?” Elisa demanded.
“To Belhaven. A seaside town famous for its white sands.”
“Is Prince Howard there?”
So that was it—perhaps the prince had traveled there? But the aide shook his head.
“No. His Highness remains in Seilport.”
“Then why are we going to Belhaven?”
“Because if we want to make the first move before Derek Grenville, that’s where we must go.”
“I don’t understand.”
Elisa frowned, bewildered. The aide’s grin widened.
“You’ll understand once we arrive in Belhaven.”
