Chapter 78
***
When Elisa left the Count of Leslie’s estate, the sky was drenched in crimson. The carriage she rode was filled with the same sunset glow.
Noah was fast asleep, his head resting on her lap, while Elisa quietly read a book. Each time she turned a page, she could feel the soft brush of the boy’s breathing against her fingertips.
After some time, Noah stirred awake, rubbing his eyes groggily.
“Did you sleep well?”
Elisa closed the book she had been reading and asked gently. Noah nodded and looked around.
“We’re on our way home. Too bad you didn’t get to say goodbye to your grandfather.”
It wasn’t just Noah she was speaking to—it was also herself. Even if they had quarreled, she had wanted to see her father’s face one last time, to at least bid him farewell.
At least I saw Mother… she thought, trying to soothe the ache in her heart as she stroked Noah’s hair.
“Move aside!”
The coachman’s sharp cry tore through the calm, and the carriage lurched violently.
“Ah!”
Startled, Elisa screamed and threw her arms around Noah.
Crash—splinters and glass shattered in every direction. The carriage, completely out of control, tipped over.
Thud! Her body slammed against the carriage wall, pain searing through her.
Shards of glass pierced her back and arm, burning as if on fire—but that wasn’t what mattered now.
“Noah, are you okay…?”
Gasping for breath, Elisa checked the child in her arms.
Noah was crying from fright, but thankfully, he didn’t seem seriously hurt.
Thank God. Thank God…
“Ugh…”
As her tension finally released, the pain returned with full force.
Elisa groaned, and Noah, terrified, clung to her collar, tears streaming down his cheeks.
She wanted to tell him she was fine, that he shouldn’t cry—but no voice came out. Her consciousness began to fade, but she gritted her teeth. She had to protect Noah.
“Young Lady! Are you all right, Young Lady?”
The coachman’s voice came from the broken door.
“Save Noah! Please—save Noah!”
Elisa forced out the words with every ounce of strength left in her. She wasn’t sure if he heard her, but then the door creaked open. The coachman’s forehead was bleeding, but he reached inside.
“Give the young master to me!”
“Noah, take the coachman’s hand.”
Noah shook his head, refusing to leave her arms.
“It’s okay. It’s all right. Go on…”
Perhaps he felt her desperate plea, for Noah finally reached out toward the coachman.
The man pulled him out at once.
Only then did Elisa allow her eyes to close.
Darkness swallowed everything.
***
When Ethan heard that Elisa and Noah had been in a carriage accident and were hospitalized, he rushed there immediately.
Conrad, who had been discussing the trip to Karsten with him, came along as well.
“Master!”
The coachman standing outside the ward bowed deeply as Ethan arrived. He, too, was injured—bandages wrapped around his head and arm.
Ethan patted his shoulder and stepped into the room.
“You’re here?”
Elisa smiled and waved from the bed. Beside her, Noah was happily licking a lollipop.
“Are you all right?”
Ethan quickly approached and checked them both. Elisa had bandages around her arm and chest, while Noah only had a small scratch on his arm.
“How bad is it?”
“Hey!”
When Ethan reached to check beneath the bandages, Elisa’s face turned crimson, and she frantically pushed his hand away.
“I’m fine. Just go handle the discharge papers.”
“No. You’re staying until you’re fully recovered.”
“That’s ridiculous! We have to leave for Karsten tomorrow.”
“I’ll go ahead. You can come once you’re better.”
Elisa frowned deeply. She’d suspected he might say that when he insisted she stay in the hospital—and of course, she’d been right.
“No. I’m going with you.”
“You’re injured. Don’t be stubborn.”
“I’m not being stubborn. It’s just a few scratches. Staying in bed makes less sense.”
“Then the doctor wouldn’t have hospitalized you.”
As the two bickered back and forth, Noah watched them silently. Then, when the door opened, he turned his head.
It was Conrad.
“I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt.”
He ruffled Noah’s hair affectionately before sighing at the childish pair still arguing beside the bed.
“You’re setting a bad example for the child. Enough, both of you.”
Since neither showed signs of stopping, Conrad finally had to intervene.
Realizing Noah was watching, both Ethan and Elisa fell quiet.
“I heard what happened from the coachman,” Conrad said, pulling up a chair. “He said a strange man on horseback charged straight at the carriage, causing the crash. Is that correct?”
Ethan froze. He’d heard this kind of thing before.
“I didn’t see what happened,” Elisa said. “Noah and I were inside, but that’s what the coachman told me.”
“And that the man leapt over the falling carriage like an acrobat?”
“Yes. I only heard that as well.”
As they spoke, Ethan’s expression darkened, hardening with fury. Noah, sensing the tension, tugged on his sleeve.
“What’s wrong, Ethan?”
Elisa noticed too and asked softly. Conrad’s gaze followed.
Ethan was silent for a while, deep in thought.
Then he exhaled slowly, rubbing his face before turning to Conrad.
“I need to talk to you.”
Ethan took Conrad and the coachman into the empty corridor.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
The coachman swallowed nervously. “A man in a black hood ran straight toward us. I shouted for him to move, but he didn’t—he kept coming…”
He described everything, his face pale. When he finished, Ethan nodded curtly, dismissing him.
Even after the man left, Ethan stood in grim silence. His expression was so dark it looked like he could kill someone.
“Do you have any idea who it might be?” Conrad asked. He already suspected Ethan did.
Ethan gave a stiff nod. “It’s likely… Derek Grenville.”
“Do you have proof?”
Ethan nodded again and recounted the Amor River Festival—when Derek had caused a carriage accident to keep Elisa from meeting someone.
“So he’s repeating the same stunt for revenge?”
“Yes. He probably wanted to stop Elisa from going to Karsten.”
It was a miracle she wasn’t more seriously hurt. She could have died.
I’ll never forgive him.
Ethan’s fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged along his arms.
“If you’re thinking of confronting Derek Grenville,” Conrad said firmly, “you shouldn’t.”
Ethan glared at him, frowning.
“My guess is that’s exactly what he wants—to anger you enough to come after him.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“People trusted you during the nobility scandal because you were the hero who saved the Alliance. But if that same hero gets involved in a violent incident, that trust will vanish.”
“I don’t need their trust.”
“Maybe not. But Elisa and Noah do. Without it, they’ll never be able to return to the capital.”
That hit him where it hurt most. Ethan fell silent.
“So,” Conrad concluded, “it’s best to let this go and proceed to Karsten as planned.”
After much thought, Ethan finally agreed and signed the discharge papers. Conrad’s reasoning made sense—and taking Elisa and Noah with him would be safer than leaving them behind where Derek lurked.
Still, he was uneasy about Elisa’s injuries, so he pressured Prince Howard into granting them one more day before departure.
“If you feel any pain, tell me immediately,” he said for the tenth time.
“I know, I know. Stop hovering.”
Elisa swatted him away like a fly. He’d repeated it so often her ears might start bleeding.
Their train tickets—arranged by the king himself—were first class.
Settled into a plush seat, Elisa took out a small notebook. Inside was a checklist of things to pack and tasks to finish before leaving. She went through them one by one, crossing them out—until she reached the last item.
Say goodbye to my parents.
I saw Mother… but not Father.
Her sigh was heavy as she gazed out the window—then her eyes widened.
“Father?”
She blinked, thinking she imagined it, but no—it was him. At the far end of the platform stood her father, the Count of Leslie.
He’d said he never wanted to see her again. So why was he here?
Catching her gaze, the Count awkwardly cleared his throat and gave a short wave.
Elisa shot to her feet, wanting to rush off the train to him—but it was already pulling away.
As the train picked up speed, his figure grew smaller and smaller.
So this really is… goodbye.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked, noticing her sudden stillness. Noah, too, looked up at her with wide eyes.
“…It’s nothing.”
Elisa shook her head lightly and sat back down.
She smoothed the slightly crumpled checklist and, with quiet resolve, drew two lines through the final item she hadn’t been able to cross out before.
awww 🥹