Chapter 8
The information had come so suddenly that Eila needed a moment to sort out her thoughts.
Hiding behind an old cabinet in the hallway, she crouched down, hugging her training uniform as she fell deep into thought.
Laura called Cloud “Uncle.”
That meant Cloud’s older brother was Laura’s father.
She had never known that.
None of them had ever shown even the slightest hint of it in front of her.
Only then did she finally remember who the other voice belonged to.
It was Laura’s mother, who had taken care of her when she was little.
It had been so long that she couldn’t remember the woman’s name.
Although, from the perspective of her twelve-year-old self, it had only been a few years ago, eighteen-year-old Eila felt as though it had happened ages ago.
And… Laura said her father died at my father’s hands.
So that was why Laura had always treated her so harshly.
She had never imagined there was a reason like that behind it.
Even so, Eila couldn’t forgive them for deceiving and using her.
She wasn’t that kind-hearted.
No…
If someone could go through something so terrible and still forgive the people who had manipulated them simply because they understood their circumstances…
That wasn’t kindness.
That was foolishness.
“I’ll go back to our lord now, Sister-in-law. Tomorrow’s journey will be difficult, so you should get some rest. You too, Laura.”
She heard Cloud opening the door.
Her thoughts were still a mess, but she couldn’t stay hidden in the hallway forever.
Pressing herself tightly against the wall, she quietly watched.
Not long after Cloud left, Laura and her mother also returned to their bedroom.
Only after their footsteps faded away did Eila hurry over, slip her training uniform back into the pile of laundry, and return to her own room.
Back in her room, she lay staring at the faint outline of the ceiling in the darkness.
Sleep refused to come.
The conversation between Cloud, Laura, and Laura’s mother kept replaying in her mind.
She knew tomorrow would be a difficult journey.
She knew she needed to sleep.
Yet one question kept circling endlessly through her thoughts.
Just what happened between Byron and Father?
In her previous life, she had completely believed Byron’s story—that Duke Roderick Weisshafen had falsely accused him, forcing him to live in hiding.
Now she knew Byron had lied to her.
But because she still didn’t know the full truth, her mind remained troubled.
Father… killed someone?
The Roderick she had lived with for two years had seemed stern at first glance.
Yet toward Ophelia and Eila, he had always been warm and gentle.
Of course, he was a Swordmaster and the commander of the Weisshafen Knights, the guardians of the Peles Empire.
He had surely cut down countless enemies on the battlefield.
But…
What if Byron was telling the truth?
What if Father really is a villain…?
No.
That couldn’t be.
And even if Byron’s story were true…
It didn’t matter.
It wouldn’t change the fact that Byron and his followers had deceived and used her.
They had kidnapped a two-year-old child from her parents.
Raised her according to their own wishes.
Then turned her into the weapon that would kill those very parents.
Only a true demon could do something like that.
Father… Mother…
Eila clutched the blanket tightly with both hands.
A crushing loneliness suddenly washed over her.
It was almost unbearable.
It was a long night.
“Miss, wake up. Miss.”
Laura’s voice pulled Eila’s drifting consciousness back from sleep.
She had cried into her pillow until late into the night, so waking up was difficult.
Her swollen eyelids refused to open.
“Oh dear, how awful. Your eyes are so swollen. Master will be shocked if he sees you like this. Hurry up. If you don’t get up now, we’ll leave without you.”
Laura sharply pulled away the blanket.
Still half-asleep, Eila wasn’t even angry.
She simply sat up blankly on the bed.
“Here. Drink some cold water. It’ll wake you up.”
Laura handed her a cup.
After drinking the cool water, she really did feel more awake.
Once she washed her face and changed clothes, she was nearly ready to leave.
Only one thing remained.
She had to put on a hat that completely covered her hair.
“You know you must never take off your hat until we reach a safe place, right?”
“Yes.”
Laura tied the strings beneath Eila’s chin.
It was the same warning she gave every time they moved.
Thinking about it now, it had clearly been to hide Eila’s silver hair.
Silver hair was rare.
Wearing a frilly bonnet and a cute flowing dress she normally never wore made her look exactly like the spoiled daughter of a wealthy merchant.
Apparently, this time they were disguising themselves as a merchant caravan protected by mercenaries.
The clothes always changed depending on the disguise.
Most often, they pretended to be traveling gypsies or wealthy merchants.
Together with Laura, Eila climbed into the small carriage at the very end of the procession.
It was a crude, shabby carriage.
They claimed it couldn’t be helped because of their circumstances.
Even so, Eila was certain Byron’s own carriage remained luxurious as ever.
When she sat down, she noticed Laura’s mother sitting across from her.
At first, she hadn’t remembered her well.
But after thinking about it repeatedly, the name slowly returned to her.
Capella.
Not long afterward, the caravan set off.
The rough forest road hadn’t been properly maintained, making the carriage shake violently.
Laura, who easily got motion sickness, quickly frowned.
“I’m going to rest for a while. Please don’t talk to me.”
“Okay.”
They had never been particularly close or chatty to begin with.
Still, Laura unnecessarily announced it before closing her eyes.
Eila turned away from her and watched the endless forest rushing past outside the window.
Nothing but trees stretched as far as she could see.
Yet somehow, the peaceful scenery calmed her thoughts.
After traveling for some time…
They still hadn’t escaped the vast forest.
But since night had fallen, they stopped to make camp.
Having spent the entire day cramped inside the tiny carriage, Eila stretched as she climbed down.
Only then did the stiffness in her body begin to ease.
After eating a simple meal, she entered the small tent she shared with Laura and finally removed the hat she had worn all day.
It was already hot because of the summer weather.
Wearing a hat on top of that had been miserable.
Water was precious while camping.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—someone remained obsessed with her hair.
Laura fetched water.
Just to wash Eila’s hair.
Perhaps exhausted from the long journey, Laura didn’t say a single word while washing it.
Eila welcomed the silence.
She also remained quiet.
The tent was filled with nothing but silence.
After carefully drying her hair, both girls crawled into their sleeping bags without another word.
As they lay side by side trying to fall asleep, Eila remembered the conversation she had overheard the previous night.
Looking at it that way…
Laura possessed incredible patience too.
Serving the daughter of the man she believed had killed her father couldn’t have been easy.
Every time Eila saw Byron, she calmed her anger only by imagining countless ways to kill him.
Perhaps Laura looked at her with those same thoughts.
The idea made Eila laugh softly.
What a pathetic sight.
Two people deceiving each other.
Both wearing heavy masks.
Sleeping side by side beneath the same roof.
The only unfortunate thing was that Eila alone knew how ironic it all was.
Laura had already fallen asleep, breathing softly beside her.
Eila quietly watched her sleeping face for a long time.
It looked so peaceful.
No one would ever guess it belonged to a girl who had lived every day consumed by thoughts of avenging her father.
As she continued watching Laura in the darkness, Eila herself eventually drifted off to sleep.
The carriage carrying Eila traveled for several more days.
Even after leaving the forest, they continued along deserted roads before finally reaching their destination.
Their new hideout was an ancient ruin surrounded by crumbling stone walls.
The unusual stone buildings were said to be remnants of an ancient civilization.
Ruins like these were scattered throughout the Peles Empire.
They belonged to the ancient people whose civilization had supposedly been destroyed during an ice age, when rivers and seas froze solid and every plant withered away.
Most people hated even going near such ruins.
They believed the ancients had left behind terrible curses.
Occasionally undead monsters did appear in places like these.
But such cases were rare.
Most ruins had long since become hideouts for bandits or cultists.
Which made them perfect shelters for fugitives like Byron.
Right… We stayed somewhere like this before.
Looking at the ancient walls covered with moss and climbing vines, Eila gently closed her eyes as memories resurfaced.
After moving from place to place so many times, most hideouts had blurred together in her memory.
But this place…
This one was different.
It had remained unforgettable.
