WHM | Chapter 57

~Chapter 57~

Eileen suddenly woke up. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but it was already bright outside.

“Mmm…”

She felt like her body wasn’t quite moving right. After shifting her body a bit, she realized she had fallen asleep sitting in an armchair.

‘…What is this?’

As she thought, something felt off. The memories from yesterday quickly came rushing back. Her foggy mind gradually started to clear…

“Cedric.”

Eileen sat up. Cedric. Yes, she had been waiting to talk to him. He hadn’t come back yet, and she had planned to go check what was going on, but somehow she had fallen asleep.

“Where is Cedric?”

This time, her voice was clearer. She understood the situation now, but she was still confused. Where had Cedric gone, and why was everything so quiet around her? It felt strange, almost unsettling.

‘I should go check.’

Her body moved on its own as she thought. Eileen quickly gathered her messy hair into a braid and started heading down the stairs.

She passed a maid working in the house, but all she could hear were the peaceful sounds of birds chirping. That felt eerie.

“Lady Cashier,” a youthful voice called out to her.

Eileen turned toward the voice, and saw a young, almost boyish knight with disheveled hair standing below her.

“Knight… I saw you yesterday…”

She hadn’t fully noticed yesterday, but now, looking at him again, he seemed unfamiliar.

She had exchanged casual greetings with many knights, but this one seemed new, or perhaps not fully a knight yet.

“Ruth. My name is Ruth. You might not know me since I haven’t been officially knighted yet, but I’ll be getting it soon. Don’t worry,” he said with bright enthusiasm.

“Ah, Ruth. I can just call you Ruth?”

He looked so young that Eileen’s voice slipped out in a tone almost like she’d talk to Diana.

Now that she thought about it, Ruth looked like he was probably about the same age as Diana, or maybe just a bit older.

“Yes. I’m not allowed to be called ‘sir,’ so just Ruth is fine.”

Despite being a mere apprentice knight, his posture was very stiff, like he was a fully trained knight. It was a bit much for Eileen, but it was clear he was eager to prove himself.

Eileen, in her usual manner, was caught off guard by his energy. However, she hadn’t been paying enough attention recently to notice all the new faces at the castle.

“Where is Cedric?”

Eileen quickly asked, pushing her curiosity about this young knight aside. She had to figure out where Cedric was.

“The lord… he left,” Ruth replied.

“He left?”

“Not exactly, but one of the soldiers Cedric captured escaped last night. I noticed it right away and reported it, and now they’re tracking the enemy down.”

“…What?” Eileen couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Ruth proudly puffed his chest, as if he were bragging about his success. It took a moment for Eileen to fully grasp what had happened.

“You don’t know about last night’s events, do you? I went to the prison, even though I wasn’t officially on patrol. I just thought I should check. When I got there, the door was open, and the guard was asleep, and the prisoner was gone. But fortunately, my mentor was nearby, so I reported it right away.”

It was hard to interrupt his excited story as he continued speaking nonstop.

“So, no one is here now? Not even Aaron?”

“Yes. They’ve sent for reinforcements, but they’re in a hurry. If the soldier warned them, they might scatter and escape.”

Eileen frowned as she looked outside, where the sun was just rising. The snow still covered the ground, and it wasn’t melting.

“It’s still covered in snow…”

“This much snow is nothing in the North. The horses are trained to move through the snow, so it’s not a problem at all.”

Ruth seemed excited, probably because he had finally been given something important to do. He was bubbling with enthusiasm.

“Oh, and there’s something Lord Cedric wanted me to pass on to you.”

Just then, Ruth pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Eileen. She immediately unfolded it.

It looked like a hurried scribble with a few rough lines, but she could still read it. It was Cedric’s handwriting.

• You can go.

Just three words. “You can go…”

“So, he figured it out before me,” Eileen thought, realizing Cedric had already made a decision, probably after speaking with Lord Rotner.

‘Did he really go to see Lady Ribbonshire in person?’ she wondered.

But even with this decision in front of her, Eileen was confused. She couldn’t believe Cedric had just left without telling her. She never expected him to just disappear.

“…He’s really just going to leave like this?” she asked, surprised by the turn of events.

Eileen had expected Cedric to be annoyed, upset, or even angry, but this was something else.

“Seriously…?” she muttered.

But then, a conflict started rising inside her. ‘Is he really not going to stay? Why?’

There was no real reason for him to stay at the Lowell estate, and in a way, this was her chance to escape from all the noise around Cedric and his family. So, why was she hesitating?

Why did she feel a bit hurt by Cedric’s decision to let her go, when she had encouraged him to do so?

It didn’t make sense. She knew it would be better to say goodbye without hesitation, but for some reason, she couldn’t picture it that way.

Had she actually gotten attached to the Lowell estate? She didn’t like the cold of the North, and she didn’t feel at home in that huge, empty castle, but still, something about leaving felt off.

Then, something clicked in her mind.

“Wait a minute.”

She suddenly remembered what Ruth had said earlier and asked, “Who is your mentor?”

“Lord Dane. He’s the best knight I know,” Ruth answered proudly.

“The best? How can you be so sure?”

Eileen’s casual question caught Ruth’s attention, and he eagerly responded, “Well, he used to follow Lord Chester, the baron. He’s the best knight, no doubt.”

“Lord Chester?”

Eileen felt a strange discomfort at this name. Lord Chester was Cedric’s only remaining blood relative, and he was always involved in things around the family. But why did it bother her now? Was it just a feeling?

“After the unpleasant event, even though I’ve become an official knight, I didn’t want to create any more dishonorable situations. So, I kept following my mentor and worked hard to earn my position.”

“Unpleasant event?” Eileen asked, confused.

“Yeah, you know, Sir Eden. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him, but Lord Cedric was trained by Lord Chester, and Sir Eden was trained by Lord Dane. They were very close.”

“…What?”

This time, Eileen’s mind was racing. What did this mean? Sir Eden, the name that seemed so familiar, was connected to her thoughts of the past.