“Mistress."
“Luci, lion...?"
When I turned my head, I saw Lucilion with a pale face. I let out a short sigh.
“Yes, it seems urgent..."
“Ah."
“I delivered the letter to the red dragon and told the white fox that everything was fine."
“Yes, thank you. But you must leave immediately."
“Yes, I'm already on my way."
Lucilion hoisted Enosh onto his back.
Because he had been sick for a long time, Enosh, despite being 12 years old, was smaller than Lucilion, who was around 10 years old, and he leaned helplessly on Lucilion's back.
“Ha, being carried on the back of a worthless squire who stinks of sweat..."
Even in this situation, he still talks like this...
“Where should I take him?"
“To the guards... imperial palace..."
Enosh, who had been answering Lucilion's question without changing his expression, lowered his head, unable to finish his words.
“Hey! Enosh!"
Man, don't die here!
I shook him a bit and called him, but there was no response.
Lucilion emitted the white light again, but unlike before, it had no significant effect.
...I need to hurry, Mistress.
There are too many people around.
If I go with them, their speed will be slower, and the chances of getting caught will increase.
“Go ahead."
“Mistress."
“I'll wait here. Can you put up a barrier like before?"
...Yes, the power surrounding this shield isn't magical, but mages aren't aware of it. It's invisible to anyone, so as long as you don't make any sound, they probably won't notice.
He looked back and forth between me and Enosh on his back for a moment, then let out a short sigh.
“Originally, I'd like to be by my Mistress's side, but..."
He slowly lowered his gaze.
“Because my Mistress wishes it, I'll go and come back soon."
“Yes."
Lucilion's blue eyes seemed to grow deeper for a moment, but it disappeared in an instant.
The bush swayed slightly. It was clear that he had probably used some kind of invisibility method, similar to the shield.
I let out a deep sigh, leaned my back against the tree, and hugged my knees.
If I had received and read it safely, I would develop it immediately.
I noted down all the ingredients, so I only need to find a combination, but I wondered if it would be possible to do it right away if it were Callan Etham.
Is it because I'm in the capital?
It seems I keep getting tangled up in strange things.
I think it would be good for my mental health to return to the orphanage...
Separating from Richard will be a problem, but...
Hmm, should I ask him to go somewhere the heroine might be?
That way, he won't be interested in me anymore.
By the way, the heroine doesn't seem to have been kidnapped today...
Anyway, both Richard and Lucilion will fall in love with the heroine when they meet her.
Because that's their destiny.
Originally, it was supposed to be the heroine, not me, who would be kidnapped here, and it was also supposed to be the heroine who would meet Enosh.
Subsequently, the two become friends until Enosh dies.
To Enosh..., the female protagonist was not liked as a member of the opposite sex. However, he liked her as a friend.
I'm tired.
Just when I buried my face between my knees.
Crack-
My ears perked up at the sound. I slowly raised my head, holding my breath as much as I could.
As soon as I saw the person who turned the corner and appeared at a short distance, my breath stopped.
It was a man wearing a red dragon mask.
In one hand, he was tightly gripping the envelope and paper, which I had clearly written. It looked as crumpled as my future.
He was approaching me.
It was hard to guess what he was thinking because he was wearing a mask, and his expression was not visible.
Did he come to find me...?
No way.
Erno Etham isn't that passionate, right?
Did I say something too presumptuous?
No, it didn't seem like any of that was in the letter.
Was my handwriting too bad?
I still have small hands and don't know the stroke order, so I wrote it clumsily. Even so... the writing was large and crooked.
It felt like a combination of Thai and Latin, so maybe he couldn't understand it.
Or is it because I didn't write the source of the information?
Obviously, he can't trust information from an unknown source, so he must have gone to verify it.
In this case, there was a high probability that he had come to find Lucilion.
...Why on earth...?
Is he looking for me because he's displeased?
The man in the red dragon mask came closer and closer. Just in case, I raised my hand and covered my nose and mouth.
I couldn't even breathe.
Erno Etham's sensitivity has been described several times in the novel, so if I do something wrong, he will definitely discover me.
“The tracks lead here..."
I closed my eyes at the sound of his cold voice.
It wasn't the low, smooth voice I had always heard. It was a very cold voice, as if he were walking barefoot on ice.
I had closed my mouth so tightly that I was suffocating.
My face turned red, and I wanted to twist my entire body, but I couldn't breathe because he didn't move away from the area.
'No, no. If I do this, I'll suffocate and die first."
I closed my eyes tightly and bit my tongue, hoping he would leave as soon as possible.
"Please..."
Erno Etham slowly turned around, retracing his steps.
The moment he turned the corner, I removed my hand from my mouth and took a deep breath.
“Phew..."
At least it was a breath I managed to exhale, keeping my voice as muted as possible in case he heard.
He and I were several meters apart, so he probably couldn't hear it.
But at that moment, Erno Etham's footsteps stopped.
And he turned around.
Then, he began walking towards me again.
I quickly raised my hand again and covered my nose and mouth.
The trampled grass seemed to be somehow observing me. Goosebumps ran down my back from fear.
This time, he was right in front of me.
“Why...?"
He slowly opened his mouth.
“Why are you hiding?"
The words scattered in the air contained information that I didn't know who it was meant for.
His voice had been cold until now, but now it had softened a lot and sounded as smooth as a carpet.
I rolled my eyes.
Is he looking for Lucilion?
It was clear that he had noticed that someone was here.
However, Erno Etham, as written in the novel, would have made a mess around here to find Lucilion.
But he hadn't unsheathed his sword or released his mana.
“Don't you want to see me?"
“......"
“Did I scare you?"
“......"
Somehow, I don't think he's talking about Lucilion.
“.... Eirin."
“Ah...."
Oops, without realizing it, I let go of my hand and took a deep breath.
He must have known where I was. If not, he must have sensed that someone was here.
How did he figure out it was me?
It was just one inhalation from a distance of only a few hundred meters.
"Should I run?"
If I turn around and flee like this... I will definitely be caught. That didn't sound like a good idea.
It would be nice if Lucilion appeared and pretended to be the one who was actually hiding...
No way...!
Erno Etham is not foolish and cannot be deceived.
So, how can I overcome this difficulty?
After all, do I have no choice but to face him? If that's the case, I at least want to do it while Lucilion is nearby...
“Now, do you hate me...?"
The low voice sank heavily.
“Eirin, answer me."
“......
When I slowly raised my head to confront the voice I had been ignoring, he was looking directly at me.
"When did the protective shield disappear...?"
My fleeting thoughts faded away the moment Erno Etham knelt in front of me.
I slowly shook my head with a blank expression.
“You... called me daddy."
“......"
“I decided to make you my daughter."
“......"
“I decided to make you my daughter. Didn't you like that?"
When our eyes met, I shook my head.
“No... I didn't hate it..."
However, I'm not any of that.
I didn't have Etham blood, and I didn't have great power; I was just an insignificant Suin lizard.
“Then stay with me."
He said.
“Don't go away..."
Erno Etham extended his hand to me slowly, just as he did back then when I had turned into a lizard.
"...Oh, so this person extended his hand back then."
The belated realization hit me in the back of the head.
