Chapter 115
“Check it.”
Kalcion glanced at the two guards standing next to the carriage.
The two, who were attached as escorts, immediately drew their swords and entered the alley at Kalcion’s command. As soon as they entered the alley where the scuffle was taking place, they recognized one of them was a familiar face.
It was the search party that was sent to find Juna.
The other side that was fighting them was equally familiar. The way they moved or the way they protected their bodies. It was the same as the assassin who tried to kill Selina and the assassin who shot an arrow at Count Orlen.
After quickly assessing the situation, the two guards immediately jumped into the scuffle. In the midst of a tight fight, the two intervened, and victory and defeat were quickly decided.
As soon as they realized they were out of luck, the assassins scattered in all directions.
Two went in pursuit, and the others cleared the situation by giving a glance at each other. It was a fierce battle, but the skills of both sides were equally outstanding, so they could not inflict injuries. It was because there was no gap enough to inflict fatal wounds on each other.
The guards saw Juna crushed in the corner of an alley and raised her up.
“Kyaaaak! Save me! It’s my fault! Please, forgive me!”
The struggling Juna, covered in tears and snot, was pulled out of the alley by the guards.
Juna soon knelt in front of the carriage in which Selina was riding. They just put her there, but her legs gave out, and she collapsed.
The carriage door opened, and Selina crossed her legs in her seat, looking down at Juna. She was already crouching on the ground, but the moment she saw Selina’s face, Juna lowered herself even further.
“Sa-save me! Please forgive me!”
The pale Juna begged. Her body, lying on her stomach, trembled.
Looking at her appearance, it seemed to show the hardships she had been facing. It was probably unknown if Juna had slept or eaten, let alone washed. In just a few days, she looked like a beggar that was going to die.
The body, which was covered in dirt and filth, looked like murky soup would flow just by getting water sprayed on her. Even though she was far away, she could smell the sourness from Juna. Still, there didn’t seem to be any injuries anywhere so she wasn’t particularly sympathetic.
“What’s the point of running away so cunningly?”
“I-I ran away to live, really!”
“Who wants to kill you?”
“Miss Selina won’t kill me! However, someone else might come to kill me!”
“I think it would be much safer at the Renbird’s mansion than wandering the streets like that. But well, if you think so.”
Selina eagerly tried to close the door of the carriage. Though Juna, who had crawled across the floor of the carriage and got entangled in the carriage, grabbed the door and clung to it.
“Oh, no! Right! Miss Selina is right!”
“What’s wrong with you? I’m letting you go. Go where you want to go.”
“No…! I want to go to the Renbird mansion! Even if you lock me up, I’ll be quietly locked up! I won’t even dream of leaving!”
Confinement now was protection. Despite this, she continued to paraphrase her words in favor.
Although it was out of necessity, Juna was Irell’s closest confidant. She may have seen many things others did not. She probably didn’t consider it important herself and skipped over many of those things.
For that reason, Juna was an advantageous hand to hold. Selina was going to take her to the mansion anyway, but when Juna obediently listened to her as Selina wanted, her stomach got twisted.
“Why-why don’t you go and tell Lirel the same thing? You’ve been loyal for so long, can’t she just keep you locked up?”
“No! Miss Lirel would do nothing but kill me. Uhhuu…”
“Why would Lirel kill you? You are a good loyalist with great acting skills.”
“I don’t know! How can I know what’s inside the Lady? Is it because I know too much…? I went near the mansion, but when I heard that the soldiers were looking for me to kill me, I immediately ran away.”
Listening to what the soldiers said, it was not a hasty guess to say that Lirel gave the order. The authenticity could be discussed later, but if true, Juna has become an outcast even in Lirel’s eyes. Then, the one more reason for Selina to take good care of Juna had disappeared.
“It seems Lirel is also very fickle. By the way, do I have to save you because you’re pretty? Didn’t I already save you once before?”
Juna was caught while running away though it was an undeniable fact that Selina saved her. Selina became more condescending.
“Please, save me one more time!”
“What will you do if I save you?”
“Anything!”
“Well…”
Selina looked troubled, and Juna’s eyes shone even more eagerly.
“I will really become Miss Selina’s loyalist from now on! Whatever you ask me to do!”
“I don’t need it.”
She smiled and refused.
“Yes…?”
At this point, she thought Selina would accept her. After being hit in the back of her head, Juna looked dazed. Even her hands, which had been grabbing the carriage, were drained of strength. That was what betraying people’s trust was like.
Selina looked at Juna with cold eyes.
“How can I trust you and make you work again? You have nothing to do now.”
“That, that, that—”
“Even so, what? You’re useless to me now?”
“I’m useful! There will be some use of me…!”
“Which one? Where?”
“I have something very important! I’ll give you that!”
She was about to get Juna into slavery and accept her, but she suddenly brought up a completely unexpected story.
“What do you have?”
“Well, I can’t tell you that right now…”
Again, Juna was looking at an opportunity. She hated it so much that she even thought about throwing her away.
“No, I’m not saying it on purpose. Seriously, anyone who hears will die…”
Even as Juna spoke, her eyes glanced around, were tinged with fear. It didn’t seem like a lie. When Selina didn’t want to follow her willingly, it was Juna who got impatient.
“I said it was very important that it could cause a stir if it came out into the world. At least, enough to send some people flying!”
“Is this a joke?”
Hearing it, it was not like Juna was threading the waters.
“Show it to me, then. If you can’t talk, just show it yourself.”
Selina held out her hand towards Juna.
“Not now.”
But this time, she kept her mouth shut and shook her head.
As Selina asked more, she shifted her weight to the side. Seeing her reaction, it really made Juna want to cry. Selina really won’t let her go to the mansion, even by gritting her teeth.
“Then when?”
“Can, can we go to the mansion and talk slowly for now?”
Juna watched like a mouse hiding in a hole. She was desperately looking for a way to live. No more squabbles on the street. Selina pretended to give up and made a chin gesture. Once they go to the mansion, whether she hid or lied down, she wouldn’t be able to leave.
“Ride next to the coachman. Oh, what is this curiosity?”
“Thank you!”
Fearing that Selina might change her mind in the meantime, Juna moved and quickly rode beside her coachman.
“Ugh, the Miss’ smell…”
She could hear the coachman’s anguish, but she couldn’t put Juna in the carriage.
* * *
When she arrived at the mansion with Juna, who looked like a beggar, everyone in the mansion clicked their tongues. It was the perfect misunderstanding that Selina dragged her after rolling in the gutter.
Selina made her way to a small room, tightened her stomach, and spoke.
“You would be punished for tampering with your master’s property, and then stealing the master’s property and running away…”
“When did I…!”
“…As expected, should I kill you?”
“…I did. I must have gone crazy and forgotten. I stole everything and ran away. Please, just save me.”
She had to make Juna a sinner in order to keep her in the mansion for a while. Rather than talking about being a spy of a certain family, the maid who stole the master’s things and ran away was more realistic.
Juna jumped reflexively and covered herself in mud, but it was a thousand times better off than dying.
Soon, she was placed in a small room. It was an abandoned room with a window the size of a palm, unable to be used as storage because of the humidity. In the dark and shady, Juna opened her frightened eyes.
“Okay, now that we’re at the mansion, shall we talk quietly? You can give it right away.”
“I don’t have it right now.”
“Huh, all your answers are like that.”
“It’s true. I hid it on the way to Renbird. They might have taken it away from me.”
“So, where is it?”
Juna confided that she had hidden it near the first village she stopped by over the border of Renbird, but she said it would be hard to find unless it was her. It was because she knew that she couldn’t live forever while imprisoned in the mansion and that she would have to go to the Renbird estate to live because she was already being chased.
The day was not far off when she would return to Renbird anyway.
“If I couldn’t find it there, or if it was nonsense…”
“No! Absolutely not! It’s really true…!”
“I know I will bury you in the spot I couldn’t find. Never forget that you are now in front of the Duke Renbird, who can actually do it.”
The Duke of the North’s notoriety wasn’t just in Selina’s head. As soon as Juna heard her words, her face became pale as if even the last drop of blood had disappeared.
“Even if it’s not intentional, but was really lost?”
“Is that my business?”
Selina smiled kindly.
Juna looked at her with a lot of resentment. Half of her eyes were swearing. Of course, Selina didn’t even budge.
“So, what is it?”
Now, she could ask.
Juna swallowed a gulp with a determined look before eventually opening her mouth.
“It’s Lady Irell’s will.”
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