Chapter 9
At the mention of magic, Ellie’s eyes widened once again.
Storn, the territory ruled by House Crowd, lay just south of the Imperial Capital, making it relatively safe from wars and monster attacks. As a result, House Crowd maintained only a small private army and had no resident mages.
Eliana had occasionally seen priests visiting Helio Monastery use healing magic on the sick, but this was the first time she had personally experienced such miraculous results.
Still dazed with wonder, she absentmindedly patted herself all over before suddenly realizing she was dressed in a spotless white nightgown.
Her eyes met the man’s.
Heat rushed to her face.
She immediately lowered her head.
“Is something bothering you? I was told your strength would return soon.”
“N-No, it’s not that…”
Feeling the man’s unwavering gaze fixed on her face only made her blush harder.
The thought that a man whose name she didn’t even know might have changed her clothes made embarrassment rise all the way to the top of her head.
Still, she couldn’t very well accuse the man who had saved her life.
“If nothing is wrong, I’ll have them bring your meal. You’ll recover faster once you’ve eaten.”
“W-Wait!”
Ellie hurriedly called out as he stood up from his chair and headed for the door.
The man silently looked back at her.
“Thank you for saving me… and for healing me as well. I’ll repay this kindness someday.”
She had no idea what had happened, but she knew she should at least express her gratitude.
She bowed deeply.
The man, however, said nothing.
Puzzled, Ellie raised her head.
She met his gaze, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
“You’ll repay me? How do you intend to do that… when you’re a runaway?”
The color drained from Ellie’s face.
“H-How do you know that…? Wait… were you sent by my father?”
“Who knows.”
“What kind of answer is that? Who exactly are you? Are you trying to take me back?”
Gripping the blanket tightly, Ellie asked in a tense voice.
Her eyes darted nervously around the room.
Could she somehow escape past a man with a body twice her size?
Just as she was considering it, his deep voice broke the silence.
“I am taking you somewhere—but not back to House Crowd. We’re going to Carlisle. By carriage, the journey will take at least half a month, so you’d better recover completely before then. Now… may I have your meal brought in?”
“…Carlisle?”
The moment he uttered the word Carlisle, she stopped hearing everything else.
Carlisle.
Carlisle.
The very name that had driven her to defy her father and run away from home.
“Did you… just say Carlisle?”
The man looked quietly at her.
The reddish glow in his eyes seemed to serve as a silent confirmation.
“You’re… from Carlisle?”
“…I’m not sure whether the ‘Carlisle’ you’re referring to means the place… or the person.”
He rose from his chair and slowly approached.
“Either way…
…the answer is yes.”
“What do you mean…?”
For a brief moment, she frowned in confusion.
Then her eyes slowly widened.
“W-Wait… then you must be…”
She couldn’t bring herself to say the words ‘the duke who’s obsessed with monsters.’
Shock spread across her face.
The man paid no attention to it.
Walking over to the bedside table, he pulled out a crumpled stack of papers and placed it beside her bed.
“You left something important behind.”
As if emphasizing the point, he tapped the papers twice with his fingers.
The wrinkled sheets looked strangely familiar.
They were the marriage contract she had crumpled up with all her strength and thrown aside before fleeing House Crowd.
“Try not to forget it this time.”
With those final words, he left the room.
Eliana stared blankly at the closed door before hastily unfolding the marriage contract he had left behind.
Tristan Carlisle.
Written in elegant handwriting, his name remained strikingly clear despite the paper’s many creases.
The strength slowly left her tightly clenched hand.
As if it weren’t enough that she had been deceived and nearly sold as a slave…
Just when she thought she had barely escaped death…
The marriage contract had returned to her once again.
This time…
Along with the man named in it.
“H… haha…”
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
It lasted only a moment before someone knocked vigorously on the door.
Still reeling from the shock, Ellie couldn’t answer.
Nevertheless, the door swung open.
“Excuse me, miss!”
A warm-looking middle-aged woman strode in carrying a tray piled high with food.
She dragged the table in front of the fireplace over beside the bed and quickly began setting out the dishes.
Ellie remained frozen in a daze, but the woman paid no mind.
Freshly baked bread, steaming stew, and beautifully grilled trout soon filled the table.
“There you go! Take your time. The food at our inn is famous all across Azulen!”
Seeing Ellie merely stare at the meal, the woman cheerfully placed a spoon into her hand.
The food smelled wonderful.
But Ellie didn’t feel capable of swallowing anything.
What had happened at the Alderon inn still lingered vividly in her mind, making it difficult to trust food placed before her.
“You’re far too skinny, so I made sure to prepare something nourishing. When I changed your clothes earlier, you looked like you were nothing but skin and bones.”
Noticing Ellie’s silent stare, the woman blinked several times before continuing.
“Oh, that’s right—I was the one who changed your clothes. Still, seeing how completely your wounds disappeared… that mage must be extraordinarily talented. At first you were practically covered in blood—oh dear. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. Go on, eat. Magic can only do so much. You still need food to regain your strength.”
Quietly listening to the woman’s nonstop chatter, Ellie felt at least one burden lift from her heart.
So it hadn’t been that man who had seen her unclothed.
For some reason, the realization made her feel pitiful.
At that very moment—
Growl…
Her stomach let out an embarrassingly loud rumble.
“See? Your body’s telling the truth! Here, give me that!”
The woman took the spoon from Ellie’s hand, scooped up a generous spoonful of stew, and held it to her lips.
Unable to refuse such determined insistence, Ellie reluctantly took a bite.
It was astonishingly delicious.
As the warm stew slid down her throat, the hunger she had long forgotten crashed over her like a flood.
It had been so long since she’d eaten a proper meal.
Throwing manners completely aside, Ellie emptied one plate after another.
When she met the innkeeper’s satisfied smile, she smiled shyly herself.
“The food is really delicious… Thank you.”
She truly couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed a meal this much.
The dining table at House Crowd had always been filled with exquisite dishes.
Yet she had never once found them delicious.
Cecilia, who subtly looked down on her whenever their father wasn’t paying attention.
Her mother, who treated her as though she didn’t even exist.
And their father, quietly sipping his wine as if none of it concerned him.
That was what Eliana remembered as a normal family meal.
“By the way… how long have I been here?”
Only now remembering that she had run away from home, Ellie stopped the innkeeper as she gathered up the empty dishes.
“Well… that remarkably handsome gentleman carried you in just after sunrise. I’d say you’ve been asleep for around twelve hours.”
The innkeeper stroked her chin thoughtfully while estimating the time.
“But that gentleman… he’s not an ordinary knight, is he? He has quite an extraordinary presence.”
“…No… I don’t think he is.”
The woman’s head tilted in confusion at Ellie’s odd reply.
Then, after telling her to get plenty of rest, she left the room.
Silence returned.
With a long sigh, Ellie looked toward the marriage contract lying off to one side.
Tristan Carlisle.
The lord of Carlisle.
The duke rumored to be obsessed with hunting monsters, so consumed by it that he supposedly returned home every day drenched in their blood.
The duke who had suddenly appeared and rescued her from Bron…
…didn’t seem quite like the terrifying rumors suggested.
His expressionless face and deep voice certainly gave him a cold impression.
But he didn’t seem like a madman.
If anything…
Her thoughts drifted briefly to his strikingly handsome features.
She quickly shook her head.
That’s not what’s important right now.
Thanks to the duke, she had survived.
But she had no idea what she was supposed to do next.
On top of that, faint fragments of memory had been surfacing ever since she woke, stirring up her mind.
Closing her eyes quietly, Eliana recalled that day.
The day she had first met him.
For some reason, that day Cecilia had invited her to accompany her to the tea party of a count’s daughter.
Since Cecilia had never once wanted to do anything together before, Eliana could easily guess her motives.
She refused several times.
As always, her opinion was ignored.
Just as she had expected, Cecilia dragged her around like a servant despite her not even owning a proper dress, allowing noble ladies her own age to openly ridicule and belittle her.
Eliana endured it all in silence.
Then, when someone happened to mention Ritberries, something completely unexpected happened.
“Hey, why don’t you go gather some Ritberries for us? Do you know how delicious juice made from fresh Ritberries is? I suddenly feel like having some.”
Cecilia looked directly at her as she spoke.
“Oh, Miss Cecilia. Really now… There aren’t any shops selling Ritberries at this time of year.”
“Shops? Goodness, no. The Arwen Forest is enormous, isn’t it? Even the Imperial Family occasionally visits it for hunting. A forest that large must have every kind of flower and berry imaginable.”
Cecilia’s eyes gleamed.
Whenever she became excited about tormenting Eliana, they always shone like that.
Ritberries only bore fruit for a short time in early spring.
Now that spring was already well underway, asking someone to find wild Ritberries was completely unreasonable.
But Eliana knew exactly what Cecilia wanted.
Without a word…
She set off into the forest.
