Chapter 227: Side Story 19

Chapter 227: Side Story 19

Sabina had tried everything to break his will.

She had indulged in luxury, starved herself, and even tried to find an escape route, only to be caught by Tristan.

In a panic, she put a sword to his neck, threatening to kill him if he didn't let her go.

'But instead, he found it more amusing.'

Because of that, Sabina had to feel the unpleasant sensation of becoming like a clown.

Throughout all her desperate efforts, Tristan strangely did not take any action.

Which made her suspicious.

'It was his proposed bet. He must have been confident that he could beat me.'

But why didn't he move?

Moreover, with only a week left, why did he head to the royal palace saying he had to investigate something? Was he just being complacent?

Or maybe...

'Is him leaving the Grand Duke's castle when the betting period is almost over a trap?'

She couldn't stand the anxiety, always waiting to escape.

The reason was obvious.

To toy with her.

'That's so like him.'

Every time Sabina saw Tristan, she felt like he was like a broken vessel.

A shattered vessel couldn't be returned to its original state no matter how much you tried to piece it together.

Moreover, it couldn't hold anything. It would just leak out.

Break the will of such a person?

'Facing those eyes glittering with madness, all my willpower crumbles.'

It wasn't out of fear.

It was because he was someone who just didn't understand.

'He feels like a completely different species.'

If there was a way to avoid him and escape safely, she wanted to take it.

'But it's too intricate...'

Sabina actually knew.

No matter what she did, Tristan wouldn't show any reaction.

Of course.

Would a madman who asks to be killed even blink an eye when a sword is put to his neck?

Rather...

"Sorry, but I won't die from something like this."

He pushed away the blade of her sword with the tip of his finger and licked his lips with a smile.

With a playful attitude.

His expression didn't show even the slightest impact.

From that moment, Sabina decided.

Just ignore the madman and focus on escaping.

'If I manage to escape and avoid being caught, he will eventually give up.'

The guy who rambled nonsense about surrendering to Sabina because it was too bothersome to find a new bride.

He would probably give up after a bit of searching.

Sabina decided to add the trouble of finding a new bride to him.

'...Even though that's not satisfying enough.'

Wouldn't that just create another victim?

'Forget it. Am I in a position to care about others now?'

I have to survive first.

Having finished her thoughts, Sabina asked Dana, who had brought her the news.

"But isn't the royal palace quite far from here? It would take about two weeks back and forth by carriage."

"There are mages from the Mage Tower in the Valentine estate. They can use teleportation magic to reach the royal palace in an instant."

"I see."

In fact, she already knew this information from the butler William.

But Sabina pretended to be surprised as if hearing it for the first time.

"Teleportation magic... Impressive, but usually, when going to the royal palace, don't they take many attendants? It seems difficult for all those people to teleport at once."

"That's true."

Dana, already worried about that aspect, sighed deeply and said,

"Normally, His Grace prefers to go to the royal palace alone, but His Majesty has commanded to come with a proper entourage when summoned for an audience."

She knew very well that the Emperor was a stickler... no, someone who valued principles, old-fashioned manners, and order.

Count Valois often grumbled about it too.

However, it seemed completely out of character for the Grand Prince to listen to someone else's words...

"It's unexpected. He actually listened."

"If he didn't, he would be bothered even more, so he said it's necessary to compromise to some extent to coexist under the same sky."

"That means..."

"Yes, he said it would be troublesome because if he became a rebel, he would have to become the Emperor after killing the current one, and that would be even more bothersome."

Dana sighed and shook her head.

It was a different side of Dana.

Sabina had thought of her as purely gentle and kind, but being a Valentine, her words were quite direct and unreserved.

"He really hates troublesome matters to an extraordinary degree."

The more she knew about him, the more absurd he seemed, but it was fortunate.

Sabina thought that if she disappeared, he wouldn't bother to find her.

'But for someone who hates trouble, he went to the extent of making a bet with me, which seems like a self-invited hassle.'

Why, though?

She had doubts, but Sabina decided not to be curious anymore.

How could she understand the mind of a madman?

He probably did it to crush her more definitively.

"Thanks for telling me."

"Eh, it's nothing. Now, I will leave. Have a peaceful night."

"Yes, Dana, have sweet dreams too."

"Oh my..."

Dana blushed for a moment as she looked up at Sabina, then left with a soft laugh.

Sabina waited until she could no longer hear Dana's footsteps.

When only the sound of the crackling firewood filled the room, she quickly pulled out a bag from under her bed.

'I've packed everything.'

All she needed to do was safely escape from the Ingo Mountains.

'It's possible.'

Sabina had previously experienced a strange phenomenon of walking in circles in the same place while lost in the Ingo Mountains.

It was actually due to an illusionary barrier set up by the mages.

'To cast magic over the entire range of the mountains must be immense.'

She didn't know much about magic, but she understood the universal principles.

Maintaining a powerful spell over such a vast area with limited mana seemed unlikely.

There had to be a weakness somewhere.

And Dana's worried demeanor earlier gave her confidence.

'While they're using mana to teleport a large group of people and during its recovery, other spells must weaken relatively.'

Especially a barrier that had to be maintained 24/7 without a moment's lapse.

If someone asked if it was just speculation, she had no answer.

It was, to some extent, a speculation.

But what really reinforced Sabina's guess was something that happened that night.

The morning after she heard a terrible scream from the secluded palace where the Grand Duke Valentine was imprisoned.

Sabina heard the conversation of the maids who came to tidy her room.

"Did you hear the scream last night?"

It was information she'd rather not know.

She wanted to dismiss it as a hallucination or a dream.

Lying in bed, missing the timing to get up, Sabina wondered whether to reveal she was awake or not.

That was until she heard what the maid said next.

"I heard the kids working in the secluded palace died, obviously. It's been the talk of the day."

"They were desperate not to be assigned to the secluded palace for a reason."

"But why did they die? I don't understand. It's not like they were new to working there."

"The barrier broke."

"What?"

"The barrier?"

The maids glanced at Sabina, who they thought was asleep, and whispered even lower.

"Actually, the mages from the Mage Tower came because of the barrier at the secluded palace, right? But it broke?"

"That's right, it seems even the mages couldn't handle His Grace."

"What? That's really serious."

"Even so, they say that the secluded palace is protected by several layers of barriers, so His Grace won't be able to leave the palace at all."

"Is that supposed to be a relief..."

The maids sighed in relief but couldn't fully hide their anxiety.

"I heard from a mage, that's why the barrier around the Ingo Mountains is relatively weak. If you know the trick, even ordinary people can break through it."

"Is that really okay? What if there's an invasion from outside..."

"It's the Valentines, after all. Few would dare to invade, and they also have to contend with the beasts of the Ingo Mountains."

And they would have to deal with His Grace as well.

Hearing the last comment added by the maid, the rest of them became solemn.

Sabina, pretending to be asleep, was annoyed but inwardly agreed.

In that sense, the Valentines were an impregnable fortress.

'So, if only the Grand Prince weren't there, it might be manageable.'

It was a weakness born from relying too much on the Grand Prince.

Resolved, Sabina shook off her thoughts and climbed over the terrace railing.

She carefully stepped on the protruding pieces of the building's exterior wall and descended.

After lightly landing on the grass, Sabina held her breath and surveyed the surroundings.

There was no one.

She already knew this since she had been checking the servants' movements from her window every day.

That was when she felt it.

Sabina drew her sword at the presence she felt behind her.

Was it impossible to avoid detection even after understanding their movements...? As she thought this...

"What..."

It was a wolf.

The fearsomely large wolf she had seen in the Ingo Mountains.

Sabina now knew that it belonged to the Grand Prince.

"Going to tell your master?"

She let out a hollow laugh and sheathed her sword, feeling somewhat deflated.

She knew the well-trained wolf wouldn't attack her.

"Grrr..."

But the wolf growled lowly.

It lowered its body to the ground, its silver eyes, so like its master's, glaring fiercely, as if ready to pounce...

'Did it notice that I was trying to escape?'

To offer her up to its master? Sabina was pondering whether to draw her sword again, her hand on its hilt, when suddenly...

"Hey!"

The wolf abruptly struck Sabina, making her lose her balance, and then carried her on its back, starting to run.

"No, you crazy wolf!"

The wolf must be out of its mind, just like its master!

Sabina reflexively wrapped her arms around the wolf's thick neck to avoid falling off.

After running for what seemed like forever...

"Huff, huff."

Sabina gasped for breath and finally managed to get off the wolf's back.

She was dizzy from the speed at which they had raced.

"Where in the world is this..."

As Sabina looked around, she trailed off in surprise.

They were near the Ingo Mountains.

"What, you..."

It was as if the wolf was helping her escape.

Sabina called out to the wolf in confusion.

However, the wolf was already running back the way it came, its lush black fur fluttering behind it.

'What's going on? Is this really a trap?'

While she was lost in her chaotic thoughts...

Kwaang!!!

A tremendous roar erupted, shaking the ground.

The sound was coming precisely from the direction of the Grand Duke's castle.

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