Chapter 75

Ellen covered her face with both hands. The image of Innis, laughing joyfully and unaware she was leaving her mother’s arms for a lonely road ahead, tore at Ellen’s heart. Resentment toward Lennox welled up. He had cruelly taken Innis away, fully knowing what her daughter meant to her. He acted with no regard for her feelings—a thing the old Lennox would never have done. Suddenly, his words echoed in her mind.

—You’ll suffer from now on. Physically and mentally.

—Because I’ll make it so.

Ellen bit her lips as hard as she could to keep from crying. Blood welled up, and she tasted its bitterness on her tongue. Then the carriage jolted and began to move.

‘Get a grip, Ellen.’

On the bumpy road, in the cramped carriage, sitting on the uncomfortable seat, Ellen struggled to steady her emotions until her muscles screamed. Only then did she lift her head, her eyes bloodshot from holding back tears.

‘I said I would accept it.’

Perhaps she had been too naive. Because it was Lennox. Because it was Lennox, she believed that he wouldn’t be harsh with her. Deep down, she was sure Lennox would lose this bet—he always let her win.

‘Five years… it’s been a long time, Lennox.’

Enough time for both of them to change. Enough time for their relationship to change. Ellen felt the weight of those five years. The sweet dream of the previous night vanished, replaced by the cold reality that hurt her heart. The sky outside the window passed by indifferently and quickly.

* * *

The servants left behind in the mansion after Ellen and Lennox’s departure dug into a corner of the garden under the watchful eye of Roy Kail, a knight of the Aryan Empire’s Pamphilenet Order. They threw a large object wrapped in a rough blanket into the deep hole, covered it loosely with dirt, and stomped it down.

Roy paid the servants well, and each grabbed their packed belongings and hurriedly fled the mansion.

“Hey.”

Roy called out to a middle-aged servant who walked with a limp from t*rture. This was the man who had ignored Ellen’s orders and brought in workers hired by Baron Dermann to the basement, acting arrogantly. He had also ignored Ellen’s preparations to flee and acted on his own.

“Y-yes, Sir.”

The servant bowed and groveled. Roy looked at him coldly and said icily,

“You’d better watch your mouth from now on.”

“Y-yes, of course. I understand.”

The servant, eyes wide with fear, quickly disappeared. Roy sighed lightly. By Lennox’s order, Roy had handled Baron Dermann’s final moments. Roy glanced once around the now-empty mansion, then mounted his horse and hurried to catch up with the others. The once bustling mansion of Baron Dermann quickly fell silent.

* * *

The carriage ran endlessly onward. Somewhere in the dark, cramped carriage, there seemed to be a musty smell. Ellen could barely support her aching body on the hard seat with no cushion. Her muscles and even her bones hurt. She tried shifting positions, but it was no use. Whether by design or not, the carriage rattled violently, making her feel sick.

‘How far have we gone? Where are we going?’

Only now did Ellen wonder about their destination, but Lennox told her nothing. When she looked up, all she saw through the high window were drifting clouds and blue sky. After who knows how long, suddenly she heard voices outside and the carriage stopped. Instead of hoofbeats, she heard people bustling and the light clatter of armor. Ellen tried to open the carriage door, but it was locked.

‘It won’t open. Do they lock it from the outside?’

After trying several times to open the door, Ellen gave up and stood on tiptoe to look out the window.

‘Where is this?’

She saw a wide field, mostly stone and dirt. Knights in Aryan Empire armor moved about busily. They unloaded food and cooking tools from the wagons. They lit fires and threw chopped vegetables and meat into pots to boil. They skewered seasoned meat on pointed sticks and roasted it over the campfire. The rich, savory smell wafted into the carriage.

Her stomach rumbled quietly. Only then did Ellen realize she was hungry. She laughed bitterly—she didn’t even know what was happening to Innis, but here she was, hungry.

“Meal.”

Then Lennox opened the carriage door and placed three greasy meat skewers and a bowl of meat soup on the seat opposite Ellen. Her gaze lingered on the tempting food, but she shook her head.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re hungry.”

“…….”

“Don’t be stubborn, Ellen.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You are hungry.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes. You are.”

A brief silence fell. Ellen broke it first.

“What about Innis?”

“Eat first.”

“Lennox. I’m asking you. What happened to Innis?”

For a moment, Lennox’s eyes narrowed. He stepped into the carriage and slammed the door shut. Bang. The food on the seat shook. Ellen, startled, squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. Lennox sat opposite her, arms folded.

“Do as you wish. Eat or don’t.”

“…….”

“If you don’t want to eat, then don’t. But I won’t move until you do.”

“What if I refuse to eat no matter what?”

“The journey will be delayed, and you’ll see your daughter later.”

At that, Ellen bit her lip hard. As her soft lower lip was crushed by her white teeth, Lennox’s fingers twitched slightly. Ellen exhaled and, in a calmer voice, asked,

“Lennox. You can tell me at least one thing. How is Innis… just tell me that.”

“…….”

“Lennox.”

Lennox looked at Ellen, studied her expression for a moment, then closed his eyes. He couldn’t face her anxious expression asking about her daughter’s whereabouts. Suddenly, he remembered the young Ellen, quietly trembling under a tree, asking a young servant to stay by her side. The noble young lady, anxious in her small body. Ellen’s expression now was exactly the same as back then. In the end, Lennox spoke in a very small voice.

“If you finish your meal.”

When Lennox finally relented, Ellen’s expression brightened a little. She quickly reached for the soup and skewers. She was hungry, but after hours in the uncomfortable carriage, the food didn’t go down easily. Still, she forced herself to eat for news of Innis.

Just then, Lennox reached out and stroked Ellen’s hair, making her shoulders flinch. Lennox’s face hardened, but he withdrew his hand without a word.

“…….”

Perhaps it was because their relationship had changed that morning, but Ellen couldn’t treat him comfortably anymore. Ellen felt both comfort and discomfort with Lennox. Her hand trembled as she held the spoon. Her eyes flickered to Lennox, then back to the soup.

‘I have to finish this to hear about Innis.’

She resisted the urge to put down the spoon and emptied the bowl quickly. Lennox, watching her force down food just to hear about her daughter, pressed his lips tightly. He didn’t like seeing Ellen force herself to eat for news of the daughter born between her and that toad. But Lennox said nothing.

“I’m done.”

When Ellen handed over the empty bowl, Lennox took it. Under her expectant gaze, Lennox slowly spoke.

“She was sent to Leodell first.”

“…….”

Ellen stopped breathing for a moment. The estate she hadn’t visited once since her marriage. The place she had managed and lived in until age twenty after her mother died—a place she’d had to kill her precious memories of.

“Why there…….”

“You haven’t set foot there since you married.”

“…….”

“It was a terrible place for both of us.”

“Lennox. Why did you send her there? That place is……!”

‘He’s still living there.’

Ellen couldn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t even want to call him father. The thought of Innis going where that man lived made her lips tremble. Ellen bit her lower lip. A sharp pain spread.

“You know what kind of place it is. You know what kind of person my father is. How could you send her there?”

Even when Ellen had a daughter, Viscount Valère never sent a gift. Instead, he wrote only to criticize her for not having a son. Ellen thought she’d be hurt by that letter, but surprisingly she felt nothing. She even tore it up and burned it. She hadn’t set foot there for five years after giving birth, and now Innis had been sent there. Lennox answered coldly.