Chapter 12. Secret Outing (1)

“…You said last time was the last.”

Phew. Iella barely managed to suppress a sigh of relief from escaping her lips. Instead, she internally expressed her relief without showing it outwardly.

‘Vanessa knows about Ailexia’s secret outings!’

In other words, she was indeed the accomplice. Although the Emperor’s condoning couldn’t be completely ruled out, this alone was fortunate. It also opened up the possibility that she had been avoiding the Emperor’s eyes.

As if to support this possibility, Vanessa spoke in a desperate voice.

“You must not go out without the Emperor’s permission anymore. If you get caught, not only I but you will also will face unknown punishments, Miss Ailexia.”

Thanks to this, Iella felt much calmer. Unlike Vanessa, who looked like she was about to kneel and beg while holding her skirt.

“As always, we just have to avoid getting caught.”

“Ailexia…….”

“Besides, think about it. If they were going to punish me, they would have done so hundreds of times already for my behavior.”

Having decided on her next action, Iella reassured and coaxed Vanessa with a soothing voice. For her, escaping immediately was more important than any potential punishment from the Emperor.

* * *

“This really is the last time.”

In the end, Vanessa, unable to refuse Iella’s words, earnestly pleaded one last time. But Vanessa knew better than anyone that this was a monthly repetition. She would sternly admonish her in front of the back door leading to the secondary palace, but the same thing would happen again the next month.

“Alright. I get it, so let’s go quickly.”

Iella urged her, fastening her black robe tightly. If her voice seemed insincere and perfunctory, it was because it was.

‘Anyway, from the next outing, it’ll be Ailexia’s business again.’

With a half-resigned expression, she turned towards Vanessa, who was heading for the back door.

Soon, the back door opened. The pitch-black night greeted them with a landscape illuminated only by the faint moonlight from the crescent moon.

Iella inhaled the cool night air deeply into her lungs. It felt different from when she had been in the garden during the day. This time, she truly felt like she had regained her freedom.

“This way.”

Vanessa, who was also wearing a slightly faded dark brown robe, led the way. Iella turned away from the moonlit landscape.

They passed a few wooden doors that the servants might use and walked along an unkempt dirt path between the bushes. The further they went, the farther the secondary palace became, and the closer the largest and most splendid building appeared. Its distinctive glow indicated that it was the main palace where the emperor resided.

Iella, feeling a sudden doubt, opened her mouth to call Vanessa. She wondered if they were heading closer to the main palace instead of away from it.

However, Vanessa, who was quietly but steadily making her way, stopped in front of a solid wall.

“We’re here. Just a moment.”

Vanessa, pressing herself close to the wall, fumbled around the stones. Watching her closely, Iella thought she might be looking for something, but following her hand movements with her eyes, she had a slightly different thought.

It seemed more like she was drawing a picture rather than searching for something….

“…!”

Suddenly, her head, which had been tilted in curiosity, stopped, and her eyes widened in surprise.

As Vanessa’s hand movements ceased, the parts she touched connected into a pattern, scattering a faint light like moonlight. Then, it transformed into a hole large enough for a person to pass through.

‘No wonder they couldn’t find any traces!’

Iella barely managed to keep her mouth from dropping open. This was why there were no holes despite searching the walls thoroughly. She realized how reckless it had been to think she could escape alone. She would have wasted a lot of time just looking for an escape route.

“I was worried since it hadn’t been checked in a while, but it’s still working.”

Vanessa, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, turned to Iella.

“There are no signs of anyone finding it or passing through. And after you mentioned the outing yesterday, I discreetly inquired through other palace servants, and it seems His Majesty is not in the palace.”

“Not in the palace?”

“Yes. He’s out hunting. Thanks to that, the number of guards seems to have decreased. This area was originally less guarded than other places, but it’s even better now.”

Although the number of knights in front of the secondary palace seemed unchanged, the emperor’s absence was an excellent situation.

Moreover, Vanessa’s words explained why there was an escape route near the main palace.

Iella’s eyes sparkled. In that case, perhaps….

‘The emperor might not know about Ailexia’s outings.’

The emperor wanted a foolish bird that would attract attention with negative rumors, not a smart bird that knew how to use tools for his benefit. If he knew about such a device, he wouldn’t have just watched.

“I’ll go out first and keep watch. When I signal….”

At that moment, there was a rustling sound from the bushes. Both Vanessa, who was about to prepare to go out, and Iella, who was nodding to her explanation, froze.

Quickly turning their heads to the direction of the sound, they scanned the surroundings, but only silence, as if nothing had happened, calmed their heightened senses.

However, as they turned their heads back to the hole and their eyes met, the rustling sound came again, this time closer.

“Go first, quickly!”

Vanessa, her face pale, pushed Iella’s back. She whispered urgently in a low voice.

“It’s better if only I get caught. So hurry!”

Although she was worried about Vanessa, she was right. A maid had more excuses than Ailexia if caught.

Resolving herself, Iella crouched and squeezed her body through the hole.

Just as her body completely passed through the wall, a large shadow loomed over her.

Feeling puzzled by the sudden disappearance of her shadow, Iella slowly raised her head. At that moment, the cloud that had been covering half the moon moved away, making the shadow darker. On the other hand, the face she saw became clearer in the moonlight.

Her dark pink eyes gradually mixed with bewilderment and surprise.

Her pupils, which began to shake violently like leaves in the wind, were filled with a person. Someone she never thought she would see here.

* * *

Two years ago, Iella had visited a festival held in the northern duchy.

Thanks to the neighboring territories and the friendly exchanges maintained over the years, the entry procedures were not very complicated. And there, Iella happened to encounter a man struggling with a crying child.

A man with dark navy hair, as clear and dark as the winter night sky, and silver eyes that seemed to contain the bright moonlight.

He introduced himself as a knight of the ducal family. He explained that he approached to help the lost child, but the child had been frightened by his appearance and started crying.

Thanks to this, Iella, who had mistaken the situation for an abduction, felt very embarrassed. But she could fully understand the child’s feelings.

Honestly, his tall and sturdy build with an imposing presence and expressionless face was not only scary to the child.

The wooden stick she had hastily picked up from the street for self-defense was proof of that. Of course, she quickly hid it behind her back as soon as she realized the truth. …His gaze was already fixed on the weapon that might have almost attacked him, with no hidden meaning.

Iella, consciously avoiding the silver eyes that were looking up at her as if demanding an explanation, promptly offered to help find the child’s parents.

It was an act to shake off the embarrassment that came rushing in, making her face flush, along with the guilt of misunderstanding a good person.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the two of them to find the child’s parents. The child, now tear-free, grabbed one of their parent’s hands tightly with one hand and waved to them with the other as they walked away.

Now that the purpose of their companionship was gone, it was time for Iella and him to part ways. But he stopped Iella before she could bid goodbye. He even kindly offered to escort her since it was late at night.

Iella accepted his kindness without much refusal. There wasn’t a strong reason to decline, and she was also worried about the late hour and the walk back home.

As they walked together through the night, chatting quietly, they quickly became acquainted. Before parting near her home, they even exchanged names under the gentle moonlight.

“Arthur….”

Iella’s lips, which had been slightly parted in a daze, moved as a soft voice flowed out like a long breath.

It was the name he had personally taught her that night when they became friends.