Rather, thinking about how to live in the future was urgent.

‘Dain won’t keep me by his side forever.’

Even if not now, someday he would grow tired of her. Aaron had also added from the beginning that it was until His Grace was satisfied.

Even now, Dain doesn’t like me, so he’ll soon meet another woman and I’ll be kicked out.

‘Another woman……’

Liana flinched and placed her hand on the center of her chest.

Why does my chest hurt?

Thinking that Dain would embrace another woman made one side of her chest ache and hurt.

Of course he would welcome a duchess…… That’s natural…….

She was just an illegitimate child sold for debt, not someone who suited him.

“Hah.”

A hollow smile appeared on Liana’s face. Thinking that Dain had no interest in her whatsoever while she was playing both drums and gongs alone made her feel self-loathing.

‘Should I go up that mountain?’

Liana, who had been sitting in an armchair in front of the living room fireplace looking out the window, suddenly wanted to climb the mountain.

Even if she couldn’t ski without equipment, she thought climbing a mountain covered with perpetual snow might help shake off her confused feelings about Dain even a little.

‘I should go up tomorrow.’

* * *

The next day, after eating breakfast, Liana put on light pants and a top and prepared thoroughly for mountain climbing. She put water in a canteen and packed dried fruits, chocolate, cookies, etc. in her backpack.

“Are you going alone?”

Kelly asked with a worried expression after hearing about the mountain climbing from her.

“Yeah, I’ll just take a short walk and come down right away.”

“Still, going to the mountain alone would be dangerous.”

“It’s fine. The weather is clear today and I won’t go to high places, so don’t worry.”

She really planned to lightly look around only the lower area of the mountain and return. She reassured the worried Kelly, emphasizing it wouldn’t be dangerous.

“I’ll come back before sunset at the latest, so don’t worry.”

“Yes, then please be careful.”

“Okay.”

Liana, who took a carriage to the base of Mount Rope, told the coachman to come pick her up after four hours.

Since she had no intention of going to high places, she thought four hours round trip would be enough to look around the lower mountain area and return.

“Mmm…… the air is good.”

Though the duke’s castle had better air than the imperial capital, Mount Rope’s air was clearer and more refreshing. Breathing in the fresh air deeply made her feel like her whole body was being purified.

“Hmm…… hah……”

Liana inhaled air deep into her lungs and exhaled. Though it was a high mountain, the entrance part formed a gentle slope and there was a path.

She walked slowly between trees that rose sharply dozens of meters high.

Rustle rustle. The dirt path, made damp by snow that had frozen all winter and melted, was soft with fallen leaves from autumn spread like a blanket.

“Ah, this is good.”

It was freedom she enjoyed alone after a long time. Though she hadn’t lived oppressed at the duke’s castle, sometimes she needed time alone.

‘Should I ask to be sent on trips occasionally in the future?’

Dain might hate it, but seeing that he sent her first like this, it seemed she could ask. She walked the mountain path in a good mood.

“Aaaaah—!”

But shortly after, Liana’s single scream echoed through the deep valley of Mount Rope. She had momentarily relaxed her guard and slipped on the wet snowy path.

The accident happened in an instant. Before she could stop her sliding body, she fell down the cliff. She fell back-first and lay motionless, unconscious.

“Why isn’t the lady coming back? She said she’d return before sunset……”

Kelly paced in front of the villa with an anxious expression. The sun had set and everywhere had become dark, but the carriage that went to pick up Liana hadn’t returned yet.

‘What should I do……’

Though there were many servants in the villa responsible for cooking, cleaning, and management, there were no resident knights. There were two soldiers guarding the villa entrance, but one soldier had gone to visit his hometown and only one remained guarding the villa.

Kelly, who had been worrying, went to the soldier guarding the entrance.

“The lady hasn’t returned yet, what should we do?”

“Not yet? Where did she go?”

The soldier asked in great surprise.

“She went to Mount Rope.”

“What?”

Mount Rope was currently at the time when snakes were waking from hibernation as the snow melted. In addition, mountain beasts roamed in search of food at night, so entry was prohibited.

“No, she should have asked me before going. This is really a big problem. But His Grace put up a barrier at the mountain entrance, so how did she get in? Only His Grace can enter the barrier.”

The soldier asked while stamping his feet.

“A barrier? I didn’t know about that. What could have happened? She definitely said she was going to look around Mount Rope.”

Kelly also answered in surprise hearing this for the first time.

“First, I’ll look for the carriage the lady took. You inform the servants.”

The soldier planned to mobilize the villa servants to search for Liana if necessary.

“Yes, understood.”

The mounted soldier disappeared into the darkness. Kelly returned to the villa and called all the servants to the living room.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is something the matter?”

The servants who had been cleaning and those working in the kitchen all gathered in the living room.

“The lady went to look around Mount Rope but hasn’t returned yet. It’s my negligence for sending her without knowing it was a dangerous mountain.”

“It’s dangerous in spring, this is serious.”

The servants looked worried and didn’t know what to do. Mount Rope was dangerous during the day but especially more so at night. That’s why the duke had come recently to set up a barrier.

Dain would set up a barrier on Mount Rope when winter was ending and release it when winter began. He intended to prevent people from entering, but he also had the purpose of protecting the snakes living on Mount Rope from humans. Thanks to the barrier he set up, the snakes could roam the mountain safely.

“Mmgh.”

Darkness fell over the mountain. Liana’s eyes, who had lost consciousness, opened slightly.

‘Ugh, where is this?’

She had rolled down the cliff and fallen onto a snowfield. It seemed to be a shaded area where the snow hadn’t melted yet.

The mountain was quiet and dark. The silence was so profound it was even frightening. But fortunately, a crescent moon floated in the sky and the surroundings began to become slightly visible.

Next to a valley, the faint sound of water could be heard from far away. She listened carefully into the darkness.

Hoooo—

‘……Wolves?’

She had grown up in the city and had never heard wolves before, but she could tell instinctively.

Yes, this sound isn’t a fox or a roe deer, it’s definitely a wolf. What should I do.

There didn’t seem to be any broken bones, but her whole body ached, probably from the shock of falling from a high place. Her legs wouldn’t move and her heart beat so fast it felt like it would burst.

“Gasp!”

That moment, a pair of eyes glittering in the darkness appeared. Liana groped through the snow to find a sharp stone and gripped it tightly in her hand.

I’ll throw it if the wolf charges.

Gripping stones tightly in both hands, she stared quietly toward where the eyes were.

Awoo—

Another wolf howl was heard.

“Huh……?”

It wasn’t just one. Dozens of pairs of eyes surrounded her.

Her body trembled violently.

Would she die here? She wanted to die comfortably even if she had to die, but to be destined to die torn apart by wolves…. Heaven is truly heartless.

She closed her eyes while gripping the stones tightly and called the name of the person who came to mind instantly.

“Dain……”

Liana was startled by the name that came from her own mouth.

To think the person she sought in her final moment was Dain. She and he were merely debtor and creditor, nothing more.

Hoooo—

The wolves surrounded her and howled.

“Aaaah, Dain!”

Liana called for him with her eyes tightly shut. But the wolves weren’t attacking. By now, the hungry wolves should have been biting and tearing at her…….

Slither—, slide—.

Some spine-chilling sounds were also heard. It was the sound of a beast crawling on the ground. Goosebumps rose all over her body.

What is it?

Liana opened her eyes wide and looked ahead with a strange feeling.

“Gasp.”

Something revealed itself in the crescent moonlight.

Vertically slit black eyes, a giant python with tiger-striped spotted scales was flicking its forked tongue in and out.

‘My goodness. It’s not just one or two.’

Snakes were everywhere. Snakes surrounded her.

Liana fainted again.

「How did a human get in here?」

「It’s because of Kian’s seed. The woman has Kian’s seed. Protect Kian’s seed.」

The python that discovered her first shouted to the snakes coming behind in their language.

「Understood. Protect Kian’s woman.」

「Protect Kian’s woman.」

The snakes flocked around her, tail to tail, passing the word to the snakes coming behind. All the snakes of Mount Rope that had been hibernating awakened and flocked together, smelling each other’s pheromones to protect Kian’s woman.

Snakes could locate where their companions were through pheromones.

When giant pythons several meters long flocked together, the wolves began to back away.