Charlotte and the ladies arrived as quickly as they left. By evening, several carriages sent by their husbands were waiting to take them away. They were worried about the spread of the disease in the area.

“If you ever need any help, please don’t hesitate to call on me, Your Highness.”

“I will.”

“Or you can always visit our mansion.”

Charlotte handed Elliope a small note with the address of Marte’s mansion on it.

“You understand, right? It’s important.”

“I understand.”

Elliope stared at it for a moment before carefully holding it.

Then, when all the guests had left and it was late at night, she went outside, accompanied by only one knight.

“Make sure you bring your dog.”

“Although Kallian said that…”

In both Elsen and Zenya he was always busy. Even today he would probably be supervising the pest control and visiting patients’ homes until dawn. Not wanting to disturb him, she decided to stay behind. 

“Where are you going?” 

The knight accompanying her was Ruben. He had been present at Elliope and Kallian’s wedding and was the one who had brought her the news of Kallian’s new title of Viscount. He had also been at the centre of rumours about his supposedly close relationship with Kallian. 

With his sharp brown hair and piercing gaze, Ruben did not live on the Duke’s estate, but followed Kallian to the Viscount of Elsen. It was clear that he was one of Kallian’s most trusted confidants.

There was no longer any need to hide her intentions from Ruben, so Elliope answered honestly. 

“I’m going to look for medicinal herbs.” 

“Medicinal herbs?” 

“Yes. The first day I met a herbalist who had a lot of moonlight herbs… but we didn’t come to an agreement.” 

At the moment, there didn’t seem to be enough herbs to treat all the patients. If she could bring back all the herbs the herbalist had, it would help. But when Kallian appeared, the herbalist became nervous and refused to continue the conversation. He was probably intimidated by Kallian. 

‘Even though Kallian has many things to take care of…’ 

She couldn’t risk involving the herbalist again; his fear might only increase.

Elliope knew it wasn’t proper for a woman to go alone to a man’s house who wasn’t a relative, so she asked Ruben for help.

“If your husband finds out, it will be a big problem.”

“We’ll be back before he finds out.”

“No, that won’t work… Can I at least tell him where we are going?”

“He might follow us.”

As she spoke, Elliope was surprised to find that she was sure Kallian would follow her. Ruben hesitated for a moment before whispering.

“Then I’ll tell someone else, not your husband.”

“Other people?”

“Like the priests here. When your husband comes looking for you, they’ll give him an answer.”

Ruben seemed uncomfortable, and in the end Elliope compromised at this point.

“Ah… I feel like I’m being scolded.”

Feeling uncomfortable, Ruben scratched the back of his head and, after informing those around him, followed Elliope. She couldn’t help but smile. Hearing her laugh, Ruben spoke.

“I’m serious, Your Highness. When your husband gets jealous, it’s really scary.”

“Jealous?”

“When Kallian finds out it’s just the two of us…”

Hearing the word ‘jealous’ made Elliope feel a little uncomfortable. Kallian and jealousy. That cold knight…

‘It doesn’t seem to fit.’

However, something immediately came to mind.

“Just make sure you take your dog with you.”

She remembered Kallian with his doll, whispering as if dissatisfied.

Elliope habitually pressed her warm cheeks together.

“Ugh.”

Ruben sighed deeply, as if he didn’t want to think about it. Elliope, watching him, replied,

“You say it’s troublesome, but you help anyway.”

“Well, I was given orders by your husband.”

“What kind of orders?”

“To let you do whatever you want, and to ensure you’re safe while doing so.”

This was related to their conversation earlier in the day. 

Helplessly, Elliope felt a tingling sensation on her fingertips, as if tiny feathers were brushing against her hands. 

They soon arrived at the herbalist’s hut. Having been there before, she found the way easily. 

“Over there… I think.”

Elliope said, tilting her head as she looked at the small dwelling. 

“Do people actually live here?”

Ruben was the first to speak. 

Indeed, the hut looked even more dreary and desolate than before. It was hard to tell if there were any signs of life inside.

‘Did they leave already?’

If that was the case, she hoped they had at least left the dried moonlight herbs behind. 

As Elliope cautiously approached the hut, a voice came from inside. 

“What are you going to do now that you’ve gone back on your word?” 

A faint candlelight flickered at the same moment. A strange feeling washed over Elliope, making her hold her breath. 

“You are the one who changed your words! You never mentioned that Ilmos’ dogs were here! If they catch you, you’re as good as dead!” 

‘Ilmos dogs?’ 

Elliope felt as if she had heard that term before.

“But aren’t we going to do something about this situation? If we leave it like this, we’ll be in danger too.”

The next moment, a strangely familiar voice with a strong foreign accent answered. The conversation continued.

“For now, they can’t touch us here. But the dogs’ teeth are right under our chins.”

“……”

“I have no intention of being bitten by that rabid dog and dying. I have to retire for now.”

“What about the spotted disease problem?”

“Take care of it yourself. I didn’t spread it!”

‘Spotted disease? Spread it?’

Slowly, a few pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place in Elliope’s mind.

‘In the past.’

In the past, spotted disease had struck at the worst possible time. 

‘When the Duke’s estate had lost its reputation after a power struggle with the Imperial family, and even Theodor continued to make mistakes.’ 

It had been a devastating blow – almost as if someone had deliberately orchestrated the complete downfall of Duke Ilmos. 

From the moment the disease spread, the Imperial Family withdrew all support, neighbouring countries launched invasions, and bands of thieves began to rise. 

‘Could it be…?’ 

Was it all part of a larger scheme?

A shiver ran down Elliope’s spine at that moment. She heard a faint rustling and the crunch of something beneath her feet. 

“Who’s there?” 

The next thing she knew, the door to the hut burst open with a vengeance. Elliope, who had been leaning against it, was thrown backwards. Fortunately, she wasn’t seriously injured – Ruben had reacted quickly, rushing over to catch her in time. 

As he steadied her, he muttered worriedly. 

“Ruben!” 

Elliope tapped him on the shoulder and pointed past him, her expression sharp with urgency. 

Someone had escaped from the hut and was sprinting frantically in the opposite direction.

‘I can’t let him get away.’

If there’s some kind of conspiracy here, and if it could potentially harm Elsen or Kallian, he can’t get away.

“You have to catch him!”

“Lady?”

“You’re spreading the spotted disease!”

Elliope screamed loudly, almost shrieking. Ruben reacted instinctively and ran after the fleeing man.

“Stop!”

Elliope stood up too, ready to follow them, when suddenly –

“Arghhhhh!”

Another person screamed and ran out of the hut. It was the small man who had screamed when he saw Kallian during their last visit.

“……”

The man, who was carrying a bow and quiver on his back, quickly looked away. The moment he saw Elliope on the ground, he turned to flee. 

“Stop!” 

Elliope’s breath quickened with tension, but she couldn’t afford to stay still. Kallian had always been the one to help and protect her – this time she wanted to do the same for him. 

At least she wanted to help… 

Ignoring the sharp pain in her ankle, which felt like it might give out under the strain of running in her shoes, she pushed forward, closing the distance between them.

“Ah… Aaaah!”

The man pulled out an arrow in desperation and swung it at Elliope.

“……!”

The tip of the arrow missed her waist by a few centimetres. Then the man spoke, gasping for breath. His eyes were glowing, as if he had lost his mind.

“Why do you keep following me…?”

Cold sweat dripped from the man, showing that he was clearly afraid of something.

“I can’t die like this. I can’t die like this. Not like this…”

As the man continued to mutter, Elliope’s anxiety grew.

As his eyes darted around, the man suddenly stopped. His gaze was fixed on Elliope.

“You.”

Then the man smiled, showing his teeth.

“You’re the Dog’s wife, aren’t you?” 

“……”

“Yes, yes. I know you. The woman who made the hound-dog bite his master. The woman who mated with the dog…”

As the man continued to mutter, he slowly pulled out another arrow, snapping it in half and gripping it tightly. The jagged point, now held like a makeshift dagger, looked even more menacing than a blade. 

“I can’t die like this.” 

An urgent warning pounded in Elliope’s mind like the beat of war drums – a signal of impending danger. 

“Come here!” 

The man shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. Clutching the broken arrow, he swung it once more. 

Elliope managed to dodge again, but this time she didn’t escape unscathed – the sharp edge caught the fabric of her dress, tearing it open at the side.

Whoosh!

Her pale skin shone through the torn cloth. The man brandished the broken arrow like a dagger.

“Come here! I said come here!”

“Ugh!”

Finally, the arrow grazed her bare skin, leaving a series of wounds. Elliope felt a sharp pain just below her chest.

‘I have to run…’

Before Elliope could even pull back, a scream echoed.

“Ahhhhh!”

Swoosh!

Before she could process the situation, she felt something hot against her chest.