Chapter 6

No matter how much she struggled, it was futile. 

Her useless legs were stuck in the same place, unmoving. 

‘Move! I said move! Hurry!’ 

She tried desperately, but her foolish legs wouldn’t budge. 

「Aaah!」 

She fell to the ground and shouted at Ray, who was moving away. 

「Ray! No! Don’t go, Ray! I’ll save you! But my legs… my legs!」 

All she could do was watch the child being dragged away. 

In the end, Ray disappeared. 

「Ray… I can’t do without you… Ray! I need you! Ray! Ray!」 

There was no one. 

She was left alone. 

She was swallowed by pitch-black darkness. 

Only the desperate screams filled the dark space.

* * * 

“No! No way! Ray, no! Ray!” 

Someone shook her shoulder. 

Small, warm hands. 

A familiar voice wrapped around her ears. 

“As! Wake up! As! I’m here!” 

“Huh? Ah…? Ray!” 

“Did you have a bad dream? Why are you crying?” 

“…Crying? Me?” 

Still not fully awake, she looked at Ray with a bewildered expression. 

The child’s small hands wiped her wet eyes. 

“As, you didn’t wash your face last night? There’s dirt on your face…” 

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” 

“As, when will you grow up? Until when do I have to tell you to wash your face and brush your teeth?” 

Ray frowned and put on a stern expression. 

She laughed at Ray’s mature comment. 

“What are you saying, little one?” 

Feeling embarrassed, she rubbed her tear-stained eyes with her sleeve and threw out the word Ray hated the most. 

“What? Little one? You know I hate that the most!” 

“Sorry. So give me a hug just this once.” 

“That doesn’t make sense. You say something I don’t like and then ask for a hug?” 

Ignoring Ray’s complaint, she opened her arms wide. 

Shy Ray hesitated. 

“Just once, okay? I was scared because of a nightmare!” 

“Fine. Just this once.” 

Ray’s small body came into her arms. 

A small, warm body with a fragrant smell. 

“So, what kind of scary dream did you have?” 

‘…A dream where we parted.’ 

Without answering Ray’s question, she hugged the child tightly. 

What should she do with this child? 

‘Should we run away like this? The two of us? Leave the empire and go to another country?’ 

She had enough money. 

She had more life experience than anyone else in this world. 

She was confident she could live well anywhere. 

But… 

If they ran away now, they would have to live avoiding Geiser, Diane, or the Imperial Family and Duke Conver’s  pursuit for the rest of their lives. 

A life of hiding. 

A life she never wanted to give Ray. 

‘Then there’s only one choice.’ 

She had to make a decision. 

A decision for Ray. 

“There’s somewhere we need to go today.” 

“We’re not going home? Where?” 

After finishing breakfast quickly, they headed to the Conver Ducal House located north of the capital. 

Naturally, there was no one to block her and Ray. 

* * * 

“Commander, it’s suspicious that there’s been no word until now.” 

“He’s just a seven-year-old child. Children sleep a lot. He must still be asleep, so let’s wait a little longer.” 

James Forte, the commander of the Imperial Knight Order, ordered in a dignified voice with a seemingly gentle expression. 

“Yes, Sir!” 

James was hiding in the alley opposite the inn where Astrid and Ray were staying, staring intently at the inn entrance. 

The other soldiers were also waiting, hiding around the building. 

He had already reported that he would bring the child to the palace by this morning. 

There was still plenty of time. 

In just a little while, the woman would come out holding the child’s hand. 

An hour passed. 

And then another hour. 

James was starting to get worried. 

Worry turned into another hour passing quickly. 

He kept watching the inn entrance, but no one came out with the child. 

It was almost noon. 

‘Something’s wrong!’ 

James hurried into the inn. 

“Where is the room that Miss Astrid is staying in?” 

“Room 5 on the second floor.” 

James, revealing himself as the commander of the Imperial Knight Order, easily obtained the key. 

He skipped two steps at a time as he headed to the second floor. 

‘No way… no way….’ 

Cold sweat dripped down. 

When he opened the door and checked inside, James’ heart shattered. 

‘Gone!’ 

Not only was there no one in the room, but there was no trace of anyone having been there. 

Desperate, he searched under the blankets and opened the bathroom door. 

Still, no one. 

“Damn it!” 

He had been deceived by a cunning one. 

He had made an absurd mistake. 

He called the soldiers waiting outside to search all the other rooms in the inn, but the result was the same. 

James gritted his teeth and ran outside. 

“The woman and the child, both have disappeared! Search everywhere! Use force on the woman if necessary! By any means, secure the child!” 

At the commander’s order, the soldiers began to move busily. 

* * * 

‘By now, they must be frantic trying to find me. Was it James? I feel a bit sorry for the Knight Commander. He trusted me, after all.’ 

She thought of James’ crumpled face as she scratched her itchy ear with her finger. 

She had registered as a long-term guest at several inns in the capital, which was very useful for someone living a complicated life like hers. 

Take last night, for example. 

She entered an inn right in front of the Imperial Knight Order soldiers. 

It was quite a distance from the inn where Ray was sleeping. 

As she entered the inn, the soldiers, following the commander’s orders, spread out around the inn to keep watch. 

But she was faster than them. 

Once inside the inn, she greeted the owner warmly and went to her room on the second floor. 

This room had a terrace, which was close to the terrace of the adjacent building. 

She jumped to the terrace of the next building. 

The real owner of this three-story building was Neil of Basler, and while the first and third floors were rented out to others, the second floor had no tenants, for this very purpose. 

Crossing the terrace was a piece of cake. 

She had spent many years on the streets. 

By the time the Knight Order soldiers took their assigned positions, she was already running a considerable distance away from the inn building. 

As she recalled her escape from the inn last night, she laughed to herself. 

“Wow, it’s huge!” 

Ray’s mouth gaped wide open as he took in the Conver Ducal House. 

Well, Ray had often gone back and forth between the forest and the shopping street, but it was his first time seeing a grand noble’s mansion. 

“Right? How would it feel to live in such a big house? I think it would be great.” 

“It would feel like being a dwarf.” 

Oh dear, feeling even smaller than he already was didn’t seem like a good feeling. 

“Don’t worry. You’ll grow tall soon.” 

“Huh? As, what are you talking about? Why is the conversation jumping like that? Have you not fully woken up yet?” 

“Ray, you’re too smart for a seven-year-old.” 

“That’s a weird thing to say, too.” 

“Just let it go.” 

Feeling mischievous, she deliberately messed up Ray’s neatly combed hair. 

The thought that even such conversations might become something to miss made her eyes heat up. 

Two guards stood at the main gate of the ducal house. 

“I’m here to see Duke Bryce Conver.” 

“Do you have an appointment?” 

“No appointment, but it’s a very important matter. Ray, can I borrow the ring on your necklace?” 

“Why the ring?” 

“I need to check something.” 

“Okay.” 

Ray handed her the ring from his necklace without any fuss. 

The ring belonged to Ray’s mother. 

If she and Duke Bryce Conver were indeed a couple, he would recognize the ring. 

“Please give this to Duke Conver.” 

One of the guards took the ring and headed into the building. 

* * * 

At the same time, Duke Conver and his aide had just arrived at a cabin located at the entrance of Hurt Mountain. 

They had traveled all day in an accelerated magic carriage, but Bryce showed no signs of fatigue. 

He was nervous at the thought of meeting his son. 

Bryce and Adil approached the house together after getting off the carriage. 

The cabin was small but sturdy and well-maintained. 

Standing at the door, Bryce’s heart began to pound at the thought of soon meeting the child. 

Knock, knock, knock. 

He knocked, but there was no answer from inside. 

As the unlocked door slowly opened, they entered cautiously. 

“Hello. Is anyone here? Excuse me?” 

The aide called out in a polite voice, scanning the inside of the house, but there were no shadows of people. 

The disappointment was great. 

“We have no choice but to wait.” 

With a deep sigh, Bryce went outside and sat heavily on the long bench at the entrance. 

Was it because the tension had eased? 

Only then did he feel the fatigue wash over him. 

It felt as if the powerful force of the earth was pulling him down. 

As Bryce buried his face in his hands and dry-washed his face, Adil spoke. 

“Perhaps the Imperial Family or Geiser contacted them first.” 

“……” 

“Why don’t you return to the ducal house and monitor the movements of the Imperial Family and Geiser while waiting?” 

“Alright, let’s go back.” 

Just as Bryce was about to stand up, Adil’s bracelet suddenly glowed red. 

It was a communication magic stone bracelet that allowed contact with the house steward. 

The red light signified an urgent situation. 

“What’s the matter?” 

Adil placed his hand on the bracelet. 

It activated through the owner’s body temperature and fingerprints. 

A hurried voice came from the other side. 

• Lord Achter, you must return to the ducal house immediately. A woman has come with a boy. She wishes to meet His Grace the Duke. 

Bryce and Adil’s eyes widened as they looked at each other.