“I want to know.”

Lila withdrew her hand and nodded firmly. She seemed to understand his hesitation. Sometimes, ignorance could indeed be bliss.

“This is why I didn’t want you to see it…”

The Grand Duke muttered in a tone of quiet defeat, gazing at Lila, who had already made up her mind.

“It can’t be helped.”

The Grand Duke let out a deep sigh and spoke with a resigned tone. No matter how much he resisted, he could never win against Lila. If she wanted to hear the story, he couldn’t refuse her.

“It won’t be a pleasant story.”

“I know.”

Lila wetted her parched lips with her tongue. Her mouth kept feeling dry.

“Where should I begin…”

Grand Duke Eustace lowered his gaze, his melancholy blue eyes growing darker.

“That day was a rare occasion when my family was together. My parents, who were always so busy, had made time for me.”

He began his story in a subdued voice.

“My parents decided to take a trip with me to tour the Eustace Duchy and the Lucia County. Other than the bad weather caused by the monsoon season, the inspection of the territories was going smoothly.”

Each word the Grand Duke spoke came out in a dry, desolate tone.

“The incident occurred while we were traveling from the Eustace Duchy to the Lucia County. The path was blocked due to landslides caused by days of continuous heavy rain.”

Lila quietly listened to the Grand Duke. He stared blankly out the rain-streaked window, as though lost in a dream.

“At first, my parents decided to return to the capital. With the bad weather and treacherous roads, it seemed like the most reasonable choice. But I was stubborn.”

The Grand Duke’s composed brow furrowed as if recalling a painful memory.

“My parents, unable to resist my persistence, decided to take an alternate route to the county.”

Grand Duke Eustace clasped his hands tightly together.

“I still think about it. What if it hadn’t rained that day? What if we hadn’t taken the detour? What if I hadn’t thrown a tantrum and begged them? What would have happened then…”

His voice grew quieter as he spoke. Each time he revisited that tragic past, even knowing it was irreversible, he couldn’t help but dwell on the ‘what ifs.’

“Hoo…”

The Grand Duke exhaled a long breath, trying to shake off the tormenting thoughts.

“Forgive me. I got sidetracked for a moment.”

Lila tried to say it was all right, but the words didn’t come. It was as if someone was choking her, leaving her unable to speak.

“We noticed something was amiss when we arrived at the village where we were supposed to spend the night. Normally, the villagers would have come out to greet us after being notified of our arrival, but no one was there.”

Fortunately, the Grand Duke didn’t seem to notice Lila’s unusual silence. With a grim expression, he slowly continued.

“The village was shrouded in an eerie silence. Even though it had been raining since morning, making the entire day overcast, not a single house had its lights on. And the smell… Even as a child, I could recognize the thick scent of blood lingering in the air.”

Grand Duke Eustace remembered that day vividly. Everything was as clear as if it had happened just yesterday.

“My parents, sensing the gravity of the situation, sent the knights to investigate the village…”

As the Grand Duke recounted his harrowing memories, Lila felt herself being pulled back into the past along with him. Gradually, he transformed from Grand Duke Eustace into young Lord Hubert.

***

Swishhh—

The rain that had started in the morning showed no signs of stopping. The damp air felt as though the entire world was submerged underwater, carrying with it an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

“Mother.”

“What is it, Hubert?”

“Is something wrong?”

Hubert looked anxiously outside the carriage. Beyond the rain-streaked window, he could see his father and the knights moving hastily.

“It’s nothing, dear.”

Countess Lucia smiled gently as she stroked Hubert’s head. At that moment, a flash of lightning lit up the dark sky, followed by a loud rumble of thunder.

Boom!

The sudden roar startled the horses, causing them to neigh and rear. The servants and knights, clad in raincoats, rushed to calm the frightened animals.

“What?”

Hubert, who had been staring out the window with a disinterested expression, noticed one of the family’s knights running through the pouring rain. It was one of the knights who had gone to investigate the village earlier.

“Duke!”

The Grand Duke, who had been sitting with a grim expression, stood up at the urgent shout.

“Stay inside the carriage.”

“Ah.”

Hubert, who had tried to hold him back, froze as the faint smell of blood seeped through the partially open carriage door.

“What’s going on?”

Thud. The sound of the Grand Duke closing the carriage door cut off his question to the knight. Hubert immediately pressed his face to the window.

‘The village is….’

‘What? That can’t be… The subjugation squad?’

‘The squad was annihilated… The villagers as well—slaughtered.’

‘What….’

What were they talking about? Hubert frowned, trying to make sense of the disjointed fragments of conversation. The heavy sound of the rain drowned out much of their voices.

‘…their whereabouts?’

‘I don’t know. We should turn the carriage back immediately….’

Through the downpour, Hubert could see his father sending off a messenger pigeon. As the bird flew toward the capital, Hubert was overcome with an inexplicable sense of dread.

‘Nearby villages… neighboring territories… reinforcements….’

‘The enemy is a Swordmaster.’

‘We can’t handle this alone….’

Hubert’s father, having sent the message, approached his mother. The relentless rain muffled the voices, forcing Hubert to guess at the situation from the scattered words he could catch.

“Are they talking about Aaron?”

If it was a Swordmaster, it could only be Aaron—the former commander of the Imperial Knights, who had recently massacred many in the capital and fled. Hubert, curiosity piqued, placed his hand on the window. He wanted to hear more.

As he cracked the window open, rain splashed into the carriage. Ignoring his dampening clothes, Hubert focused on the sounds outside. With the window ajar, the voices were much clearer.

“Before they notice us, we must head to the capital….”

“I’ll prepare at once.”

Just as the Grand Duke gave the order to return to the capital, a deafening sound shattered the air.

“What… what was that?”

Crash!

Before anyone could react, another ear-splitting noise followed, shaking the ground. The frightened horses reared up, causing the carriage to tilt violently.

“Hubert!”

As his mother called his name, Hubert quickly cast a protective spell. The carriage overturned with a loud crash, sending Hubert tumbling forward.

“Are you all right?!”

Countess Lucia rushed to the overturned carriage. With her help, Hubert managed to crawl out.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. What about you, Mother?”

“I’m fine too.”

At Hubert’s reply, relief flickered briefly in the Count’s eyes, but the danger was far from over.

“It’s Aaron! Stop him!”

“Protect the Grand Duke!”

“Anyone alive, maintain formation—don’t let the aura touch you!”

An attack? Hubert flinched at the screams echoing nearby. He turned toward the direction of the noise and froze, speechless.

“What is this….”

Hubert couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A knight who had been speaking with his mother moments ago collapsed, coughing up blood.

“Ah… uh…”

Hubert was unable to form words in the face of the horrifying scene. Despite the rain obscuring his vision, he could see the bodies lying everywhere. As the reality set in, the thick scent of blood filled his nostrils. Pools of water, mixed with blood from the fallen, turned crimson.

“Why….”

Why was this happening? Hubert couldn’t regain his composure. Each flash of red in the darkness marked another life snuffed out. The coachman who had just been calming the horses, the servants who were gathering supplies, and even the mage who had been speaking with his father—all were dead.

“Hubert! Over here!”

Countess Lucia forcibly pulled her half-dazed son to his feet. Hubert could barely stand. The shock of witnessing death for the first time was too overwhelming.

“Snap out of it!”

“Mother?”

Hubert blinked at the sharp cry.

“Sweetheart, Hubert. Listen to me.”

Seeing the light return to her son’s blue eyes, Countess Lucia grasped his small shoulders with a resolute expression.

“Your father and I are going to stop that madman. You need to run as far away as possible in the meantime.”

“What?”

“There’s no time! Go now!”