****Thank you to Fatou for the Kofi ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆
***
She wanted to stay a little longer next to Ian, who was the only one on her side when she was young.
Of course, he didn’t seem to need her anymore, but she wanted to stay with Ian until he was a little happier.
Even if there was nothing she could do for him.
She wanted to wish him happiness from the bottom of her heart.
She hoped that he was happy even during the hard times. She hoped it didn’t hurt anymore.
But that was the wrong idea.
If she’d known Ian hated her so much, she would’ve left him sooner, but she realized it too late.
At the end of her life. It was funny how much Ian hated her at that moment.
***
“Hey!”
Diana nervously called Rachel.
“I’m going to see Ian. Take this.”
Rachel nodded and lifted her bag.
“Ha, Ian is always hunting.”
Diana grumbled softly. She wasn’t seeing Ian a whole lot lately.
Rachel walked cautiously with the heavy picnic bag.
The bag went down to her knees, and Rachel had a hard time even walking.
“Hey! Did you want to arrive after sunset?”
“I’m sorry.”
However, Rachel had to speed up a little more at Diana’s mocking comment.
The carriage that Diana and Rachel had ridden in had stopped at the entrance to the forest.
At the Hunting grounds.
A soldier was guarding the entrance to the Hunting grounds.
“Let’s get off here and walk.”
For some reason, Diana stopped the carriage at the entrance. Diana, who hated walking, said they should walk.
Rachel thought it was a little strange, but she soon realized why she wanted to walk.
It was to give her a hard time. It must have been funny to watch her walk with small steps while she carried a heavy bag.
“Hurry up!”
Diana was once again nervous about Rachel being left behind.
Rachel was careful not to mess up the contents of the picnic basket, but hurried so as not to provoke Diana’s anger.
“Oh? Ian!”
For a moment, Diana’s voice rose a little when she found Ian.
Rachel glanced up at Ian.
Ian slowly turned his head to the sound of someone calling his name.
His hair was a little messy from the autumn breeze.
Ian was riding a muscular black horse under the autumn sun. The bright sunlight struck his silver hair and shattered, and the small pieces glittered brilliantly.
He skillfully changed the direction of the horse and approached Diana. Rachel hurriedly lowered her head, and moved away because she didn’t want to ruin his good mood.
“What are you doing here?”
He descended from his horse and was greeted by Diana.
“Why is it so hard to see your face these days?”
“….”
“Is hunting more important? More than me?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I came because I missed you.”
Diana’s voice had softened a lot.
It was a completely different voice from when she talked to her. Diana was in love with Ian.
“Let’s go back.”
“Already? Ian, I want to see the Hunting grounds!”
“There are many wild animals in the Hunting grounds, so it will be dangerous.”
“But Ian’s with me.”
Rachel, who had been quietly listening to their words a step away, opened her mouth slowly when Ian glanced at her.
“…Well, I’ll be going now.”
“You can’t.”
However, Diana wouldn’t allow her to leave her position this time. For some reason, Diana always wanted to have Rachel by her side whenever she was with Ian.
“Where are you going with my fan and bag? You didn’t mean to take what was mine again, did you?”
At the insulting remark, Rachel bit her lip slightly.
“Or were you going to let me carry it myself? Don’t try to fool around, and follow me.”
After that, Diana looped her arm through Ian’s, and quickly turned to him.
Rachel followed behind them on Diana’s orders.
Ian’s steps were much slower than usual, perhaps because he was leading the horse, so Rachel was able to carry the picnic basket a little easier.
***
The sound of the flowing stream was clear and cool. There was a slight smell of water on the wind.
As Rachel unfolded the mat, Diana gently sat on it. Rachel’s role was now over.
Until their picnic was over.
Rachel took a few steps back.
Fortunately, there were many things to see other than Ian and Diana. They were laughing quietly about something funny, but Rachel hurriedly turned her eyes away.
She listened to the stream, the sound of the water, and waited for their pleasant time to end.
Diana’s happy but excited voice and the sound of cool water. Even a ticklish breeze.
Was it because of the sunlight?
Was it because she’d come to the forest after a long time? Was it because she was relieved that Ian and Diana didn’t care about her?
Rachel thought this moment wasn’t too bad.
Ding! DINGDINGDING!
Until she heard the cold, heavy iron bell, which didn’t fit in with the silent forest.
Ding! DingDing!
Diana frowned at the sound of the cold bell.
“Someone broke in!”
Diana shouted in a loud voice.
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“Oh, my! Let’s go back now! Ian!”
It looked like someone had broken into the Imperial palace.
Rachel frowned. For a moment, Ian and her eyes seemed to meet. Soon, Diana burst into tears.
“Ian!!! I’m scared!”
Diana grasped Ian’s sleeve, and wept.
“I want to go back! Hurry!”
Diana’s anxious crying caused Rachel’s heart to pound. As she watched Diana cry, Rachel became more and more afraid.
“Ian! What are you doing? Let’s go!”
“….”
“Ian!”
“Shut up.”
Ian furrowed his brow, and warned Diana. He’d become angry at Diana.
The situation seemed to be very bad.
“…Your Highness.”
Rachel called Ian timidly.
He had wrinkles between his eyebrows. He seemed to be sensitive to the sound of the bell that kept ringing.
Ian glanced at Rachel, then picked up Diana.
It looked as if he was about to ride off.
Rachel approached him urgently in such a situation.
“…Your Highness.”
Rachel was afraid Ian would leave her here, and just walk away. She gripped Ian’s sleeve with her trembling hands.
“…Um, I…”
Rachel held back her tears, and bit her lips.
“…Me too, please take me with you.”
She implored earnestly. She didn’t want to be left here alone.
The loudly ringing bell was scary, and she was even more anxious after Diana started to cry.
She wanted to cry because she thought he would leave her here alone in this deserted Hunting grounds.
She hoped he wouldn’t leave her alone because she would run after him.
But Ian only frowned.
He looked silently at the sleeve she’d grabbed. He seemed angry because she’d grabbed his clothes recklessly.
That sight caused Rachel to shed the tears that she’d been holding back.
Ian didn’t say anything, but Rachel could tell. Ian wouldn’t take her with him.
Rachel soon removed her hand from Ian’s sleeve that she’d caught.
“Ian!”
Diana, who was on the horse, called out to him. Ian glanced back at Diana.
“Wait here.”
“….”
“I’ll be right back.”
Rachel bit her lips hard as she tried to hold back her tears.
He was telling her to put up with it.
Hold it in, and wait.
Rachel became more nervous when she was told to wait patiently. That’s what her mother used to say to her all the time when she was a child. She would be told to wait when she was being a bother.
Those were the easiest words to say to soften and soothe a troublesome child. But no matter how long she waited, nothing changed. Her mom would always forget that she was waiting.
Would Ian be different?
Somehow it didn’t seem that different.
An irritated tone.
A bothered expression.
Somehow he seemed no different.
“Okay?”
“…Yes.”
Rachel forced out the answer. She nodded in understanding to Ian, who looked annoyed and seemed to be in a hurry.
Glance
Ian glanced at Rachel for the last time, and soon rode away.
He disappeared like that without any hesitation. She thought that gaze would be his last acknowledgement.
Her mother, who’d left her at the Imperial palace that day, looked back just once like that.
All Rachel could do was watch his back. She couldn’t jog after him, nor could she catch up with him later.
Maybe Ian would pick her up. She didn’t know if he’d pick her up like he’d promised. It was his first promise to her. He said he’d pick her up.
It was his first promise to her. He was a man of his word, so he might pick her up.
But Rachel couldn’t get rid of the thought that she’d been abandoned because of Ian’s behavior, which was so similar to her mother’s.
This time, unlike when she was young, tears flowed.
Rachel couldn’t even make a loud noise and cried in silence for fear of wild animals coming down.
She knew she had to walk to the entrance of the forest even now, but she was scared again. She was afraid she’d meet a wild animal while walking alone. In the end, Rachel could do nothing but cry.
“No, he said he’d come, so he’ll come. He’ll come.”
But Ian didn’t come in the end, and sent someone else. Rachel was truly grateful to him, although he didn’t come in person.
She was thankful that he hadn’t forgotten her.
But in the end, this was her death.
“Sir knight.”
Rachel carefully called out to the knight in a sobbing voice.
“We didn’t go this way when we came in. Here, I feel like we’re going deeper.”
“Shut up.”
However, Rachel was forced to shut her mouth by the nervously angry knight.
“….”
Somehow, they seemed to be moving in the opposite direction, and not towards the Imperial palace side.
For a long time the knight rode his horse, and before she knew it, the forest ended and a vast plain came into view.
A few houses could be seen in the distance. The unpaved road was narrow, as if it wasn’t frequented by people.
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