Chapter 45
“Wh— What’s this all of the sudden…!?”
The person inside the wagon was not Elisha, but a middle-aged, half-bald man.
His eyes were relaxed as if he was dozing off, and there was a thin mark of saliva on his lips.
Richard was startled for a moment but soon after hardened his expression and asked for an explanation.
“Wh— who are y… hip!”
The man, who had been abruptly awoken, started shouting, but he quickly froze when he met Richard’s fierce red eyes.
Overwhelmed by the cold atmosphere, he started to hiccup.
Richard looked at him with a stiff expression, bit his lips, and closed the door.
“…I made a mistake.”
Thompson and Agail approached Richard.
“Your Excellency, the Madam—”
“…You didn’t meet her.”
Unlike Thompson, Agail understood the situation at one glance.
Richard also understood the sudden situation.
That Elisha didn’t come through this gate.
Thompson pondered for a moment.
“To get from to Sorneti, you must go through this road, where did she go? Did she change her destination in the middle?”
“Then, let’s hurry and send knights to the other side…”
“…No.”
Listening to their words, a completely different possibility flashed in Richard’s mind.
Thompson and Agail’s puzzled eyes turned to Richard.
“There’s another way to get to Sorneti.”
“Another way? Then you’ll need to go through the mountains.”
Richard kept talking as he walked away from the two.
“There is a faster way to get there, by water, not by land. ”
Then he flew straight up towards the north docks.
A black aura was creeping up from him.
At that time, Elisha’s wagon was heading north from the villa to the docks.
She fiddled with the boarding pass in her hand.
Last evening, the branch manager, who came to the villa after hearing that Elisha had yet to leave, gave it to her.
“If you go to the dock on the Tobe River, there is a ship run by our guild.”
“A ship?”
“Yes. The schedule was delayed, and I think it would be better than traveling with that weak of a body.”
There was a large river called the Tobe River flowing through the islands, which flowed into the eastern sea.
It was a long distance, almost a fortnight by carriage to Sorneti, but it was faster to get there by boat through the Tove River.
“The boss and some distinguished guests often board the ship, so we have luxurious rooms. Even if you get seasick, you’ll be much more comfortable than going by carriage.”
Elisha quickly returned the boarding pass she was given to its hiding place in her luggage.
It was good to be comfortable and travel fast, but it was also her first time riding a boat in this world, so she was curious.
The road to the dock wasn’t too far.
There was a huge ship there. It was a ship built to a huge scale so it could carry trade goods and people all at once.
Elisha swirled around out of curiosity for a short moment.
‘I’m sleepy…’
Contrary to her desire to see more, her body was asking for rest, completely exhausted as she always felt since she got pregnant.
There was still about an hour left for the boat to depart, but Elisha wanted to go inside and lie down.
Anne caught on to Elisha’s inner thoughts.
“Ma— Madam, I’d like to buy some snacks, could you please wait a minute?”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you here.”
“I’ll be right back.”
She walked quickly to a nearby stand.
The stands were selling fruits from other regions and some snacks that sailors could easily eat.
Elisha sat in a chair and watched Anne.
She was looking around. Then, she talked to the stand owner, and he started making some pancakes. She kept looking around while waiting.
The expression on her face seemed somehow nervous. Rather than looking around with interest, she seemed to be looking for something.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
Elisha doubted Anne’s behavior for a moment but forgot it when she saw her return with pancakes in hand.
“Are we… going to ride the ship now, right?”
“Yeah, I feel a little tired. I want to rest in the room.”
“Oh, I apologize. I made you wait for me.”
“It’s okay. Let’s go.”
Elisha took the lead with the boarding pass in her hands.
However, Anne didn’t follow her immediately. Rather, she walked slowly, looking back.
“Anne?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Elisha shook her head.
‘Are you sad that you have to go to a place that’s far away? She’s a child who believed in me and decided to follow me to a strange land, I should be nicer to her.
Elisha thought so while boarding the boat.
And an hour after the two got on the boat, it finally departed.
“Uhm…”
Elisha, who had fallen asleep before the ship even departed, woke up at night.
She didn’t know exactly what time it was, but looking at the bright moonlight through the window, it seemed like it was late at night.
Elisha rubbed her eyes and looked around.
The room she was in was a luxurious room for special guests. The bed was large, there was a chessboard on a table, and a small bookshelf with books about many different regions.
There was even a window from where you could see the ocean and a private bathroom.
Anne was asleep, curled up in the bed next to her.
‘You must have been tired.’
After covering Anne with a blanket, Elisha put on her shawl and went out of the room.
The mercenary who was sitting next to the door, guarding the room recognized her and got up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m just gonna get some fresh air. I won’t go far, so just stay here.”
“It’s a quiet river, so the water is still calm. But, just in case, don’t go near the railing.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Elisha smiled back at the man who was worried about her and turned around.
She went out through the dark hallway and onto the deck. A strong wind blew over Elisha.
Sweeping her fluttering hair to one side, she looked around.
It was quite a different view from the last scene she saw when she left the island in the afternoon.
Between the high and low mountains on both sides, a wide river stretched out endlessly.
Only this huge ship carrying Elisha floated on the serene river. The bright moonlight was shining on the ship.
‘Even if I was tired, I should have watched the scenery at least a bit.’
She felt sorry for having fallen asleep and not having seen the island for the last time, but it was too late to regret it.
‘Now, when will I be able to come back?’
Memories flashed through her mind.
Strangely, the one that stood out the most was Richard. Even though they had only been together for less than a year.
Elisha pulled out a brooch from her pocket. Before she left, she had taken it from Richard’s bedroom.
The brooch, in the moonlight, shone brightly and highlighted its presence.
Elisha fiddled with the brooch, recalling her memories.
At that time, a slightly different kind of wind blew.
‘Wind…?’
The moment she felt a strange sense of déjà vu, the moonlight shining on the brooch darkened.
Puzzled, she looked up and froze at the same time.
“… Richard?”
Richard, with the moonlight at his back, was looking down at her.
He stood still, with colder eyes than ever.
“I’ll definitely find you.”
At this moment, why did those words come to mind?
Elisha just stared blankly at Richard, without saying anything. She couldn’t even move.
No, what was the point of trying to escape?
Everywhere she went, that man came with the wind.
Tak—
Richard lightly stepped on the railing and descended onto the deck.
Elisha felt her heart sink.
“…Did you think I wouldn’t find you if you ran away like this?”
As he said that, the pair of red eyes approaching her were terrifying.
Elisha unconsciously stepped back.
Of course, it was a pointless move. As soon as she took a step back, the man who had narrowed the distance hurriedly pulled on Elisha’s waist.
It happened so fast that Elisha had no time to resist.
Her slender waist was dragged helplessly and held in a firm embrace.
His strong arms wrapped around her waist as if restraining her from running away.
Then, with one hand, he touched Elisa’s cheek and raised her face to make eye contact. The large hand that covered her cheek was warm, but the eyes that met her were cold.
Richard looked down at Elisa, who was trapped in his arms, unable to move, and asked.
“Where are you going with my child?”
His voice sounded like the growl of a beast.