/
Anyway, with their conversation, I could guess what’s going on. It seemed that the Royal family and the temple sent people after us.
There was a high possibility that Rienna told the male main character, Callan about the incident. It is not easy to escape from the people of the temple.
It must have been more dangerous to deal with the knights and assassins sent by the emperor.
Praying for the repose of the unknown, I stared up at Ferze, who had not lost a breath. Feeling my stare, he also looked at me.
I happened to see the red blood on his cheek.
Are you hurt?
“I didn’t kill anyone.”
He, who interpreted my eyes differently replied and avoided my eyes.
I reached out and wiped the blood off his cheek with a lacy sleeve.
I thought he would refuse or pull his hand out, but unexpectedly he remained calm. I became younger, but since I had been a maid, he seemed to trust me.
“You’re doing something you aren’t asked to do.”
He never would know this was all part of my big dream of becoming the Head Maid in the future, right?
I smiled timidly even at the slightest scathing remark. It made his face a little stiff.
“Well, why would they let the kid come in and…”
He clicked his tongue.
Sharkis stared at my sleeve with a dissatisfied look and pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the bloodstains from my sleeve.
There was a subtle tension between the two men, Ferze, and Sharkis in the carriage.
It took a whole week to get to the Visenna estate in the north.
I heard that it would take three days from Ferze’s estate, but it turned out that it was the standard only for members of the Visenna.
They came to the palace of the Archduke Yekart by a mysterious animal or whatever. The great monster thing and Sharkis, who treated it like a pet, must have stood out.
I paid my respects for his thought that was so like Visenna.
It seemed that Ferze, who was familiar with Sharkis’s insensitivity as well as boldness, must have warned him repeatedly not to ride his beast.
However, it’s no use crying over spilt milk.
It was highly likely that the royal family and the temple already knew that the two families had already made contact.
‘What will Callan and Rienna do from now on?’
They’ll soon find out that the two families of Visenna and Yekart worked together.
I had no idea what the two people who hated everything about Visenna would do. Before I could think of it, the carriage had already arrived in the North.
“Phew, we’re finally here.”
On a journey longer than I thought, I breathed a short sigh.
It was the three carriages that were replaced during the journey.
A few decades ago, there was no particular road from the Duke’s mansion to the North. That’s why the Visenna’s family invested a lot of money to make a route.
It usually took a week to walk along the path created by the Visenna’s family.
The mansion of the Archduke of Yekart was close to the capital so this path seemed to be a menace to the imperial family.
Anyway, I could come here quite comfortably.
Except a little leg cramp and a sore back for sitting for a long time, Ferze got off and opened the door for me.
He could wait for servants to do it, but he did not hesitate.
“You’ve not fallen from a duke to a servant, have you, Ferze?”
After confirming that the door was opened, Sharkis got off the carriage holding me in his arms.
Of course, he did not forget to get on the nerves of the Duke. Again, Ferze ignored him.
The Archduke Ferze opened the door for me!
Feeling the pressure, I turned my head from Sharkis’s arms to look at Ferze.
“Thank you.”
“…….”
Ferze did not answer again this time.
He gave me a glance and then took his step first.
Even though Sharkis could lead the way as it’s his estate, Ferze went ahead as if he knew the way. Well, he said he’d been here two times so far.
“Shall we send him away first?”
I shook my head when Sharkis said half in jest. Where are you going to send him?
The Duke’s house? Or…?
“Or why don’t we leave him out of the way?”
“No.”
I answered firmly.
It is Ferze who will come soon even if he is left out anyway.
And so far, I felt safer to be with the Duke of Yekart than Visenna. Sharkis kicked his tongue sadly and held me with strength.
He supported me with his arms so that I would not feel uncomfortable and followed Ferze.
His steps were fairly quick and we were able to get to the center of the Visenna estate in no time. The Grand Castle in the Visenna estate and the north seemed quite intimidating.
As the gray stone walls were solidly constructed, it was enough for a strategic point. Visenna’s black flag in the tower fluttered in the wind.
Nevertheless, the Granddorr was an elegant ancient castle. A majestic silvery castle was right in front of me.
The sound of bells were heard silently, and a lot of white spires modelled after the pillars of the temple were stretched out.
A flaming sunset penetrated through the stonework windows. Sharkis stepped inside and said in a cheerful tone.
“Welcome to the North.”
He entered without hesitation into a castle covered with black mist with me in his arms. I prayed to many Gods in my heart.
Don’t let there be my grave.
*****
After arriving safely at the castle, I looked around.
Sharkis, who dropped me off on a fluffy carpet, even grabbed my hand to lead the way. Unlike what I thought, there was no big deal in getting here.
Except for scary knights who would make me nervous just at mere eye contact and the curious eyes of maids grinding daggers instead of needles.
It was a moment when I realized that my life in Visenna was not going to be easy. The castle was so wide that I had to pass the corridor endlessly.
There was a gallery in the wide, long corridor.
There might be portraits of Visenna family or their head, but none were there.
‘They don’t like to show their face, do they?’
It was true that the Duke of Visenna liked art.
A landscape painting of the sea and lake and a marble angel statue were displayed in the red-carpeted corridor.
Walls with a long-wavy pattern were also art.
I turned my head from side to side at a sound of armor. Knights stood in front of the iron arch door.
Two armed knights recognized Sharkis and stood aside.
At the same time, they lowered their spears that had been facing upwards.
“Welcome. The Duke is waiting.”
They recognized the son of Visenna, put their hands on their hearts and bowed.
“Kid, the Duke must be waiting for you.”
Unlike me who was nervous, Sharkis spoke in a soft voice. He, holding my hand, stopped at the huge door.
The words of not exchanging a greeting with his servants were for real. Sharkis spared them no glances.
‘I don’t think I can go in there.’
Contrary to my thoughts, my feet were moving in.
The pattern of the door I saw as I passed it added to a bad feeling. The iron gate had a picture of an ancient dragon and a devil eating it. The dragon was a divine being worshipped by Emperor Ricardo.
Then what about the devil?
Boldly, it’s the symbol of the Visenna family. A devil with black horns
Visenna refers to the spirit of the devil abandoned by God in the ancient language. Well, it’s like a great family emblem like no other.
I swallowed hard and followed Sharkis.
Inside the waiting room, where it is as silent as death, a man was sitting in a dark red chair.
He was looking down arrogantly at me with his chin propped on his hands.
“I’m seeing the star of Visenna, the Duke of Eustia Visenna.”
Sharkis let go of my hand, fell on one knee, put his hand on his chest and bowed.
The playful attitude when dealing with Ferze was gone. He looked like a very coldhearted person.
“Good job. You worked hard.”
I pricked up my ears with an unexpectedly good voice.
Although there was no word that it was okay to raise my head, I did because I wondered who was the owner of the voice.
“Looking straight at me means you mean to rebel against me.”
Then Sharkis realized the mistake and tried to bend my head, but it was too late. Unintentionally, my defiant eyes made the man sitting on the throne of Visenna stand.
Would it be like this if I stopped breathing under pressure?
I looked up at the approaching man in a black robe embroidered with red dragon.
Dark black hair was like that of Sharkis, but his dark blue eyes shone sharply unlike the red eyes of the son.
“Are you the assassin the Archduke has been raising?”
No, I’m not. I opened my round lips, thinking the idea is so like Visenna.
“No. I’m just a maid.”