Episode 27
She had suspected that Hildegard had made a silent deal.
“Katrina is trying to earn Grandmother’s trust.”
“Let her.”
“Are you serious right now? Why are you acting like this? This isn’t like you!”
Bang!
Selena, who had approached without a sound, slammed her hand down on Damian’s desk.
Trying to ignore her and return to his newspaper, Damian had the paper snatched away by Selena.
One of Damian’s eyebrows arched.
“Selena, the Asius case was an unresolved incident from eleven years ago.”
“R-Really?”
“Don’t you see what that means?”
There was no way Katrina could solve such a complex case.
It wasn’t that he was underestimating Katrina’s abilities.
Damian also knew about the “Pied Piper” case. There had been far too few clues to continue investigating, which was why it remained a cold case.
“Katrina won’t be able to do anything there.”
“Then why would Grandmother…?”
“Who knows? Why do you think?”
Perhaps it was a task given with the expectation of failure. Likely without any hope or expectation at all.
“Is that really it?”
Damian snatched the newspaper back from Selena.
Just as he opened it to finish the part he had been reading—
“Master Damian, Lady Katrina has requested the ‘book’ you’ve been keeping for her.”
The servant was referring to a keepsake that had belonged to Damian’s mother, which had been entrusted to Katrina.
Damian had been safeguarding it during the three years Katrina had been unconscious.
“It’s in my study. Retrieve it from there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Damian rose from his seat and approached the railing.
It was noisy at the entrance.
Katrina was packing her belongings.
From the second-floor balcony, Damian and Selena watched her.
Watching her hurried movements, Damian spoke leisurely.
“Katrina, Asius is in the middle of winter right now.”
The clothes packed in her open suitcase were thin.
It was the season when a cold snap would be starting in Asius.
“Right? Katrina, it’ll be freezing. Want to borrow one of my coats?”
Selena joined in, echoing Damian’s mock concern.
Katrina turned around and looked at them, incredulous.
“…You two look like you’re having fun?”
“No way.”
“Have a safe trip, Katrina.”
Katrina clicked her tongue.
So they really think I’m going to fail and come back, huh?
But as she actually prepared to leave, uncertainty gnawed at her.
“Ah, Katrina.”
Damian called a nearby servant. He handed over the newspaper.
“Give this to her.”
The servant went down the stairs and handed the newspaper to Katrina.
“What’s this?”
Katrina looked confused and glanced up at Damian.
He didn’t answer. He just leaned casually against the railing, watching her.
Seriously…
Katrina unfolded the newspaper.
And saw it:
<Silas Rockfenheim Escapes Again from the Nation’s Worst Prison!>
…What the hell.
By the time Katrina was in the departing carriage, she was still reading the paper.
The more she read, the more stunned she became.
<This morning, former Grand Duke Silas Rockfenheim was confirmed to have escaped from Ahok Prison, a facility known for its maximum security.>
A cold sweat trickled down her back.
**<Prison authorities are currently investigating how Silas managed to escape despite their tight security.
In addition, all resources are being mobilized to track him down immediately.
As curiosity about Silas’s whereabouts grows, this incident is expected to cause a major stir.
Our publication will continue to follow this developing story.>**
He… escaped?
Silas Rockfenheim.
Just what kind of man was he?
An infamously depraved scoundrel.
“Let’s meet again sometime, okay?”
“Once I get out of here, I’m coming for you first.”
Chills ran down her spine.
No. It’ll be fine.
She was headed to Asius anyway.
Katrina tried her best to push the unease from her mind and opened her map.
If I meet up with the temple knights around this area…
She’d have to ride nonstop for a few hours.
Since there was nothing to do, she might as well get some sleep.
Katrina closed her eyes.
***
Katrina dreamed.
Whose memory was this?
“Hey, Kiki.”
“I’m bored. Play with me.”
That childish voice still echoed in her ears, clinging to her.
“I’m busy, Silas.”
“You’re always busy. When are you going to play with me?”
“Go play with the other kids.”
“Aw, come on!”
That bratty little boy.
He’d throw tantrums when things didn’t go his way.
“Tsk!”
“You little…!”
But when Katrina scolded him, he’d sulk for a moment—then quickly calm down.
There was a time like that, once.
Katrina awoke from the dream.
She felt exhausted.
Sitting in a carriage all day had left her body aching and stiff.
She opened the window.
“How much farther?”
“We’re almost there.”
Clunk!
The carriage shook violently, jolting her fully awake.
“We’re under attack!”
“Battle formation, now!”
What is happening?!
Katrina flung open the window in alarm.
Knights were forming a protective circle around the carriage.
“What’s going on?!”
“Someone’s targeting the carriage.”
“What do you mean…?”
“…Aura destroyed the wheel.”
The knight’s words were so surreal that Katrina could only blink in disbelief.
“Please stay safe, milady.”
No way…
Katrina had a hunch.
The knights braced themselves, tension thick in the air.
“Everyone, stay alert!”
The lead knight drew his sword and shouted.
But then—a snapping branch.
A shadowy figure leapt from the darkness like a ghost, moving too fast to track.
With a single sweep of his sword, it was as if a violent storm had erupted. Armor shattered, blades flew.
Another knight fell before even making a move.
The knights defending the carriage were being eliminated one by one. Everything was collapsing.
What is this…
Katrina instinctively knew.
Her guards would be wiped out soon.
She flung open the carriage door, scanning the surroundings.
They were in the mountains. Trees enclosed them—perfect for hiding.
She bolted. Or tried to.
“Kuhk!”
The final knight collapsed, and a long shadow stretched out in front of her.
Blood dripped from the tip of a sword, the sound echoing like a death knell through the tense silence.
Knowing she’d be caught in moments, her feet refused to move.
“…Ah.”
A low voice came from behind her.
“Been a while, huh?”
A chill ran down her spine.
Silas Rockfenheim.
He had come.
