IWTGHFW CHAPTER 41

Chapter 41

It seemed she planned to frame Mishi and me as fugitives who had escaped from the royal palace. That way, it would be easier for her to quietly extract Mishi and manage him out of sight.
After all, at present, no one but the king and his close aides knew that Mishi was a prince. So declaring that he had run away and then secretly negotiating with the Empire in private would be far more advantageous for her.

But then why was she trying to send me to the Empire? If she was going to claim that we had both escaped, she could just spirit us both away.

Tilting my head at this unanswered question, I saw her give me a faint smile as she began operating the warp array.
“I know the Imperial palace’s coordinates. As soon as the Empire’s warp zone activates, we’ll be able to warp directly.”
“So why am I…?”

Each time the Queen of Aint moved her fingers, bright light rose from the warp zone. From her muttered words—“Perfect timing”—the Empire’s warp zone must have been starting up as well.

I looked at the light gradually obscuring my vision and reached my hand out toward her.

Why are you sending me to the Empire? What am I supposed to do there? What do I have to do to get Mishi back?

She looked at the palm I had extended toward her and finally spoke.
“This is an arrangement with the Crown Prince.”
“The Crown Prince…?”
“Go and persuade Lord Metailor.”
“What do you mean—”
“Please… find my son.”

Sadness colored her expression as she spoke. That deep, aching emotion was so clear that I closed my mouth without thinking.
“To do that, you’ll have to—”

I think she said more, but the warp array activated faster. Blinding light engulfed me, so bright I couldn’t open my eyes, and with a wave of nausea—

—I opened them to find myself standing in the familiar warp zone of the Empire.

The light faded, leaving an empty space that her wistful gaze lingered on. After staring for a long moment at where I had been, Ila slowly turned away.

If Lord Metailor dies, then this entire deal will mean nothing…

Her expression crumbled further with each step she took.

Even so…

By now, placing a small bet on a sliver of hope was second nature to her.

Waiting for me were Count Poison and his butler. The Count simply looked at me standing atop the warp zone, then without a word of explanation, ushered me into a carriage.

His expression was unusually grim, so I swallowed my questions—where we were going, whether Ron was all right, why he wasn’t asking about Mishi.

The carriage rattled on for a while before coming to a halt. When the door opened, a knight stood ready to escort me, hand outstretched. I politely declined and hopped down on my own.

Seeing this, the Count finally chuckled quietly. “Still the same, I see.”

“Count, this place is…?”

I looked at the building in front of me—it was unmistakably suspicious, with a staircase leading endlessly underground. Standing beside me, the Count gave a short explanation.
“A dungeon.”

Whether thanks to the Count’s prior arrangements or something else, there were no guards at the entrance where there should have been.

Peering down the dark stairway, I felt the Count pat my shoulder.
“I thought this might be one of the people you most wanted to see.”

I closed my eyes. There were plenty of people I wanted to see, but the one I most needed to meet right now was without a doubt Naraein—and certainly not Ron, who wouldn’t be in a dungeon anyway.

So it must be Naraein in there.

After taking a long, deep breath, I began descending slowly. The Count did not follow. When I glanced back, he simply waved as if to say, Go without worry.

It was a long staircase—so long I wondered if it would ever end. Finally, a door barred with thick iron bars came into view. The lock, which should have been fastened, had already been undone.

I pushed the door open, the hinges squealing in protest.

Most of the dungeon was empty. Either the prisoners had been released, or… some other sentence had been carried out. The thought sent a chill down my spine, goosebumps prickling my arms. Rubbing them briskly, I pressed further in until I saw a faint light.

It was the only cell lit by a torch and inlaid with magic stones.

“Narin!”

Even from a distance, I knew the person inside that barred cell was Naraein. No one else had that dazzling sea-blue hair, glowing under the magic stone’s light.

When I ran up and gripped the bars, Naraein—who had been lying still as if unconscious—fluttered his lashes open.

“What in the world… what…? Wait, you’re fine?”

This was the person who had tried to assassinate the captain of the Imperial Knights. Not just the captain—he had also taken down one of the Empire’s only two remaining marquises.

Naturally, I’d expected brutal, relentless torture.

But… he was fine?

Naraein sat up, the only sign of restraint being a pair of incredibly heavy-looking shackles on his wrists.

Meeting my eyes, he curved them in a smile.
“Are you disappointed I’m fine?”
“What nonsense. I’m relieved you’re safe. Are you all right?”
“…Did you just ask me if I’m all right?”

Well, yeah… it was a bit much to ask someone who had tried to kill Ron if they were okay.

I changed the question.
“Do you feel better?”

Now that things had reached this point, I regretted letting him cry out in anguish the first day we met without doing more. I should have listened more, comforted him, embraced him. Even afterward, he acted fine, but deep down, he must have been rotting inside.

If I’d paid more attention, maybe things wouldn’t have reached the stage where he tried to kill Ron.

Sitting there on the floor, Naraein lifted his shackled hands to muss his own hair, the chains clinking with each movement.

Despite the rough gesture, his next question was almost childlike.
“Will you hate me now?”
“Huh?”
“For trying to kill the Captain. He’s important to you.”

Something swelled in my chest at that. I didn’t know how to name the feeling, but I didn’t hold it back.
“Ron is important to me, yes. But Narin—you’re important to me too.”
“…”
“I have a friend named Mishi… oh, and my roommate Rose, my coworker Mien, Sir Lainolf and Sir Heffy, all the knights I work with. They’re all precious to me now.”
“…”
“And you’re even more special, Narin.”
“…Why?”

His cracked voice was heartbreaking. So were his trembling hands beneath the shackles, and his eyes—hopeful, yet afraid of the answer.

He was only fourteen. Far too young to have lost his family and carry the burden of vengeance.

“You’re the only one who knows my secret.”

I deliberately scrunched my eyes in a playful wink. Seeing my expression, Naraein let out a small laugh.

Once I confirmed he’d relaxed a little, I spoke again, more gently.
“Narin, I hope this helped ease at least some of the knot in your heart.”
“…”
“When you get out, I’ll tell you about airplanes.”
“Airplanes? Oh, the thing you said before—the ones that fly in the sky?”
“That’s right. Exciting, isn’t it? Oh, and also…”

Life returned to his once-dead blue eyes.

Attempted murder of a marquis and captain of the knights… He might not have been tortured yet, but who knew what brutal trials lay ahead? Maybe even an execution. This might be the last time I ever saw him.

And yet, I spoke of the future—When you get out of prison, when you become a full knight, when you come of age.

I kept talking because if I said it out loud, it felt like it might really come true. And the deep-hearted boy listened quietly to every word.

After meeting Naraein, I emerged to find the Count’s carriage still waiting outside the dungeon. The luxurious vehicle sped off, eventually stopping in front of the Metailor estate.

I’m home, I thought, and my eyes stung.

I realized while talking to Naraein earlier—somewhere along the way, I’d gained many precious people here. People who knew me, worried for me, cared for me.

And now, when I thought of “home,” the first place that came to mind was this estate. My room was here, my belongings were here.

Here was Ron, who had once tempted me to stay with delicious desserts when I was planning to return to the palace after Naraein’s training. And here was Naraein, poking his small head out to cheerfully call, “Soi!”

This had become my world. That was now undeniable.

“Thank you, Count.”

After the Count’s carriage left, I stepped through the door opened by the butler.

The moment I entered the drawing room, Sean—apparently waiting for me—sprang to his feet and rushed over.
“Ayle! Thank goodness you’re safe.”

He gripped my shoulders, looking me over. “Hah… I really am glad you’re safe,” he murmured again.

I thanked him for worrying and followed him to the sofa.
“How’s the Captain?”

At Ron’s mention, Sean’s face darkened. “He barely survived, but…” His voice trailed off.

Barely survived meant they couldn’t save anything else.

I forced down the pounding anxiety in my chest as Sean led me to Ron’s room.

On the bed, Ron lay in what looked like a deep sleep. His closed eyes cast long shadows under their dark lashes.

It was awful to think this now, but… I still couldn’t help but notice how handsome his face was.

I couldn’t bring myself to approach, so I stood near the door, steadying my breathing. Sean nodded as if he understood completely.
“I was the same the first time I saw him like this. I’ve never seen him so badly injured.”

Thick bandages were wrapped around Ron’s chest. Tears welled in my eyes, and I rubbed them roughly with my palms. The severity of his wounds sat like a heavy stone in my heart, making my breaths come short and uneven.