MLCIEF 06

Chapter 6

Among everyone here, the most uncomfortable person for that Count was, without a doubt, Alice herself.

Even so, she truly believed what she said.

She had the knowledge to find food.

And those knights at least had the strength to protect the group from wild beasts.

If they stayed together, their chances of survival would increase.

“But to survive, you have to be ruthless. Do you think knights without swords are really that useful in a jungle?”

At Benjamin’s question, Jeffrey added sharply,

“I think the biggest problem is that noble lady.”

At his disrespectful words, everyone in the group silently agreed.

That noble lady still seemed unable to accept reality, as if she believed the situation would be resolved in a day or two.

“Kettler! Are you sure my cloak isn’t nearby? …Kettler! Are there really no spare clothes washed ashore? …Do I really have to eat something like this? Sob…”

Everyone had heard her complaints the entire way.

She kept asking if there were clothes, shoes, or anything better.

While her guard wrapped her feet with leaves, everyone else had to wait, wasting time.

At one point, after removing her shoes, Kettler even looked at Alice’s low-heeled shoes and demanded if she could give them up.

But Alice shook her head firmly and stepped back, pushing her belly forward.

Even Kettler couldn’t take shoes from a pregnant woman in front of everyone.

If the Count’s group hadn’t been watching… he would’ve taken them.

Alice was certain of it.

When they first found the cave, Delphien had even looked back in confusion at others entering, as if she thought only she would rest there.

No matter how noble she was, she didn’t own this wilderness.

Alice’s group muttered quietly and settled in one corner anyway.

But just watching the lady’s behavior made everyone uncomfortable.

Even after night fell, she sent one of her kinder guards back to the shore to search for her maid’s body.

She also suggested lighting signal fires, tying red cloth to trees, and other ideas that sounded like something from a survival novel.

When her fiancé shook his head at those ideas—

She looked deeply hurt.

“Sigh… I really don’t want to get involved with them.”

Jeffrey was convinced that noble ladies’ sensitivity was somewhere between fragile madness and mental instability.

If they stayed with those nobles, he felt like he would go crazy.

Of course, the pregnant woman here was also a burden.

After that, Delphien continued to shrink into herself—

Whether she pitied herself, mourned her maid, or worried about her reputation after spending the night among strangers.

The guards struggled to comfort her, but her fiancé, the Count, seemed surprisingly unconcerned with her emotional distress.

Instead, he calmly discussed future plans with his secretary.

Because of that, the atmosphere in the cave grew even heavier.

Watching them, Martin shook his head, already imagining the future.

Jeffrey also made up his mind—

If he had to choose between the noble lady and this pregnant woman…
he would choose the pregnant one without hesitation.

This woman moved more confidently and decisively.

As for childbirth—

He would worry about that later.

He didn’t know she would give birth sooner than expected.

Amid the heavy silence, the one most at ease was Alice.

She lay down on layered palm leaves she had gathered and continued thinking.

One hand rested on her belly.

‘I will definitely take this necklace out with me.’

After paying her overdue rent—

If any money remained, where should she order a new signboard?

From Mr. Wilson’s shop?

As she calculated things in her head, Martin poked her fake belly.

“Sis, when are you going to take that basket off? It’s getting hard to move. Just take it off now.”

Alice quickly covered his mouth and muttered,

“Be quiet, Marty. I’ll take it off when I want to.”

Turning away while protecting her “capital,” Alice suddenly froze.

Her eyes met the Count’s in the dim darkness.

His faint gray eyes, lit by firelight, were clearly fixed on her.

She remembered the way he had glared at her in the plaza.

She shut her eyes tightly.

She couldn’t hide forever… but she wanted to delay it as much as possible.

Still, she tried to think positively.

It’s not like he’s only looking at me…

In such a small space, eye contact was inevitable.

‘Ah, whatever. It’ll work out somehow… right?’

As Alice pretended to sleep, the quiet conversation between the Count and his secretary echoed softly.

For some reason, his low voice felt calming.

Soon, she fell asleep faster than expected.

Meanwhile, Kettler approached the Count, who remained awake until dawn, and spoke quietly.

“Your Excellency, as you can see, one of them is heavily pregnant. We cannot match their pace or accommodate them. We even had to share half our food just now.”

Even though Theodore had found the food, Kettler spoke as if it had been taken from them.

He clearly believed nobles and commoners should not mix.

“And one of them was a thief on the ship. I saw him being taken to the holding area. If they steal our food and run away at night, we’ll suffer greatly.”

At his nudge, another guard spoke nervously,

“If the lady suffers, we will be held responsible before the Marquis.”

Kettler lowered his voice further,

“Most importantly, it is the lady’s honor. If they return alive and spread rumors about traveling with her in the jungle, it will be irreversible.”

Theodore frowned slightly and asked,

“Am I not here?”

“Yes, of course. You can prove her innocence, but people prefer scandal over dignity. So…”

“We go together.”

Theodore cut him off firmly.

Kettler was speechless.

He had expected the Count to prioritize the lady’s honor above all else.

At the same time, he flinched at the cold look in Theodore’s eyes.

Delphien, who had been quietly listening, looked at Theodore with resentment.

They had only met a few times after their engagement was arranged.

He was still difficult for her.

She couldn’t read his thoughts, and his cold attitude made it hard to even meet his gaze.

He felt like a man without emotions.

‘Well… he is a commander. But I wish he would be kind to me…’

Gathering courage, Delphien spoke,

“Your Excellency, I don’t feel comfortable continuing with them. I heard there are even criminals among them.”