TEWRIT 75

Chapter 75

Eliano slowly opened her eyes on a soft, warm bed. The room felt cozy, and her body relaxed in the warmth. In her arms was a water pouch that had already cooled, and a soft blanket was covering her.

Where am I?

She tried to sit up but suddenly remembered she had been kidnapped. She quickly closed her eyes again and moved just enough to check her body. Thankfully, her arms and legs weren’t tied. When she reached under her skirt, she found her dagger still there.

It hadn’t been long since she’d been brought here. Her clothes were untouched.

Carefully, Eliano lifted her head and glanced around. She saw no one, so she sat up to examine the room properly.

It was a small room, with the door right in view. A fire burned in the fireplace, and several candles lit the walls.

The room was clearly set up in a hurry, and it was too small to be a proper villa. But strangely, every piece of furniture looked expensive.

Eliano could tell immediately that they were all high-quality.

The bed she lay in, the table, the armchair, the carpet, even the curtains—all of it was luxurious. It wasn’t just that the items were costly—someone had chosen them with care.

Eliano shivered slightly. Whoever had arranged this room knew her taste too well.

I have to escape from here.

She shook off her unease and went to open the door. As expected, it was locked. So were the windows. But when she touched the curtain, the fabric felt familiar.

“This is from Zacador…”

She checked the other items too. The blanket, the carpet—everything was made from expensive materials produced in Zacador.

Was it just because Zacador was closer, so it was easier to get goods from there? But it felt too personal. Too luxurious.

Why would Father kidnap me and lock me up here? she wondered. Is he really trying to send me off to Zacador in place of Isabella? Did he make some secret deal with the Seventh Prince? Maybe this isn’t even a stop to the capital but a direct route to Lynxgen?

There were too many questions and no answers.

She looked out the window. Guards were standing outside, wearing black robes and masks. There was no way to escape from there.

Eliano walked into the washroom. No windows?

There was one. Small, but just wide enough for her to squeeze through. It was a little high, but if she stood on a chair and reached out, she might be able to climb out.

She returned to the main room. Outside the window, a few robed figures were approaching the house. Eliano quickly lay back down on the bed.

As soon as she pulled the blanket up, the door creaked open. Someone entered. She kept her eyes closed, pretending to sleep.

She felt someone gently pull back the blanket. Eliano stayed completely still, even when something was taken from her arms and a new warm water pouch was placed on her.

Then she heard voices.

“The Howard Duke’s people are searching aggressively. But with the rain starting, it’ll be harder for them to track us.”

That’s a Zacadorian accent… Eliano clenched her muscles to avoid shaking. She felt a gentle hand brush her hair and cheek—so familiar that she nearly opened her eyes.

“They believe the Rosana family is behind this…”

She froze.

“A carrier bird arrived. We’ll guard this place. You should go for now.”

He didn’t speak again, but Eliano already knew who he was. The realization was so shocking, she could hardly breathe.

“Stay here until the magic gate is ready. Make sure she eats properly.”

“Yes, understood. But what if she refuses food?”

“She won’t. If anyone knows how to behave when kidnapped, it’s her.”

Under the blanket, Eliano gripped her skirt tightly. Her hand trembled.

The men left the house. She could hear their horses gallop away. Eliano stared blankly at the ceiling, completely overwhelmed.

It can’t be…

The door opened again. This time, a cart rolled in—she heard the sound clearly. The smell of food filled the room. As the cart came closer, a masked man politely spoke:

“Your meal is ready.”

She recognized the voice. Zacadorian again.

Eliano got out of bed without resistance and walked to the table. Her eyes widened. On the table was an elegant feast—somehow prepared in the middle of a forest. There was even salmon, her favorite.

She was hungry. Her hand naturally reached out for the food. She paused—what if it was poisoned? But all the dishes were made of silver, which would darken with poison. She noticed and frowned.

Still, she erased her expression quickly and ate without protest. She needed strength to escape.

The food had that distinct Zacadorian spice—but somehow, it didn’t taste as good as it used to.

When she finished, the masked man held out a medicine bowl.

“You’ve lost strength. This is a tonic.”

It was silver too.

“I’m fine.”

“If you’re worried about the medicine, I’ll taste it first.”

He sipped it calmly. She had no choice but to drink it after that.

“Did you make a deal with my father? What do you plan to do with me? I’m already married. I can’t become the Seventh Princess of Zacador.”

“I’m not allowed to explain, my lady. If you need anything, knock.”

He cleared the dishes onto the tray and added:

“He said… please don’t waste your strength fighting. Just wait.”

Eliano replied, her voice cold and trembling:

“The one wasting strength is him, not me.”

“We don’t want conflict with someone as noble as you, my lady. We’ll be seeing each other often.”

He left. Eliano bit her lip. Her whole body was shaking.

As usual, the servant came in with her next meal. But this time, he stopped in surprise. She was gone.

Sometimes she bathed, and water would splash—but the washroom door was wide open. He rushed in and froze.

The window was broken. Below it, a chair had been pushed aside. She had escaped!

“The lady has escaped! Find her, now!”

Panic broke out. If their master found out, they were all finished.

“She would’ve broken a leg jumping from that height! She can’t have gone far—search everywhere!”

Under the bed, Eliano held her breath, nearly choking on the dust. As soon as they left the house, she snuck out.

She ran—straight toward the darkest part of the woods.

Eliano made good use of the dagger Oliver had given her. She used it to cut through branches and thick brush as she pushed forward. But she wasn’t skilled with it—her hands kept slipping.

The rain started to fall harder. Her clothes were already soaked and clinging to her body. Just my luck.

Still, the heavy rain would help cover her tracks. Her footprints were already washing away. Time passed, but no one came after her.

Just then, she heard men’s voices somewhere nearby.

“Where the hell did she run off to?”

“Maybe she died trying to escape? She looked like she’d fall over if you so much as touched her.”

Their voices were getting closer. Eliano froze.

No. I can’t be caught like this.

She snapped back to her senses and quickly looked around. She dove into the bushes, hiding herself between the thick leaves.

“Why are there so many girls with black hair? Even that damn girl earlier had black hair.”

One of the masked men kicked muddy water in frustration. The others, dressed the same, grumbled as well.

“Why couldn’t she have blonde hair or red hair or something easy to spot?”

“Huh? I think I see someone over there!”

Eliano curled up even tighter. They were dressed just like the guards in front of the house—definitely part of the same group.

If I get caught again… it’s over.

Eliano reached down and rubbed dirt all over her face, trying to hide her features. She gripped her dagger tightly. But before she could do anything, strong hands grabbed her and dragged her out of the bushes.

“…!”

Her robe was pulled off in an instant. She didn’t even get the chance to swing her dagger.

The carriage Eliano had escaped from had left unclear tracks and the trail had faded, making the search difficult.

But the Northerners were relentless. Eventually, they found new traces near the edge of the forest. Flint and his men had already set up several tents there and were preparing for a full-scale search.

Flint’s sharp eyes flashed as he shouted a command.

“The forest is vast. Split up and search every inch. If you find even the slightest trace, shoot a signal flare!”

Even in the late hours of the night, they didn’t stop searching. When his vassals asked him to rest in the tent due to the rough terrain, Flint had snapped:

“My wife has been kidnapped. And you want me to just sit and watch?!”

Since he joined the search personally, not only the knights but all the retainers followed his lead.

The rain was now pouring down heavily. The search dogs they had brought barked and circled, confused by the rain-washed scents. Flint let out a deep sigh. The search was proving difficult.

Then—Pop! A flare burst into the sky, glowing deep blue.

“A signal! It must be Lord Alex—he found something!”

A flare meant someone had found a clue.

Flint spurred his horse forward. His men quickly followed. The flare had gone up not far from their position.

As soon as he arrived, a knight of House Howard, Sir Alex, greeted him formally.

“Duke! We caught suspicious men!”

At his signal, several masked men were dragged out by knights. One of them couldn’t even stand properly. A knight struck the man’s head and said,

“These thugs were threatening a woman out of nowhere. They kept shouting about someone with black hair and green eyes. We think they were looking for Her Grace!”

Flint’s face grew darker. Alex quickly added,

“It wasn’t her. But Your Grace…”

Flint didn’t wait for him to finish. He stormed over to the attackers and grabbed one by the back of the neck. The man was limp in his grip.

“That woman they mistook for Her Grace… she turned out to be incredibly skilled. She took them all down before we could even act. She’s barely alive now, but we brought these ones in case we could question them. They won’t last long.”

The attacker was barely breathing, blood all over his body. He was a walking corpse. Flint threw the man to the ground and growled:

“She must have escaped on her own. We have to find her before they do.”

Flint’s sharp gaze swept across the thick forest. It was too rough to ride any further. He dismounted and yanked the leash of a search dog from Alex’s hand.

“W-wait, Your Grace! That dog’s too vicious—”

Before Alex could finish, the dog growled. But Flint silenced it with one cold, killing glare.

There was no time to worry about temperamental dogs.

With one dog at his side, Flint pushed deeper into the forest.