YWPWYLFDM 19

Chapter 19

“Whoa, whoa.”

With the coachman’s call to halt, the endlessly galloping carriage came to a stop. Eila, who had been dozing off inside, woke to the sound.

She leaned her head out the window and looked ahead. In the distance, she could make out the gate of Grunfeld, a small town west of Venator.

After several days on the road, they had finally reached their destination.

“We’ll be there soon. Give this to the young lady.”

Through the opposite window, Cloud handed Laura a small glass vial.

It looked similar to the one Eila kept hidden at her waist, though this one was larger. The liquid inside was a different color too—an unpleasant green with a faint brownish tint.

It was something she had no desire to drink.

But Eila already knew she would have to. She had done so before.

“Here you go, my lady. Please drink this. It’s a potion that will temporarily change the color of your hair and eyes.”

“…Mm.”

The first time, she had gulped it down out of sheer curiosity, marveling at the magic. But the memory of its revolting taste—so bad that her whole face had twisted in disgust—remained burned into her mind.

Because of that, she couldn’t quite muster the courage to drink it again.

“Please drink it quickly, my lady. We can’t continue until you do.”

“All right, Laura.”

Pinching her nose so she wouldn’t catch the smell, Eila downed the potion in one go. She knew if she caught even a whiff of it, her nose would soon be suffering along with her taste buds.

The taste assaulted her—horribly bitter, sour, and even sickly sweet all at once. Her tongue felt like it was being tortured, and she shuddered violently from the shock of it.

Soon after, she felt a prickling sensation on her scalp and around her eyes—the potion taking effect.

“We’ll depart again now.”

Cloud, who had been watching from outside, gave the coachman a signal, and the carriage began to move once more.

Every time, it amazes me…

Eila glanced down at her hair. The radiant silver locks were gone, replaced with a plain brown, braided neatly into twin plaits. Her eyes, too, would have changed to the same color.

The magic was impressive, yes—but the taste was unbearable. Her tongue still seemed to carry the lingering bitterness, and she moved it around in her mouth, trying to rid herself of it.

Before long, the carriage reached the city gate, where guards were conducting inspections. They weren’t satisfied with simply checking forged identity papers; they even peered into every carriage, Eila’s included.

“My apologies, young lady.”

Though her clothes weren’t particularly fine, they resembled those of a minor noble, so the guard gave her a polite bow before shutting the door.

Even after checking her carriage, the guards continued their thorough inspections. As Eila idly wondered if all cities were this strict, she overheard a nearby conversation.

“What on earth is all this? Why such heavy inspections?”

“You don’t know? It’s because—”

She perked her ears, eager to hear the reason. But just then, the inspection ended, and her carriage rolled forward, drowning out the rest of the words.

…It can’t be a coincidence.

Stricter than usual security. And Byron, instead of avoiding such a place, had come here deliberately.

It was no accident.

This must be for that ‘young lion.’

If this whole journey was indeed to follow that lion’s trail, then it made sense. Whoever he was, he had to be at least the equal of a duke—perhaps even higher.

The carriage carried her deeper into Grunfeld until it stopped before a tavern with a sign that read The Fierce Goose Inn.

It was a fairly large establishment, seemingly occupying an entire three-story building. The ground floor was a tavern, while the upper floors served as an inn.

Byron’s group appeared to have rented out the whole place; the wide hall was completely empty of patrons.

Even the innkeeper, who should have been manning the counter, handed Cloud the keys with a grin before slipping out the door—no doubt after receiving a hefty payment.

“Everything went smoothly, I trust?”

Byron was the last to descend from the carriage, strutting into the tavern with a haughty tone. His hair and eyes, like hers, had turned brown from the potion.

“Yes. Large merchant caravans sometimes book the place out like this, so it won’t arouse suspicion,” Cloud replied.

Satisfied, Byron nodded and, guided by Capella, disappeared into his private room.

“You should go up as well, my lady.”

Yawning tiredly, Laura led Eila upstairs to a room on the third floor.

“We’ll be staying here for about three days. Meals will be brought up, and you mustn’t look outside. This city is dangerous, full of people. Don’t even glance out the window.”

With her chin raised and a bossy tone, Laura lectured Eila. Despite being clearly exhausted from days of travel, she spoke as sharply as ever.

“Yes, I understand,” Eila replied flatly. It was nothing unexpected. In fact, it was exactly what had happened in her previous life. Besides, showing her silver hair to anyone would be disastrous.

The first time, she had been excited just to be in a place with other people nearby. Now, it only felt restrictive.

“Sir Cloud is too busy to oversee your training for the next few days. So just rest in this room. Our young lady has it easy, doesn’t she?”

Laura clicked her tongue in disapproval.

Eila barely paid attention. What really gnawed at her was curiosity—what was Cloud so busy with that he had even canceled her daily training?

Not even rain had ever stopped it before.

But there was nothing she could do now. All she could do was wait for nightfall.

When night finally came, however, she couldn’t be pleased.

“You’ll sleep with me tonight, my lady.”

Capella’s stern voice left her no room to argue.

Eila glanced briefly at the stash where she had hidden her sleeping draught. Clearly, tonight was not the night to use it.

“…All right, Capella.”

Every time they moved inns, she was placed under constant watch—Laura one night, Capella the next. They took turns keeping her under guard until dawn.

Here, in a crowded city, stricter security was only natural. But for Eila, desperate to learn what Cloud and Byron were up to, Capella’s vigilance was unwelcome.

With Laura, maybe… but Capella is too dangerous.

The potion she had made was meant for Laura.

A girl Laura’s age, frightened of being scolded, might keep it secret if she fell asleep on duty. But Capella was different.

Burning with a desire for vengeance for her husband, she would never let herself doze off—and if she did, she would immediately suspect Eila.

I’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.

Surely, Capella couldn’t stay awake every night. Tomorrow, Laura would take her turn. Then Eila could use the potion, put Laura to sleep, and slip out of the inn.

With that plan in mind, she closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, in another room—

“How are the preparations I ordered?”

Byron idly swirled the liquor in his cup. The clear liquid shimmered with each rotation.

“As you commanded, everything is ready. Soon, there will be a small disturbance.”

His ever-loyal right hand, Cloud, spoke in his deep, steady voice.

Good. As expected.

Cloud never disobeyed. He never failed.

Byron smirked and drank, savoring the burning liquor as it slid warmly down his throat.

“But… I’ve decided to change the plan.”

He set the glass down with a sharp clack, wearing the same fickle smile he always did.

“…As you wish, my lord,” Cloud replied, composed though momentarily surprised.

Byron tilted his head, amused by that composure.

“Kill him.”

The cruel words rolled from Byron’s lips with ease, his voice utterly devoid of guilt.

“…Whom do you mean, my lord?”

For the first time, Cloud’s voice wavered.

“That brat. My nephew.”

Crossing his legs, Byron picked up his glass again, as calm as though he weren’t ordering his own blood to be slain.

“My lord, that…”

Cloud’s eyes trembled. Byron only scoffed, sipping again.

“It’s not as though he wouldn’t die eventually. This is just sooner than later. Wait for the right moment—then kill him.”

“But… wasn’t the goal simply to shadow his journey and stir up small disturbances?”

Cloud asked, hesitant.

Byron frowned.