Elena took a look at the empty house.
She patted the dining table as she walked over. Her hand led her through her bedroom, full of memories, and into the living room, full of family laughter and happiness. For a brief moment, Elena's face looked even more peaceful as she reminisced about the past. She was alone on her lonely path, and there was nothing like an hour with her family to give her the strength and drive to sustain her life.
By the promised time, Leabrick knocked on the door without a single error.
"It's time to leave, Miss Elena."
"I'll be right out."
Elena, who raised herself from the chair, put her hands on her chest and breathed deeply a couple of times. Then, she brought out the feelings of parting that had been pressed in deep. When she recalled the situation in which she had to break up with her parents in her past life, she was overwhelmed with emotions. Elena went to the front door only after seeing that her eyes were red.
Elena came out through the slightly opened door. She covered her mouth with her hands to hide her slightly bloodshot eyes and sobbing, which made her look pitiful and unfortunate.
"… Let's go."
"What about your parents?"
"We forcibly separated and only I came out. I don't think I'll be able to leave any longer, so I want to leave now before I change my mind."
Elena's last words were close to pleading. She seemed as if she was about to collapse, so Leabrick nodded slightly.
"Sir."
At her summons, the man who had been behind her stepped forward. Despite his robes, he had a stout physique that could not be hidden, and a single sword at his waist suggested that his status was that of a knight.
"When we leave, please take care of those two. Be polite and courteous so that Miss Elena is not worried."
"I will."
"…!"
A familiar voice made Elena take a breath. When she glanced at his face without a grain of doubt, she was infested with unbearable hatred and indignation.
'I didn't know you were the chauffeur who came to pick me up, Sir Lorentz.'
The knight of the oath that once defended her with loyalty. A knight of honor who she kept by her side even after she became Queen. However, when Veronica returned alive, the knight ruthlessly put a sword through Elena's abdomen.
The loyalty he swore before Elena was false, the oath was hypocrisy, and the honor that he cried out as nothing but pretense. She still hadn't forgotten. She remembered what he had said clearly.
"I have never for a moment thought of you as my lady. Now that my lady has truly returned, I will kill you with my own hands and seek forgiveness from the real queen."
'Ah!'
His true feelings were more cruel than the pain of iron that dug into her flesh. The sense of betrayal and loss she felt was as great as the depth of trust. It couldn't be expressed in words. Now that she saw him, she figured he was the one that killed her parents. Naturally, her hatred doubled.
'Let's not dwell on the past. He is now nothing but a chess piece.'
Elena was wary that her old feelings toward him may make things go wrong. One day, he would pay the price for her disdain, but it was not yet the time. From the standpoint of aiming to overthrow the Grand Duke, she could not be swayed by petty emotions.
"I've got a carriage outside the estate. We'll have to move in secret up to there."
Elena quietly followed in the footsteps of Leabrick, who walked ahead. As Elena turned around, Lorentz bowed silently. Although it would have been to show the virtues of a knight, to Elena's eyes, knowing that he was soon to go after her parents, it was nothing but hypocrisy.
"Hurry up, we'll be late."
"Yes."
Elena set aside her gaze and hastened her steps to narrow the distance away from Leabrick. When she went through the dark zelkova forest, they reached a road leading to the southern part of the territory. There was a luxurious carriage standing in the corner of the bushes.
"Get in right away."
As soon as she got in, the horseman cracked the whip.
Neigh, neigh.
As the cry of the horse tore the silence, the wheels started to role. Feeling the vibrations in her hips, Elena threw her gaze outside the window that changed visually.
"…"
Elena's gaze deepened in the moonlit landscape. It was a night that was no different from any other. The only thing that had changed was Elena's mindset, but the world looked different.
"Don't worry too much."
Leabrick, as if to reassure her, reached out her hand.
"As long as Miss Elena decided to be his daughter, she won't be neglected. I'll take care of you."
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I can relax a little."
Elena smiled and squeezed Leabrick's hand tighter. An expression of trust that she believed in her. An act that felt sincerer than a hundred words. Leabrick was convinced she had come under her control.
"Don't say thank you, we're like sisters now, aren't we?"
Elena held back a reflexive burst of laughter. Sisters? She was looking forward to seeing how long this pretense relationship would last.
* * *
Lorentz stood up from the fence he was sitting on. Considering the distance of the carriage, the woman's stride, and the gait, by now it was time to leave. Lorentz, who had no reason to delay any longer, recalled the mission.
"Kill Elena's biological parents."
Cut the buds that may be a bother in advance. Leabrick said it would be the way for the Grand Duchy, and he would so with hesitation. For the glory of the Grand Duchy. That value was the only pride that made him breathe as a knight.
Lorentz pulled the sword from his waist. The moonlit blade shined with chills. Soon this new white sword would be dyed red.
Kkiik.
Lorentz's expression that crossed the threshold hardened.
"…!"
He didn't feel anyone inside. He instinctively sensed something was wrong, and rushed through the room. Baron Frederick and Chesana, who were supposed to be there, were nowhere to be found.
"Huh, did you run away?"
Lorentz was frustrated. They were here until a little while ago, but they ran like a bolt in the blue. Like they evaporated. He didn't understand how they knew about the threat that was coming to their bodies.
"Now's not the time to care about that. I need to trace them."
Lorentz eyes gleamed as he looked for their footprints in the dark.
Sect 2. Don't Go
The carriage which had left the territory passed without rest.
"It's hard, isn't it? Please bear with it until we arrive."
"Thanks to your consideration, I'm not tired at all."
Elena smiled softly. It was a natural smile that couldn't have had any other thoughts.
"I'm really curious, but where am I going?"
"Are you curious?"
"Oh, no. You don't have to tell me."
Elena shook her head and swept her fingertips along the sofa. She was amazed at the feeling of the finest leather, and kept her hands on it.
"This carriage is softer and more comfortable than my bed. I've never been in such a nice carriage in my life."
"It's a carriage that I took extra care to pick up Miss Elena."
"I know. I wonder which family he is from and who he is to treat me like this."
Elena's eyes were hazy as if dreaming. She was blinded by expensive items, and she seemed to have no time to think about her situation or the future. Leabrick laughed in her heart as she looked at Elena, vain and blinded by desire.
What a pathetic woman. She didn't know that she was just a puppet to be used and thrown away, but she was so happy to be misled by her own personal affairs. She felt that she was really easy to handle.
That's exactly what Elena was aiming for.
'You should see me as the most ignorant and pathetic woman in the world.'
Misjudgment. The more pathetic Elena became in Leabrick's eyes, the better. Because the less she meets the standard, the less vigilant she will naturally be and the more she will ignore it. She was going to deliberately appear ignorant and snobbish to induce Leabrick to drop her guard. Elena would continue to hold out until that day came.
"You said you weren't curious, so let's leave him out for a while and talk about something else.'
"I'll listen."
"Do you remember that he still can't accept his daughter's death?"
Elena nodded.
"In fact, he hasn't had his daughter's funeral for more than two months."
"What?"
"He's too attached to her and can't let her go. Very few people know about the death of the lady."
"T-then…"
Elena's face contorted as she adjusted to the situation, unable to laugh or cry. The death of the lady, which has not been officially announced. An obsession beyond attachment and her own position. The expression on her face depicted the conflicting and complicated conditions in her mind.
"I know what you're worried about. I'm sure it's not a bad thing for Miss Elena."
Elena looked at Leabrick with anxious eyes. There was a significant smile on Leabrick's lips.
"You're getting a chance to be his real daughter, not his foster daughter, and there's no reason to refuse."
"…!"
Elena opened her eyes wide.
"R-real daughter?"
"Yes. His real daughter, Princess Veronica herself."