Ash impatiently bites the hand of the man standing before him. Luan was supposed to give him more hay, but the knight had a blank expression on his face.
What was this feeling?
Since Arianell fell into the unconscious state, he couldn't shake off the presence of worry. His mind raced with negative thoughts and scenarios, making it difficult to focus on other tasks or think clearly.
'It must be because of captain Randel…' he kept on telling himself. He was only worried because she was a precious daughter of someone he knew.
His hand slightly trembled, as he recalled her pale face. Her mind went blank as soon as they stepped into western territory. He shook with her, but she wouldn't wake up, leaving him in distress. Finally, he found the travelling merchant group, which was about half a day behind them. Since the procession had about thirty carts, a lot of work was put into clearing the pathway from the obstacles.
Fortunately, there was even a travelling priest with them, whose divine power seemed to be pure and strong.
"Mister…" A weak voice belonging to a girl called him from the back. His heart thumped in excitement, but before he could see anything, Ash was rattle-headed and pushed him aside as he ran towards the new person.
"Neeeigh!"
"Oh, Mr Hero… Did I worry you, too? I'm sorry," she patted the horse's head patiently.
"How… are you feeling?" Luan asked when he finally got a chance to separate his stallion and the girl.
"Perfectly fine, I think the priest helped me a lot…" she said with a cheerful smile, but something still bothered him a lot. The knight used his hand to check the temperature on her forehead. It was a little warm, like a fever coming up.
"Uhm, I'm sorry to cause you trouble…" she apologized sincerely.
"It wasn't trouble…"
Yes, it was just natural to take care of her.
Because she is count Randel's daughter.
It was all because of him.
The anxious feeling in him hasn't calmed down. He hadn't been so restless ever since he joined the war.
"Mister, your hand…?"
Her slightly nagging voice returned him to reality. He hurriedly removed his hand from her forehead, as he looked at his palm intensively. It feels like there was a fireball hiding in his fist.
"I'm thinking about joining this merchant group for the rest of the journey. They are also heading to Deneb, and it will be more convenient to have people around…" he explained as he regained his calm. They should follow the priest, in case her condition worsens again, he thought of excuses.
"Sure…" Suin grabbed a brush from him and took the initiative to take care of Ash. The stallion was overjoyed that the gentle girl was massaging him instead.
They were lucky. The merchants only came to Deneb once per month, bringing the necessary goods. They stopped their marching for now, as the group of workers were sent ahead to clear the path of fallen debris.
With so many carts, the procession will be slower, but Suin felt like she had all the time in the world. Whether she arrived at her new house in a week or later, it didn't matter, as the result was inevitable anyway.
The silence had fallen upon them, and she was feeling awkward to speak first. There was one thing she really wanted to confirm, and it was one of the reasons she was rushing after him. But how can she ask about it without sounding weird?
Gathering her courage, she decided to be honest.
"Luan, about yesterday…"
"Keee-eeeee-arr!"
Before she could finish the sentence, an eagle soaring through the sky interrupted them. The majestic bird with a white head and strong bird was known as the king of the birds. Even from a distance, she could see how it pumps its wings in slow, powerful wing beats, as it looked for the target.
Eagles were usually used as military messengers.
Luan put a small whistle into his lips and made a sound that only animals could hear. The eagle slowly ascended to them, landing precisely on the Luan's arm. There was a small scroll of the paper attached to its leg.
Suin took a step back, her heart racing against her chest.
"Don't tell me…" Somehow, she already knew what the message was all about. She lost the sense of the timeline, since the Arianell's fate took a wrong direction, but wasn't it around this time? The real start of the story.
Luan read the note on the parchment and his face paled in the instance. He looked at the girl standing before him with mixed feelings, his eyes deep as he had difficulty conveying the news.
"What is it?" She asked even though she already knew.
But Luan said nothing. More like he couldn't bear to be the one saying the words.
Suin took a step closer and looked at the paper herself.
Count Randel lost his life during the battle of K'awill. Please return quickly.
"Oh…" That was the only reaction, that came out of her.
Finally, the awaited event and the start of the book finally happened.
Count Randel wasn't a powerful noble, but he gained recognition and the love of commoners. Unlike rich aristocrats, he never shies away from the battle, bravely leading the army for many years. He was like a symbol of stability. Even if the kingdom couldn't win the war, as long as count Randel was there, it also meant that they were safe from demon's invasion.
His death will cause great anxiety to the masses.
But Suin felt nothing. He was the father of the body she was occupying right now, but she never met him, nor book described him in great detail. She thought about him a lot, since she ran away from his castle, and came to a simple conclusion.
He loved his illegitimate daughter but was the horrible father as he left her alone with the hating stepmother and disgustingly obsessive older brother. He was a bright star in people's eyes, but an awful husband and a cheater. Both his daughters were born in the same year, telling everyone that he was two-timing his wife and his mistress.
But nothing of this mattered to Suin. He was a stranger, and she couldn't mourn his death because she felt nothing.
She couldn't help but only show a lukewarm reaction.