"Are you sure this place is really safe?"
The blonde girl tilted her head, holding her mouth before chuckling. "Of course! Even though this old cottage is in shambles, it is still a decent place to live. Besides, there will be no one thinking that there is anyone who lives in this remote place."
Claire looked at Sharon, feeling unease in her heart. 'That's not what I meant.'
It wasn't about the house that Claire meant, but rather her being a fugitive. However, if Sharon knew who Claire really was, she might kick her out.
Claire was silent, looking back at the wilderness and the forget-me-not flowers growing around the old cottage.
'Ethan said, if Sharon knew I was a fugitive, she might be reluctant to help me,' Claire thought. 'But who would help a noble fugitive? Everyone would be afraid of the consequences.'
Claire's frown was faintly visible. She sighed softly.
'Only that man is different, but why do I feel like his friendliness is … fake? Am I paranoid because I'm too sensitive to the current situation?'
Her thoughts drifted to Ethan, the mysterious man who had saved her. In fact, Ethan also knew that she was accused of being the leader of the rebellion– well… even though she was only a scapegoat as Claire never did.
Claire shook her head, trying to dispel the suspicions that were bothering her mind. Sharon, who had finished arranging the flowers, looked at the vase with a satisfied smile.
"The flower vase has now been completed! Maybe we can start tidying this old cottage." Sharon looked towards Claire, stretching her hands to let Claire look at the vase and the beautiful flowers she had arranged within it.
"Wait, what if the original owner of this cottage came back? Ah … never mind, Ethan said this place is empty anyway."
'Then, when can I leave this place?' Claire thought, in her panic, Sharon's words were inaudible.
Sharon got up from her seat, walking towards another room that seemed to be the kitchen. She placed the vase containing the flowers on the table in front of Claire.
Claire took a deep breath, staring at the decoration that Sharon had just finished arranging. 'I can't hide here forever. Living as a fugitive is even worse than the death penalty.'
Her mind drifted back to her conversation with Ethan. Ethan had mentioned 'resistance', but Claire didn't really understand what he meant.
'Does Ethan really want me to rebel against the kingdom? I have been sentenced to death because of it so why not really realize the coup, is that it? Is that the only way out?'
She shook her head while lightly slapped her cheeks. No, she wasn't a rebel. But the most important thing now was to meet her father and Vincent. At least, she could get the answers to all of her questions since she was in that dungeon.
'For now, I need to meet father and Vincent first.'
Without a word, Claire got up from her chair. She walked towards the door with strong determination. Leaving Sharon surprised and turned to look at her.
"Claire?" Sharon called, walking out of the kitchen, holding a tray full of cookies. She had just finished baking them. "Where are you going?"
Claire glanced at the cookies, realizing that she hadn't eaten anything since this morning—no, not since she was in that dungeon. However, her empty stomach wasn't enough to stop her.
"I have to go," Claire blurted out, as if being possessed by something.
Claire swallowed, feeling the adrenaline starting to flow through her body. "I can't stay here any longer. I need to find out why all of this happened to me."
Sharon frowned, confused. "What do you mean? The people chasing you will definitely know where you are the moment you step into the capital."
Claire paused for a moment, trying to decide how much to say. Sharon didn't know that Claire was wanted by the kingdom as a fugitive, a noble at that.
'It's true that I'm being chased, but Sharon didn't know that the ones chasing me were the royal knights from the palace.'
"I need to go back home," She said, avoiding Sharon's gaze. "I need to meet my father and Vincent. I believe they can explain everything that happened to me."
Sharon stared at Claire, confused by her sudden change in attitude. So far, Claire had looked resigned as if accepting her fate, full of despair. However, somehow Claire had suddenly changed, like a fire had suddenly lit up in Claire's heart.
"Claire … if you go now, what will you do if something bad happens? Ethan hasn't come back here yet." The hazel eyed woman asked, her sincere worry made Claire's heart ache.
Turning around to face Sharon. "I am ready to face anything now," She answered with a smile. "I can't hide here until they find me."
Sharon bit her lip, trying to find a way to convince Claire to stay.
"I understand that you want to go back to your family, but this place is much safer, even the people who are after you won't be able to get here."
Sharon put the tray of cookies on the table. She walked over to Claire.
"I believe Ethan would find a way so you wouldn't be chased by those bad people. I believe you are a good person, Claire."
Claire sighed, rubbing her face with both hands.
"Sharon… you don't understand. This isn't just about me wanting to come back home."
"And I can't let you go alone. At least, eat first. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday, right?"
Claire shook her head.
"No Sharon. I need to go from here and I can't sit still while my family might be in danger!"
Sharot shut her mouth as she heard Claire's bold tone. She can see the anxiousness and worry in her face. In the end, Sharon chose to stay silent.
"Okay, I will tell Ethan that you leave to find your family." Sharon added with a weak resigned smile.
Claire knew that her family's concern was not what she expected. They probably thought Claire was dead or worse... didn't even care. But, she needed to face them, even if it doesn't explain anything, at least she can make sure they knew she was alive.
'At the very least father and Vincent would know that I'm still alive. They might even offer some kind of protection for me.'
Yet, one thing she seems to forget is … the knife that Vincent gave her seems to signal that they wanted Claire dead.
Claire stepped out of the house without looking back, there was no one to stop her like before. She entered the forest that surrounded the old cottage. Not caring about the direction she took, only knowing that she had to go, had to move, even if she didn't know what awaited her out there.
Among the dense trees and the thick shadows of the forest, Claire kept running. Occasionally she tripped over the spreading tree roots, but she didn't care.
The thought of her family, the accusations pinned on her, and the guilt that continued to haunt her, pushed her to keep going.
However, she could no longer just stay still and wait for fate to come and pick her up.