Chapter 21
Why do I have to see you here too?
An alarm blared in Natasha’s mind. A silent scream echoed inside her, looping again and again.
She pressed her nails into the bare floor, scraping against it wildly. It was a nervous habit that surfaced whenever she was faced with pain too heavy to bear.
“Why are you here?”
The hollow question broke through the silence.
“That’s a curious thing to ask. I’ve simply been staying here as a respectable citizen. And it was you who walked into a citizen’s home, was it not?”
She didn’t respond.
“So I don’t understand why I’m being treated like some kind of trespasser.”
He lowered himself to her level, crouching to meet her eyes as if kindly, though his slightly furrowed brow twisted the expression into something sharper.
He doesn’t recognize me.
Only then did Natasha remember an important detail. When she moved to Vyle, she had changed Tisha Winter’s appearance once again.
Flaire Village had been small, with minimal security. After living there for more than a year, when she claimed she had lost her ID and needed a new one, no one even asked for additional documents.
But Vyle was different. If you claimed a lost ID here, you had to present official paperwork. Rather than take that risk, she had decided to continue living as Tisha Winter and altered her face once more.
If Sieghart had been chasing after the face or portrait of the old Tisha Winter, there was no way he would recognize the woman standing in front of him now.
That thought cleared her mind.
“I… I’m sorry. I must have overreacted. I was just caught off guard.”
It was a small relief.
He would likely realize who she really was soon enough, but as long as it wasn’t right now, she could manage. She was almost ready to leave. All she needed was to make it through tonight.
She forced herself to stand, though her legs still trembled. Her hand reached slowly for the doorknob.
Then his hand came down, blocking her path with a heavy thud against the wall.
“Leaving already?”
He wasn’t the type to offer gentle goodbyes. There was certainty in his voice, and that was what made it frightening.
Had he figured it out?
She was too stunned to speak. Her thoughts were a mess, and she didn’t trust herself to lie convincingly.
Fortunately, he was the first to speak again.
“It’s only right to repay the kindness of a man who helped you without asking anything in return.”
“Of course. Please tell me how I can return the favor.”
“Do you know Tisha Winter?”
A simple question, but it felt like a blade pressed against her neck. Natasha swallowed hard, nerves tightening in her chest.
Stay calm. If he’s staying in this village without any other business, it means he already knows about Tisha Winter. You prepared for this.
She stared just below his eyes, giving the illusion of eye contact, and answered steadily.
“What business do you have with her?”
“Do I need a reason to ask for a favor?”
Technically, he didn’t.
She already knew better than anyone what Sieghart Aschart might say or demand from the woman hiding behind the name Tisha Winter. Whatever it was, it would be nothing good.
This conversation was only meant to buy time.
“No, of course not. I just know the name, but I wasn’t sure what you were asking for, so I wanted to be sure.”
“I see. So, I misunderstood your thoughtful concern. Then, do you know where she lives?”
His voice remained smooth, but the question was sharp. He had finally gotten to the heart of the matter.
“Well…”
“I don’t need an exact address. Just something general would be helpful.”
She pretended to think, like someone trying to recall a vague memory.
“Miss Winter lives somewhere nearby, here in Vyle. If you look for the house with the sign labeled ‘13-32,’ you should find it. It’s not far from here, by chance.”
“You’re well informed.”
“It’s a small town and she was the newest neighbor for a while, so word got around.”
She hadn’t lied. Not because she trusted him, but because there was a chance he already knew the truth and was testing her.
If Sieghart had truly searched the entire kingdom for her and ended up here in Vyle, it seemed unlikely he didn’t know her exact address already.
A moment later, Sieghart’s sharp gaze softened. A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips, adding a surprising gentleness to his usually severe expression.
“Then I suppose that’s enough.”
Natasha couldn’t tell whether he had genuinely let go of his suspicion, or if her desperate lie had somehow satisfied him. It didn’t matter. What mattered now was getting away.
“Yes, that’s more than enough.”
“Thank you again. You really helped me out of a difficult situation.”
Natasha turned the doorknob. She forced a final word of gratitude through her clenched teeth, then slipped through the open door and took off running.
I have to run. I have to get away.
The knights and inquisitors had likely grown tired of waiting at the wrong house and left. The area in front of house 13-32 was completely deserted.
I need to get away from that man.
She ran into the darkness beyond the village. Even the moonlight had vanished, as if it too had hidden from what was coming.
She didn’t care about the uneven road or the pitch-black surroundings. She just ran. She tripped and fell more than once, scraping her knees and palms, but she got up each time without crying and kept going.
There was nowhere else to go at this hour. The only place that came to mind was Tisha Winter’s workplace.
She ran to the pub and pounded on the door, ignoring the “Closed” sign. Her hands were scraped raw, and every hit sent sharp pain shooting through her arms, but she kept knocking.
“I said we’re closed. Stop banging on the door—wait, is that you, Tisha?”
Madame Sherry, clearly irritated at first, gasped the moment she saw her. Muttering in shock, she quickly pulled Natasha inside.
“Would cocoa be, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you, Madame.”
As Natasha began to calm down, Sherry let out a long sigh.
“No need to thank me. I don’t know what’s going on with this village lately. You’re coming with me to the guard station tomorrow. That man sounds like the same bastard who hurt Peter. We need to report him right away. What kind of world are we living in where they can’t catch one criminal, and now the whole village is on edge?”
“No, please. The guard station isn’t necessary. I was just on my way home when I ran into a wild animal. It must’ve been starving and attacked me.”
Even if she lived in a remote area, it was a poor excuse. But Sherry didn’t question it. She simply pretended not to notice, assuming Tisha had a reason for hiding the truth.
When Sherry offered to let her sleep there for the night, Natasha could have cried in relief. She accepted the offer with a grateful heart and closed her eyes, silently promising herself she’d get up early and clean the pub first thing in the morning.
They’ll find me soon.
Sherry’s kindness wouldn’t protect her for long. If anyone started asking around about Tisha Winter, they could be here by tomorrow.
He must have come to propose again.
Her past kept repeating itself, and Sieghart’s reasons were probably the same as before.
“Princess, you must marry me.”
“You’ve been hiding for a year, which means you understand how dangerous it is. Come live with me at the Aschart estate. I’ll protect you from poverty and death.”
He had come all this way just to say those same cruel words again.
It had all started with that proposal—the thing that broke her spirit and marked the beginning of her unhappiness.
It’s fine. I have everything ready. I just need to leave.
As memories flooded back, Natasha found herself reliving moments she had tried to forget. Her chest tightened, and it became hard to breathe. But she forced herself to stay calm.
The past was the past. In this life, she could make different choices. She had come back for a reason. She had chosen survival over death. And she had a plan.
Clutching that plan tightly, Natasha went over every detail she needed to remember for tomorrow.
Even though the weather wasn’t hot, sweat ran down Theodore’s temple, soaking beneath his white hair. The armor of the proud Letius Imperial Knights felt more like a burden than protection. He was exhausted.
Sir Theodore Leven, the head knight of the Letius Order, had just wrapped up the day’s investigation and was resting with the other knights.
“Sir Leven, about this case… is the suspect really that dangerous?”
One knight cautiously approached and asked. On the surface, it was a question about the criminal, but the real meaning was clear: was this case really important enough for the Imperial Knights?
“He’s very dangerous. Just between us, the method matches a series of unsolved crimes from several years ago. We believe the same person is behind this.”
“Are you saying the suspect is a serial criminal?”
Theodore gave a brief nod. The knight’s face turned serious.
“I shouldn’t have doubted it. We need to stay focused and catch him before the town falls into panic.”
“That’s the spirit of a true knight. But today’s investigation is over. Get some rest and return with a clear head tomorrow.”
“Yes, Sir Leven. I hope you have a restful evening.”
The knight bowed respectfully and left. Theodore watched him go, then let out a quiet, dry laugh.
Yes, he’s dangerous, all right.
He thought of the man they were calling a criminal.
An arrogant man who gave orders even to the lead knight of the Imperial Order, as if he had the right.
What made it worse was that this so-called criminal wasn’t a stranger.
He was someone Theodore had known for a long time.
In fact, he was his old friend.
“Another mess already?”
Theodore stormed into the house and shouted in disbelief.
A man who had been lounging lazily in a chair turned to face him. He casually uncrossed his legs and stood up.
Sieghart Aschart.
Theodore Leven’s infuriating friend.
