Chapter 87
How could such an alley cat boss-like sound come from a child like that?
The knights, covering their ringing ears in pain, still opposed due to their professional spirit.
“That’s absolutely not allowed!”
“No one can enter there without my or Mom’s permission!”
Aslan growled.
Aslan had already experienced having her safe haven destroyed once.
As a result, she had become extremely sensitive to others invading her territory.
So why should she let this person she just met today enter her and Minerva’s sanctuary?
It’s not like she could go along to supervise, who knows what they might do!
With neither side willing to budge, a meaningless standoff was dragging on.
Unable to bear it any longer, Ayla suggested:
“Then how about we all go together?”
“All of us, you say?”
“I’m not sure about the situation outside, but with the knights here, it shouldn’t be dangerous…”
Of course, as the protectors of the imperial princess’s daughter and the grand duchess, only capable people were present.
Even so, taking children along still didn’t seem right.
If something were to happen, they wouldn’t have any excuse, even with ten mouths.
The knights exchanged glances and each showed a troubled expression.
Then they bowed to Ayla.
“We’re sorry, Your Highness.”
“I see…”
Ayla seemed to accept it readily.
The knights were relieved, thinking the young duchess was understanding.
It was at that moment.
“But I still don’t like it.”
“P-pardon?”
Who just spoke?
They couldn’t believe their eyes despite seeing it clearly.
Gone was her usual gentle face; Ayla was now as sulky as Aslan, being stubborn.
“I want to go out for a walk. I want some fresh air. It’s suffocating in here.”
“Y-Your Highness?”
Seeing their shocked faces made Ayla feel momentarily guilty for tormenting the poor knights.
But comforting Aslan was more important to Ayla right now, so she steeled herself.
“If you don’t take us, she’ll cry really loudly. She’ll cry so loud your ears will burst.”
“Even so…!”
They still won’t allow it even after saying this much.
Ayla revved up her engine.
‘Think of something sad!’
There hadn’t been anything recent, so she had to go back a bit, but once she recalled, tears welled up immediately.
“Sniff…”
“Your Highness! Please calm… No, um…!”
A knight wouldn’t stand by seeing children cry.
Especially if it’s their own lady!
As the usually mature young lady started crying like a child, the knights’ firm resolve crumbled.
“A-alright! Let’s go together! So please stop crying!”
“Really?”
Ayla immediately smiled brightly as if she had never cried.
We’ve been tricked… Seeing the knights’ dismayed faces, Ayla loaded up her tears again.
“You’re not lying, are you?”
Ayla trembled her fists as crystal-like tears fell.
“You called me the grand duchess! Everyone must think I’m easy. Always lying to me… *sniff*”
“Absolutely not! How dare we commit such a disrespectful act!”
“But you did lie! You said we’d go together!”
Ayla glared at the knight who had lied and confronted him.
Another knight pushed away the lying knight as if denying it ever happened.
“Let’s go, come on! Hurry!”
As soon as she got the answer she wanted, Ayla wiped away her tears as if she had been waiting for it.
Then she grinned at Aslan as if to say, “See?”
Aslan was impressed by this scene but thought:
‘This seems more like a threat than a tantrum.’
But what works, works.
Aslan secretly held out her fist, and Ayla bumped it with her own.
Their secret giggling made them look like little troublemakers to the knights.
* * *
Two knights who were in the room, two knights who were guarding the door.
The children headed towards the annex, leading a total of four knights.
Slam.
Without hesitation, Aslan was the first to rush into the bedroom, opening the door. She lit up upon finding the lion doll rolling around on the bed.
“My doll!”
As if having an emotional reunion, Aslan immediately hugged the doll and wore the happiest expression in the world.
The still young knights couldn’t understand why Aslan was so attached to that shabby doll.
“Let’s go back quickly.”
No matter how stubborn the children were, if they were caught disobeying orders, hell would be waiting for them.
Aslan, who wanted to smell her mother’s scent more, pretended not to hear the knights and had a good idea.
‘Should I take some of Mom’s clothes too?’
Come to think of it, she had been so anxious earlier because she hadn’t been able to smell her mother’s scent for a long time.
Her body had been shivering since earlier too.
“Lady Aslan, we must go now…!”
Although the knights were saying something behind her, Aslan paid no attention and dashed into the dressing room.
“Hmm, what should I choose?”
Aslan rummaged through the clothes more carefully than when choosing dolls.
Most were too long and heavy for Aslan to take out alone.
Then, as if a light had been turned on, something caught her eye.
That’s it!
‘The shawl Mom often wore!’
Aslan doesn’t remember, but it was the shawl Minerva was wearing when she and Aslan first met.
That much, Aslan could carry on her own.
The knights, getting anxious about being caught, started pleading.
“Please, let’s go back, Lady Aslan.”
It’s the first time grown-ups other than Mom have looked so pitiful.
Having secured both the shawl and the doll, Aslan was about to show mercy and leave the dressing room. That’s when it happened.
“…!”
She thought she heard a sound from the corner of the dressing room.
Aslan’s keen hearing quickly identified the nature of the sound.
It was the sound of someone breathing.
“Mom?”
Aslan said that with a hopeful heart, but something was different.
The smell of soil, sweat, and a pungent odor.
‘No, Mom doesn’t smell this weird.’
Aslan unconsciously took a step back.
The knights, puzzled by Aslan’s strange behavior, asked curiously.
“Lady Aslan?”
“Someone’s here.”
“…!”
Aslan was fixated on one wall full of hanging clothes.
It looked perfect for hiding a body among the dense clothes.
The knights carefully drew their swords and moved forward.
Just as they exchanged glances and were about to pull back the clothes.
Thin needles flew towards the knights’ necks.
“…!”
Thud.
Whatever poison was on those needles, the knights passed out without even making a sound, let alone showing their skills.
Aslan was startled and dropped everything she was holding, trying to run away quickly.
But a familiar voice from somewhere among the clothes stopped Aslan.
“You said you were looking for your mother, right?”
The moment she heard that voice, Aslan couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.
This voice, she had heard it before.
At the inn in the rain before coming to the duchy.
The name was definitely…
Aslan swallowed hard and asked.
“Who are you?”
“I’m your mother’s friend. My name is Archibald.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Mom said you’re not her friend. I heard everything at the inn!”
“Oh, really? You have very good hearing, just now and before. Gabriel is like that too.”
A dark figure stepped out, revealing himself.
The brown-haired man with an ordinary appearance that could blend in anywhere looked even more fascinated up close, his eyes shining as he circled around Aslan.
Aslan moved along with him, trying not to show her back, causing her to move further away from the door.
Click. The dressing room door quietly locked.
‘No!’
The escape route was blocked.
Listening closely, it seemed that Ayla and the other two knights waiting in the living room didn’t even realize the dressing room was locked due to the heavy rain sound.
Unlike Aslan, who looked clearly dismayed, Archibald examined Aslan’s face from various angles with a relaxed expression.
“How interesting… No matter how I look, you’re exactly like Minerva. So that’s why Minerva was so on edge because of you back then.”
It was strange.
He didn’t look strong, nor did he look scary.
If anything, he looked rather easy to handle.
‘But why won’t my body listen to me?’
Her legs had been trembling since earlier.
Was it because she saw adults much bigger and stronger than her being helplessly defeated by this seemingly weak man?
No, more than that, her body had been strangely hot since earlier.
It was hard to breathe, and various parts of her body stung.
Archibald’s eyes curved in amusement as he watched the frightened Aslan.
“An unexpected harvest has come.”
And a large hand approached Aslan’s face.
A damp handkerchief covered Aslan’s mouth.
“Mmph!”
“Shh. Be quiet. I won’t hurt you.”
At least not until I take you to Gabriel and decide how to use you.
With those final words, Aslan’s body went limp.
Archibald tucked Aslan under his arm and opened the window.
He couldn’t find the ring.
But the original purpose of finding the ring was to nullify Minerva’s reinstatement.
If there’s another bargaining chip, who cares about a ring that’s not even definitive proof of being Mars’s?
‘I hope Gabriel will be pleased.’
Even while kidnapping a child, he blushed like a boy in his first love.
Just as Archibald approached the window to escape.
“Aslan, are you not done yet?”
A voice calling for Aslan, who hadn’t come out despite the long wait, was heard.
Click, click.
“We need to go… Huh? Why won’t it open?”
The atmosphere outside became palpably tense as they realized the door was locked.
“Your Highness, excuse me for a moment.”
Click. The lock was undone, and the door flung open.
But Archibald leaping out the window was faster.
“Aslan!”
“Lady Aslan!”
By the time they opened the door, Aslan was already gone.
Instead, they gasped at the sight of two knights collapsed on the floor.
The thin needles stuck in their necks indicated an intruder.
Ayla shouted with a trembling voice.
“I-issue a search order! Close all the castle gates quickly!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Ayla was in panic.
Of all times, for this to happen when there were no adults at home.
As she was fretting about whether she could handle this alone, a conversation she had overheard among the maids suddenly came to mind.
‘There’s still an adult at home.’
The person who had been kept from meeting Minerva and Lloyd, whom the castle employees had been hushing about in front of the children.
Ayla started running towards the main castle.
