Chapter 6
Chapter 6
A swarm of black butterflies soared above the towering castle walls.
“Oh dear, it seems we’ve been found out.”
Baal’s voice made it clear that this wasn’t a mistake or a trick of the eye. One butterfly separated from the swarm, darted forward, and stopped right in front of Isabella.
And then it happened.
[My child!]
Flutter!
A loud voice burst from the black butterfly, loud enough to send the birds in the forest scattering in alarm. It was an all-too-familiar voice.
Hilda’s.
She was using a special magic known as ‘Message’, a spell that allowed her to transmit her voice through the black butterflies, thanks to her maid’s demonic butterfly powers.
Her voice came again, even more desperate this time.
[Running away from home?! Come back this instant! It was all my fault, okay?! Please just come back!]
Hilda’s voice trembled with emotion, her sobs shaking through the spell.
At the moment Isabella hesitated, the thousands of butterflies circling above her descended and wrapped around her, lifting her into the air and carrying her back home.
— — —
That night, Hilda held Isabella tightly in her arms and wept loudly, her wails echoing through the entire estate.
It wasn’t until Isabella wrote a signed pledge promising never to run away again that Hilda finally agreed to let her attend the debutante ball.
* * *
Two weeks later.
The day had come for Isabella to depart for the capital after hasty preparations for her debutante presentation.
The front entrance, where the carriage waited, was in complete chaos.
“My dear! How can you send our precious daughter to the capital all alone with no guardian?!”
Hilda had grabbed the carriage door with both hands, preventing it from departing, as she argued with her husband, Edwin.
Edwin sighed deeply, glancing back and forth between his stubborn wife and Isabella, already seated in the carriage.
“Hilda, as I explained yesterday, strange incidents have been happening in neighboring villages lately. I need to investigate those reports first…”
But Hilda cut him off before he could finish.
“Which is exactly why someone needs to go with her! What if something happens on the way to the capital? She’s still just a child!”
“Isn’t Baal going with her? Besides, who in their right mind would dare lay a hand on our family’s carriage?”
Edwin glanced toward the carriage with a confident gleam in his eye.
The carriage of House Hellen was on a different level compared to any other noble families. A spectral vehicle known as the ‘Ghost Carriage’ – a living magical creature that moved even without horses. It had a will of its own, allowing it to travel at unnatural speed as long as it knew the destination.
Surrounding it were ghostly, headless knights known as Dullahans, riding phantom horses, and instead of a coachman, two high-ranking liches wielding powerful magic accompanied the carriage. Its intimidating appearance alone made anyone think twice about approaching.
But Hilda, blinded by a mother’s overwhelming love bordering on obsession, wasn’t reassured in the least.
“You never know what might happen! And just Dullahans and two Liches? If she’s really going alone, she needs at least a Cerberus, a Gargoyle, a Balrog, and maybe even…”
As Hilda began listing top-tier monsters, Edwin hastily interrupted her.
“Alright, enough! Hilda, she’s not heading off to war. This is way too much.”
But Hilda was unwavering.
“Not at all. In fact, it’s not enough!”
Their argument dragged on endlessly. Then Lloyd spoke up.
“If you two can’t go, then there’s no helping it. I’ll go with her. We can’t just let her run wild on her own.”
“My son!”
“Roy!”
“This is how a little brother should be…”
With Lloyd joining in, the commotion showed no signs of ending.
— — —
One hour later.
Exhausted from watching the prolonged family squabble, Isabella finally stormed out of the carriage. Raising her hand toward the empty air, she calmly spoke.
“Come forth.”
At her command, a black veil fluttered from her face as eight werewolves appeared around her.
“Awooooo!”
They howled and encircled her, growling fiercely.
“Sit.”
At her crisp command, the werewolves instantly obeyed, moving with disciplined precision. Edwin, Hilda, and Lloyd were all struck speechless, gaping at her in silence.
Climbing back into the carriage coolly, Isabella announced.
“Twenty guards are more than enough. I’ll head to the estate in the capital first, so finish up your business and join me later.”
Flustered, Hilda rushed up to her.
“You… You’re really going alone?”
“Yes. I’m an adult now.”
At her firm, unwavering answer, Hilda had no choice but to send her off, tears streaming, heart unwilling.
“Make sure to keep your veil on so the sun doesn’t touch your skin! Don’t forget your parasol! Watch for stones so you don’t trip, and… and…”
“Hilda, Baal will take good care of her. Try not to worry too much.”
Edwin stepped in to calm her, then lowered his voice and spoke privately to Isabella.
“Bella, your magic is still unstable. If you’re forced to use it, be extremely cautious. Understand?”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
“Good. We’ve delayed long enough. Go on.”
Somewhat reassured by his daughter’s composed reply, Edwin smiled warmly.
After exchanging a look with Baal, seated inside, he gently shut the carriage door. And with that, the carriage carrying Isabella quietly departed.
As the estate receded into the distance, the scenery outside the window passed like a moving panorama.
Isabella pressed close to the window, eyes sparkling as she exclaimed:
“Wow! People!”
The fields, the sky, the plains – everything was new to her, but her gaze was fixed entirely on the townsfolk.
Baal, watching her quietly, finally asked.
“Are humans that fascinating to you?”
“Yeah! Who knows when I’ll get to see this many people again? I have to take it all in while I can!”
Her excitement brought a small chuckle to Baal’s lips, and he added:
“If you’re this thrilled already, what’ll you do when we reach the capital?”
“Exactly!”
Still unable to contain her excitement, Isabella jumped to her feet and began rattling off words like rapid fire.
“The royal city must be dazzling, right? There’ll be so much delicious food! So many people. I might even make friends! Ahhh, I can’t wait for the debutante ball!”
She clasped her hands in front of her chest and smiled dreamily, lost in anticipation.
“Good grief, don’t stand up while the carriage is moving! It’s dangerous, milady!”
Panicked by her sudden movement, Baal flailed about, his heart pounding for a very different reason.
Unaware of Baal’s flustered state, Isabella looked out at the clear, open plain and clenched her fists with determination.
“It all starts now. I will find a place in the sun – my very own!”
Her grand dream, from the shadows into the light, burned brightly in her heart.
They had been traveling nonstop toward the capital for over half a day when the sun began to set.
“Baal, it’s getting dark. Are we not stopping?”
It was her first time riding in a carriage, let alone leaving the estate, so she had no idea what to expect. Baal, who had been reading a book, glanced out the window and replied.
“No. We’ll stop at a nearby village and stay the night.”
“Really?”
The carriage was so quiet and smooth, she’d nearly forgotten they were even moving. But sitting for so long had made her body ache.
“Whew, thank goodness. I was getting stiff.”
Crack, pop.
She stretched, her joints creaking audibly.
“Not much farther. We’ll arrive soon, so please hang in there.”
“Okay.”
Baal, noticing her restless fidgeting, tried to calm her and returned his focus to his book, titled <How to Raise a Teenage Girl>.
About ten minutes later, the carriage came to a stop. Outside the dimly lit window, a village came into view – small houses clustered together in the distance.
“It’s a village! Hey, but… doesn’t it look strange?”
Isabella, brimming with excitement, pointed toward the window, then abruptly furrowed her brows. The village was far too bright for this time of night, with faint smoke rising from several places.
“There’s no way… Fire?!”
Sensing something was wrong, Isabella threw open the carriage door and leapt out before Baal could stop her.
Whooosh!
A cool evening breeze swept over her.
‘This smell…’
The scent of smoke carried on the wind was thick and acrid. But beneath it, she felt something else – an overwhelming presence of foul, murky dark magic.
A shudder ran through her. Pushing her veil and hair from her face, she looked straight ahead.
“…!”
Her eyes widened, and she bit her lower lip hard.
A devastating sight lay before her – one that left her utterly shaken.
……
T/N: Author-nim really needs to stop with these cliffhangers hahaha
