Kaella hid her body behind a thick tree and peeked at the stable. At this point, she was definitely foolish.

No, she already knew she was foolish, but did she have to keep exposing that fact? The world wasn’t helping her.

There were many stables inside Lysenford Castle, all filled with healthy, well-fed war horses, but Kaella couldn’t dare approach them.

If she made a wrong move now, the knights would mount their horses and ride out. Would the stable keeper be crazy enough to give those precious horses to a scrawny duchess? Kaella had enough sense to know that.

But at the same time, she knew her body could never walk to the evil dragon’s domain. Kaella hated herself for having such worries.

What was she going to do there anyway? Excuse me, hello, Mr. Evil Dragon, I’m a person living next door. I don’t know what’s going on, but could you cry a little more quietly? It’s too noisy.

I’ll just quickly look for my husband who might be around here while I’m at it. Please understand. Should she say something like that? The evil dragon wouldn’t understand her anyway, so communication would hardly be possible.

‘Should I give up? Let’s give up. Give up.’

Her mind quickly tilted from worry to conclusion. Giving up was easy on the body. Even when she tried until her heart was worn out, nothing was accomplished, so even if she tried now, the outcome was obvious.

Kaella was terribly unlucky, and unlike others, she was a person whose efforts were not rewarded.

If she asked for a horse now and went, well, they’d just point fingers saying the duchess had gone mad. Taking out a horse when it’s so important for war, and going alone into the dangerous domain of the evil dragon!

Hmm. Yeah. Even Kaella thought that was crazy. So let’s stop peeking at the stable while hiding behind a tree. She already felt tired from moving a little. She should go lie down.

Squeak!

A small animal cry was heard. Kaella looked down to her left. Then she was startled.

Squeak squeak!

It was a creature she had never seen before. Its violet eyes, reminiscent of Peon, were brimming with tears, and its black fur gleamed glossily.

Its body was small enough to fit on her palm, but its tail was so full and large that it looked as cute as a squirrel.

But a squirrel wouldn’t have large fluttering ears, nor would it approach fearlessly recognizing people. It looked so cute and pretty it could bewitch you, but it was a monster.

Kaella swallowed the scream that was about to burst out and took a step back. She mustn’t scream.

Not stimulating monsters was common sense that everyone in Lysenford knew. It was obvious that even something that looked so cute would be a terrifying monster that would pounce and gouge out people’s eyes and tear their throats.

Squeak squeak squeak!

The tiny monster squeaked urgently again. Shedding tears, it told her something incomprehensible.

How did the monster get in here? The knights should be tightly guarding the castle walls. That’s why Kaella didn’t dare try to go out, but this monster fearlessly came in.

Squeak!

The monster, which had been standing up and pointing behind itself with its front paws while squeaking, finally started tugging hard at Kaella’s shoelace when she kept standing still.

It was scary. So scary. Knowing full well that even a small monster could easily kill a person, Kaella squeezed her eyes shut. Though she had chosen death, she desperately avoided a painful death. She hated that too much.

Squeak! Squeeeak!

The monster crying without being able to make a loud sound clearly had business with her. It seemed to be crying along with the dragon howling in the distance.

Kaella barely opened one eye and looked at the monster. The little thing kept squeaking, telling her to come with it. Tears fell, soaking below its purple eyes darker than Peon’s.

The couple had regressed, the evil dragon was wailing, the monster was crying too, and Peon had disappeared like magic. And the duchess had to fulfill her duty until death. Kaella squeezed her eyes shut again and barely opened them. Then she squeezed out her voice.

“Do I have to go?”

The monster immediately let go of her shoelace and squeaked! while crying and nodding its head vigorously. Oh my, it even understands speech. Well, in a situation where regression had happened, there was no law saying monsters couldn’t communicate.

The sound of the evil dragon crying kept pulling at her soul. Even Kaella, who didn’t want to do anything, was going crazy with concern. It kept scratching at her eardrums. Strangely, this situation felt like an unavoidable fate.

“Perhaps…”

Feeling crazy for trying to converse with a monster, Kaella closed her eyes and swallowed dry saliva.

“Is my husband there?”

My husband. It was an awkward word even to pronounce.

Squeeeak!

Yes, it says. The monster cried out desperately while nodding its small head several times.

“Ha…”

This is ridiculous. The monster might be lying. But given the circumstances, the fact that Peon still hadn’t appeared meant there was a reason he couldn’t appear. For example, being held captive in the evil dragon’s domain.

She swallowed dry saliva again and carefully backed away. No. This isn’t right. No matter what, this wasn’t right.

Squeak? Squeak!

The monster hopped up and down again. It seemed to be scolding her not to do that, but somehow she felt a strong urge to follow that monster, yet reason said otherwise.

Kaella kept swallowing her screams while slowly backing away one step at a time. Meanwhile, she rolled her eyes looking for someone to help her.

From the east stable to the east gate stretched a straight line. And the castle walls spread out on both sides. There were soldiers there too, but they were all on guard watching the north, which was the evil dragon’s domain.

Squeak!

The cute squirrel-like monster hopped around and finally let out a short cry. At the same time, commotion broke out on the north wall.

“Monsters!”

“Attack!”

“Monsters appearing in the north!”

The soldiers and knights on the east wall immediately ran north. The sound of monsters rampaging could be heard, but Kaella, who was slowly backing away, furrowed her brow. That sound, somehow it sounded a bit less sincere.

Squeak!

Yes. The squeaking sound urgently asking her to come closer now sounded much more sincere. No, still, a monster is a monster. She needed to snap out of it and get away.

A dark shadow fell over Kaella’s body as she backed away further. She raised her head to see the huge something covering her. Before she could identify what it was, large wings swiftly enveloped her.

The wings lifted her up and disappeared back outside the castle walls. No one realized the duchess had vanished from there.

Kaella was enveloped in something very soft yet inescapable and moved. It felt like she had entered a comfortable pouch. The only vague feeling was that this pouch was flying through the sky.

‘If I fall, I’ll die from the fall.’

Kaella crouched down, hugging her knees and burying her face between them. A scream escaped, but she knew she shouldn’t scream. Unnecessary provocation was forbidden. And it drained her energy. It was all to her disadvantage.

Squeak squeak!

The squirrel-like monster that was also in the pouch approached her feet and babbled something again.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Her squeezed-out voice mumbled.

Squeak squeak squeak!

“I said I can’t understand. Go away.”

She managed to say while trembling.

Squeeeak…

The fluttering ears drooped. The jewel-like purple eyes also drooped dejectedly. What did they want her to do?

She was a human who had been constantly fighting against the evil dragon, what on earth did they want from her? Were they trying to stage a hostage situation in Lysenford? She would be a completely worthless hostage.

At that moment, the short flight ended. The pouch that seemed to be floating in the air landed, and it opened brightly before her eyes.

‘Where is this?’

What she saw were drooping vines, dense trees, and the entrance to some cave. Kaella turned around. The pouch that had brought her wasn’t a pouch but an enormously large monster with huge wings.

And behind it, the spirits of the evil dragon emitting a pale blue light were watching this direction. Lysenford Castle was nowhere to be seen. Kaella unconsciously swallowed dry saliva. This was much crazier than running away from home.

Squeak!

The purple squirrel that had brought her hopped a few steps towards the cave, then squeaked at her again. It seemed to mean she should go into that cave whose entrance was cleverly hidden by vines and trees.

In fact, the monsters and spirits stood far back from the cave entrance, unable to approach, just staring at her. Somehow those non-human beings seemed very anxious.

Boom!

The flashing lightning and thunder were clearer here. And the evil dragon’s wailing was louder too. Even the bird-like monster that had brought Kaella gently pushed her back with its lowered head.

“Eek…!”

Startled, Kaella turned to look at that monster and stepped back. The monster that had carried out the abduction stared at her blankly.

It’s telling her to go. To go into that cave. Numerous spirits and monsters were watching her with bated breath.

Peon is in there. Kaella had no choice but to move her feet. Since she couldn’t retreat, she could only advance.

Neither the tiny squeaking monster nor anyone else followed Kaella. Kaella now headed towards the cave at the very front.

The tiny monster that had come to get her quickly backed away as soon as she passed by, trembling. Actually, it must have been scared too.

What could be so scary? She’d find out when she went in. Kaella dragged her legs forcibly and went inside.

Inside the cave was a bit colder and cooler, and of course darker. The entrance was smaller than expected, but the inside was much wider. And strangely, no sound could be heard.

‘I can’t hear the evil dragon’s crying well either.’

Strange. The moment she entered the cave, all sounds were cut off. Only if she turned back and focused her ears towards the entrance could she faintly hear the evil dragon’s wailing.

The further she went in, the less she could hear any sound. Kaella kept walking with hunched shoulders.

The path was too bumpy and uncomfortable to walk on. The silent and dark place was frightening. It was like the cold and cool northern tower with no light.

“…Hnngh…”

Her breathing gradually became rough, and occasionally muffled sounds came between her breaths. It was a suppressed sound, unclear whether it was a scream or crying.

Kaella moved forward, touching the cave wall, just as she had done in the northern tower.

She was doing it because she was told to, and she couldn’t go back to where the evil dragon’s minions were densely standing, so she kept moving forward not knowing how far she had to go. What on earth could Kaella do by going to a place that even monsters and spirits were afraid of!

“…Ugh, hnngh…”

She shouldn’t cry. Even though she knew, fear-filled cries came out. See? There’s nothing she does properly. She can’t even do the one thing of holding it in properly. Forcibly dragging her body forward was the best she could do.

In the tower too, she felt the floor, groped the walls, and knocked on the door. She hoped desperately for the door to open. She hoped Peon would come to apologize, saying he had misunderstood.

There was absolutely nothing she could do except hope for impossible things. So she dreamed. She could only dream because that was the only thing she could do. It was a dream of the man who had the sole authority to open the tower, to erase her sin, coming to her.

She knows. He doesn’t come. Peon lives Peon’s life, and Kaella had to painfully crawl along the dark path full of his traces, struggling to breathe.

She felt angry, wronged, and in the end just wanted to give up. She knew he wouldn’t come anyway.

But why did she have to be pushed by monsters to forcibly enter a scary cave?

‘…I want to stop.’

If she tries hard and goes, even if she finally meets him she can’t reach him, so why should she try again? Kaella looked around at her surroundings where only pitch darkness could be seen, and finally cried silently. She was so scared.

The tears she had been holding back started to leak out. The crying sounds she had suppressed in her throat also burst out.

“Hnng…”

Breathing was so difficult. Self-loathing poured out. Idiot. You can’t do anything but cry. Something caught her foot in the darkness where she couldn’t see an inch in front of her.

The hand touching the wall also slipped. She fell straight forward. Just thinking it would hurt a lot. She didn’t like pain.

“Ah.”

Instead of the bumpy and hard floor, soft and firm arms caught her and pulled her up again.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Kaella. Are you okay?”

Those arms also apologized. It’s a familiar voice. It was her husband, who the monster had insisted would be here. The formal speech he had used out of respect for her was gone, replaced by the casual tone from when they were close, which somehow felt strange.

It was too dark inside the cave to see him properly. The left arm holding her felt completely bare.

For a long time, only his chin, handsome lips, nose, and left ear were barely visible above. Kaella frowned. She couldn’t see him well.

“Why are you breathing…? Kaella, are you crying?”

The violet eyes that had been sleeping in the darkness opened clearly. Large fingers very carefully brushed her eyes.

“Was I too late again?”

Those eyes contorted painfully. Was he crying? Peon’s face, which had come very close, looked as if tears were streaming down.

“I’m sorry. I should have known right away, but I was late this time too.”

His voice, full of self-reproach, trembled painfully. No. He wasn’t shedding tears.

Kaella opened her eyes wide. Clear tears rolled down, and Peon’s face was captured in her clearer vision. What flowed down under his violet eyes wasn’t tear tracks, but blood tracks.

His cheeks were all red and wet from how much bright red blood he had shed. The blood trail flowing down his neck from below his ear was clear. It was as if his eye had been gouged out or his ear cut off.

“I’m really sorry. Where are you hurt? Show me. Does it hurt a lot?”

His large, warm hands also had vivid blood marks as if each finger joint had been cut off. Especially on his wrist, blood had splattered and the marks flowing above it were unusual.

Kaella looked up at Peon, who was examining her with great concern.

A face full of affection yet discomfort was waiting for her answer. Amidst the frightening silence, she thought she could faintly hear the evil dragon wailing in the distance.