The face of the driver, who was still looking around with a vague gaze, gradually turned pale. All that could be seen were dense trees. Not knowing exactly where he was made the situation even more frightening.

“Why am I here…!”

Clack, clack, clack!

Whether the driver knew that he was frightened or not, the crows flocked and cried vehemently. The driver, who had been trying to check if the woman on the carriage was okay, froze in place. Now that he looked, those crows were not just ordinary crows.

“Ugh!”

A nauseating stench. Feathers and flesh falling wetly with each flap.

All those crows were corpses! In a state of not knowing exactly what kind of monster it was, the driver was horrified, staring at the bright red eyes that shone intermittently. The corpses were just beasts moving oddly with decaying bodies.

“Hihiing!”

“Hiing!”

The horses whinnied, and the sound matched, causing the driver’s pants to become damp. “Peo…people, a…alive… aaargh!”

The driver’s scream, bitten by the corpses that rushed in an instant, echoed through the forest. Abandoning the carriage, the woman walked through the forest.

“Creak…”

“Kking, ng…”

As if starving beasts had been running toward the driver for a very long time, the corpses did not make a sound near the woman. No, they rather seemed to be begging her to spare them. It was a humorous thought, but indeed, it was so.

The shadows trailing behind the woman’s steps were more intense than any death scent deeply embedded in the forest.

Two weeks had passed since Greta went missing.

In the meantime, the secret pursuit of Hwangbi was officially announced and spread nationwide as a formal investigation. However, no one had come forward claiming to have seen Greta yet.

“Well, the first Count of Everrium was so adamant.”

“How well did Princess Hwangbi follow the Count?”

“It’s natural to be worried.”

“I heard that even Prince Hwangja is still unable to overcome the sadness of his grandfather’s passing.”
Everyone was worried and pitied Greta. With the situation as it was, Benjamin and Yurisien couldn’t even claim that the magical evidence engraved in the bloodline belonged to Greta. Moreover, with Hiscliff keeping a low profile, the Hwang Castle was in a state of emergency, almost like a wartime situation.

Of course, the loyal Prince faction took advantage of this opportunity to expand Benjamin’s influence. Just as one rows when the water comes in, Benjamin had been having his busiest days since his return.

Even the consent of the loyal Princess faction was obtained. They believed that if Benjamin narrowed Hiscliff’s position while vigorously expanding his influence, Greta would eventually reveal herself.

However, contrary to their expectations, in today’s regular meeting, neither Greta nor Hiscliff showed themselves. As a result, the anxiety spread to another level.

“Could it be that you made a frivolous choice?”

“It’s better not to say such things.”

“But we still don’t know. The Countess of Everrium, who was the only family and ally of Princess Hwangbi. Such a person was attacked by Windsor and, failing, chose to surrender.”

“Using disrespectful words, she followed the Countess of Everrium like a deity, and she sought the failure of that person……”

Amidst the most likely story that Greta followed Yulian, Yurisien’s thoughts were quite different.