“Deng, deng, deng.”

Around that time, a familiar sound reached her ears.

It was a brief, very subtle sound, but it was distinct. It was the hourly alarm commonly heard from the village clock tower.

“There must be a village nearby!”

Perhaps, beyond the forest she entered yesterday, there was a village.

The existence of a village in what she thought was a wasteland was truly unexpected.

Cloé, who had obtained valuable information a while ago, once again examined the pile of papers she had discovered.

“If I write something on paper and send it away…”

The easiest way to announce one’s location is through records. After writing down her location on paper, she could send it to lead someone else to read it.

Among the things needed for the plan, paper was an excellent material. It was lightweight, making it easy to produce and deliver in large quantities.

With determination, Cloé reached for the paper on the table. She then searched around for a tool to write with. However, as expected, there was no significant acquisition as she anticipated.

Cloé glanced around for a moment. She was concerned that Cedric, who had left, might return to monitor her.

After a few confirmations, convinced that the surroundings were quiet, Cloé returned to the table.

There was no time to delay any further. Without a pen, she had no choice but to use something else.

She closed her eyes tightly and bit her finger. After biting into the tender flesh with her teeth, she mercilessly tore it off. The pain that followed was more than just a sting to be described as a bit painful.

With her numb finger in hand, she moved it onto the paper. Using the dripping blood as ink, she wrote down the message.

“I am still alive, so don’t worry.”

“The Emperor’s birthday will soon be the day of a man’s revenge.”

“This place is a dark, lightless place in the forest at night.”

At first, the contents were not particularly useful.

“But even so… How did he notice that Helena’s handwriting had changed?”

“Perhaps it resembled the handwriting of a dear friend. It might have bothered him.”

For a man who easily discerns her handwriting, even such a small clue might reveal everything.

When her fingertip became faint, Cloé finished writing. The finger she suddenly looked at was swollen, bursting with a comical appearance.

The notes piled up on the table to the point of decorating it entirely. Among them, Cloé pulled out the bottommost paper, soaked with dried blood.

After concealing the writing inside, she meticulously folded it into a new shape, creating a new model. She continued without a break until all the notes she had completed covered the floor.

Before she could complete her plans, it was already late at night. Cloé, with many paper birds in her arms, waited for a long time even after the lights went out in Cedric’s cabin. Only when it became a pitch-black night did she execute her plan.

With as many paper birds as possible, she went outside.
Quietly suppressing the sound of footsteps, she entered the forest. To prepare for the possibility of getting lost, she dropped a paper bird at every path she had taken.

While walking diligently, she felt her step down below. What followed was evidence of either a hill or a cliff.

Cloé sent a paper bird towards that direction.

One of them would fly to the opposite edge of the forest. One would reach down to the village.

And one of them, perhaps, by Kün’s side…

As Cloé was returning to the cabin, a black figure approached. Even though his figure wasn’t visible, she instantly recognized the man in front of her due to the eerie energy.

“Where have you been?”

Like a security officer searching for a suspect, Cedric stood in front of Cloé, scrutinizing her cautiously.

All the paper birds she had held in her arms were already sent away. As she had walked through the forest, there was no trace left, as she had made sure to be as neat as possible.

“Just took a short walk.”

“A walk? You think the Empress, who was shivering in fear in the forest, crawled into a beast’s lair for the sake of her aching body?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay in a beast’s lair than in a prison where you have to stay under the watchful eye of a dreadful man? If you doubt it, it’s better to go and see for yourself.”

Normally, she might have just passed by without confronting him, but now was a moment she couldn’t leave room for doubt. She needed to prove her innocence in advance to ensure the smooth progress of her next plan.

Provoked, Cedric thoroughly searched her body.

With the intent to strip her of her clothes, he even felt her flesh for evidence, but nothing was found.

“So, did you find any evidence?”

“…”

“As you said, what I encountered yesterday was despair. Even if I manage to escape through that forest, I might face the trap you designed. So, as you wish, I will quietly wait in the cabin for my Empress.”

Cedric, who still harbored no suspicions, carefully checked inside Cloé’s cabin.