The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 148

About Ten Years Ago

Maria sat inside the carriage.

The interior was silent.

Only the rattling of the wheels against the dirt road could be heard.

A narrow carriage cabin.

There were no windows—she couldn’t see outside.

She swept back her black hair and let out a deep sigh.

She didn’t even know where the carriage was headed.

Judging by the eerie silence and the unpolished wooden floor creaking beneath her, it seemed they were heading to a remote, desolate place.

They were going to dispose of her.

She would likely die today.

It had been months since she was discovered and captured by Narcissa after hiding away with Eliza.

During that time, Maria had been locked in solitary confinement in some unknown, far-off place.

The only things permitted to her were sparse meals, water, and letters.

Letters to Eliza.

At first, she resisted Narcissa.

But she couldn’t hold out for long.

Narcissa had threatened Eliza’s life.

In the end, Maria was forced to write to her from time to time.

In the early days of her captivity, she had thought it was a small mercy.

At least she was alive, at least she could still write to Eliza.

She had been a fool.

Once she came to her senses, she realized the truth.

Just as she was being used as leverage, Narcissa was surely threatening Eliza in the same way—using her life as a bargaining chip.

Narcissa had likely presented the letters as proof.

They must have told Eliza that if she obeyed, she would continue receiving her letters.

The mere thought of it twisted her insides.

Even if she was furious, there was nothing she could do.

She didn’t even know where she was being held, and she was shackled.

Even worse, two well-built guards stood outside her door at all times, taking shifts to ensure there were no gaps in surveillance.

She couldn’t even write a warning to Eliza in her letters—Narcissa inspected every word.

She had been used like this for months.

Then today, the guards had taken her from her cell and were now transporting her somewhere.

She would likely die.

For whatever reason, Narcissa had decided she was no longer useful.

And now, they were going to get rid of her.

“Eliza…”

She wasn’t afraid of dying.

She was more worried about Eliza, who would be left alone.

Would she be able to survive on her own?

That small, fragile child…

Her heart was restless.

She wanted to escape and return to Eliza.

But she couldn’t.

She had no strength, and if she resisted, Narcissa might treat Eliza even more cruelly.

Against the stark reality of power and status, she was painfully weak.

She didn’t even hope for Barak to intervene.

That man had abandoned Eliza in the name of his great cause.

They had gone into hiding because he had no intention of bringing them into his household or protecting them.

If she had known what kind of man he truly was, she would never have fallen for him back then.

The carriage’s speed gradually slowed.

The time had come.

“Eliza… I’m sorry…”

Narcissa and their children, envious of Eliza’s magic, would never leave her alone.

She wanted to protect her, but she couldn’t.

Not because she would die.

Even if she were alive, she was of no help to Eliza.

She was merely a mother in name—someone who had given birth to her but had failed to shield her from the world.

No matter how much love she poured into her, she was still a powerless, helpless woman unable to protect her daughter.

She wasn’t even worthy of being called a mother.

Yet, just once more, she wanted to hear that child call her ‘Mother.’

—Clunk.

At last, the carriage came to a stop.

The door opened.

Maria simply closed her eyes and waited.

But then, a familiar voice called out to her.

“Maria!”

“…Barak? Why are you here?”

“There’s no time to explain! Hurry, come with me!”

Maria took his outstretched hand.

As they stepped down from the carriage, they found themselves on a dark forest path.

The coachman, perhaps unconscious, sat with his head slumped forward in silence.

“Narcissa put in a request to Lamech.”

“To kill me? The Duchess sure went overboard, preparing such a big knife just to catch a lowly commoner.”

Despite Maria’s sarcasm, Barak remained silent.

“So what’s your plan after saving me? How do you intend to escape the request placed with Lamech?”

“I’m not escaping. I just need to make it look like you’re dead.”

“How, exactly…?”

Barak set fire to the carriage.

Flames flared up in a crimson blaze.

“What are you doing? Lamech always leaves a trace of their involvement. Do you really think you can deceive them with a fire?”

“This season, in this area, it’s well known that wildfires can start naturally in the forest.”

Barak spoke indifferently as he tossed a small ember into the woods.

Before long, the fire would spread and engulf the area.

“We have to get out of here before the assassin arrives.”

“Sigh…”

Maria felt a throbbing headache.

Was this really the right choice?

She doubted the Duchess would be so easily fooled.

And what if this led to harsher treatment for Eliza?

“…Fine. I understand.”

Maria accepted the situation.

Things had already escalated.

She couldn’t stop Barak once he had made up his mind.

Might as well think positively.

Maybe, just maybe, she would get to see Eliza again.

Perhaps she could help him in some small way.

With that thought, she hurriedly followed Barak away from the scene.

The fire from the carriage and the scattered embers in the forest quickly grew into a raging inferno.

And in that burning landscape, a boy appeared.

“……”

Golden eyes calmly surveyed the surroundings.

The carriage, which was supposed to transport the target, was engulfed in flames.

The coachman hadn’t woken up, even amidst the fire.

Was he unconscious?

Or already dead?

Something felt off.

The entire scene did.

‘Someone intervened.’

The target was no longer inside the carriage.

That meant his mission had failed.

Strangely, though, he didn’t hate that outcome.

Better to fail than to kill an innocent person.

Still, he couldn’t return completely empty-handed.

Anggra would surely punish him severely.

He had to show at least some effort.

Without hesitation, he stabbed the unconscious coachman with a dagger coated in lethal poison.

There was no guilt.

The coachman had been bribed by Lamech.

He had aided in the deaths of many others in a similar fashion.

Next, the boy carefully entered the burning carriage.

It was dangerous, but he had enough time to finish his task and escape.

He drove his sword into the seat where the target had likely sat, then pulled it out again—

As if the assassination had been successfully carried out.

This was the best he could do for now.

With that, the boy left the scene.

A mother and daughter once lived in a small wooden house deep in a forest near his hometown.

Shortly after they left, their entire village was massacred.

He had been told it was their doing, but after investigating, he knew that wasn’t the full story.

It wasn’t entirely their fault.

They had simply been caught up in something beyond their control.

So, this was enough.

This wasn’t forgiveness.

It was just understanding—

And at the same time, a weak, lingering fear.

He was tired of killing.

Tired of enduring the hellish training every day.

If possible, he wanted to give up.

Or maybe, just maybe, he longed for an impossible miracle—

For someone else to take his place.

But it was a meaningless prayer.

Leaving the burning wreckage behind, the boy disappeared into the night.

***

A secluded mountain ridge.

Maria spoke to Barak.

“What will you do now? You know I can’t go back. If the Duchess finds out, neither Eliza nor I will be safe.”

“I’ve thought about it, and I believe the best option is to leave far away and go into hiding.”

“What did you just say?”

“I’ll occasionally bring you news about Eliza. Just stay nearby and don’t let Narcissa catch you….”

“I can’t do that. How can I trust you?”

This man, blinded by the so-called great cause, by the absolute golden age of the Bevel family brought about by a monopoly on power—he was not someone to be trusted.

Rather than trusting him, it would be better to just storm into the Bevel family’s estate.

That would at least lead to something.

But Maria wasn’t reckless enough to actually carry it out.

“Then do you have another plan?”

“We’ll have to think of one now.”

“Hmm….”

Maria scowled at Barak, displeased, then sighed.

Was there no better option?

It wasn’t hard to come up with one.

“I have to be by Eliza’s side.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“Of course, I can’t go as I am. I’ll stay by her side in a different form.”

Even if there wasn’t much she could do.

***

“…….”

Eliza slowly blinked as she looked up at the woman who had come to see her.

Fiery red hair.

Deep black eyes.

For the first time, someone had been assigned to her—a personal attendant—after she had lived without a proper one in the main household.

But this maid was staring at her far too intensely.

A little belatedly, the maid spoke.

“…It is an honor to meet you, Lady Eliza. As of today, I am your assigned maid. My name is Lia.”

Eliza stared up at her without responding, then blankly said,

“Where is my mother?”

“…Pardon?”

“My mother. I want to see my mother. I’m supposed to get a letter from her, but it hasn’t come for weeks.”

“…….”

“If you’re my personal maid, does that mean her letters will come through you from now on? Do you know anything about it?”

Maria, disguised as the maid Lia, forced herself to maintain a professional smile.

Inside, she clenched her teeth hard enough to break them.

She had to suppress the overwhelming emotions.

Thanks to Barak, she had managed to escape and spent weeks preparing.

She dyed her hair, applied heavy makeup to make herself look older than usual, and even altered her speech and voice.

And now, at last, she stood before Eliza.

It was not a joyful reunion.

The daughter she hadn’t seen in months was painfully thin and haggard.

She didn’t even need to ask to know how Eliza had been treated in this house.

She wanted to cry right then and there.

She wanted to storm off to Narcissa and Barak and scream at them.

But she couldn’t.

She had neither the power nor the privilege to do so. At best, it would only be the meaningless outburst of a lowly commoner.

If Narcissa discovered that she was still alive, he wouldn’t let her be.

No matter how unjust, she had to endure.

For now.

Maria dropped to one knee before Eliza, whom she was now supposed to serve.

“My lady, I am just your maid. I am beneath you. Please speak to me comfortably.”

“But whenever I speak freely here, people always get angry with me….”

“…I won’t. I promise. So please, don’t hesitate to speak as you wish.”

Eliza hugged her teddy bear tightly and nodded.

She still carried around the doll Maria had given her for her birthday years ago.

Even though it was now tattered and worn.

“And about your mother’s letters….”

Lia held her breath for a moment.

She had to act as naturally as possible.

She never imagined her experience as a dancer would be useful in this way.

Dance was an art of expressing emotions through movement—it was, in a way, a form of acting.

On stage, a dancer’s expressions were just as important as their movements.

She barely managed to maintain a calm, professional expression.

“The Duchess herself handles that matter directly. I know nothing about it.”

“I see….”

Eliza’s face fell with disappointment.

Maria couldn’t even hold her to comfort her.

Her next words fit the situation perfectly, and they were also the truth.

“…I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”

“I’m sorry….”

Maria coughed up blood as she spoke.

Five years of staying by Eliza’s side flashed before her eyes.

She had never had an easy day, just like Eliza.

Especially on the days when the Duchess lashed out in her fits of cruelty—those nights, Maria couldn’t even sleep.

She was too full of frustration and resentment.

So, I endured it. Again and again.

It was the only thing I could do.

At most, I could manipulate reports and documents so that Eliza would be interfered with less.

That was all.

Maybe… I shouldn’t have endured it.

If I had spoken up earlier, maybe things wouldn’t have escalated this far.

When Eliza had enough power.

Or when the main house of the BeVel family disappeared.

If it had been sooner, at least earlier than now, we could have avoided the worst.

So, this must be my punishment.

For turning a blind eye and neglecting things until now.

If death is the price, then it’s a fair and just sentence.

To meet my end in Eliza’s arms—is that a luxury? Or a greater punishment?

It feels like the latter.

Seeing Eliza in pain.

The guilt in my heart hurt even more.

“Ah, uhh… ah…!”

Watching Eliza sobbing and caressing my face, I opened my mouth.

My consciousness was fading.

“Elly… my baby… I’m sorry… for being late….”

“…….”

“But don’t bury yourself in blind faith… You’re smart, Elly, you know what I mean, right…?”

“Ah… uhh… ah….”

Eliza couldn’t bring herself to utter the words that surfaced in her mind.

Her lips trembled.

It felt like a blade was lodged in her throat.

Beyond that, for some reason, she simply couldn’t form words properly.

“Uh… uhh… ah, ahh….”

Watching Eliza cry endlessly, I unknowingly smiled.

With my bloodstained hand, I gently stroked my child’s face.

“My baby, you’re still babbling… You used to talk so quickly back then….”

Cough!

Blood gushed out of my mouth.

“Ah… ahh….”

“Elly… It’s okay, don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Don’t cry.”

“Uh….”

My vision grew blurrier and blurrier.

It wasn’t just because of the tears.

Everything in reality was drifting further away.

These must be my final words.

I had never died before, but I knew it instinctively.

What should I say?

So many memories flashed through my mind, but they were all of Eliza.

I still vividly remembered the moment I gave birth to her in that stable.

I could paint that day so clearly that even its scent would be captured on the canvas.

It was the moment a miracle entered my life.

I felt as if I had embraced the entire world.

Feeding her, watching her crawl, hearing her babbling, the first time she called me “Mom,” her first steps.

When her first tooth came in, she was so adorable.

“I was useless and powerless… I’m so sorry… I wanted to do better… I only wanted to give you good things, but… it didn’t work out… If only you had a noble mother instead of someone like me, would it have been a little better…?”

“Ah… ahh….”

“But still, I love you… so, so much, Elly….”

At that moment, the door burst open, and two physicians and the mage, Bols, stormed in.

“My lady?!”

Assassins lay collapsed around them.

Blood poured from her body.

There was no need for an explanation to understand the chaotic situation.

And, for some reason, it was clear that Eliza was unable to use magic.

“Damn it…!”

Bols cursed and attempted healing magic.

But the wounds were too severe.

The physicians tried to wipe away the blood.

To administer medicine, they first had to stop the bleeding—but it showed no signs of stopping.

My body felt colder and colder.

“J-Judas, I-I… uhh….”

That was the only word Eliza could pronounce at the moment.

But Judas was nowhere to be seen.

“J-Judas…?”

Eliza looked around, searching. Then, the door slammed open again.

Judas stormed in.

Eliza hadn’t even noticed when he had disappeared.

In his hand was a dagger.

He sat down beside Eliza.

“My lady. I know it’s hard to trust me, but just this once… please believe in me.”

“Uh…?”

Eliza didn’t even have time to respond.

-Thud!

Judas thrust the dagger into Lia’s chest.

Eliza could only stare blankly at the surreal scene unfolding before her.

Before she knew it, Lia had closed her eyes and fallen silent.

Judas explained as calmly as he could.

“This is the method I used to save Sir Gawain. You might not understand what I mean, but this dagger temporarily brings a person to death and then revives them. You can think of it as an artifact-like dagger.”

“……”

“So, please trust me this time. I’m begging you.”

Eliza absentmindedly nodded.

She didn’t understand.

She simply believed.

Everything had spiraled into disaster because she had failed to trust.

So now, she had to believe.

Blindly. No matter what.

Judas swallowed a sigh and turned to Bols.

“Can she be healed?”

“Impossible. How could something like this…?”

“Then freeze the wound first. Completely preserve her body.”

A dagger that induces a state of suspended animation and then revives the person.

Judas couldn’t guarantee its effectiveness on someone so close to death.

But there was hope.

He had used it in a similar manner before.

Twice.

One was a man whose neck had been severed.

It failed.

The other had lost a limb and was on the verge of bleeding out.

By placing him in a state of suspended animation, treating him with medicine and magic, and then reviving him, he survived.

He couldn’t be sure about Lia’s case.

But this was the best option they had.

He had to take responsibility and see it through.

Bols nodded and began freezing Maria’s body.

Eliza blankly watched as Maria was consumed by ice.

Judas turned his head toward her.

“My Lady.”

“Mm…”

“The enemy is coming. I’ll go out, take care of them quickly, and return.”

“U-Uuuh…”

Like a helpless child, Eliza whimpered and shook her head.

Judas gently stroked her hair and gave a bitter smile.

“I’ll be back soon. Do you remember playing hide-and-seek?”

Five years ago, on Eliza’s birthday.

The day she was nearly caught by Sardis in the magic research lab.

“Today is just like that day. If you hide safely, I’ll come find you soon. Do you understand?”

Eliza blankly nodded.

“Take her somewhere safe. I have to go fight right away.”

Two medics and several attendants approached, escorting Eliza and Maria away.

A few knights arrived due to the commotion.

Among them, Shylock remained until the end, then suddenly asked,

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not injured or anything.”

“Not your body. I don’t know exactly what happened, but your face doesn’t look normal.”

“…I didn’t expect you to be the type to worry about others so much.”

“Tsk… Shouldn’t have bothered.”

“Still, thanks.”

Judas picked up his sword and walked toward the window.

He didn’t know what expression he was making.

He didn’t care.

All he knew was that his sanity was hanging by a thread.

It was about to snap.

Barely holding on.

Irritation, rage, resentment—every negative emotion simmered coldly, on the verge of explosion.

He needed an outlet.

The mastermind behind all this.

The one who had orchestrated everything from the shadows.

Emperor Johan. And his faction.

For now, he would slaughter the invaders.

Not a bad way to vent.

“…But can you take on that many enemies? Without the Lady?”

At Shylock’s concern, Judas let out a smirk.

During his time with Eliza, he had absorbed plenty of mana.

“It’ll be tough.”

[Mana Release (Lv.200)]

“But not impossible.”