The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 26.1

I woke up to find Eliza asleep in my arms.

I barely managed to stifle a scream.

‘Stay calm…’

This moment was closer to death than ever before.

If anyone found out, I would be executed for sure.

I didn’t know how Eliza ended up here.

I could think about that later.

First, I needed to get out of this situation.

‘It’s not too late yet, is it…?’

Since Eliza’s arm was also wrapped around me, I had to move very carefully.

If Eliza woke up…

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

First, I had to figure out how to get my arm out from under her head.

As I started to move my arm slowly, like handling cracked glass, Eliza’s hand clutched tightly onto my clothes.

I froze in place.

‘Phew… She’s not awake…’

It felt like someone was gripping my heart and squeezing it.

I shifted my body slightly.

I tried to find a way to slip out without disturbing Eliza, but it was pointless.

Whenever I moved, Eliza pulled me back again.

It was a reflex, but if it kept happening, she would wake up.

Suddenly, Eliza’s lips moved.

‘Mom…’

She mumbled like a baby.

‘Don’t go… You can’t go…’

Hearing that, I couldn’t move anymore.

She whimpered and pulled me closer, as if trying to bury her face in my chest.

‘Mommy…’

I swallowed a deep sigh.

‘Why am I your mom?’

I grumbled inwardly and gave up trying to escape.

I let Eliza hug me as much as she wanted.

The tension gradually eased out of my body.

It was only then that I took a closer look at Eliza.

The moonlight dimly shone through the window.

A red blanket wrapped around her neck.

It was large enough to cover her upper body like a cape.

I had given it to her.

She also held a cat doll with one arm.

Her brows were furrowed as if she was having a nightmare.

Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes like dew.

‘Why are you crying, you little thing?’

It’s a superstition, but there’s a saying like that.

A drop of tear means a person has many tears.

Seeing Eliza’s tear drops just made me think of that.

‘I don’t like it when kids cry. It’s annoying.’

I gently wiped away her tears.

I didn’t think Eliza might wake up.

It was a reflexive action.

Fortunately, she didn’t wake up.

But then, I felt something strange.

‘…Her cheek feels odd.’

While wiping away the tears, my hand unintentionally touched her cheek.

The sensation was hard.

It felt firm, I guess.

I pressed the other cheek that was pushed out by my arm.

It squished softly.

I touched the original cheek again.

It was still hard.

‘…She’s been hit.’

I realized it immediately because I’ve had many such experiences.

It was swollen from being hit by someone.

For the past few days, Eliza had been wearing heavy makeup on her cheeks.

I didn’t think much of it.

Even though she’s very young, she’s a noble, so I thought she must care about her appearance.

That was all I thought.

I was wrong.

She was trying to hide the marks of being hit by someone.

‘Why would anyone dare to hit on this young, small kid… Damn it…’

I suppressed the rising annoyance inside me.

Eliza, being an adult, said nothing.

To be precise, she never talked about herself.

‘If something is happening, at least say so.’

But I also know that it’s difficult.

It’s not easy to show your wounds.

Especially for someone like Eliza who grew up as a noble.

Well, it would be strange for Eliza to confide in me anyway.

‘But why does this girl keep pulling at me?’

Even though I was just sitting still, she kept tugging at my collar.

When I looked down to see why, it turned out that we couldn’t get closer because of the stuffed cat placed between us.

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

‘Isn’t this silly?’

Having no other choice, I pulled up the blanket and hugged her.

Since I was already using my arm as a pillow, it was half like hugging her anyway.

When I woke up in the middle of the night, I had unconsciously held her too.

So, hugging her again didn’t change my situation.

What’s the worst that could happen? I might get executed.

If they want to kill me, so be it.

‘And was it me who hugged first? No, you hugged me first. It’s not my fault.’

When I hugged her, she stopped pulling me.

She seemed relieved, and the frown between her brows disappeared.

She slept with a relaxed face.

Seeing her sleep in her fluffy pajamas made me completely let down my guard.

Finally, I could think rationally about the situation.

First of all, I won’t die. Most likely.

I glanced around the room with just my eyes.

I wondered if I had somehow ended up in a different room, but this was definitely my room.

In other words, Eliza had found a way to sneak into my room.

So, technically, I am the victim here.

Of course, if a noble says, ‘So what? You die,’ then I just have to die.

The Eliza I know would do that and more.

‘But, if she’s not the Eliza I know….’

Last night.

Eliza tried to protect me.

That’s something the Eliza I know would never do.

Has Eliza become kind?

Maybe, just maybe, the future where she becomes a notorious murderer and arsonist has become less likely.

The rising possibilities were soon buried.

I don’t expect an optimistic future.

That’s never been my life.

It’s not just because of such cynicism.

The fire she uses is not ordinary.

The more it is used, the more it stimulates the instinct for destruction and the impulse to kill.

That’s why it’s called the ‘Mad fire.’

But she protected me using that fire.

At least, she won’t be blindly hostile to me.

That’s something worth hoping for.

Tomorrow morning.

There’s a chance, however slim, that I won’t be killed after seeing this situation.

‘By the way, this kid is still just a kid.’

They say children are angels when they sleep.

Eliza is no different.

Eliza’s usual expressions are of two kinds.

A hard, expressionless face.

A somewhat eerie smile.

But not now.

Eliza, asleep with a peaceful and calm face I had never seen before, looked just like a child of her age.

Just like the doll I gave her.

‘You round little thing, sleeping so soundly without a care in the world. But why are you so skinny? Your cheeks are plump, but there’s nothing but bones on your body. Kids should be chubby. What are you going to do if you’re this thin…?’

I grumbled to myself and closed my eyes.

I didn’t know if I could sleep, but I couldn’t stay awake all night either.

‘What will I do tomorrow morning….’

What will happen when I wake up?

Eliza won’t start screaming right away, will she? She came to me herself, after all.

‘For now, let’s just sleep….’

Thinking about it now only gives me a headache. No answers come out.

The heating was poor for such a luxurious room.

Given my situation as a suspect who hadn’t cleared my name, it made sense.

Late winter’s dawn was chilly.

Half asleep, I thought the warmth in my arms was comforting.

***

A quiet universe.

The sun shone alone.

The stars hid in silence.

The scorching heat of the sun rose like thorns, rejecting all approaches of creation.

As the sun burned itself into oblivion, a small sphere approached like a swirl.

A diminutive child that couldn’t shine on its own.

It was a fearless moon.

Drawn by the moon, touched by the sun’s light.

The moon did not stop.

It crashed with a comet-like tail.

They collided in a spiral orbit.

When they became one, the sun embraced the moon, much smaller than itself.

The tender embrace was comfortable and cool.

The heat that boiled within, eager to explode, subsided.

As the violent blaze fades, stars timidly emerge one by one in the silence of emptiness.

The small sun captured a star.

If you slowly close your eyes, remnants glitter beneath your eyelids.

The cold breeze flowing from the moon dusts the heart like ice.

It’s cozy, cool, and warm again.

To the sun, it’s a sugary sweetness.

The inhales and exhales of the sun and moon synchronized their breaths.

The small sun didn’t have nightmares for a long time.

It felt so long that it was like the first peace in life.

In the vast universe, a lullaby of longing is heard as an auditory hallucination, like a cradle-like sleep.

***

They didn’t welcome the morning normally.

“Miss-!”

Someone burst in as if to break down the door.

“Ah-!”

I was so startled that I forgot I was holding Eliza and jumped up.

I fell under the bed as if rolling, and hurriedly got up.

The maid, Lia, glared at me fiercely.

Followed by the Knights.

I looked at Eliza with wide eyes.

As if seeing her for the first time.

As if I didn’t know why she was here, shocked.

Right after being sincerely surprised, there was no need to pretend.

My heart pounded.

“How could this…!”

“Shh…”

Eliza blinked and stood up.

In a hoarse voice, she murmured.

“It’s too noisy…”

“Ah, miss…”

“I’ve come here.”

With those words, Eliza cleared me of guilt.

Lia and the Knight who had rushed in looked stunned.

“So don’t touch anyone.”

“When, no, how…”

Lia stammered, but outside the door, a commotion erupted.

Several familiar faces appeared.

Barak de Bevel. Eliza’s Father.

And the Duchess Narcissa.

Barak’s beard trembled as he looked at me.

His clenched fist seemed to restrain anger.

But Narcissa couldn’t hold back.

“Your wench…!”

Watching her stride towards Eliza, I instinctively realized.

She was the one who had slapped Eliza.

Her imposing gait.

Shoulders pulled back to strike, weight shifted forward.

Her entire body bore traces of violence.

Eliza looked at her blankly, then smiled.

“Good morning, Duchess.”

It was a mask-like change of expression.

“Unfortunately. There’s been a defect in the merchandise you were about to sell for marriage.”

Narcissa’s hand twitched.

She wanted to slap, but refrained due to the many watching eyes.

“Madam.”

It was Barak who restrained her.

“That’s enough.”

“But you must see what this child has done!”

“I’ve heard about madam’s mistake too.”

“…What do you mean?”

He shook his head, taking Narcissa down a notch.

“Apparently, she refused the request to replace Instructor Sardis.”

“Well, that’s…”

Eliza observed their conversation with a neutral expression.

“I’ve heard rumors that an assassin emerged among the candidates chosen by the Lady.”

“…..”

“Why did no one tell me about this?”

Narcissa’s hand trembled faintly.

Her face turned pale.