TGDWDS 30

Chapter 30

Knock, knock.

At the sound, Anais opened her eyes and looked toward the carriage door.

She had expected the door to swing open, but it remained closed.

Instead, a cautious voice came from beyond it.

“It’s me. May I come in?”

The polite tone.

The gentle consideration.

Even the silence as he waited for her answer.

It was the Grand Duke’s voice, warm enough to make Anais want to believe him.

“……”

When she didn’t answer, he asked again, this time with a hint of anxiety in his voice.

“Anais? Are you all right?”

She didn’t take her eyes off the carriage door.

Her violet eyes had grown darker than before.

Eventually, her subdued voice came out.

“Yes. I’m fine. What is it?”

“……I’ll come in.”

Only then did the door open, and the Grand Duke stepped inside.

The brilliant sunset had disappeared, and deep blue darkness was beginning to settle over the carriage.

Among all the darkness, the Grand Duke was the darkest of all.

He quietly sat down in front of Anais and looked at her with concerned red eyes.

Because of that, a reddish glow once again reflected in Anais’s deeply shadowed violet eyes.

Unlike before, however, that light did not disappear.

Anais didn’t have the slightest room to notice it.

With dry eyes, she said,

“I’m fine. Are we going to rest here and leave tomorrow?”

The Grand Duke studied her complexion for a long time before answering her question.

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

He carefully chose his words.

“There isn’t a nearby village, so we’ll probably have to camp here tonight. Anais, you can stay in the carriage……”

“I understand.”

At Anais’s short, concise reply, the Grand Duke fell silent.

An awkward silence followed.

Anais gave him a faint smile, the polite expression one might wear toward an unfamiliar noble.

After a moment, she asked,

“Other than resting, is there anything I should do?”

The Grand Duke didn’t answer.

For some reason, he simply stared at her as though frozen.

Strangely, he seemed to have remembered something because of Anais.

It didn’t appear to be a pleasant memory.

Anais didn’t know why, nor did she want to know.

She merely waited for his answer with cold violet eyes.

When his wandering red eyes finally settled on Anais, he spoke quietly.

“……Whatever you want, Anais. Do whatever you want. From now on, whenever you’re with me, I’d like it to be that way.”

The Grand Duke’s gaze dropped briefly from Anais to somewhere below.

A moment later, his clear red eyes returned to her.

He added one final sentence.

“As I promised before, as long as you don’t disappear without saying anything.”

At that moment, a strange thought crossed Anais’s mind.

It almost seemed as though he was afraid she might disappear.

But she quickly dismissed the thought and answered coldly.

“It’s written in the contract, so I’ll keep my promise. You should keep yours, too.”

She was referring to the clause stating that she wanted to divorce safely.

Perhaps he hadn’t realized what she meant, because only after a long moment did the Grand Duke answer in a fading voice.

“……I understand.”

Deep within a forest covered in darkness, a warm campfire burned brightly in the center.

Small temporary tents were being erected around it one after another.

Everyone was busy preparing for the night.

Anais had gotten out of the carriage wearing the black robe the Grand Duke had given her.

With the hood covering her silver hair, she wasn’t very noticeable.

She had deliberately hidden her appearance so that she wouldn’t make the others uncomfortable.

Turning around to face the Grand Duke, who had been following her closely, she said firmly,

“I’m not running away anywhere. I’ll find something I can do and help on my own, so don’t worry and go.”

“Hmm…… I was just about to find something to do after following Anais.”

The Grand Duke didn’t back away even a single step.

He also seemed somewhat anxious.

He pulled the corners of his mouth upward and said,

“Let’s go together!”

Just then—

“Your Grace! There’s something you need to see.”

“……”

Someone was running toward the Grand Duke from a distance.

It seemed to be urgent.

Sensing her opportunity, Anais smiled brightly.

“You’ve got something to do already. You look busy, so don’t worry about me. I’ll be going.”

“Ah. Anais! Wait a moment……”

She didn’t look back.

Instead, she walked into the campsite.

Quietly surveying the people around her, she found something that needed doing and went to help.

Meanwhile, Diego stood there blankly, looking as though he had lost everything.

“Your Grace!”

“……What is it, Alec? It must be very important if you’re calling me so urgently. Isn’t that right?”

The man running toward him, his reddish-brown hair flying behind him, was his aide, Alec Hugo.

Diego’s gaze toward him was rather sharp.

However, Alec was not particularly perceptive when it came to anything outside of work.

He blinked in confusion before answering,

“Yes, of course. It is important. So……”

“Tell me.”

For some reason, Alec felt as though the Grand Duke’s killing intent was directed at him.

He quickly opened his mouth.

“According to the returning scouts, traces of monsters have been found nearby!”

“What?”

As the killing intent directed toward him disappeared, Alec continued with relief.

“Judging by the numerous small footprints, we believe they are kobolds traveling in a group.”

“Where are they living?”

“We believe there’s a cave a short distance from here.”

Kobolds were small monsters.

They were troublesome because of their mischievous antics, but they weren’t particularly dangerous.

However, since they were traveling with the Grand Duchess, they had to be cautious of any monsters.

Alec lowered his head and said,

“We’ll rotate the scouting teams throughout the night to prevent the kobold group from approaching the campsite.”

But as Diego listened, his brows drew together seriously.

“Ha……”

“……?”

When Alec looked at him in confusion, Diego spoke.

“There will be a wyvern nearby.”

“……What? Aren’t wyverns similar to dragons, meaning they’re unlikely to inhabit such a shallow forest?”

Alec was puzzled, but Diego paid no attention and gave his order.

“No. I’m certain. So divide the knights. One group will guard the carriage, and the rest will go on a subjugation mission.”

Diego’s expression was resolute.

Seeing this, Alec bowed his head.

“Yes. I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Alec. You stay here and minimize any damage.”

Diego turned toward the campsite and shouted loudly,

“Everyone, stop what you’re doing and stand by!”

The bustling campsite instantly fell silent.

Everyone stopped where they were and assessed the situation.

On the opposite side of the campsite, the subjugation party was being assembled.

Seeing this, the others began simplifying their belongings and loading the important items into the carriages.

In the middle of the campsite, Diego spotted Anais, who was looking confused.

He immediately hurried over to her.

“Anais. A monster has been spotted nearby. It’s dangerous, so get inside the carriage.”

“Now? It’s so dark. Will you be all right?”

“I’ll be back shortly.”

Diego was about to take Anais directly to the carriage when he suddenly stopped.

Her hand had been placed on his forearm.

“Be careful. It’s dark, so you’re in danger too.”

When he turned around, Anais’s eyes were wide with what looked like concern.

“Don’t get hurt. Understand?”

Diego quietly stared into her eyes.

Similar words filled with concern echoed in his ears.

“Come back safely…… Are you hurt? Are you all right? Does anything hurt?”

They were words he had never heard before.

Yet Anais was offering them to him as though they were the most natural thing in the world.

He clenched his teeth.

Only after a moment could he answer in a hoarse voice.

“……Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Before hurriedly leaving, he looked around and called out,

“Sara. Anne. Protect the Grand Duchess.”

“……?”

Anais tilted her head.

Diego briefly explained,

“Your escort knight and personal maid. Stay with them until I return. You’ll be safe that way.”

Leaving those words behind, Diego mounted his horse.

“Hyah!”

Leading the prepared subjugation party into the forest, he clenched his teeth.

‘Damn it. How could I only remember the wyvern now?’

A forgotten piece of information flashed through Diego’s mind.

“They say an adult wyvern attacked the village and left it completely devastated. Since the mountain behind the village was a kobold settlement, they didn’t expect a wyvern to be there.”

He would wipe them all out.

With that grim determination, Diego charged forward without hesitation.

Anais stood there blankly.

The Grand Duke and the knights had vanished as swiftly as the cold forest wind.

“……What on earth……”

Anais stared at the now-deserted campsite, utterly bewildered, unable to finish her sentence.