chapter 29: "Another human and another story,"
When the sunlight hit the window, Aleria woke up quietly. As she opened her eyes, she looked around in astonishment and began to recall what had happened last. The last thing she remembered was falling into the sea. To understand where she was, she approached the window and looked outside. When she looked out the window, she saw a girl in a beautiful garden adorned with flowers, surrounded by people wearing maid outfits. She noticed that a girl with purple hair was watering the flowers. Then, when she looked into the distance, she saw the city of Aurendale.
Not entirely sure where she was, she decided to leave the room. As she stepped out, she saw a boy about her age. His blue eyes resembled the ocean. The boy was surprised to see her and said something to her in a language she didn't understand. "So, you've awakened. How do you feel?" he asked. However, Aleria didn't quite understand what he said. She had always lived with her mother and they spoke a different language, so she understood very little. When Ethan saw that Aleria didn't respond, he approached her.
And he gave her a necklace. It was her mother's necklace. Aleria immediately grabbed it as soon as she saw it. Ethan said indifferently, "The fishermen gave me this necklace. They said you held onto it tightly, so I thought it must be something valuable." However, Aleria's eyes widened like saucers. The necklace was glowing brightly red. Remembering what her mother had said, Aleria looked at Ethan. But after looking at him for a while, she went back into the room and took out a piece of paper. Although she didn't speak the human language much, her mother had taught her to write, but she never understood why her mother taught her human words. She wrote on the paper that she couldn't hear.
Ethan looked at the word written on the paper and then took the paper and started writing. He wrote, "Is your body okay? Do you have any pain?" Aleria saw what was written on the paper and wrote that she was fine. Then Ethan asked her why she was unconscious in the sea and what happened. After thinking for a while, Aleria wrote the lie that she drowned while swimming. Ethan nodded, but there was doubt in him. He thought a delicate and beautiful girl like her must be noble. Ethan asked her if she had any family. When Aleria looked at the paper, she bit her lip to hold back tears. But when Ethan asked if she had somewhere to go, tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes.
After quickly wiping away the tears in fear, she shook her head in the negative. After all, she had nowhere to go right now. She was alone in this new and unfamiliar world. When Ethan saw that Aleria was crying and had no family, he sighed. "Another human and another story," he said aloud, knowing she couldn't hear. Then he asked her, "What's your name?" Aleria wrote her name on the paper. "Aleria, huh? Not a very common name, is it?"
After writing his own name, Ethan asked if Aleria wanted a place to stay. Aleria nodded shyly. There were enough rooms in his mansion. Ethan told her to follow him and led her outside. As they descended the stairs, he called one of the maids he saw. "This person you see here is Aleria, and she is deaf, so take good care of her. Also, give her one of the vacant rooms. Aleria is my guest, so if she needs anything, take care of it." He said and told Aleria to come to her room if she had any problems, showing her where her room was on paper.
Aleria's heart was filled with complex emotions. She felt grateful to this boy who helped her in this new world, but at the same time, she felt fear and anxiety. Along with Ethan's hospitality and helpfulness, Aleria began to feel a little safer. However, uncertainties and her past still haunted her.
Aleria thanked him and retired to her room. In her room, she began to explore her surroundings. But her mind was still filled with the endless blue of the sea, lost memories, and questions about why she was here in this strange world. Now, in this new world, she embarked on a journey filled with uncertainties, determined to find answers. She also had a revenge to take. But when she remembered her mother's last words, her thoughts paused. "No matter what, live your life happily," she couldn't help but smile sadly remembering her mother's last words. Nevertheless, she vowed to avenge her mother no matter what.
Ethan was currently in a meeting with Evelyn and other subordinates. They had started having such meetings once a week to hear about the latest developments from them. As Ethan spoke with a serious expression during the meeting, he suddenly drifted into thoughts about Aleria's situation. He began to ponder why she was here in this world and what they could do to learn more about her past. Evelyn's voice interrupted Ethan's thoughts, "Some creatures are attacking humans who are using the new road we built. Especially large caravans have suffered some losses. How are we going to solve this problem?"
There was a major trade route passing through the Asina Kingdom. They could survive by using this route for trade. They had started building the tunnel for this road, but to make the road shorter, it passed through the forest. This led some creatures to attack the people using the road. Ethan had anticipated encountering such a problem before. So, he had devised a plan. The tribe of Nemora, his friend from the academy, lived in the forest near the city of Aurendale. Ethan wanted to use them to keep the new trade route safe.
When the meeting ended, Ethan quickly headed to the dining room. He sat next to Eleanor. Lately, he had been asking her about daily life frequently. Eleanor involuntarily gave answers, but with each passing day, her reluctance was beginning to fade. Being devoid of any friends and due to her position, no one felt comfortable talking to her, which had plunged her into a depressive state. The conversations with Ethan had been helpful to her, but Eleanor internally rejected it. She had grown accustomed to Ethan's seriousness, but during dinner, he spoke to her in a relaxed tone and even made jokes from time to time.
Eleanor noticed that she was being treated differently and involuntarily found herself pleased with it. After finishing her meal, Ethan, as usual, kissed her cheek before leaving. Eleanor sighed as she touched her cheek for a while before going to her room.
The next day, after Ethan bathed and dressed, he went outside. Before going out, he had a brief conversation with Aleria and checked if she had any problems. Finally, he boarded the carriage and set out for the forest with a few guards. He couldn't help but think that the workers who were illuminating the tunnel had done a good job as they passed through it. Although they had spent a lot of money on this illumination, the treasury of the city of Aurendale was almost empty, which worried Ethan considerably. With his knowledge from his previous life, he had a plan to make money. He could use very popular works from his previous life, or maybe he was considering trading in popular areas in his previous world
With these thoughts in mind, the journey continued. They soon reached a certain point in the forest. From here on, they had to proceed on foot, as there were traps scattered throughout the forest, and watchers from the tribe who lived there as a defense mechanism. Ethan knew they would encounter such obstacles, which is why he had a plan in mind.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, Ethan observed the surroundings keenly. The dense foliage obscured much of the sunlight, creating dappled shadows on the forest floor. Birds chirped in the distance, and occasional rustlings hinted at unseen creatures moving through the underbrush.
After a while, they arrived at the outskirts of the Nemora tribe's territory. Ethan signaled for his guards to halt, and they waited silently. Soon enough, a figure emerged from the foliage, a member of the Nemora tribe.