And She's Just Sleeping Like That

Hearing the offer from Cien, Lilinette's attention shifted once again. Her gaze fixed upon her uncle, though her eyes still lacked any spark of life.

"Where to?" she asked, curtly.

"Death Valley," he replied.

Lilinette's eyes widened. She never expected the name of one of the forbidden places to escape from her uncle's mouth.

Lilinette was certainly familiar with Death Valley, the dreadful place from which no one ever returned. She lowered her head momentarily, murmuring as if struck by sudden enlightenment.

"That's right..." she whispered.

It had never occurred to her that Death Valley could be the answer she had been seeking. Instead of waiting for Death to claim her, why not she be the one to seek out the Death?

A faint smile reappeared on Lilinette's pale face.

"Death Valley... I want to go there."

Upon hearing her desire, Cien felt a sense of relief. But a thought lingered in the corner of his mind, wondering if he had just brought along someone with a suicidal mania.

Right now, despite Lilinette's strong desire for death, the girl had yet to make any attempts on her own life.

Cien believed that this was happening for two reasons.

First, the burden placed on her by the family was not fully resolved. Lilinette was still not the legitimate wife of Dion Bahman.

Second, suicide could tarnish the family name. Despite the Millard family's worst treatment towards her, strangely enough, Lilinette still cared about her family.

She was a good child. That's how Cien perceived her.

Now, if Cien took her to Death Valley, it would mean that Lilinette would be considered kidnapped.

Even if she died in Death Valley, no one would know. It would have minimal negative impact on her family.

Instead, Lilinette's abduction and disappearance for years could be advantageous for the Millard family. They could gain sympathy and empathy from the society.

Those were Lilinette's reasons currently on Cien's mind.

Cien feared that once his niece arrived at the shop, the girl would start attempting suicide. The chains that restrained her intentions were no longer present.

'If that happens, it will be very troublesome. But maybe it's just my assumption.'

Cien hopes that it was merely his foolish assumption. Unaware that his assumption aligned with Lilinette's current thoughts.

"Hehehe..."

"..."

Cien was taken aback by the creepy laughter from his niece. He immediately felt uneasy.

Cien turned his face towards the window, simultaneously trying to dismiss the strange thoughts in his head. He refused to believe that his niece would plan suicide.

As he looked out the window, Cien saw the sunlight beginning to rise on the distant horizon, indicating that it was time for him to leave.

Cien got up and walked to the door, approaching Casey.

"Casey."

"Yes, Grand Master."

"I will take Lilinette from here. She will accompany me to Death Valley."

"...umm, huh?"

Cien could see the confusion on Casey's face.

He then explained to Casey that he would be taking Lilinette away.

Although not entirely convinced himself, Cien reasoned that for Lilinette's current condition, living in Death Valley might rehabilitate her. Hopefully.

Cien himself realized how foolish his reasoning sounded.

Rehabilitation in Death Valley? The most deadly place in the Kastia Continent? If Cien heard this from someone else, he would surely laugh and assume they were joking.

Fortunately, even though Cien's reasons sounded strange and somewhat ridiculous, the person hearing them was Casey. Whose mind is a bit off.

Not to mention, Casey was a member of C-Owl, a place where two people he met showed signs of fanaticism.

And true enough, Casey didn't question Cien's reasons at all. On the contrary, she was impressed.

"Whoaaa! No one has ever thought of rehabilitating desperate people in Death Valley! The Grand Master's idea will surely succeed! It's genius!"

'No. It's not genius, it's idiotic!'

Cien let out a long sigh. He didn't want to waste energy on further conversation. He immediately asked Casey for help in preparing Lilinette's clothes and belongings to be taken along.

Cien intends to bring Lilinette right now. He will let his niece stay in the inn temporarily.

After his business in Ashur is finished, Cien will bring Lilinette back with him.

Why is Cien bringing Lilinette now?

The answer is because he has injured two guards in front of the tower earlier.

Cien is confident that the tower's security will tighten, increasing the risk of returning to the tower and kidnapping Lilinette.

Instead of that option, Cien chooses to kidnap her now, causing both the guards of Ashur and the people of Millard to become more confused and lost without direction.

It doesn't take long for Casey to prepare everything Lilinette needs.

Clothes and a few books are stored in the coffin. Cien can't bring much because it won't fit. It requires a lot of space to accommodate Lilinette too.

After neatly arranging the things at the bottom of the coffin, Cien instructs his niece to get in.

Then he ties her body to the back of the coffin, like a seatbelt, to prevent Lilinette from shaking inside the coffin.

Lilinette obediently follows all of Cien's commands without any questions or complaints.

After finishing packing his niece like an item, Cien closes the coffin door and carries it. He puts on his hood and scarf again. Then, guided by Casey, Cien walks back to the ground floor.

Time to say goodbye.

Cien wants to express his gratitude and also deliver a message to Ethel. But before he can speak, Casey interrupts him.

"Wait a moment, Milord."

"Hmm?"

Casey took two small vials, about the size of her pinky finger, from her cleavage. Cien stared at her blankly.

'I thought only spies in movies liked to hide things there.'

Casey handed one vial to Cien.

"Um, what's this?"

"It's a sleeping potion. Lady Lilinette can stay awake for three days and three nights. If that happens, mix this potion into her drink or food."

"My niece seems to be more troublesome than I thought."

"Not really, Milord. Lady Lilinette rarely does anything. In fact, you could say she does nothing but read all day. You just need to remind her to eat and go to the restroom," explained Casey as she drank another vial of the sleeping potion.

"..."

Cien listened and thought that Lilinette was truly like a doll.

He didn't realize that Casey in front of him was drinking the sleeping potion. When he realized it, the vial was already empty.

"Hey? ... What are you doing?"

"Creating an alibi. The two guards in front were attacked. The same goes for me. So that the Baron's people won't suspect that I'm invol—"

Thud!

"..."

Casey fell like a wooden stick before she could finish her sentence. Cien could hear the steady breaths of someone sleeping coming from the maid.

Cien was instantly blank and speechless.

'What just happened? Ugh, wait! I haven't had a chance to say my message yet! This girl...! Sigh, maybe it's better to entrust the message to Cherry. Even though Cherry's condition is less than ideal, it's still much better than this crazy girl. Seriously, what's going on in this person's mind, drinking sleeping potion like that!'

Cien felt dizzy. He observed the sleeping girl, picked up the vial of potion lying next to Casey, and walked out.

After walking far enough from the tower, Cien let out a relieved breath. He felt the warmth of the morning sun starting to warm his cloak.

"Aish, For some reason... this has become a long night."

***

Far from the southern kingdom.

Located in a city that has just experienced a major war.

Blackwinter, Huntara Kingdom.

Many workers could be seen repairing the damaged buildings. Rebuilding the houses that were leveled with the ground in yesterday's war.

Cleaning up all the bloodstains throughout the city, whether on the walls, rocks, or even in the gutters.

Blackwinter little by little had returned to its former glory.

The snow-white walls already adorned half of the city. The other half was still being worked on.

Those who migrated were enthusiastic about rebuilding the city. They had come to consider Blackwinter as their own.

Although there were still unethical acts towards the native inhabitants of Blackwinter, it was not as bad as it was during the initial migration.

The hard work of the city guards was highly appreciated in suppressing such actions. However, their efforts couldn't completely eradicate the animosity among its residents.

In a luxurious mansion in Blackwinter.

The mansion was the dwelling place of Princess Sravati.

In the meeting room, a dozen adventurers dressed in their adventurer attire stood, awaiting the arrival of the Third Princess from Huntara.

The leader of the adventurers was none other than a woman named Huntress. With white hair and emerald-green eyes, she had a rapier hanging from her hip.

After a few moments, a teenage girl entered with several elderly individuals and a group of guards following behind her.

"Stop! You all wait outside," she commanded.

"But, Your Highness," protested one of the elders.

"This is an order. I apologize, Advisor. But I want to speak privately with our heroes."

The elderly man called Advisor Reiner briefly met the gaze of the Third Princess, then bowed to comply with her request.

He immediately instructed the other officials and guards to leave, leaving Princess Sravati with the group of adventurers from Marina.

"I apologize for making you wait," she said.

"It's alright, Your Highness. We understand how busy you are with rebuilding the city."

"Thank you for understanding, Comman—"

"Huntress, Your Highness. My name is Huntress."

"... Well, Huntress, thank you."

Sravati actually still wanted to speak standing on equal footing with Kirana and the others.

However, she was aware of her position as a member of the royal family. So, whether she liked it or not, she had to sit on the throne there.

Sravati sits down.

"Alright, so you're going back. What about your injuries?"

"While not completely healed, each of us is capable of fighting now. Although we can't take on high-ranked monsters, it should be enough for the journey back."

"Well, that's good to hear. We greatly appreciate your assistance. Even until the end of this world, Blackwinter won't forget your service."

"We're just doing what fellow humans should do: helping each other."

Princess Sravati smiled. Kirana, whom she knew to be more reserved, became intrigued upon hearing her speak. Discovering another interesting aspect of someone she considered a friend is delightful for Sravati.

"Oh, Comm—Huntress, how do you plan to return? If I recall correctly, the gate of Marina City is still tightly shut."

"For that, we can only hope for Reiss' ability to convince his comrades inside Marina."

Sravati turned to Reiss, who met her gaze with a grim smile.

"I will do my best."

Although deep down, he wasn't sure if he was still regarded as a soldier of Farnodt or not.

Sravati pondered for a moment.

"Very well then. I will accompany all of you to Marina."

"!!!"

"Apologies, Your Highness, but I believe that's unnecessary. We don't want to trouble you."

Kirana tried to convince Sravati to abandon her intention.

"Trouble? No, no, Huntress. I have another purpose for going there. Aren't our people in Farnodt being persecuted? As the Princess of the Huntara Kingdom, I want to hear their explanations directly!"

Sravati then flashed a smile and winked at Kirana.

"Since we're all heading to Marina, you can join us. Consider it a gesture of gratitude. Now it's my turn to escort you home."