5 No Choice

Lady Miary removed my hands from her shoulders and turn away from me, as her maid calling her name with the knights of the Count and Count Lex is here. He looks worried and he gets down from the carriage as he hugged Lady Miary.

"Are you okay Miary ?!" He asks her.

"I'm okay, Uncle. Thanks to Avy, he helps me beat those guys," she answered while looking at me and I was ready to go because the other carriage had already left and I would have to wait again to be filled before I left and the next one was full. I just bowed to them and signed that I need to go already while pointing to the local carriage that is ready to go anytime.

I left them to depart to the next village, however, when I was about to hop in the carriage someone grabs me from behind and I fall down onto the ground.

"Ahww." I murmured. I would have been angry when I saw Her Grace pulls me down to the carriage. She looks teary-eyed as she looked at me. I was gonna ask her, what does she want from me but then she hugged me.

"Do you really need to go? I need to repay you for helping me. I do not want to be indebted to the person I will never see again. It will hurt my noble status if I do not give you proper gratitude!" she said, then what about the hug ?! She only thinks of her nobility. darn, nobles who do as they want to do. I let go of her hug and said it was okay, there was no need because he took me to his uncle's house.

"That is not enough to pay you, so can you come with me to go home?" she said with her girly attitude as if she does not beat those guys, ugh I want to refuse but based on her personality, she will not stop until I will go with her. I did not realize that the carriage had left again, so I turned my back on her and quickly asked the driver or the guard there if there was another ride, but he said that was the last trip to the next village. I lost my hope because I had to spend the night here again and Lady Miary greeted me with her wide smile as if she was expecting that I will go back with disappointment.

"So, will you come with me?" She asks me and I feel like she planned this to happen. Damn, nobles who have a lot of money and authority and do what as they like-.-.

"Yes, as if I have the choice. You planned for this so that I will come with you." I answered defeated.

"I didn't do anything and why would I do that, right?" she asked her maid as she took her maid's 'answer yes or else' look and her maid answered her 'yes' with her voice is stuttering and nervous as she bows down.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, then she dragged me to the carriage where Count Lex is waiting for us.

I seated with Lady Miary and we are facing the count. I just sat quietly and looked outside while Lady Miary was sleeping and sir Count was busy reading documents.

After 30 minutes, we arrived at the house, and she is sleeping peacefully at my side. The Count calls for a knight and brought Lady Miary inside. I was embarrassed because I didn't lift her but I can't do that because I am a freaking girl and my strength is not enough to lift a person my size. Maybe, he noticed that I couldn't carry her niece, so I just apologized, then the Count said no worries since I helped her niece at the town earlier. Still, I feel guilty because I have to act like a man since I lived for it but I think I have not done well although I act boyish in my world.

We entered the house and drove me to my room as they prepared dinner. I immediately lay down on the bed and took a nap.

"Knock, knock"

"Sir Avy? the dinner is ready."

I heard a knock and someone calling for me, I got up and opened the door. The maid of Lady Miary, who was calling me and I said that I will follow because I have to fix something for a bit, then she nodded and left. I quickly changed my clothes and went down and they are waiting for me. I said, sorry for being late and they don't have to wait for me a mere ordinary person without status but the Count that it doesn't matter because eating with everyone is a good practice, no matter the status if you are a visitor. I smiled and thanked them before we started eating.

After dinner, I go up to my room and sleep because I was really tired.

I heard noises coming from the outside and I quickly get up to check what's going on, then I saw an expensive carriage with the symbol of Duke Collins. Does the Duke came here or any relatives who visit the Count? I asked myself and fixed myself. I went down to see Lady Miary and ask her what is happening.

When I got down, I saw her arguing with the Count and I don't really know what the problem is. "Ahm. Good Morning Count Lex and Lady Miary?" I said and they stopped and faced me. She greeted me back while the Count just smiled at me.

"Miary, you need to go back there, your father must be worried about you." Count said

"I will uncle but not now, why did you tell to my father that I am here." She answered then the Count sighed.

"But you don't have a choice to go home because the knights of your father are here to pick you up." Count said. " Ughh, Uncle just one more day!" She said.

"No, your father will be the one who will pick you up and I know you don't want that to happen, right?" Count said. It was as if I was watching this movie about a tantrum child and begging parents who could not afford to buy a toy, so I got something to eat while watching the two of them arguing.

After a while, they fell silent and she was seriously thinking while the Count seated on a sofa and I was still busy watching them while waiting for the next scene of their arguments.

I was surprised when She stood up to her seat with her optimistic aura that you will see her face that she come up with a brilliant idea and "Okay, I will go with them but on one condition!" She said, and that got me to be excited about what will happen next because the face of the Count brightens from stress.

The Count asks, what is her condition and Lady Miary pointed at me. Both the Count and I are confused, why does she point at me. So I asked, why did she point at me.

"He will come with me to go home. "She said, I was surprised and spit out what I was eating and the Count's face became speechless just like me.

"He is not my people Miary, so I can't tell him to go with you." the Count said, but her niece was determined that she will not go if I am not going.

"Well, it's not my problem anymore, I'll just stay here for one more day," she said that's why his uncle seems to have lost hope. I just thought it was but the Count approached me and asked me to go with her and to escort her. I, on the other hand, did not know what to do because he was already begging me to agree. He also said that he will pay me after I escorted her.

I cannot refuse the Count's plead with his face looks like, I was his last resort and I didn't have a choice but to agree, but he will answer my question first.

"Count Lex, why does the carriage of Duke Collins here?" I asked and he casually answered, "It was Miary's carriage, she was the daughter of Duke Collins".

"What!!!!" I shouted and the Count is surprised by me. I didn't think that she is the daughter of Collins that I thought she was engaged to Collins.

The count asked me why and I answered him that I didn't know that I help a noble with high status in the Winter, then the Count just laughed at me.

I want to refuse when I learned that she is the daughter of the Duke because I don't want to be attached to them. However, I can't back out now since they already have my baggage and Lady Miary is clinging to me. As if she already know that when I learned that she is a Collins and I will refuse, once I know her identity.

"Could you let go of me?" I said to her since she didn't want to leave me.

"No." She said.

"Let go of me since I already agreed to go with you so can you?" I told her, and she looks at me intently before she let go of me.

"Okay. Good night." She said before she goes away from me.

After breakfast, we already departed going to the Duke's place which is in the north area of the Winter Empire that which will take two to three days with stopovers. I was thinking this will be a great opportunity to look for a bigger library and I will find the book titled "The Chosen One" because I didn't read properly the contents and I didn't scan the last part of the story. I only remember a few or more about the story but I still need to be precise so that I can find answers.

And maybe I have the chance to see Ian in one of those places and also to train myself more especially my strength that is lacking. I'll just escort Lady Miary and I will be free again to roam around the city of the north and also look for food that is similar to the 20th century because I really miss those delicacies. Thinking about it, it makes me drool and hungry. If only I had a cellphone, I might not be a mercenary or traveler here and I would not be holding a sword. Why does it happen to me and I went to a difficult place and where it was chaotic and I had to defend myself so I was forced to learn to use a sword.

But, still, I am thankful because this was useful to be an advantage for me to defend myself from those older than me. Though it was really tough in the first training then I've managed to overcome my weakness since I am hiding my true gender so I need to be strong enough to protect myself from harm. Since I've been reborn I learn many things that are very different from the world, I came from but some are similar.

I was thinking about the story of the book and the things that will be happened in the few days where the festival will be held. The plot is that the Crowned Prince coming back and the lantern festival and meets Ryah Gayle Cannes that's when she fell in love with the Crown Prince who disguises himself as a knight to look around in the festival and so on.

"How long will this travel go on?" I ask her.

"Avy, how many times did you ask me for that?" She said as she was already tired of answering me since I don't know how many times did I ask her.

"It's just, nevermind," I said as I shut my mouth, and she rolled her eyes.

I sighed and she asked me if there is a problem why did I sigh numerous times, since awhile ago. I answered, her that it's nothing important and she just said 'okay' and goes back to what she doing beside me since we are still in the carriage. I think, we are near to the Duke's place since this is the second day, that we've been traveling and I think my butt will be flattened soon, before we arrived at the house of Collins. I hope that my butt will be okay, after this long travel just to escort her Grace to her home. I am nearly out of patience because of boredom and there is no sound trip so that it will be a joyride but there is no phone, so I was nearly at my limit. I tried to sleep, but you can't sleep because the path is rocky and I feel like I'm being bumping into my seat, so I can't sleep properly.

After so many hours, we arrived at the Duke's Place and I quickly go out and shouted " At last, I've finally got out from that carriage!"

"You will be ----- from now on."

"Did I hear it right?" ---