Chapter 27 - Unending Escape (3)

The morning sunlight crept through the small cracks on the window of the room, a warm atmosphere enveloping the simple room.

Soft sunlight brushed through Claire's face, illuminating the old wooden floor that creaked with every step. The wooden walls looked dull, showing signs of its age, some parts of the wall already began to crack.

The table in the corner of the room was filled with empty bowls and cutlery from guests who had long since left, indicating past activities inside the room. The aroma of baked bread from the kitchen wafted out, mixed with the smell of firewood, bringing a sense of calm into the room.

Downstairs, Ethan was having a friendly conversation with the innkeeper, the middle-aged man kept a friendly smile while speaking to him.

Their voices were occasionally heard faintly, with light laughter from Ethan's jokes that always managed to lighten the atmosphere.

Although their conversation was friendly, Ethan could not ignore the tension in the innkeeper's eyes when discussing the rumors of knights roaming the village, making Ethan pause for a moment before smiling again, seemingly thinking about something.

After thanking and saying goodbye to the innkeeper, Ethan went upstairs, where Claire was staying. The creaking wooden stairs added to the old impression of this inn, but Ethan stepped lightly until he arrived in front of Claire's room door.

With a gentle knock, he called out. However, there was no answer. Only loud noises from inside the room immediately made him frown curiously.

A few moments later, the door opened and a young woman appeared, wearing a long robe that covered her face and hair.

The hood of the robe almost covered her entire head, only revealing a little of her face. Ethan looked at her with a confused expression, but immediately realized who was in front of him.

"Who are you?" he asked sarcastically, pretending not to know who was behind the robe, a small smile curling on his lips.

Claire sighed, pulling the hood of her robe back a little, revealing her familiar face.

"It's me," She answered, annoyed.

Ethan chuckled as he fixed her robe.

"You look like a wanderer that has been lost in the forest for months!" Teasing her.

The young woman stared at him with a blank expression, clearly annoyed which made Ethan giggled even harder.

"There were some knights wandering around, that's why I wear this robe," she said in a serious tone, although her face showed a little anxiety.

Ethan noticed the robe that Claire was wearing, it was shabby, full of dirt, with some parts torn from their journey in the forbidden forest.

Claire's face looked pale, indicating that she had not eaten properly for several days. In fact, the wounds on her face from scratches from tree branches in the forbidden forest were even redder than before.

Although Claire tried to remain calm, Ethan could clearly see that the girl was getting used to life on the run.

"You're even more suspicious when you dress like that," Ethan chuckled, noticing how awkward Claire looked in her shabby robe.

"What can I do then, Mr. Savior?" Claire shrugged, replicating Ethan's sarcasm. "Should I walk around waving my hair to the knights?" 

Ethan shook his head slowly, still with a smile on his face. His face seems to enjoy her annoying reply.

"Well, if the knights really want to, you wouldn't be able to stay here in the first place."

Claire smiled faintly, though it sounded sarcastic.

"I'll just look for you then."

Claire's words made Ethan giggled again.

"You came just to laugh at me, didn't you?" Claire said in a half-annoyed tone. "You must have known about those knights."

"Yes, the innkeeper told me," Ethan replied casually as he took out a piece of hard bread from his pocket.

"Here, I forgot to give yours yesterday. Don't worry I haven't eaten mine yet either. We are both starving right now."

Claire stared at the bread with a blank look.

"Yesterday's bread?" she muttered as she accepted the bread as she had no other choice.

Ethan shook the bread a little, teasing her. Claire sighed once more, but finally took the bread reluctantly. Her empty stomach left her with no other choice.

"If it weren't because I was hungry, I would have refused your food," Claire complained as she bit into the hard bread in annoyance.

Ethan chuckled.

"Stop acting like a noble, Lady Claire. You're no more than a fugitive now," he jokingly whispered, making Claire grumble.

"Yes, but I will return to being a noble after I arrive at the residence," Claire replied firmly, trying to maintain her dignity.

Ethan only raised an eyebrow with a small smile. "I hope so," he muttered.

When Claire was busy with her bread, Ethan suddenly quickly pulled Claire's hood, covering her face completely. Claire reflexively bent over, trying to free herself.

"Hey!!" Claire protested, her eyes glaring at Ethan who only laughed at her reaction.

"Come on, follow me," Ethan said, his tone now more serious.

"We have to get out of here soon. If you stay in this village too long, some people might suspect something."

Claire paused for a moment, looking at Ethan with a confused expression.

"You said you wouldn't ask me out today."

Ethan smiled softly. "I was kidding."

Claire sighed, feeling annoyed but she knew Ethan was right. Staying in this village would only increase their risk of being caught.

She nodded slowly, giving in to her predicament.

"I'm ready. So, let's just go. Didn't you say this village is far from the capital? How long will it take us to get there?" Claire asked.

Ethan seemed to think for a moment before answering, "About a day's journey."

Claire looked at him in confusion. "A day? That's not too bad," she muttered, feeling a little relieved.

"With horses," Ethan continued, grinning mischievously.

Claire couldn't help but want to smack Ethan's head.

"Well we don't have horses," Claire replied in an instant without any trace of emotion, making Ethan laugh in satisfaction at her reaction.

Claire looked at the hard bread in her hand, reluctantly biting into it. The bread was as hard as she had expected, but her empty stomach gave her no choice.

In between chews that felt like chewing rocks, her mind suddenly wandered to Ethan's condition.

"Is your foot okay?" Ethan's soft voice suddenly breaks her daydreaming.

'My foot?' Claire frowned and looked down at her feet.

As they walked, they were almost at the inn's stairs now, only now did Claire just realize the pain in her feet was back.

Indeed, she had long forgotten about the incident when they escaped from the forbidden forest, where her feet had been sprained.

"Oh, right," Claire muttered. 'My feet were sprained that time.'

"I'm fine. I can move normally," Claire replied with a light smile, even though the pain was still piercing her legs.

Ethan snorted, looking at her skeptically.

"Women are always like that," he said, as if talking to himself.

Claire turned her head quickly, glaring at him.

'Huh? What does he mean?' she thought.

She wanted to protest, but her lips only moved soundlessly. After all, it was nothing new for Ethan to confuse her with his comments.

The two of them went down the inn's stairs, the wood creaking every time they stepped on it. The inn was small and simple, consisting of only a few old wooden tables arranged haphazardly on the ground floor.

The window next to the small bar was dusty, allowing only a little morning sunlight to enter, brightening up the dull atmosphere in the room.

Behind the bar, the innkeeper, a large man with a wrinkled face, was busy wiping glasses with a cloth that was as dirty as the inn floor.

When he saw Claire and Ethan coming down the stairs, his smile immediately spread, showing his mostly missing teeth, looking like a wide, seductive smile.

"Ohh you couples already make up? Good for you then, looking at you reminds me of when me and my wife were newlyweds." 

the innkeeper joked with an annoying, hoarse laugh.

Claire immediately stopped, her brow furrowing at the words.

'Couple?' she thought. She was about to clear up the misunderstanding, but Ethan was quicker to respond.

"Oh, of course," Ethan said casually, without the slightest burden in his tone. "We're fine now."

Claire's eyes widened, staring at Ethan with a look of confusion and anger.

'What is he doing!?' she thought, feeling a strong urge to claw Ethan's face right there.

The innkeeper burst out laughing, seemingly pleased with what he thought was a lighthearted joke.

He slapped Ethan's back hard with his large hand, causing Ethan to flinch and wince in pain.

"Ah, good, good!" The innkeeper smiled broadly. "You young people do fight a lot, but love always wins, doesn't it?"

Ethan laughed lightly, trying to hold back the pain in his back.

"Of course," he said, still in a playful tone, while Claire could only stare at him with a bright red face.

Claire really wanted to protest this time, but she didn't know what to say.

On one hand, this situation was indeed annoying, but on the other hand, Claire didn't want to drag things out.

This time, she really wanted to yell or at least hit him on the shoulder for being too casual in spreading lies. However, when she saw the innkeeper who looked happy, Claire swallowed back her anger.

'What the hell is he thinking?' 

The innkeeper eventually walked away, leaving the two of them alone. Claire, still annoyed, decided to vent her frustration.

"You're such a jerk," she muttered under her breath, glaring at Ethan.

Ethan merely smiled casually, remembering her with eyes that seemed to be sparkling.

"I was just helping to hide our identities," he whispered softly. "Besides, couple? Isn't that cute?"

Claire let out a loud exclamation, restraining herself from smacking Ethan on the head with the hard bread in her hand.

"You really don't know when to stop, Ethan."

They continued walking towards the inn's exit, and before Claire could speak again, Ethan casually interrupted, "Besides, with that shabby robe, we need every excuse we can to not look suspicious."

Claire looked down at her robe, only then realizing how she looks at the moment.

The once light brown robe was now covered in mud, torn in several places from her journey through the forbidden forest.

Her usually well-groomed hair was now covered by a hood, and her face looked paler than usual, like someone who hadn't eaten properly in days—which was true.

"Yes," Claire finally sighed, trying to hide the exhaustion that was beginning to overwhelm her. "Perhaps I should stop trying to look elegant."

"Good," Ethan replied with a nod, but there was still a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Besides, you're a fugitive now, aren't you? The graceful and noble Lady Claire?"

Claire sighed, finally accepting the joke with a slight smile. "For a while, perhaps."

Ethan chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"I really wished for you to have your nobility returned. But for now, let's leave before the knights find us."

Claire simply nodded in agreement. They left the inn, stepping out onto the quiet, secluded village streets.

The cool morning breeze greeted them, bringing a bit of relief after the tension that had just occurred inside the inn.

"So, where to now?" Claire asked, turning to Ethan, even though she already knew the answer.

Ethan smiled cryptically. "We'll go as far away from this village as possible. Maybe to the next town. If we're lucky, we can get there before nightfall."

"Without a horse?" Claire asked skeptically.

Ethan just chuckled. "Ah, yes. This trip might take longer than you think."

Claire took a deep breath, having expected that. But this time, she too, just chuckled, even though part of her was still annoyed with Ethan's way of keeping things simple.