Ch. 119

Chapter 119: Side Story 5

We had a light breakfast and, with nothing else to do, decided to take a walk around the area. We deliberately left the servants behind and walked alone.

The sun still hadn’t come out, so everything remained dim. The gray clouds showed no signs of clearing.

“Do you think we’ll make it to the villa?” A sudden wave of concern hit me.

Ardion nodded, unconcerned. “Don’t worry. The people we came with are all highly capable in the empire. I’m sure they’ll have the carriage fixed by today at the latest.”

He looked into my eyes and smiled. For some reason, that smile unsettled me.

“You didn’t go around intimidating people again, did you?”

“Laila, you saw it yourself earlier. All I said was that I wanted the carriage fixed by today.”

I recalled how the carriage repairman had looked somewhat flustered. Every now and then, people around Ardion, servants and others, were visibly intimidated by him. His high status probably played a part in that, but sometimes his demeanor could be downright icy.

As those thoughts about Ardion swirled in my mind, we found ourselves back in front of the inn.

Still, we should be able to leave by the end of today.

I held on to that small hope, but by afternoon, it was completely shattered.

“I think we’ll have to bring a new wheel from another village. The spare from the palace was also damaged in the accident…” The repairman looked utterly overwhelmed. He seemed experienced, but this kind of unexpected situation was clearly beyond his control.

“How many days will it take?” There was a subtle menace in Ardion’s voice. His face also seemed to emit a cold aura, his eyes sharp.

The repairman licked his lips nervously and wiped his forehead. Though the weather wasn’t hot, beads of sweat were forming. “It should be done by tomorrow.”

“Then get it fixed by then.”

The man bowed deeply and stepped back. I couldn’t help but wonder if we were putting too much pressure on him. Still, no one said anything. Everyone seemed eager for the carriage to be repaired as soon as possible.

Before long, night fell. Strangely, it felt colder than the previous night. As I lay in bed, I felt something crawling on me, like an insect. I looked at Ardion, suspecting he was messing with me. But he had his eyes closed and seemed to be asleep.

What was it?

Uneasy, I looked around, but nothing was there. I could only close my eyes again. My body felt even chillier than before.

Clutching the blanket tightly, I tried to fall asleep. Just as I was about to drift off, I felt something brush against my hand.

Startled, I opened my eyes and met Ardion’s gaze. “Ardion!”

He smiled brightly.

I let out a sigh, half in relief and half in exasperation. “So it was you playing a prank earlier?”

Still smiling, he replied, “Laila, you seemed a little too tense.”

That caught me even more off guard, and I said quickly, “It’s scary, you know. Even that old man we saw here… people say he’s a ghost.”

Ardion pulled me into an embrace, his warmth flooding through me in an instant. “I’m here. If anything dares to threaten you, I’ll kill it without hesitation.”

His tone was soft, but the words were chilling. Still, I said nothing. I really was scared of this inn.

I snuggled closer to him. His body stiffened for a moment, then he wrapped his arms around me fully.

“Laila, do you realize this is the first time you’ve come to me like this?” His voice held a touch of wonder.

“It’s not the first time.”

“No, not like this. This is the first time you’ve come so close on your own.” He held me tighter, sounding absolutely sure.

I was slightly confused but didn’t argue, simply closing my eyes again. This time, I truly felt at ease.

A few minutes passed. Just as I was about to fall asleep, my hair suddenly shifted unnaturally. I gasped and opened my eyes.

Ardion still had his eyes closed. It had to be him again.

I grabbed his arm firmly and said, “Ardion, stop playing around! I told you not to mess with me.”

At that, Ardion opened his eyes. “What?”

His voice was groggy, as if he’d just woken up. But the unsettling feeling still lingered.

“You were messing with my hair, weren’t you?”

“Your hair? That wasn’t me.”

“Seriously?”

Ardion nodded. “You looked like you were finally falling asleep, so I was going to sleep too.”

“Then what was it? I could feel it. My hair definitely moved.”

“Either way, it wasn’t me.” He sounded serious. A chill ran down my arm.

What in the world was here?

I quickly gathered my hair and tucked it into my clothes. With it so loose, it felt like someone could pull it at any moment. Ardion’s eyes were more serious than ever. He sat up.

“Ardion?”

“I’m going to get the innkeeper.”

“The innkeeper?”

“I think we need to sleep elsewhere. We should’ve just gone to another inn this morning.”

He seemed determined. I hurriedly grabbed his arm. He looked at me with a slight frown.

“Ardion, it’s just one night. No need to wake up the innkeeper over this. Maybe I’m just being overly sensitive.”

“You sure you’ll be okay?”

I nodded. “Besides, you’re here with me.”

That seemed to relax him. He lay back down beside me. He held me even tighter than before. It was a little suffocating, but after being so frightened, I was grateful for his presence.

Then curiosity struck me. I lifted my head slightly and asked, “Are you not scared at all?”

“Not really. I’ve never been afraid of ghosts or anything like that.”

Come to think of it, Ardion never made a fuss about sleeping alone, even as a child. The basement rooms in Duke Orchid’s mansion must’ve felt just as eerie as this one. Even now, he didn’t seem the least bit shaken. I was the only one reacting like this.

I sighed softly.

Ardion gently brushed my hair back. “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, I just think… maybe I’m too much of a scaredy-cat.”

He let out a small laugh. “Well, this place is kind of strange.”

“Yeah, it is,” I mumbled and closed my eyes again.

I’d stuffed all my hair into my clothes so that I wouldn’t feel anything brushing against me. If I felt that sensation again, I swore I’d fight that ghost with Ardion by my side.

With that oddly fierce resolve, I finally drifted off.

❋ ❋ ❋

Morning came with a small commotion. Right as I woke up, a scream rang out from downstairs. Ardion and I rushed down together.

“What’s going on?” he asked. 

A servant nearby hurried over. “There was a crashing sound coming from the basement.”

Startled, I looked towards the stairs leading down. Just like they said, something was making a loud ruckus below. Ardion turned to head that way.

I grabbed his arm. “Ardion, it could be dangerous.”

“I let it go last night because you said it was fine, but I can’t ignore it now.”

He was right. The situation hadn’t improved. The innkeeper had told us not to go into the basement…

Nervous, I asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll check the basement. If there’s something down there, I’ll take care of it.”

A servant and his aide immediately tried to stop him. “Your Majesty, it’s too dangerous. Delzion and the knights are searching the area. Please wait for them…”

“It’ll be too late by then. The result will be the same whether I go or they do.”

“But…”

Despite their protests, Ardion pushed past them without hesitation.

Worried for his safety, I followed closely. If something jumped out, I wanted to be close enough to help. Suddenly, a loud crashing sound echoed from below again.

What could it possibly be? Was it really the ghost the innkeeper had mentioned? The old man we’d seen? The thought sent chills down my spine.

Thankfully, Ardion was blessed with mana. Otherwise, we’ve been helplessly waiting for the knights. 

Finally, Ardion grabbed the doorknob. The tension was palpable. He pulled it open.

Dust billowed out, and just as the door swung open, something shot out like a bolt of lightning.

I jumped back in fright. The servants screamed. I stared blankly at whatever had just fled. It wasn’t a ghost or a demon. It had white fur with black spots…

A cat?

It was definitely a cat. Once the servants realized, they stopped panicking and began scrambling to catch it. The cat seemed dazed too, as if it had been just as startled by everything.

Then I felt a soft hand on my shoulder. I looked over and saw Ardion standing beside me.

“It was just a cat,” I said weakly.

Ardion nodded and pointed at the cat. It suddenly floated into the air. The servants gaped at Ardion in astonishment.

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