If they heard that one of the handmaid had survived the attack, the Brimdel royal family and Shawn would know at once that it was Herietta. And she didn’t know what would happen after they found out.

Herietta was the only survivor who knew of their dark motives and dirty tricks. So it was only obvious that they wanted her death more than anyone else.

Herietta quickly shook her head. She had to stop this man. To do that, she needed to give him a good reason and plausible reason to believe.

“The Princess lost her life, and I was the only survivor.”

Herietta looked at the man’s eyes and said.

“The royal family I was serving by my side lost her life, and when it became known that I was still alive.... Then, not only me but also my family will be severely punished. In the worst case, the family itself may be wiped out.”

“But it wasn’t your fault. If necessary, I can tell them separately.”

Herietta’s eyes widened at the man’s words.

It was surprising. The man is good at making jokes, but that doesn’t mean he was a warm-hearted and compassionate person. Rather, it occurred to her that he might be so cold-blooded that he would not care at all whether someone died by his side. Then, for some reason, he showed a little concern for her.

However, after deliberation, Herietta shook her head.

“Thank you for your words, but it will be of no use.”

“Why?”

“Anyone can be overly emotional in the face of grief of losing a loved one. I just hope you won’t do it and the risks are too great to take on.”

“Then what are you going to do? Do you mean to send a false report that you died?”

He asked, frowning.

“Then you are alive, but you’re dead. You’re like a living ghost, don’t you think it’s ignorant how sinful it is to deceive the country and even the royal family? You will never be able to set foot on your homeland again with an honorable status during your lifetime.”

“As a Brimdel, it is certainly sad that I will never again set foot on my homeland.”

Herietta hesitated for a moment. As a person of Brimdel, the times of her life when she was born and raised passed before her eyes. And that was all she knew, still only 18 years old.

But in the end, only one thing matters.

Herrietta’s eyes darkened.

It was the only wish that she realized late only after experiencing death in front of her nose. She could do anything to make that wish come true, and she was ready to throw anything away.

Herietta, having gathered her heart, slowly inhaled and exhaled a breath.

“But even if it is a foreign country, I think it is much better to stand on it and breathe, than to die and be buried under the ground of my homeland. That’s how much I am attached to my life.”

* * *

Bernard looked at Herietta quietly.

‘That’s how much I am attached to my life.’

Bernard pondered what Herietta had said in his head. He still didn’t know much about her, but two things were clear.

One is that she is far more clumsy with her lies than she thinks.

And the second, he doesn’t know why, but she’s hiding a lot of things from him.

Nevertheless, it did not seem false when she spoke of her attachment to life. It was a brief moment, but there was truth in her eyes as she looked at him.

He had a strange feeling. The sight of her talking about life with a face that was completely precarious, pale and bloodless. Even though it was clear that by his standards, she would not have been able to lead a very special life, she steadfastly values her life very much.

“Why do you think I will do you a favor?”

Bernard asked.

“It may seem insignificant at first glance, but now you are asking me to tell a lie to the Brimdel royal family. If things go wrong, the friendly relationship between the two countries may collapse. Why do I have to do such a dangerous thing for you, whom I do not know well?”

“So.... In short, it is possible.”

“What?”

“You’re asking me why you should, but you didn’t say you couldn’t.”

Herietta explained step by step.

“At the end of the day, I’m saying that it’s something that the Knight can fully solve.”

At Herietta’s sharp point, Bernard shut his mouth. His eyes narrowed.

‘What an interesting woman.’

Bernard thought. All his life he has considered himself to be quite tactful. Also, in a short time, he was confident that he was excellent at identifying the tendencies in others.

But at this moment, he was very confused. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure out what was inside the woman in front of him.

It was like looking at a sheet of paper with different front and back sides, each side painted black and white. It felt like both blades were a double-edged sword.

It was not limited to just personal circumstances. It was a serious matter that could even spread to diplomatic issues between the two countries. Not a knight, but even a knight commander. No, even as a high-ranking minister, it wasn’t something he could decide on his own.

Still, Herietta asked. It was an appearance that had no idea how foolish she was.

From there, Bernard would have judged that Herietta was just a stupid and ignorant person. And he would have lost his interest in her faster than light.

But he couldn’t. Because she showed an extraordinary side of her in an unexpected situation.

Even though it’s just a word that can be said easily, the core was hidden in it. The power to not give up until the end even though she knew that she was in a disadvantageous situation.

Bernard agonized. He decided that Herietta could not be fully trusted. He didn’t know what was hidden under that harmless, fragile-looking appearance.

But,

“What message do you want to convey to Brimdel?”

Bernard asked. Looking at the situation a little more, it didn’t seem like it would be too dangerous. After all, he was given a long and boring time. So this much, he’d be fine with a little fun.

Herietta’s expression brightened after reading the positive affirmation in Bernard’s question.

“I want to tell my family in my hometown and my precious person that I am safe.”

As if she had been waiting, she replied coldly.

“And there’s also a warning to be careful just in case.”

‘Hometown.’

Bernard remembered when he first discovered Herietta. She muttered breathlessly in the carriage heading to Valpoutis.

‘Go.... to. Phili.... oche. To.... that.... person.’

“Does that precious person mean your lover?”

Bernard asked. Herietta’s complexion, which had brightened for a moment, darkened noticeably.

“.... not a lover.”

She replied with a stiffened face.

“But it is true that he is the most precious person.”

It was a powerless voice, like a sigh.

* * *

Shortly thereafter, an official document arrived in Brimdel. It was about the Brimdel delegation who was attacked by a group of bandits while heading to the capital of Velicia for the national wedding.

Document bearing the royal coat of arms of Velicia revealed that the only survivor found at the attack site was not the Princess but the handmaid, Janice Dolmoran, who also lost her life due to injuries sustained during the attack.

Upon hearing the news, Brimdel royal family was deeply saddened. And they deeply mourned the two young women who had died at such an early age when they had yet to open their buds properly.

Although not well-known to the public, and of a half-blood, the Princess was still a royal family. To commemorate the tragic death of the Princess, the King ordered the people to wear black mourning clothes for three days. In addition, Baron Dolmoran, who lost his daughter suddenly, was given a small estate and the title of a Viscount.

‘I can best understand the sorrow and pain you are going through right now than anyone else.’

The King himself called his subject and offered him words of consolation.

‘But the living should live. Your daughter, who went first, will also want you to endure this sorrow and move forward. Just like my dead daughter does.’

Baron Dolmoran accepted the King’s warm consolation. No, the man who was now Viscount Dolmoran lowered his head and wept.

Janice Dolmoran. His daughter’s face, who smiled brightly as she looked at him, shimmered in front of him, now crumbled and disappeared like white bubbles.

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