Flight (1)
The carriage wheels creaked loudly—
“...Mmm.”
Old Butler woke with a start at the distant noise echoing through his half-lidded eyes. It was the dead of night; what could possibly be happening? Still, as the steward of the estate, he needed to remain sensitive to even the smallest disturbances. He cleared his scratchy throat and rose from his bed.
By the time he crossed the darkness-drenched hallway and reached the entrance hall—
“...!”
A lone figure, illuminated by moonlight, was sprinting desperately out of the mansion. It was Luna Winfred, the eldest daughter of the house and the young lady the old butler had served his entire life.
“M-My lady!”
Not only was she running barefoot across the gravel path, but she was dressed so lightly in the chilly predawn air. What if she caught a cold? The old butler’s steps quickened with urgency.
“Lady Luna!”
Even at his call, Luna did not stop. Instead, she only accelerated. Far from closing the distance, the gap between them grew wider and wider.
A moment later.
“...What is that sound?”
Amid the serene silence, a loud cry drifted faintly from beyond the main gate. It was the whinny of a horse. Luna, who had been sprinting like a madwoman, gradually slowed down. Then, accompanied by the sharp clatter of hooves, a shabby carriage shot forward, blurring past the old butler’s vision.
Luna stared at the departing carriage and collapsed to the ground in despair. Her bare skin scraped harshly against the stone.
“My lady!!”
The old butler dashed toward the fallen Luna in utter panic. The young lady who had never once lost her dignity was now acting so recklessly. His mind went completely blank.
The distance narrowed, and soon he stood before the seated Luna. Her knees, pressed against the ground, were scraped raw and flushed red. The soles of her feet were torn and bleeding from the gravel, and her dress was tattered and filthy from dragging across the dirt.
“What in the world…!”
The old butler’s eyes widened in horror.
Luna remained frozen, her gaze fixed on the direction where the carriage had vanished, her expression utterly vacant.
“My lady! Are you all right?”
“Kyle…”
“Kyle? You mean Young Master Kyle? He should be sleeping in his room right now…”
“He really left…?”
“Your wounds—! I’ll summon the family physician at once.”
Kyle had left the mansion.
Luna knew better than anyone that this was no simple outing. Her precious little brother had almost certainly departed with the intention of never returning. Which meant she would never see Kyle in this house again.
“…”
Her heart pounded so violently it felt as if it would burst through her ribs. Blood began to trickle from the fresh cuts.
“Ha… hahaha…”
Luna let out a couple of hollow laughs. In her emotionless eyes, a quiet madness flickered.
She brushed the dust from her clothes and stood up. A hoarse voice slipped through her clenched teeth.
“...Butler.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Kyle has left the mansion.”
“Then the carriage just now…?”
“Find him. By any means necessary.”
The old butler stared at Luna in stunned silence.
“Shall I locate him and take separate measures?”
“No. Just find out his location and report it to me.”
“Only the location?”
Luna gently patted the old butler’s shoulder.
“Yes, just the location. Oh, and make sure the report comes only to me. Father won’t care anyway. Just say that after the broken engagement, he was so heartbroken he went on a vacation to some resort. That should be easy enough, right?”
“...I cannot omit a report to His Grace the Duke.”
“Enough.”
Luna’s firm voice cut through the air. Her piercing gaze sent a chill down the old butler’s spine.
“It’s not difficult, is it?”
“…”
“If you understand, nod.”
The old butler nodded, his face pale. Only then did Luna’s eyes curve gently.
“Ah.”
Luna, who had turned away, suddenly stopped. A moment later, her voice softened considerably as it reached the butler’s ears.
“I’ll be going out at noon tomorrow, so prepare accordingly.”
“Going out, my lady?”
Luna lightly tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear.
“I need to visit the Yustia County residence.”
“Yustia… you mean where Lady Isabelle resides…?”
“That’s right. You know well.”
The Yustia County residence. The familiar name echoed in the old butler’s mind.
Luna clicked her tongue as she looked at the bloody soles of her feet.
“Tsk, it stings. Could you call the physician to my room?”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
“It’s cold out. I’d like some warm tea as well.”
“I’ll bring it right away.”
Luna smiled brightly.
“Thank you.”
Escape from the Winfred Duchy — Success
I had finally succeeded.
I had completely severed ties with Isabelle, who would have become a shackle later, and escaped the damned ducal estate with a hefty sum in my pocket.
The carriage jolted—
The shaking of the carriage felt strangely pleasant. It was a hastily acquired vehicle, so the ride was uncomfortable, but my heart had never felt lighter.
There were two main ways to travel from the northern territories of the empire to the capital. The first was to take a carriage directly by land. The second was to go through a port and board a merchant vessel bound for the capital.
I planned to travel all the way to the imperial capital using only a carriage. While ships would be faster and more comfortable, they were also the most likely means of being tracked, so I had to avoid them.
How did large merchant ships develop in a medieval era? Honestly, I don’t know the answer. But since this is a world where alchemy and magic exist, a slightly advanced level of navigation doesn’t seem all that strange.
‘Still, there are advantages.’
If the world I had possessed had been a complete barbaric age with no civilizational progress at all—if people relieved themselves in open fields, streets reeked of filth, and proper medical knowledge didn’t exist—life would have been unbearable. My quality of life would have dropped by more than half.
The reason I’ve been able to maintain my sanity in this world is precisely because civilization exists. Of course, enjoying civilization is a privilege reserved for nobles, but what does that matter? After all, I’ve possessed the body of a noble.
“…”
I stared blankly out the window before suddenly asking the person sitting across from me.
“Don’t you feel wronged?”
“What do you mean, my lord?”
“You’ve suddenly become a fugitive. I’m asking if that doesn’t bother you.”
“It does not bother me.”
I looked at Diana with a lukewarm expression. Come to think of it, even when I told her we had to leave the mansion without any explanation, she had simply nodded with that same expressionless face. Were all knights this blindly loyal?
Suddenly, my first meeting with Diana from the previous round flashed through my mind.
Diana, the first commoner-born knight commander in the empire. The sight of her preparing for deployment had perfectly captured the majestic aura from her game illustration. I would never see that sight again.
Because Diana was no longer a knight of the empire—she had become the sword of Kyle Winfred.
Yes, in a way, I might have stolen it from her. The future of an innocent person who had nothing to do with me, all so I could return to my own world.
A strange sense of guilt pricked at a corner of my chest.
It was then—
“...!”
The carriage shook violently, lifting my rear off the seat. Once the neatly paved stone road ended, the carriage began to rattle like crazy. It was already uncomfortable enough, but now the terrible road made my back, shoulders, and backside ache without mercy.
As I frowned and endured the discomfort, Diana’s gentle voice reached me.
“If you relax your arms and shift your weight to the side, it will be much more comfortable.”
“To the side? There’s a handle sticking out. Where am I supposed to lean?”
“You may lean on my shoulder.”
“...What?”
Was she really telling me to rest my head on her shoulder? I blinked, speechless. Diana tilted her head as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“The journey is still long, is it not?”
“…”
She wasn’t wrong. But no matter what, leaning my head on a stranger’s shoulder without good reason was out of the question. I silently turned my gaze back to the window.
But the carriage began to jolt even more violently, as if it had only just begun. No matter how rushed the purchase, just how low-quality was this thing? The rattling shook my brain, making me dizzy and nauseous.
“…”
My eyes met Diana’s. Her gaze seemed to ask whether I could really keep enduring like this.
‘...I’m really going to die at this rate.’
Leaning against the window meant bumping into the protruding handle. Leaning against the backrest—there wasn’t even a proper one. I swallowed hard.
It didn’t take long to make up my mind.
“…”
Carefully, I rested my head on Diana’s shoulder. The perfect height and solid stability instantly eased the discomfort, just as she had said.
At that moment, Diana’s flat voice pierced my ear.
“Please rest comfortably.”
Damn it. I should have found a better carriage.