Chapter 20
The Male Lead Went Crazy for the Troublesome Villainess — Episode 20
That evening, everyone gathered together for dinner. Vanessa was grumbling but still smiling, covered in dirt from head to toe, and Seraphine sat among the children, eating with them.
Lillia, with a piece of bread still in her mouth, began nodding off. Maybe thanks to running around all day, her complexion looked better than ever.
Vanessa, who had roughly wiped the dirt from her face, came over and plopped down beside me.
I looked up at the night sky, where stars were beginning to sprout one by one like seedlings. The stars were glittering almost blindingly bright.
* * *
But the glittering stars began to fade, too.
The farther we got from Willow and the closer we drew to Greystone, the harder it became to sleep. Once night fell, the terrible howls of monsters began to echo through the dark. What was even more horrifying was that, between those howls, it seemed as though human weeping could be heard as well.
I could feel us drawing closer and closer to hell. Even the children who had been running around so joyfully began to grow frightened and listless, little by little.
"Now, look at this."
The children had it especially bad when it came to sleeplessness. Kael judged that gathering the children in one place would be safer, so he brought them to Lillia's tent and stationed additional knights around it. Looking after the children naturally became my job.
I'm not sure how I ended up as a nanny.
The good news was that, in their own way, the terrified children had taken to me well.
Each of them was clutching a pillow tightly as they huddled together, and I was doing shadow puppets for them.
What else could I use to soothe kids in an environment this harsh? Old stories? The only ones I knew were things like Janghwa and Hongryeon. I always did like the revenge angle in that story.
"What do you think this is?"
"Hmm, a butterfly?"
"No, it's a dragon!"
"To me it looks like...... a bear!"
"I'm right."
"No. I'm right, okay?"
The children bickered. Watching them forget the situation and squabble like that always warmed my heart. It almost made me feel as though the happy ending I imagined were drawing closer.
"The answer is......!"
The children stared at me with sparkling eyes.
"It was a lion!"
"Boo!"
"Liar!"
"Lying is bad, they said!"
The children protested. Hey now, if I say it is, then it is. Of course, if there's one problem with this game, it's that I have absolutely no talent for shadow puppets.
"From now on, this is a lion. Got it?"
"Boooo, total nonsense!"
"Yeah. Lia would do better!"
"No, I'd do better."
The children started bickering again. As I watched their sparkling eyes and tried to make something else with my hands, the tent flap slid open quietly and Vanessa came in.
"Ahem, I couldn't sleep."
Well, she was so easily frightened—how could she sleep with those sounds outside? Vanessa gave an awkward smile and squeezed into a spot beside me.
"When it comes to shadow puppets, I'm confident too, Rosana. Shall I try?"
"Sure. Though you won't be as good as me."
"Boooo. Lady Rosana is the worst at it!"
Vanessa received the children's cheers and flexed her hands. Lillia pressed herself right up against my side. Lately she'd at least been eating a little, so her face had filled out slightly, making her childlike features more pronounced. I wrapped my arm tightly around Lillia's shoulders.
These kids expect way too much from me.
Huh?
I'm good at swordsmanship and I train hard, so if I were also good at shadow puppets, wouldn't I be too perfect? I got showered with praise from Seraphine again today, you know.
But Lillia was unusually quiet. Normally she would have at least chattered along with the other children, but today she just stayed curled up against me.
Lillia hugged my waist tightly.
While the children focused on the shadows Vanessa was making, Lillia squeezed her eyes shut and buried her small face against me. Then she whispered in a tiny voice.
"It's coming."
"What?"
"It's coming now, Rosana. It's on its way."
Her voice was tiny, but I heard it clearly. Why couldn't Lillia sleep? Because of the endless nightmares. She reads the movements of monsters and the threats approaching the expedition in her dreams.
If Lillia said so, it had to be true. I felt the muscles I'd worked so hard to build tense.
I thought I understood now why Lillia had been so quiet all day. She must have been tracking the monsters' movements.
"How many? What kind? How are they moving?"
"......They're moving over the ground. It's the Ground Spider Clan—giant spiders. A mother is leading her young. The giant specimens that pose a threat...... one, two, three...... four...... fifteen! Fifteen of them, Rosana."
While Vanessa kept the children's attention, Lillia was whispering in a voice so small only I could hear.
Fifteen. The Ground Spider Clan. They were giant spider-type monsters known for moving across the ground at high speed. They sprayed toxic mucus, used venomous spines, and captured humans with sticky webbing.
I kissed Lillia's forehead.
"Well done, Lillia."
Lillia blinked her fear-filled eyes. As I started to rise, Lillia clung to my waist.
"Me too. If I go, I can bind their legs......."
"Lillia."
I gripped Lillia's shoulders firmly and sat her back down. Kael wasn't so weak that he would hide behind a child over mere Ground Spiders. Neither was I, nor were the knights here.
The same went for everyone who had trained so hard for a day like today.
Lillia stared at me with eyes that looked ready to cry.
"Stay here."
I whispered in a resolute tone.
"I'll come back once this shadow puppet game is over."
"......Rosana."
"I promise nothing will happen."
I lightly kissed the child's soft forehead and then the bridge of her nose. It was the kind of kiss adults here gave children as a blessing. Then I whispered against her round cheek.
"Have sweet dreams, Lia."
At my words, Lillia nodded, her face holding back tears.
I glanced at Vanessa, who was still keeping the children's attention, and left the tent. It felt as though I could hear the approaching monsters howling in the distance. I took a deep breath and started walking.
* * *
The prophetic dream Lillia had was not something to be ignored.
I stepped outside and steadied my breathing. It was finally our first battle against monsters. The thing I had pictured countless times in my head was about to happen. With heavy steps, I headed toward Kael's tent.
"I need to speak to His Highness."
The tent flap opened before I even finished speaking. It seemed Kael had been unable to sleep either. Kael's silent gaze turned toward me.
I got straight to the point without even catching my breath.
"......Saintess Lillia has prophesied. The Ground Spider Clan will attack this place soon. There appear to be fifteen giant specimens, and countless smaller ones."
Kael's expression froze. He gave the order to assemble. The night was still dark, and any confusion would only disrupt the coming battle.
A low murmur rose from outside the tent. Fires began to light one by one throughout the camp, and everyone was moving calmly, just as they had been trained. Seeing that put my mind a little at ease.
"We handle this as quietly as possible."
This night was their time. A time when monsters held the advantage over humans.