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65.
"W-wait, just now...."
The Unknown Girl, who had been pushing firewood into the campfire, widened her eyes and stared at Julian, who had appeared ‌‌out of nowhere.
"There was definitely a cat here. Who on earth are you?"
Julian furrowed his brow.
He tried to respond, but his throat felt parched, and no words would come.
The Unknown Girl gazed ‌‌‌‌at him intently, then hastily opened her backpack and retrieved water.
She cradled Julian's head in her lap and poured ‌‌‌the water into his mouth.
Julian swallowed the life-giving liquid that trickled down his throat ‌‌‌‌desperately.
"You seem to be ill like that cat. But I'm trapped here too, so I can't bring a doctor right now. Still, my father will come to rescue us soon, so don't worry."
As the parched dryness of his throat was soothed by water, his mind began ‌‌to ‌‌‌clear.
Julian surveyed his surroundings with gradually sharpening vision.
The entrance to what appeared to be a cave was firmly sealed with stone, as though a landslide had occurred.
Julian slowly turned his gaze toward the Unknown Girl.
The Unknown Girl had her golden hair, a shade warmer than the campfire's glow, tied back tightly.
Julian opened his mouth with great effort.
"You... are...."
"No, don't speak. Goodness, why is your body ‌so cold?"
The Unknown Girl slowly lay down beside Julian and embraced him without hesitation.
The Unknown Girl, whose cheeks were pleasantly full and round, stood about ‌a hand's breadth taller than he did.
Having been away from home for so long, Julian was gaunt compared to his usual self, and he nestled perfectly into the Unknown Girl's embrace.
He heard the steady rhythm of her heartbeat.
The warmth she offered him was the ‌‌‌‌most comforting he had ever received.
Like frozen ice melting, a single tear rolled down from his eyes.
The Unknown Girl, seeing his tears, tried to comfort him.
"Don't worry. The people ‌‌of this village follow the Kadir Faith. They say they never turn away those they've rescued in times of crisis. So they ‌‌‌will definitely come to save us." ‌‌‌
The Unknown Girl spoke with a maturity beyond her years, her intelligent ‌blue eyes gleaming with wisdom.
Yet she was equally afraid, trembling as she held Julian in her arms.
Julian quietly observed the ‌‌‌‌Unknown Girl's trembling shoulders.
Just as she had comforted him, he wished to soothe her as well.
But his eyelids were terribly heavy.
Julian gradually drifted into sleep.
And when he opened his eyes again.
"Your Grace! Heavens, Your Grace has regained consciousness!"
'Ah....'
Julian stared blankly at the ceiling fresco of cherubs at play. His head throbbed dully.
'It was a dream.'
He raised his upper body.
Just as in the dream, his throat was parched and dry.
"Water...."
"Here it is!"
The servant attending to him quickly pressed a cup of water into his hands.
As Julian moistened his throat, the bedroom door ‌‌‌burst open with violence.
"My lord!"
Croa came rushing in breathlessly upon hearing that Julian had awakened.
Croa's lips trembled as though she ‌‌were about to launch into a torrent of words.
Julian groaned ‌‌and waved his hand dismissively. ‌‌‌
"Be quiet. My head is ringing—I can barely think straight."
Julian let out a soft moan and collapsed back onto the plush pillow.
But then he caught sight of Croa's face, her lips pressed tightly shut as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
Julian exhaled a long sigh and spoke with exasperation.
"Fine, fine. Speak. But don't cry. Just tell me what happened—concisely."
"My lord! I truly thought you were going to die. You've ‌never been this ill before."
"I was ill?"
"Yes. You came in soaked to the bone that day, and you've been bedridden with fever for a full week. Thank goodness it was only a cold and not a heart condition, or I thought you would surely...."
"What? A week?"
Julian kicked off the blankets and scrambled to his feet in panic.
His bewildered eyes stared blankly at Croa.
"What about Rebecca? Has there been any word from her during all this time?"
"Ah, a letter did arrive."
"When did it come?"
"A week ago."
"Then you informed Rebecca that I was in no condition to reply?"
"What? How could I presume to send a response on my own? I feared what stern rebuke you might deliver to me for such presumption."
"So you told her nothing at all?"
"Well... now that you mention it, that's true. I was so occupied with nursing you that ‌‌‌I actually forgot the letter had arrived. I apologize."
"What...?"
Julian clutched his head in his ‌‌hands.
So not only had he kissed her and fled like a fool, but he had also become a coward who failed to send a single reply for an entire week.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Julian brought his fist down hard upon the pillow.
A dull sound reverberated through the bedroom.
Croa watched the pillow crumple beneath his assault and felt as though it were herself being destroyed, swallowing hard.
"S-shall I send one now?"
Croa looked up at Julian cautiously.
Julian considered striking her but thought better of ‌‌it.
He knew all too well how irrational Croa became whenever he was unwell.
In his childhood, she would wrap his finger in bandages for an entire month if he so much as got a paper cut, so devoted was she to fussing over his health.
Given that he had been bedridden for a week, her lifespan had probably been cut ‌‌in half.
Julian examined Croa's face carefully, then clicked ‌his tongue.
"That's ‌‌enough. I'm fine now, so you should rest. You look absolutely dreadful."
"Ah, is that so?"
Croa touched the stubble that had grown rough across ‌‌‌my chin.
Now that I thought about it, when was the last time I'd properly bathed? Croa sniffed at myself and grimaced at the stench emanating from my body.
"Good heavens. The smell is absolutely unbearable. I should bathe first, then."
"Yes. And have them prepare my bath as well."
"Of course."
"Bring me the letter Rebecca sent."
"Oh! Yes? Ah, of course! That's right. I understand."
Croa nodded reluctantly, a look of dismay crossing my face.
My complexion had turned ashen as I left the room.
'Where did I put that letter...?'
Croa desperately racked my memory.
If I couldn't find the letter, this time I truly would look like a deflated pillow.
Once Croa and all the servants had left, their faces drained of color, Julian swung his legs off the bed.
The fact that I'd been bedridden for a week ‌‌seemed almost unreal—my entire body felt stiff and sluggish.
Julian drew the curtains ‌‌wide open. ‌‌‌‌
The Garden of the Duke's Castle, now graced by summer's arrival, blazed with dazzling ‌‌‌‌brilliance.
Beyond it, the Forest echoed with the cheerful chirping ‌of birds.
Julian gazed blankly at the scenery before my thoughts drifted to the dream I'd just had.
It was a dream I hadn't experienced in ages, yet it had returned ‌‌‌‌to me now.
In my childhood, unwilling to bear my terrible fate, I had run away.
The first few days had gone smoothly. It had ‌even felt exhilarating, like an adventure.
But ‌‌‌‌when I discovered that Leo had followed me, I fell into despair.
Leo's vacant eyes seemed to mock me, as if asking whether I truly believed I could escape from the hand of God.
I had hurled every curse an eight-year-old boy could muster at Leo.
'I wish you were dead!'
I remembered ‌‌‌‌clearly what I ‌‌‌had said back then.
Now I could have cursed him far worse, but that had ‌‌been the best ‌‌‌I could manage at the time.
A wave of embarrassment washed over me, and I rubbed my forehead.
Leo had listened silently to my ‌‌‌curses, then left ‌‌while I gasped for breath.
That night, after ‌‌Leo's whereabouts became unknown, I fell gravely ill in ‌‌‌‌a shabby inn in some nameless village.
The pain was so severe that my young self had sensed death approaching.
It was that Unknown Girl from the dream who had saved me.
After meeting the Unknown Girl in the Cave, I had switched bodies with Leo several more times.
It seemed to happen whenever my life was in danger.
What puzzled me was why I switched with Leo instead of with my father.
When an heir was born, both the heir and the Duke of Johannes became connected to Leo simultaneously.
However, since the young heir's divine power was still negligible, the connection to Leo wasn't complete.
That was why I could communicate with Leo—it had been the year I turned ten.
Julian thought of the Unknown Girl whose name he never learned.
That girl who had nursed him faithfully, even as his body and the cat's swapped places countless times.
He couldn't quite recall her face clearly, yet the warmth of her touch remained vivid in his memory.
The body-swapping had ended when Julian awoke at the Inn.
Immediately after, people from the Duke's Residence burst in and took him away.
From that moment on, Julian had made tireless efforts to find the girl who had saved him.
He had ‌‌‌inquired throughout the Empire about the landslide region and the missing girl, but to no avail.
The girl had vanished like a mirage.
Once Julian could ‌‌‌‌communicate with Leo, he had asked him various questions about that day.
But Leo had only ever answered that he didn't know much.
Julian had dimly realized that Leo was hiding something, yet he didn't press further.
It seemed that merely broaching the memory of that day caused Leo considerable anguish.
'Julian. Is your body feeling better now?'
Suddenly hearing his name called, he turned around.
Leo was slowly approaching him.
Julian didn't mention the dream he'd had that night.
Everyone carries memories they'd rather ‌‌‌‌bury, things they'd rather not think about. Even if one were a messenger of God.
Instead, Julian smiled gently and lowered himself to meet Leo's eye level.
He spoke softly.
"Yeah. You know as well as I do that I can't possibly die."
Leo's eyes blinked, holding countless unspoken words.
The shadow of resignation that had hung over every Duke of Johannes until now suddenly fell ‌‌across Julian's face.
It was an expression that Leo despised with all his being.
* * *
Bang— bang— bang—
Irritable gunfire echoed through the quiet Shooting Range of the Duke's Castle. ‌‌‌
Every bullet Julian fired missed its mark, embedding itself in the wrong places.
"Damn it!"
Julian jammed another cartridge in and raised ‌‌‌‌the rifle again.
Croa stepped in front of him.
Julian spoke with a growl.
"Move. Before I shoot."
"Stop this at once! ‌‌‌You'll actually kill someone at this rate. You might even hit the cat!"
At the mention of hitting the cat, Julian flinched and glanced around.
As if to witness his ‌‌embarrassment, ‌‌‌several cats had gathered around him in a cluster.
Julian heaved a long sigh and handed the rifle to Croa. ‌‌‌‌
Croa spoke with concern.
"It hasn't been long since you rose from your sickbed. You'll injure yourself this ‌‌‌‌way."
A few days ago, on the day of an unprecedented downpour, Julian had returned to the castle drenched in rain, his body exposed to the elements.
No matter how much Croa pressed him for an ‌explanation, he had remained silent as a clam, saying nothing.
All that could be ‌heard from within the room was the violent thrashing of blankets being kicked aside.
The Countess who had fled had returned.
E-book Publication

January 12, 2022
Author

Ginbamhaneul
Publisher

Desert Fox
Published by

Woongjin Thinkbig Co., Ltd.
Submission Contact

naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog

blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox ‌‌
Twitter

@wjt_fennecfox

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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