Chapter 40

“Is this enough for one night?”

Evely pulled out five coins from her pocket. After spending the day at her aunt Julia’s house, Evely moved diligently without further delay.

It took her more time than expected to get to the end of this vast empire. She was told that there was a ship that would leave for another kingdom, so she only had to walk two more days to get to it.

“Is this all you got?”

“Yes. I don’t have a lot of money right now.”

“I only have one room, and it’s kind of small. Are you okay, miss?

“Yes, I’m fine.”

The innkeeper was blunt as he stared at Evely’s cloaked face, but Evely nodded brightly. The boat fare was more expensive than she had expected, and she needed some money to live in her new place. She had some money that the head maid had forced her to take, plus some money that Julia had given her, but she had to save as much as possible.

The innkeeper gave a room at the end of the inn to Evely.

“Thank you.”

Evely nodded, but she didn’t hear the greeting from the innkeeper as he turned away. Evely looked at his back briefly and closed the door.

“…… It’s really small.”

It was a blessing in disguise that this was the only inn in the area, and that there were still rooms available.

Evely lay down on the small bed first. It creaked and squeaked. It was certainly more inconvenient and difficult than when she was in the castle. The work was hard even then, but at least she was guaranteed food and a nice place to sleep.

Considering that there were quite a few masters who think of their slaves as toys and take it out on them, breaking and whipping them as they please, it was actually not so bad to be under her master.

But it was hard to be around him.

There was a new life waiting for her in a new place. Evely smiled as she tried to get a grip on her feelings.

“…Oh, I’ll need to walk all day tomorrow. Still, I’ll feel a little better once I’m on the boat.”

Let’s start fresh with a cool sea breeze.

Evely lay in bed, watching the rain pouring down outside the window. It was not yet dark, but the rain was getting heavier and she had no choice but to go to the inn early today. Perhaps it was because she had walked for so long, she felt a throbbing pain all over her body, as if she had been beaten up.

She yawned and closed her eyes, Alec’s face vaguely appearing in her mind.

“What is he doing? Is he looking for me, or is he looking for a new woman?”

Her mind wavered and she had no idea what Alec would be doing.

Like that, Evely fell asleep in a sullen mood.

And as the dusk began to fall, a knock was heard on the door.

“…… young lady, open the door.”

The voice calling outside the door woke Evely. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she opened the door and saw the blunt face of the innkeeper.

“Why, sir?”

“I’ve got someone who needs a room in a hurry, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“He gave me four times more money than yours. I don’t have much choice, do I?”

Evely frowned in exasperation as he continued to speak, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

“It’s business, you know. I’m sorry.”

“Wait, I can’t give twice as much as, but I can give a little more…”

“I’ll give you back the money.”

Then the innkeeper forced the money into Evely’s hand. It was a little more than the first amount Evely had given him. A tall, skinny man stood behind him. The day was already dark and the rain was still falling. Being kicked out at this hour was the worst.

“But….”

“Please leave!”

The innkeeper shouted angrily. It seemed like he would kick her out if she didn’t leave. Evely had no choice but to start packing.

As she left the comfort of the inn, the rain was still falling. It was cold. She tried to open her cloak more, but it was only meant to cover her face in the first place, so it didn’t prevent the cold from making her body shiver.

She was kicked out of the inn, and with nowhere to go, Evely felt sad and hopeless.

She hugged her luggage tightly, afraid that the clothes and things inside would get wet. She didn’t know where she had to go. It was the only inn on the way into the forest, so there were no other houses in the vicinity, and it was impossible to go through the forest on a dark and rainy night.

Evely moved on, blowing on her hands to soothe the cold. She was walking aimlessly looking for a place to avoid the rain for a moment, then she heard a heavy voice of a man behind her.

“Where are you going alone at night, young lady?”

Evely turned her head. It was an old man. She could see a hint of his age in the small wrinkles around his eyes and a gentle smile. His manner seemed kind, but Evely did not let her guard down and observed the man agilely.

“Don’t be scared. You remind me of my daughter. You know how dangerous it is to walk so alone at night, don’t you?”

The man smiled softly and continued.

“If you don’t have a place to sleep, do you want to sleep over at my house? It’s not far from here.”

Evely frowned, not answering. Then the man opened his mouth again soothingly.

“It’s cold to be outside on a day like this. You’re like a daughter to me. Let’s have a cup of warm tea…”

Just when she saw his eyes were oddly shiny, the man snatched Evely’s wrist. Startled, she shook him off with all her strength, but his grasp only tightened more.

“Just go to my house….”

“Let go! Let go of me!”

Struggling hard to shake the man off, Evely kicked him in the shin with her foot and finally managed to free herself. She could hear the footsteps chasing her along with the man’s screams, and she ran as fast as she could, looking only ahead. Her legs were wobbly, and she couldn’t really feel if she was stepping on the ground properly, but for now, all she could do was just run away.

How long did she run like that? As she looked around, breathing hard, catching her breaths, there were only black trees. Apparently, she made it into the forest.

Evely sat on the spot as if collapsing. Only then did she feel the rain falling over her head. She was so scared that she forgot that it was raining.

Perhaps it was because of the sudden tense, she couldn’t put any strength into her body at all. A bitter smile spread across her lips..

“This is all because of that human.”

Master. Master.

“If it weren’t because of you, I’d be full. I’ve been saving money…”

She was still thinking about him.

“But I will never see you again. Never gain.”

Evely was on the verge of tears. She didn’t know if it was because of her circumstances or the fact that she couldn’t see him. But she knew that now was not the time to be cowering like this.

Evely was so cold and scared that she barely felt her hands on the ground as she tried to stand up. She walked as hard as she could, hugging her already soaked luggage, but the muddy ground clung to her feet. She fell down many times and got up again, but eventually fell down again.

“..Ugh…”

Her tears were already flowing unstoppably. She didn’t know why she had to run away like this, or for whom she had to suffer so much, but there was no answer.

It was just good.

She just loved him.

“..Evely.”

That was when it happened. That was when she heard someone calling her name, like a hallucination.

At the same time, someone grabbed her wrist.

It was a firm, strong hand gripping hers.

The luggage that Evely was holding fell to the ground. She was unconscious of it, even though she had never let go of it while running like that, in her desperation.

The voice of the man calling her again rang low.

“Evely.”