Translator : Ariana
Chapter 7: Midnight Escape (2)
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The carriage raced on and on. Due to the heavy rain, the road had turned into a mud bath, causing the carriage to shake violently, but it was bearable.
However, after about 10 minutes of running, the carriage suddenly tilted to one side and then came to a complete stop.
"What’s going on?"
Joanna opened the window connected to the driver's seat and asked. Ben, who had been whipping the horses, wiped his rain-soaked face and replied in a troubled voice.
"The wheel seems to be stuck in the mud, Joanna."
"What? Then..."
"Let's get out, Joanna."
Riena quickly assessed the situation and pulled her hood over her head.
"What do you mean?"
"We need to get out and pull the wheel out."
Ben was horrified and tried to stop her.
"No, Miss. I’ll do it!"
"Sir, we don't have enough time for you to do it alone. We need to do it together. Joanna, hurry and get out too."
Without any escort, Riena got out of the carriage. Her feet sank into the muddy ground as soon as she stepped out, causing her to wobble, but she quickly regained her balance.
She then helped Joanna down from the carriage, holding her hand.
Joanna still looked anxious. Riena assumed she was worried they might get caught and pulled her arm.
"Joanna, there's no time to worry. If we delay even a little, Mother might notice and come after us. Let's push the carriage quickly."
"Oh, yes."
Joanna, as if in a trance, weakly followed Riena. Riena rolled up her sleeves and began pushing the carriage. Her shoes and skirt were soaked in muddy water, but she didn't care.
But it was impossible for two women to do what even an adult man would struggle with. The carriage only budged slightly and didn't come out of the mud.
Even though Ben, who had gotten down from the driver's seat, was pulling the reins directly, it was no use. The horses only neighed louder in frustration.
"It's no use."
Eventually, Riena stood upright and looked back toward the mansion. They had already moved quite a distance by carriage, so there was a considerable gap between them and the mansion, but causing a commotion here might get them caught.
"At this rate, we’ll get caught. It might be better to..."
Just as Riena was about to suggest riding the horses directly, a sudden thought struck her, and she shut her mouth.
A rainy day and horses. It brought back bad memories.
"No, I think it would be better to walk to the village."
Ben was startled and approached her.
"Miss, it will take at least an hour to walk to the village from here. And in this weather, it will take even longer."
"An hour is manageable. I'm glad I wore my hunting boots."
Riena spoke as calmly as possible, then checked the luggage she had placed inside the carriage.
Since she had only brought the essentials from the mansion, the luggage wasn't very large, but that was assuming they were traveling by carriage. It was quite large to carry for over an hour.
She opened the bag, shoved the ribbon her father had given her as his last gift into her pocket, and turned away without hesitation.
Leaving the luggage behind was painful, but she had to face reality.
"I can buy clothes and necessities at Verna Estate."
There was nothing she urgently needed, as they could procure food from the village.
"Joanna, let's go."
"Oh, Miss! If you leave like this, I won't have the face to see the Count later!"
"Thank you, Sir Ben! My father would also be grateful to you!"
Riena smiled brightly at the anxious Ben and began walking towards the village.
"Miss, wait for me!"
Joanna, who had been hesitating, quickly ran after Riena once she was about thirty paces ahead.
The rain grew heavier. Riena tried to walk briskly, wiping the rainwater from her face, but her feet kept getting stuck in the mud.
Far from walking quickly, she was soon exhausted from putting all her strength into her legs just to avoid falling. Joanna, walking beside her, also began to breathe heavily.
"Miss, are you sure this is okay?"
"If you want to go back, you can."
Riena continued walking as she spoke.
"What?"
"I'm doing this for my future, but you don't have to suffer. There's no need for you to remain my exclusive maid, so if you want, you can go back."
"Miss..."
Joanna looked back at the mansion with lingering regret, but that was all. She grabbed her skirt with both hands and followed Riena again.
After walking aimlessly for about 20 minutes, the sound of horses neighing and the ground trembling slightly reached their ears. Riena stopped in her tracks and looked back toward the mansion.
There’s no way Mother found out already. Is it Sir Ben?
It might be Ben, who managed to pull the carriage out and was rushing towards them.
But contrary to her hopes, it was the commander of the Count's knights who appeared, riding a horse. Behind him were a couple of knights she recognized.
"Miss!"
He jumped off the horse after bringing it to an abrupt stop. Riena tried to run away, but her foot got stuck in the mud, and he grabbed her wrist.
"It's not a good day for a walk. You might catch a cold if you keep this up..."
Riena laughed bitterly at the knight commander, who was speaking about a "walk" with a straight face.
"Does it look like I'm taking a walk to you?"
"...."
"We both know this isn't a walk, don't we?"
"It would be best for you to stop causing a commotion, Miss."
"Why? Is Mother embarrassed to tell Viscount Rotman that I left home because I don't want to marry that man? Or is she ashamed to show Lord Belliard how our family has fallen apart?"
"Miss! How long are you going to act so immature? If the late Count saw this..."
"Right, you bring up a good point."
Riena shook off his arm with all her strength. She almost fell over, but the knight commander caught her, only for her to shake off his hand too.
"If my father saw this situation, I think he would respect my decision. What do you think?"
The knight commander couldn't answer her question. He was currently following the orders of the Countess, but at one time, he had respected Count Dyke.
From his perspective, the Countess's decision was incomprehensible. It was a shocking event that could make the late Count Dyke rise from his grave in anger.
But he couldn't let Riena go. After a brief hesitation, he forcibly slung Riena over his shoulder.
"Sir!"
Riena pounded his back with her fists, trying to break free. She hit him with all her strength, so it must have hurt, but the knight commander didn't even flinch.
As the knight commander tried to force her onto the horse, Riena considered biting his arm.
The ground trembled again, and the sound of horses' neighing grew louder, this time from the opposite direction of the mansion.
That meant someone was riding toward the mansion in this rain at this hour.
The unexpected situation made the knight commander hesitate. Riena, forgetting to resist, looked up at the faint figure approaching from afar.
Could it be Raul?
Raul had a knack for showing up when she was in trouble ever since they were young. A baseless hope arose that he had come to help her this time as well.
But the man who appeared before her was not Raul.
The man had a black hood pulled over his face, obscuring his features, but having grown up with Raul, Riena was sure it wasn't him. The hooded man was even larger than Raul, who was a knight.
So, was he here to see the Countess? The thought crossed her mind, but she couldn't take her eyes off the man. There was an inexplicable certainty that he had come for her.
Indeed, he stopped his horse in front of Riena. A knight followed behind him.
"Are you here to visit the Dyke mansion?"
The knight commander, having finally forced Riena onto the horse, approached the man and asked politely.
"It's late, so please come back tomorrow when the sun rises."
Ignoring his words, the man lightly jumped off the horse. He walked past him and headed straight for Riena. The knight commander blocked his way.
"I’m telling you again, come back tomorrow. If you persist, I’ll have no choice but to use force, even if you are a guest of the mansion."
"I have business with Lady Dyke."
As soon as Riena heard his voice, an inexplicable emotion welled up inside her. It was undoubtedly the first time she had heard his voice, yet it felt strangely familiar.
And the moment he took off his hood, she was shocked.
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