Chapter 90

“My apologies, Master, for causing you to worry these past few weeks.”

After several weeks, Sid had finally regained consciousness.

Though the headache still lingered, and his mind felt foggy, he couldn’t delay any longer, especially during this crucial period.

To be honest, he’d truly thought he was going to die. He’d experienced hell. He’d known the Madam was as delicate as a flower petal, but he hadn’t realized the extent of her power, as she’d never revealed it to her attendants.

As he vaguely recalled, he’d rushed up the stairs at her call, and then… it felt like he’d experienced the fires of hell. It felt like he was trapped in a pit of fire, rolling around in an endless thicket of thorns or being torn apart piece by piece.

And then, for the first time, he’d felt true terror.

It was as if he himself had become a demon and was being attacked. He couldn’t count how many nightmares he’d had while lying in bed.

And he wasn’t the only one. Everyone who had been at the mansion that day, except for the Madam and Master, had suffered the same fate, leaving no beds available.

He’d thought he was going crazy, lying in bed for weeks, trying to erase the pain. Some of the attendants still hadn’t woken up. They were receiving treatment morning, noon, and night, but it seemed those with weaker constitutions were waking up later.

Even though he couldn’t remember everything, he never wanted to experience that again. However, thanks to the holy water and purification stone that the Madam had given him, he was recovering quickly.

The best part was that she had decided to stay instead of leaving. Sid was greatly relieved by that fact alone. Now, she was not a prisoner but a savior.

“We’re heading north tomorrow, so make sure everything is in order.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure you’re comfortable until the very end.”

“Since we’re going through the Gate anyway, check everything we need and send it over right away.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sid bowed his head and was about to leave when he stopped. A brilliant idea had come to mind.

“Master!”

“What is it?”

“Are you going to travel through the Gate?”

“Is there any other way?”

Sid felt sorry for the Master, who seemed completely oblivious. Ah, even though he himself had never been in love, the Master was incredibly clueless when it came to such matters.

“It’s a good opportunity, isn’t it?”

“For what?”

Ah, he really doesn’t know. No matter how talented the Master was, Sid seemed to be a bit ahead of him in this area.

“It’s good to travel through the Gate, but wouldn’t it be nice to be close to each other if you rode in a carriage?”

“….”

“Even if you don’t talk, wouldn’t it be nice to travel in a carriage only in the safe zone?”

Sid knew that the relationship between the two was still cold. According to the attendants who served them, sometimes they were almost like strangers. It was said that the Master usually followed the Madam around.

At that, a strange light flickered in Kairos’ eyes.

“A carriage?”

“Yes! Wouldn’t it be nice to take your time, enjoy the scenery, and have a conversation? What do you think?”

Sid asked, studying Kairos’ expression. It didn’t seem too bad, as the hand that touched his chin didn’t seem unpleasant.

“Not bad.”

“I’ll find out right away if there are any scenic spots along the way! I’ll report back this evening.”

“Yeah, take a look.”

“Yes! Master, am I not useful?”

Sid was filled with anticipation, hoping to be praised even a little.

“You’ve always been useful. Go out and find out quickly.”

“Yes, Master! I’ll also check and replace all the cushions and seats in the carriage.”

Sid bounced out of the office, feeling energized.

* * *

The next day. After finishing all the preparations and getting ready to board the carriage, Sid appeared. He greeted me with a bright smile, and I couldn’t help but accept.

“I’m glad you’ve recovered your health.”

“It’s all thanks to the Madam.”

What do you mean thanks to me? I was the one who caused it. But Sid’s face didn’t look sarcastic or blaming, but genuinely grateful.

The moment the carriage door opened, my eyes were met with a shock.

“…W-what is all this?”

I was about to get into the carriage, holding Kairos’ outstretched hand, when I stopped and asked, seeing what was inside. The cushions were all white and pink and so plump that they wouldn’t budge even after sitting on them for days. And the flowers hanging around them…

From the outside, it looked like a large, black carriage, but the inside was like a princess’s room.

“The attendants must have touched it. I guess they were sad that you were leaving.”

I didn’t remember being particularly close to the attendants, so what was there to be sad about?

“…I can have a festival in the carriage.”

At this rate, wouldn’t music start playing as well?

I gingerly stepped onto the carriage, avoiding the rose petals scattered generously on the floor.

After sitting for about ten minutes, Kairos, who had arrived late, climbed aboard. Simultaneously, I wedged a cushion stuffed with feathers and cotton right next to me, or more precisely, between Kairos and me. His eyebrows twitched as he was about to lean against me.

“Why the cushion?”

“It’s nice and fluffy here. Would you like one? There are plenty here.”

“…Sid, this b*st—”

“What?”

“Uh, never mind. Let’s go.”

The carriage wheels finally began to roll with Kairos’ ominous voice. It’s not that difficult to come and go from the capital, but going north makes my heart feel strange for no reason.

It was like a journey to a very distant place.

I snorted that I would never turn my head that way for the rest of my life, but I might have been the one who got into the carriage and left. I couldn’t take my eyes off the scenery as the carriage left the garden.

The carriage quickly reached the outskirts with the gate. The longer the distance, the more intense the fluttering and dizziness, so we decided to move in stages.

It would take at least a month to travel by carriage from the capital to Duke Hadid’s territory, so it would naturally be dizzying if we shortened it. Thanks to the gate, we were able to move quickly. It costs an enormous amount of money to use it because of the maintenance costs, but it was affordable compared to the time.

As soon as we exited the first gate, the carriage turned into one lane. I thought we were going to take a short break, but we weren’t. The carriage started running, merging onto the main road. The gate was getting farther and farther away. We hadn’t even reached the vicinity of the north yet.

Just as I was about to ask Kairos, the carriage slowed down and stopped to one side.

Sid, who had been riding with the coachman, got off and knocked on the door.

“I’m sorry, Master, Madam. It seems that the gate is under inspection, so you will have to travel by carriage only until the next gate.”

Suddenly?

“Yes? Why today of all days…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was inspection day. It’s all my fault!”

“It’s not Sid’s fault. It can’t be helped if it’s an inspection.”

“I’ll tell them to drive the carriage slowly so that you’re as comfortable as possible.”

He kept saying that he hadn’t checked, that he was sorry, and that he hoped we would forgive him for the inconvenience, but I had nothing to say. Not only was it not Sid’s fault, but he probably hadn’t fully recovered yet, so I couldn’t scold him.

The gate was under inspection, so what could a subordinate of a mere nobleman do?

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you for your consideration, madam!”

However, maybe it was because of my mood, though I felt that Sid was being much more loyal to me than before. I didn’t make him feel very bad, did I? Why was he acting like that? I would understand if he was completely under the influence of the illusion, but he was like that even before, so it was even more strange.

Anyway, the carriage that left the gate due to the inspection started running again. The scenery outside, where the leaves were starting to turn, was as beautiful as a painting, but for some reason, I felt like we were crawling.

I took out the cushion for the barrier for a moment and poked Kairos in the side.

“Are you uncomfortable? Should we rest for a while and then go?”

“No. It’s not that… Are we going to make it today?”

—