Subliminal Wayfarer

Diana kept watch beside the unconscious Alicia.

Endless screams echoed from outside the window.

She gazed out at the battlefield beyond the glass with a troubled look, then clenched her head in frustration.

‘Is Her Ladyship safe?’

Right after Rosetta left, the monsters appeared.

It was obviously that bastard’s doing.

Anxiety clouded her mind.

The residence had turned into a veritable hell, and the ducal lady had all her powers suppressed and got taken away alone…

“No, stop. She’ll be okay.”

She murmured to herself, trying to reassure her heart.

Her lady was very strong and admirable.

It wasn’t just about physical strength.

She always looked one step ahead.

Even if she occasionally fell into traps, she would boldly stand head and shoulders above the enemy.

It was the same a few days ago.

The day Cassion left for the second trial.

Rosetta had asked Diana to temporarily leave Ria with Blanca.

Logan and Zobel would accompany them, so there was no need to worry.

Diana hesitated for a moment, but soon did as she was told.

And now, the result was this.

Monsters were scattered all over the residence, but her beloved younger sister had been evacuated days before.

“So, Milady must be safe. She must.”

As she repeated this like a mantra, a commotion erupted outside the room.

Startled, Diana listened intently.

Had the monsters infiltrated the manor?

Luckily, that didn’t seem to be the case.

If they had, the sounds of endless screams would have echoed inside the mansion.

What then was happening?

Diana held her breath and eavesdropped on the conversation outside.

“The last messenger bird was taken down by the monsters! What do we do now? We need to contact the Imperial Palace quickly!”

“Are there no more messenger birds left?”

“No, none. And if the knights leave to deliver the message directly…”

“The monsters won’t let them.”

“What do we do? Are we going to die?”

Hearing this, Diana blinked in shock.

‘All the messenger birds sent to the Imperial Palace are dead?’

This was a dire situation.

The longer the imperial help was delayed, the more the pursuit of the lady would be hindered.

Diana bit her nails in anxiety, then suddenly remembered something.

‘There’s a crystal ball in Milady’s room!’

She could use the crystal ball to communicate with Blanca, and she could request help from the palace.

Lost in thought, Diana swiftly checked on the unconscious Alicia.

Alicia was still motionless in her sleep.

“…Just a moment, I’ll be right back.”

Diana murmured quietly and briskly opened the door.

She caught one of the maids outside and asked her to look after Alicia for a while, then hurried to Rosetta’s room.

Upon arriving, as expected, there was a round crystal ball on the tea table.

Diana sighed in relief and gently touched the crystal ball.

 

* * *

 

Diana immediately returned to Alicia’s room after contacting Blanca.

“…What is this?”

However, she froze as she opened the door.

Inside, she saw someone bleeding profusely and collapsed on the floor.

It was the maid she had asked to look after Alicia.

Rushing over, Diana checked the maid’s condition.

‘She’s dead.’

But despite the ceased heartbeat, the maid was twitching.

Bluish veins protruded on her face, and her fingers grew long, sharp nails.

‘A blue monster…?’

The maid was turning into a monster.

With a heavy heart, Diana drew a dagger and stabbed the maid’s heart.

With a crack, a bead in the heart shattered, and the transforming maid crumbled away.

Diana felt something weighing heavily in her heart.

Her absence had led to the maid’s sacrifice.

However, there was no time to be lost in guilt and sorrow.

The safety of Alicia was paramount.

Diana quickly stood up and looked at the bed.

“Lady… Alicia?”

Her call abruptly ceased.

The bed, where the ducal lady should have been, was empty.

Alicia was supposed to be asleep, but she was nowhere to be seen.

In the distance, the shards of a shattered mirror flashed sharply.

 

* * *

 

The stopped carriage was covered with a black curtain.

Inside the lightless cage, Rosetta had to rely solely on her senses to guess her whereabouts.

But currently, as she was unable to use any abilities, it was nearly impossible to gauge her location just by those senses.

However, the absence of rustling leaves suggested she might have left the forest.

Soon, the carriage slowed down again.

When it came to a complete stop, the black curtain was silently pulled away.

Rosetta squinted against the sudden influx of light.

‘Where am I?’

She scanned her surroundings as her vision cleared.

But there was nothing to see.

Not in the sense of blindness, but literally nothing around.

She was left alone in the middle of nowhere.

“…What’s this?”

Moreover, there was no one around.

The black-cloaked figures who had brought her here were gone.

Only footprints on the dirt indicated they had headed elsewhere.

‘They left me here alone?’

It seemed quite rude to bring someone here and leave them.

Not even locked inside, but left under the direct sunlight in this barren wasteland.

Quite the bitter fate.

Rosetta tentatively reached out of the iron bars to fiddle with the lock.

As expected, it was futile.

The firmly fixed lock didn’t budge.

Right now, Rosetta was nothing more than a frail-bodied criminal—nothing more, nothing less.

Even touching the lock caused her fingertips to ache.

She just gave up and leaned back against the iron bars again.

Someone would come if she waited.

Her guess was correct.

Not long after, distant sounds approached.

Rosetta turned towards the sound.

The figure, cloaked in white, seemed to be alone.

Seeing the fluttering golden hair under the cloak, she quickly realized who it was.

Urien.

‘Playing the hero now?’

After having the black-cloaked ones drag her here, he was now making an entrance in a white cloak.

It was a laughably dramatic setup.

Rosetta let out a twisted smile, then quickly put on a fierce expression.

“Who are you?! Did you bring me here?!”

To keep up appearances, she still had to pretend she thought Leo was Urien.

There was no need to reveal her hand so easily.

The approaching figure paused briefly, then seemed to demonstrate they were safe by showing their hands, and finally pulled back their cloak’s hood.

“It’s me, Daniel!”

His face turned ashen as he exclaimed, performing perfectly.

A disgustingly flawless act.

“Daniel? Was it you who brought me here? I thought it was Uri… no, Leo.”

When Rosetta defensively inquired, Daniel shook his head.

“A few hours ago, I had a vision that you would be in danger here. So, I brought some people and waited in hiding. As expected, those cloaked men appeared.”

“So, you saved me?”

“It was my vision that put you in danger… It would be too shameful to say that I had saved you.”

“…I’m sorry. The situation was so sudden, I couldn’t help but be suspicious as well.”

“I understand.”

Daniel replied politely and slowly approached again.

Rosetta moved close to the iron bars to face Daniel.

“If you’ve come to rescue me, can you open this? I’m being pursued and need to get out of here quickly. Please, help me, Young Lord.”

“You’re being pursued?”

“I can’t explain in detail, but Carter’s second son is after me. Those cloaked people probably work for Leo.”

“How utterly vile…”

“Please help me. I will not forget your kindness if you do.”

Desperation tinged her pleading voice.

Daniel appeared to contemplate for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes, I’ll help. You’re being pursued, so of course I must assist. But how do we open this lock…?”

Rosetta looked at the lock again at Daniel’s words.

How to break it, indeed.

After a moment’s thought, Rosetta suggested.

“Maybe if we hit the hinges with something hard, it could break?”

No response came.

Daniel, lips sealed, tapped the lock with his fingertips.

With each touch, the lock on the door rattled.

Ting— Ting—

The shrill sound of metal clanging echoed in the vast plain.

“…Daniel?”

Rosetta, who had also fallen silent, called his name.

There was a sour taste in her mouth.

Something felt off.

The man’s lips, which had been tightly sealed, slowly curled into a smile.

Beneath his drooping eyelashes, his eyes, slightly raised, met hers.

An all too familiar gaze.

A gaze she had often encountered when she was Rita.

Rosetta bit the inside of her mouth, looking at him, and then let out a scoff.

“Oh, I see. You’re locked up in there, so it’s making you a bit hasty. Acting like a fool.”

In the end, it was this iron cage that was the problem.