Presibe arrived near the Forbidden Forest around noon.
“……”
With a loud noise, the carriage stopped smoothly. Prisippi got up slowly and carefully opened the window.
'Knights.'
She saw knights passing quickly, setting up their camp and moving here and there among the trees, with the sweet scent of the forest filling the air.
'So, is Siegfried here too?'
But she hoped not to meet him. It would have been better not to encounter him, so that she would not have strange options like what happened with Ivan the previous time.
“Looks like you were awake.”
Precipi raised her head slightly and looked out the window, and suddenly her vision was obscured.
The reason was that Fenric stood in front of the window.
“Oh, Duke.”
“I am here to listen to the knights’ reports. You must remain in the carriage, we will be leaving soon.”
“So the cart is going somewhere else?”
“Yes, we will go to the village near the Forbidden Forest.”
A village near the Forbidden Forest?
[Didn't your mother, Vanessa, who was executed, live there before entering the harem?]
So, is it the same place Vanessa lived?
A sparkle flashed in Precipe's eyes.
“……”
As Prisippi stared at Fenric, the latter smiled slightly without realizing it.
He knew very well that Priscipe was curious about her parents, so he was sure that she would be happy to visit Vanessa's hometown.
In addition, the knights were planning to stay at the border of the Forbidden Forest. He didn't want to leave Presibe there.
At first, he had planned to take Presibe to the village first, and then return here alone. But unfortunately, it was necessary to pass in front of the Forbidden Forest first to reach the village.
“Come here.”
"What?" Precipi turned slightly, and suddenly a man approached the front of the carriage. He was the same man I had met several times along the way.
“I've met you several times, Madam Presby. I'm Kevin.”
Kevin said as he greeted her respectfully.
“The whole time you stay here, if you are absent, he will be the one to accompany you. Don’t worry, he is a reliable person.”
Kevin. Fenric had recognized him in one of the previous wars. Like Fenric, he was of the poor.
Kevin was skilled in martial arts, and excelled at it, but Fenric didn't assign him to guard Prisippi just because of his skills.
Rather, because he was like Fenric, a person who had no status in this world.
In other words, Kevin was a safe person who had no strange feelings or aspirations for Precipe.
“Please be nice to me. If there is something you need or if you feel uncomfortable, do not hesitate to tell me.”
“Yes, thanks.”
At that moment, Precipe heard a familiar voice.
“Duke Fenric.”
The voice was coming from afar, and its owner was Siegfried.
At the same moment, Fenric quickly reached out and closed the window, which Precipe opened without showing any interest.
“Thank you for coming despite the hardship. I don’t know if you are tired from the long road.”
From behind the closed window, Siegfried's voice was echoing indistinctly.
“But this carriage...”
“Kevin.”
Upon hearing Siegfried's words, Fenrik instead of answering the question called out Kevin's name.
“It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Siegfried.”
“Go.”
Kevin whispered as he mounted the horse, addressing the driver. After a short while, the carriage started moving again, and Prisippi took a deep breath before leaning back against the seat.
'It seems that Siegfried has not received the news yet.'
Even if Dietrich sent someone directly from the Imperial Palace, it would take time to reach the Forbidden Forest. It may arrive today as soon as possible.
'I should stay away from him as much as possible.'
But as Vanessa said. She told her to go to the Forbidden Forest.
When you think about it, it was complicated. How could one approach the Forbidden Forest with knights guarding the area? What excuse can you give to Fenric?
“Ah…”
Prisippi exhaled a heavy breath between her lips. But she quickly gathered herself together, and started wiping her face with water as if she was trying to regain her focus and said in a low voice:
"No, no. At least I'm here. If I were in my previous situation, I would be locked in the tower and dealing with crazies."
Yes, it must be positive.
...But why, then, did Vanessa ask her to go to the Forbidden Forest?
Even before she was executed, why?
Prisippi continued to think until they reached Vanessa's village, but she could not find an answer.
—
After about 20 minutes of strolling, a really small village came into view.
It was much closer than I expected.
[Villages near the Forbidden Forest were regularly subjected to attacks from monsters. People were dying, being killed, or being eaten.]
Presibe wouldn't have believed everything Ivan said, but this statement seemed to be true. Since the distance was so close, if the monsters attacked there would be no way to escape. Fortunately, the knights were guarding the area, so casualties were minimized…
“Madam Presippi, please descend carefully.”
Kevin said in a friendly voice as he opened the carriage door. Prisippi got out of the cart carefully, then looked around.
“It's a very small village.”
“Yes, it is.”
The village was indeed, as Kevin said, very small and old.
...Did her mother, Vanessa, live in a place like this?
“My Lady Prisippi and the Duke’s residence is here. Although it is not as comfortable as our home in the capital, they have prepared everything in advance, so you will not feel much discomfort.”
Oh, it looks like the Duke is staying in the same place as me.
Prisippi paused when she heard this, but she didn't mind. On the contrary, she felt comfortable. The closer Fenric was to her, the safer she felt.
“If you feel tired, you can go straight to your room to rest, or if you want, you can walk around a little.”
“Can I walk around?”
"Yes."
Kevin replied smiling:
“The knights will be living in the camps prepared in front of the Forbidden Forest, so you don’t have to worry about encountering them. The Duke’s private soldiers will be staying here as well.”
That was a really good thing.
“When the Duke is here, you can stay with him, but when he is not here, you must accompany me. This place is very dangerous.”
This wasn't all bad for Preseppe. She'd be able to walk around freely, and maybe check up on some things about Vanessa.
Of course, she had to move with Fenric or Kevin, but even that was a good thing. Even when she was locked in the tower, she did not have such opportunities.
“But since the village is small, there isn't much to see. Maybe it's better to rest first and walk around later.”
Kevin continued:
“You've been in the carriage all day, so I think you're feeling tired.”
“Yes, I will.”
Presippi answered and then looked up at the old building in front of her. It looked very old, but since it had been prepared, there probably wouldn't be any major problems. In fact, even if she had been thrown into the middle of the Forbidden Forest, she would have had no objection.
While she was thinking about this, she and Kevin were about to enter the building, when an unfamiliar voice came from behind them.
“Wait, a minute...!”
Precipi and Kevin stopped suddenly, then turned around at the same time.
They saw a woman approaching them in a miserable condition, breathing hard.
“What's wrong?”
Kevin asked inquiringly as he looked at the woman with a surprised expression, looking like he didn't know her. Maybe she had an urgent matter?
Presibe stared at the woman with open eyes, her appearance telling of the hardships she had been through: an old apron full of mud, tangled hair, old clothes as worn out as the building they were near.
Her skin is dark and wrinkled from the hot sun.
The woman looked about her mother's age.
“I'm Malia, uh... I mean...”
“…”
“I cleaned your residence very well, and if you need anything, you can ask me anything! Anything at all.”
“Okay, I get it.”
The woman was supposed to go, but Malia looked like she wasn't ready to leave.
'What's the matter?'
Presibe was confused. But at that moment, I was surprised by the words that came out of Malia's mouth.
“Really… it's been a long time, hasn't it, Madam Presippi?”