The Hero is Standing in My Way - Chapter 5

“…Oh, I’m sorry to see it.”

“It’s fine.”

I laughed pretending to be calm and rolled up the paper. I handed Killian the roll of paper, as if he had never noticed my restlessness.

“Then I will go now.”

I hurried back to the mansion, being sent off by Killian. I thought this would be better than going around.

There was no time to wake up the dozing gatekeeper leaning against the wall.

I got accustomed to putting my hand in the doorkeeper’s pocket and pulling out the key.

Creak.

When the sound of the thick iron door opening was heard, the gatekeeper opened his eyes. I ignored his gaze, which seemed to ask me for an explanation.

He gave the key to the gatekeeper and went straight to Siegfried’s room.

Knock knock knock.

“Who is it?”

“This is Ariel. The one who wrapped you a handkerchief in the day.”

“—Wait.”

I wandered around hearing a rustling sound for a moment, then the door half-opened.

Siegfried appeared with his loose eyes. It seemed that he woke up from sleeping.

It’s amazing that your beauty isn’t covered even though your hair is messy like that.

He flickered dimly, looking slightly distracted. Then, as soon as he came into focus, he looked at me and frowned.

“—What time do you think is now?”

“Two o’clock in the morning? No, that doesn’t matter.”

“It is important. Go ahead and sleep.“

“Wait!”

Siegfried unilaterally ended the conversation and tried to close the door quickly.

I quickly pushed my arm inward. Siegfried took a deep breath, as if surprised.

“What are you going to do now? I almost hurt you.”

“Your Majesty, have you ever borrowed money from anyone?”

“What?”

“Actually, I feel like I saw a portrait of Your Majesty.”

“Go and sleep.”

Siegfried said, openly revealing that I am annoying.

I wanted to explain a little more about the encounter between me and Killian.

Killian kept asking about the mansion after he had mistaken me as a Countess’s maid. In addition, I even mentioned Siegfried as a valuable guest.

Siegfried lost his wagon and companions as he descended to the south. Maybe he ran out of money and borrowed it from Killian.

Does that mean that Killian is… a loan shark?

“Wait a minute, I met this bad guy at the bar.”

“So what should I do? Are you saying you want to drink alcohol?”

Siegfried seemed completely unwilling to listen to me.

It’s only for a moment so listen to me, heuk-heuk.

However, despite the look of my eagerness, he pushed me away and closed the door.

I knocked again and again, but the door never opened.

***

Eventually I had to return to my room.

Why did Killian have a portrait of Siegfried?

Even though I changed into pajamas and lay in bed, I was curious about the reason, so my eyes were still open.

Is Killian also one of the important characters in the novel?

But to say that, I didn’t have any special memories that came to mind when I met him.

Is he just one of the extras? But why does one extra hide the portrait of the prince in his arms?

It was the moment when I cleared my head until…

It was hot, so something passed through the half-open window.

“—What?”

I jolted up from the bed.

Is it a ghost…?

Sounds the same. My goodness. Where is the ghost in the world?

I sneak up to the window. If he is a ghost, I will be very happy to pick an invitation and hit him.

I looked out of the window and looked around.

However, there was nothing but the window as if there was no such thing as a ghost in the world.

I was relieved, but it was time to close the window just in case.

Suddenly I heard a dull sound, and someone shut my mouth.

“Shh.”

The voice was just as familiar as I heard it a while ago. I blinked my eyes and immediately recognized the owner of the voice.

I stared at the man who pushed me out and came inside.

The man who sighed as he looked around looked down at me as if he was relieved. And, as if surprised, he opened his mouth slightly.

“We met again.”

“Memme go wend tongk.”

“Hmm?”

He groaned his head, lowered his hand that blocked my mouth, and asked.

“What did you say?”

“Let me go and talk.”

After all, the man was Killian.

“Aha.”

“What aha? What are you doing here?”

“Such Arielia is here…”

“There he is! Catch him!”

Killian’s voice was buried by the roaring shouts of knights running from somewhere.

He ran, clacked his tongue vigorously, and jumped out the window.

As soon as Killian disappeared, knights with torches appeared. They found me with their heads out and shouted.

“Miss! Have you ever seen a suspicious person?“

“He disappeared over there.”

I said, pointing to the dark side where Killian hid himself.

The knights witnessed me saying that I had a lot of excuses late at night, and then disappeared after Killian.

What, what just happened?

The wind that had not been here very long has gone away.

I stood by the window waiting for the knights to return. Then I found several dark red blood spots on the floor.

The knights who returned a long time later marched as if they were angry. It seemed that they didn’t catch Killian.

If I knew it would, I would have followed. I remembered all of those guys’ faces. Tomorrow, I’ll be talking to Abyssion, so I’ll have to run a lot at the training center.

I shook my head and returned to bed.

***

The next day, as soon as I woke up, I could feel the cluttered atmosphere of the mansion.

I quickly changed my clothes and went out into the hallway.

After I left, a couple of maids came into the room to clean. The maids screamed when they found dry blood spots.

“Ahhh! Miss!”

“Oh, don‘t worry, that’s not mine.”

I opened the door and told the maids who ran out.

They looked me up and down to see if what I was saying was true, their eyes brimmed with tears.

“No, I was surprised…! Even so, I’ve been hearing from the morning that an assassin had invaded last night!”

“Is that so? You must have been very surprised.”

“How is Lady so easygoing? What is the identity of this blood smear!”

“It looks like the blood that the assassin shed.”

“What?”

I left the frightened maids and headed downstairs.

Maybe by now, Siegfried is also recalling the meaning of what I said yesterday?

I was going to find him and say ‘Look now!’

Before that, I’ll eat some rice. I can’t because I’m hungry.

As I was going down to the dining room, the door of the living room opened at an angle to my view.

Are the maids cleaning up? It was time to get rid of my doubts and pass the parlor.

I heard a soft voice that was good to hear as I took a step.

“…It is clear that Eisa sent it. No one’s injured.”

“Fortunately, everything is fine. It’s a pity that almost no one has witnessed the assassin.”

The conversation about the safety of the mansion continued for a while.

The low voiced protagonist was Siegfried. Whenever he asked a question, it was Abbysion who answered.

I leaned against the wall and overheard their conversation, wondering at what point to go inside. It was difficult to catch the timing of the continuous content.

What should I do? I was just thinking about coming in after eating.

Blagsh!

“Who the hell is outside…!”

The parlor door opened wildly with a thumping sound, and Siegfried came out and screamed angry.

Our gazes intertwined with a slight gap.

As I met the purple eyes quietly holding on to the person, I fell from the wall.

Siegfried’s gaze moved in the direction I was moving. He asked, raising one of his dark, fine eyebrows.

“What are you doing here?”

“Good morning, Your Majesty the Prince.”

I laughed heartily and lowered my head with a belated greeting.

Siegfried leaned against the door with arms folded.