Chapter 18

All three people’s heads headed toward there. Damon and Marian stood in a perplexed face.

“Since when have you been standing there…!”

Dylan was speechless. It was seen that a small shadow quickly disappeared between the two.

“Elisabeth?”

Dylan shouted in fright. But Elisabeth did not look back and ran over to the forest surrounding the drill hall.

“Miss!”

Marian hurried after Elisabeth.

“That fool! How dangerous the forest is!”

“You said hurtful things, so she ran away Dylan.”

Damon said with a frown.

“What?”

“ ‘That kid’s not my younger sister. She will never be my sister again.’ How could she not be hurt by these words?”

Dylan’s face turned pale as he followed Damon’s words.

“Damn it!”

Dylan ran towards where Elisabeth had disappeared.

“You said you aren’t her brother, but what you’re doing is exactly like a brother?”

Marquis Dalton spoke, dumbfounded.

“Elisabeth!”

Sunlight seeped through the tall trees. Dylan stepped on the shaky tree shadow and ran away.

There was a big forest on the west side outside the mansion of Count Daughtry. The official name was ‘Yousef Forest’, but people called it the ‘Forest Of No Morning’.

Even during the day, it was dark and the ground was damp, making it difficult to walk. Where there were no people, dangerous beasts would tend to live. The ‘Forest Of No Morning’ was a place where the law was followed very faithfully.

Daughtry deliberately built a drill hall in the middle of the forest. The forest acts as a shield so that no one can access the drill hall. A magic circle was drawn around the drill hall area to completely block the threat of beasts.

In other words, it meant that the forest was very dangerous when one was out of the drill hall.

“Young Master Dylan!”

Marian approached Dylan, almost falling over.

“Marian! Where did Elisabeth go?”

“I don’t see her. No matter how hard I look!”

Marian said, beating her chest out of frustration.

“I’ll find Elisabeth. Because it’s dangerous, Marian should go back to the drill hall and stay with Damon.”

“How can I leave the Miss.”

“Don’t be stubborn while knowing about this forest. Go back now!”

Dylan said emphatically. He is a very young master, but at times like this she couldn’t resist him.

“Young Master, you must bring Miss Elisabeth safe and sound.”

“I understand, Marian.”

“Miss just came here because she wanted to see the Young Master.”

“….”

Marian kept looking back and disappeared into the drill hall. Dylan stared blankly at Marian and came to his senses late.

‘I need to find Elisabeth quickly.’

Dylan ran back into the forest.

“Elisabeth, where are you? Answer me! It’s dangerous here!”

Elisabeth, Elisabeth, Lisabeth, Sabeth…

Dylan’s voice filled the forest.

As the sound subsided, only the sound of leaves bumping against the wind and the sound of insects crying was heard in the forest.

‘This is terrible.’

Dylan found this silence terrible. If there was something that had happened to Elisabeth in between, that’s why he couldn’t bear it if it was this quiet.

“Come here, please! It’s dangerous to be alone! Elisabeth!”

Dylan shouted with all his might. Without even knowing it himself, a silvery aura rose around Dylan.

***

“Phew, it’s hard. The floor is all muddy.”

Elisabeth, who had been running away for a long time, flopped beside the fallen tree.

Her face was red as a ruby. Running out of breath was the first reason, but also because she was embarrassed.

‘Why would you say in front of people?’

The hotness flared up on my face back again.

I knew Dylan didn’t think of me as his sister. But talking about it openly in front of many people was different.

‘I didn’t know what to say to that, and I ran all the way here to see Dylan.’

I was so ashamed that I couldn’t bear it. And a part of my heart ached.

When Dylan said that, the surprised Elisabeth made her presence known with a rustle. The moment she thought ‘I got caught,’ she had no confidence in facing him straight.

So she ran recklessly.

Embarrassed and ashamed… and sad.

‘So mean, Dylan.’

Elisabeth gathered her knees and buried her face. The feeling of being denied by someone has already been tiresome.

So I thought it wouldn’t be sad to be denied by someone here.

‘Isn’t it more selfish of me to want to be treated as a real sister?’

Suddenly, I had this thought.

We were in a kind of contractual relationship.

A contractual family relationship built upon each other’s needs. Besides, Dylan didn’t even agree to this contract.

‘No wonder Dylan doesn’t think of me as his sister. Let’s stop being sad like a child. You’re not really going to be the youngest daughter of the Daughtry family, are you?’

Elisabeth raised her head. Her face was puffy again.

It was then.

“Elisabeth!”

Elisabeth, Elisabeth…

Dylan’s voice echoed through the forest.

“Dylan?”

Elisabeth sprang from her seat with her eyes wide open.

“Eli…!”

Not far away, silver was blazing. The boy, who was desperately looking for someone, made eye contact with Elisabeth. At that moment, the intense silver light surrounding Dylan faded.

Dylan ran to Elisabeth.

“Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous this place is?”

Dylan shouted wildly in agitation. Anyone could tell he was half out of his mind.

Elisabeth asked, with a slight tilt of her head:

“What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here! I came looking for you! Do you know how worried I was!”

Dylan grabbed Elisabeth by the shoulder. It was a hand that didn’t need strength, but it was hot. Elisabeth opened her eyes wide.

“Why?”

“What?”

“You said I wasn’t your younger sister.”

Elisabeth, who inadvertently said her true intentions, muttered an ‘Oops.’

‘Crazy!’

I said, ‘Let’s stop being sad like a child,’ but I just made a huge last-minute remark.

Knowing his guilt, Dylan stammered in contemplation.

“I’m going to pick you up because you were gone….”

“Then- then let’s go. “

Elisabeth said in a hurry. The ‘last-minute remark’ that she couldn’t believe came from her own mouth was making her crazy.

Dylan was briefly taken aback by Elisabeth’s ever-more determined attitude. But soon he regained consciousness and grabbed Elisabeth’s hand. Elisabeth was embarrassed and even shook off her hand.

Elisabeth and Dylan’s eyes met awkwardly in the air.

“I- I can go alone.”

It was even more embarrassing than when I heard Dylan’s on the drill hall earlier. Elisabeth wanted to get out of this embarrassing situation quickly.

But in Dylan’s eyes, Elisabeth right now…

….seemed to declare that.

‘I didn’t mean to say that.’

Dylan looked anxiously at Elisabeth, who closed her heart like a wounded kitten.

“How can a child like you be alone? You don’t even know the way here. So I’m going to… “

“I- I said I got it ! Let’s go. “

Elisabeth jerked back because she could not see Dylan’s face in addition to the rising sense of shame. Then she often walked ahead of Dylan, who seemed to move a little. Dylan hurried after Elisabeth and said:

“Why are you suddenly angry?”

“I’m not angry!”

Why does a person’s voice get louder when he or she is embarrassed?

Elisabeth regretted once more.

“Let’s- let’s just go back quickly.”

“Because of what I said in the drill hall earlier…”

“No!”

Elisabeth, who had been stabbed to the point, desperately denied it.

“Sometimes people need to know how to pretend, but I’m sorry I said it too right.”

‘You apologized for something, but the way was weird?’

There was a sound of something being ‘snipped’ from inside Elisabeth.

“ ‘Too right’ you say, what are you saying. I’m a Daughtry, too!”

“I’ve already told you what that means.”

“How can you say that in front of other people? Not your younger sister you say!”

The agitated Elisabeth choked up. When I came here, I felt here that I was the type of person who got excited and cried when it felt unfair. It was very disgraceful.

“Elisabeth.”

And this boy in front of her eyes was weak against Elisabeth’s tears.

Dylan, who was stunned as if he had been hit by a blow, approached her. Elisabeth swallowed the tears that were about to come out and stepped back.

“Forget it. I’m going alone.”

Elisabeth often ran forward. Dylan sighed and slowly chased after Elisabeth. However, no matter how slow Dylan went, it was faster than Elisabeth’s frequent steps.

Elisabeth glanced back and frowned at Dylan standing right behind her back.

“Don’t follow me!”

“You’re going slow. Hurry up.”

“Tch.”

Elisabeth often roared with all her might. It was an incredibly powerful gesture that he could not believe it was a girl who had just been crying. Looking at the small back, Dylan seemed to be laughing even in this situation.

When Elisabeth turned around in a strange mood, Dylan hurriedly covered the tails of his mouth with his hand.

“You’re…laughing?”

“When did I ever laugh?”

Dylan answered, avoiding her eyes.

“You’re so mean.”

“Elisabeth.”

Dylan called low. Elisabeth spoke indifferently.

“His Grace is not wrong. It’s really bad luck.”

“Stay still.”

“Why?”

Elisabeth asked bluntly.

Dylan hugged Elisabeth at a tremendous speed and hid her behind him.

Only then could Elisabeth see the thing while behind his back.

Under the dark shade of a tree, the eyes of the wild beasts shone. Elisabeth held onto Dylan’s hem without even realizing it.

Dylan wrapped the terrified hands of Elisabeth.

“Turn around, close your eyes, and shut your ears.”

“I, I will.”

Elisabeth became a good girl and did what Dylan told her to do.

Dylan looked back for a moment at the frightened little child and turned his head.

Dylan’s eyes towards the beasts were completely different from when he was looking towards Elisabeth.

The beasts growled while approaching.

Dylan took out his sword. The beasts hesitated as the sword began to shine silver. However, when the beast who appears to be the head moves forward with a stomp, other beasts also start to approach.