Chapter 18 (1/2)
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 <That kid’s not my younger sister> 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.