Evangeline had been planning for this moment for a long time. She had considered every possible way for her to sneak out of the mansion and return without anyone else noticing.
Her first plan was to simply jump through a wall or find a tiny hole she could pass through. But it didn't take long for her to face reality.
'It wasn't like in the movies, there simply wasn't any hole I could pass through. The walls were also very tall.'
Evangeline had tried every method she had ever seen—making a rope out of curtains, climbing a tree, digging a hole—but none of them were possible to execute. So she was left with only this method.
But there were a few problems with this method as well. The first problem, of course, was money. She needed money to do anything outside.
So she had been diligently collecting money for just this day. She even asked for silver coins instead of gold since only nobles and big merchants traded in gold. Most commoners only used copper or silver.
The second problem was that the main entrance was always guarded by two servants. Evangeline had waited patiently for a day when one of the servants was absent due to illness.
'And lucky me, today just happened to be that day.'
Giggling lightly, she walked forward with excitement. Evangeline was going to enjoy herself.
***
As the sun set beyond the horizon, illuminating the world with its lingering light, a small boy, looking around ten, struggled to climb the tall tree in front of him. Due to its thickness as well as the smooth surface of its trunk, it was hard for him to hold anything.
Flint looked up, gazing at the tree branch where his ball was stuck. His eyes grew moist as he continued staring at the ball.
'Is it… stuck there forever?'
But just when a fountain was about to burst from his eyes, a creature suddenly rushed forward from behind him. The creature easily climbed up the tree using its swiftness. Grabbing the ball with its mouth, it jumped down from that height and landed comfortably on its four paws.
The creature would've resembled a cat in both shape and size, if not for the two furry tails on its back and the three pairs of glowing green eyes it had.
Approaching Flint, the creature put the ball down on the ground and began rubbing its soft black fur against Flint's leg.
Flint altered his gaze between the ball and the creature, and a joyful smile stretched across his face. He crouched down and began patting the creature's head.
"Haha, thanks, Dragon. I thought this ball would be stuck up there forever. I'll ask Mother to give you more food today as a reward."
Dragon only purred and wagged its two tails in reply.
Flint had found this creature two years ago while playing outside, just like today. He showed it to his parents, and they allowed him to raise it since a single copper was enough to feed this cute little thing for a week.
'Ah, it's almost dark now. If I don't return now, I'll have to hear Mother's yelling.'
He stood up and began hurrying toward his house with quick steps as Dragon followed behind him. Soon, he reached his house. A small, single-floor building made entirely of wood. A few patched cracks on its walls made the house look old and worn out.
But as he was about to reach for the door, he paused. A large sack filled with freshly harvested crops was lying nearby.
His parents weren't farmers; they were woodworkers, so it was unlikely that this sack belonged to them. Which meant…
'Someone is visiting.'
After hesitating for a bit, Flint opened the door slowly, careful not to make a sound. He entered and walked with silent steps. Peeking into the hall, he saw his parents and a man sitting across from each other, chatting.
'It's that uncle, the owner of those fields. But what are they talking about?'
He was about to sneak closer to listen, but his mother's angry face suddenly flashed through his mind, making him freeze on the spot. He remembered how much she had scolded him previously when he tried to listen in on their conversations.
Though still somewhat scared, Flint shook away his hesitation and carefully sneaked closer.
"I'm telling you, it's complete chaos! The viscount was planning to send his soldiers to raid Count Vanderis' mines. But apparently, their army was wiped out before they even entered his territory. It was all done by the Count's soldiers who had sneaked into these borders beforehand!"
'What? Enemy soldiers sneaked inside the borders? Are we… in danger?'
Although Flint didn't know much, he knew that they lived at the edge of some Viscount's territory. The borders connecting to Count Florivelle's territory as well as Count Vanderis' territory were very close to his home. This sort of news was common around here since the viscount was an imperial noble and Count Vanderis was an ancient noble.
"Oh, seems like the Viscount was too slow, and Count Vanderis beat him to it, Hahaha." His father let out a hearty laugh. But the man's face was grim.
"You don't understand! The Viscount quickly sealed his borders to Count Vanderis' territory. The enemy soldiers are still around here!"
"Sir, no need to panic that much, even if that's true. The Viscount will soon find and imprison those soldiers, I'm sure."
Even Flint's mother chimed in with a lighthearted tone. The man frowned, looking at Flint's parents with an unamused expression. Then, with a sigh, he stood up and began walking toward the exit.
"Hey, pal, where are you going? Come back and sit."
"Indeed, you have barely spent any time. At least eat something before you leave."
Despite Flint's parents' attempts to stop him, the man shook his head and replied in a light tone without stopping.
"It's getting late. I have to get home. My children must be waiting for me right now, especially my little angel. I would be a bad father if I made my kids wait any longer."
His parents quieted down at the man's reply. Hiding under a nearby table, Flint saw them smiling as they looked at the man's back.
But just as he grabbed the doorknob, the man paused and looked behind his shoulder.
"Be careful, make sure to keep your doors and windows closed after dark. At least until all this settles down. You never know what might happen."
His tone sounded abnormally serious. Saying that, he opened the door and left. The hall grew quiet within moments after the man's departure.
His mother slowly turned to Flint's father as she spoke.
"Dear, Flint is still out playing. I told him to return home on time, but that boy just never listens to me. It's completely dark now."
Cold sweat formed on Flint's forehead as he heard her voice seething with anger.
'Oh, I'm not gonna get out of this one.'
He hesitated, about to get out from under the table and reveal himself. But after thinking for a bit, he gulped down and hid even more thoroughly.
As he hid under the table, his fate was already decided. He had to wait until his parents left before getting out. He was going to be scolded anyway, so it was better to be scolded for coming back late. At least that scolding would be less intense.
But just then, Dragon suddenly ran out from under the table, approached his parents, and began rubbing its fur against his mother's leg.
"Hm? Wait, Dragon? But if you're here, then… Hah!"
'Oh no…'
He saw a pair of legs as someone stood up from the chair.
'Oh no.'
The pair of legs slowly approached until they stopped right in front of the table under which Flint was hiding. An eerie silence enveloped the room.
'O-oh no!'
The legs bent slightly, and suddenly, a woman's face appeared in front of him, her long hair falling over and covering her face. A pair of eyes locked onto him.
It was at this moment that Flint knew. He was about to experience hell.