North x Northwest

Chapter 333

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A pair of red wings split the sky.

The bird’s thrusts were so powerful that it was noticeably getting closer to her with each beat of its wings. Lil, who had her elbows on the window sill, jumped out of the way just as the bird’s beak was about to lunge at her. The messenger pigeon flew through the guest room window and landed gracefully on the satin cushion. The very cushion that Ed had given her to use for his pigeon, yet it still amazed Lil to see how the creature immediately knew it was its seat.

The pigeon pecked at the food placed in front of it. To avoid displeasing the beast, Lil carefully approached the bird and pulled out the communication tube.

[ Two arches in place, heading to the third… ]

Lil scribbled down the ciphertext.

“The fourth arch is unknown…”

After that, all Ed said was nonsense, going as far as saying that he had suffered a fatal wound to his heart somewhere during the operation and that it would only get better if she were there to touch him. He also didn’t forget to add some classical love poems, making his correspondence rather lengthy. Lil put a lot of effort into deciphering it, but in the end, it was really just full of chatter.

She eventually threw Ed’s letter aside and wrote a brief reply.

Out of nowhere, a lot of noise was coming from outside the window and then the horn sounded for a long time, indicating that the ship had arrived at its final destination.

Lil inserted her response into the communication tube. The pigeon, who was still pecking at its water and food, glanced at her. The arrogant expression on its face reminded her, without a doubt, of the bird’s master.

After she had tightly closed the stopper of the perfume, the pigeon spread its wings, circled the ceiling, and finally headed out of the cabin. In the meantime, Lil hung the bottle of perfume the size of her fingernail back around her neck and simply packed her luggage before heading out to the deck.

The upper deck and forecastle were already full of people who came out to see Sesbron. Lil mingled among the crowd to momentarily enjoy the view of Sesbron as well.

‘There have been countless times that I went to and from Sesbron, but this is the first time that I’m travelling through the waterway.’

In front of the fortress, located on the flat land south of the river, were mansions of nobles, small blocks where the people of the empire lived, a market, and a square. The thinned river flowed into the city in various branches to further enrich the lives of its subjects. Trees grew all over the city, and wide fields and orchards spread out outside the walls.

Positioned in the centre of the castle wall, the palace was built on higher ground. The main building of the magnificent palace had a large garden in the front as well as the back. The garden, full of trees carved into certain shapes, was even visible from the ship. The tributary on which the Clotilde landed was narrowly divided again and sparkled as it led to the auspices of the imperial palace.

Workers waiting at the dock held the rigging and began tying up the ship as the sound of the anchor being lowered echoed through the floor. All the while, more and more people were being pushed out onto the upper deck. Before crossing the gangway, Lil called for two of the Roahn guards and handed them a letter from Maxwell to his family and a simple map of Obernyu.

“Head down this road to reach Obernyu and evacuate the people listed here. When inspected at the gate, tell them that your family is on a short trip, and if they ask about your identity, settle it with this.”

When Lil handed them the certificate of identity she had written, the two soldiers nodded and crossed over to the dock first.

Shail had observed it all from the side and finally opened his mouth.

“But My Lady, by doing this, this leads us to a shortage of escorts.”

As of now, they were only left with very few people compared to their original party. Two soldiers from the Roahn Guards and the servants and maids who had followed them from Roahn. In total, their number didn’t even reach ten.

‘If necessary, we could always procure our supplies from the Retiro residence in Sesbron…’

But as Lil looked down at the port, she gave up the idea of ??heading to Ed’s residence first.

Lil answered Shail as she stepped on the railing.

“There’s no need for any replenishment.”

“What do you mean?”

“Follow me.”

The port where the travellers arrived was crowded with people, but in the midst of this, there was one carriage vacant of people. That carriage had officers wearing Imperial Guard uniforms surrounding it, providing the necessary protection. Lil landed at the port and headed for the carriage. As she got closer, the curtains of the carriage lifted, and her eyes met a familiar face. A beat later, the carriage door flung open.

“Liloa!”

Annette got off the carriage and desperately called for her. Seeing Lil smile with delight made the older woman gasp and tear up.

“I am honoured that the Empress personally came to meet me.”

The party behind Lil stiffened and immediately performed a salute one would only give when in presence of the imperial family.

Annette held onto Lil’s hands, in a firm yet tender way.

“You, you just disappeared like that… you have no idea how much I…”

“…”

Her eyelids were swollen like she had been crying for over a long time. It also appeared as if her makeup had been reapplied but was dissipated by tears once more.

Annette leaned on Lil and touched the younger lady’s face.

“It is really you, huh?”

“…”

Years had passed since Annette became the empress, but her wholehearted greeting made it feel like Lil met Annette again after meeting just yesterday.

“Why is your hair so short again? Just like back then…”

“…”

She bit her lip in shock, probably thinking she had made a slip of the tongue.

“Let’s go in first.”

“…”

Annette kept her firm hold on Lil’s hand and led her to her carriage.

“Venua is here too.”

The words that Annette said with a smile made Lil’s hair stand on end.

“…As in my brother?”

“Yes, just when I was left confused after receiving your letter, Venua arrived at the palace and confirmed it. He said he came running non-stop from Obernyu after hearing that you were alive.”

“…From Obernyu?”

“Yes. Imagine that cold-hearted kid, running to Sesbron to see you, how touching.”

‘As expected, Venua intends on denying his stay in Roahn… Well, his journey to Roahn truly was the embodiment of desperation. He had probably hoped not to be caught by anyone and that feeling is rather understandable. Sesbron doesn’t know about the problems regarding Obernyu’s succession. From the outside perspective, Venua is the successor who is leisurely waiting for his turn at the Obernyu throne. No one suspects anything because no one knows what he hastily did to find, track, and kidnap me…’

Lil came to her senses when she felt a presence approaching them from her right.

“Your Majesty, I am here too.”

Before she knew it, Mireille bowed his head gracefully. Annette, her face frozen, turned around, still holding Lil’s hand.

“You can walk.”

Annette pushed Lil into the carriage and slammed the door shut before hastily tapping the roof in order to get the carriage running smoothly.

Lil was seated next to Annette. Across from them, the imperial maids were busy welcoming Lil to match Annette’s rhythm, even though Lil actually had no idea what they thought of her. Lil sat upright and tried to stay calm because of it. However, the closer they got to the palace, the more Lil’s spine stiffened with tension.

Annette muttered, leaning on Lil’s arm.

“Back then, I had no idea what I could do. So, I made a mistake. I will never let you go like that again…”

When the carriage stopped, Annette’s maids touched Lil’s clothes and she barely managed to withhold herself from breaking their forearms.

“What…”

“You’re going to have an audience with His Majesty right away. Even though your clothes look clean… I want you to change and get your hair done.”

The carriage was large enough that the people riding it could stand on two feet, so Lil changed in there. She put on a chemise à la reine with the help of a maid. It was a thin, simple dress made by modifying the classic chemise, a similar one Ed had once gifted her.

‘I would never have guessed I would ever wear that piece of cloth again…’

Nonetheless, Lil obediently pulled it over her head. The pure white dress made of muslin had layers of frills around the neck and puffed sleeves. The hem of the skirt was decorated with a lot of pleats, but the muslin itself was a thin and light fabric, making it comfortable to wear.

Meanwhile, Annette had a serious look on her face as she pondered the colour of the sash that Lil should wear around her waist. After trying out several decorative bands,

“As expected, blue looks good on you.”

She personally wrapped the sash around Lil’s waist.

After getting her hair done in a considered short period of time, Lil found herself at the entrance to the palace facing a few people who stood around watching the Empress’s carriage.

Annette, with her hat veil down, crossed her arm with Lil.

“His Majesty is anxiously waiting for you.”

“Why do we not go in through the side instead of the main entrance…”

“Stop talking nonsense and follow me.”

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