At dawn, when everyone was asleep, Rosena left the mansion.
Rosena decided to dress up as a man to get around more freely.
She cut her hair that she had grown for a long time and bought clothes worn by commoners in the market.
Dressing like a man, she looked like a pretty commoner boy.
After finishing all the preparations, Rosena left the county at dawn in a carriage bound for a foreign land. And she started going around the places that she wanted to go to all this time.
She visited the Lake of Light, which she saw only in paintings, and visited the market held once a year.
Although she was still within the empire, Rosena was more free than anyone else.
It was a satisfactory life that made her not remember what happened at the mansion.
She met a lot of people during the trip.
For Rosena, who had learned to wear a mask in nobles’ society all her life, those people were easygoing and honest.
Little by little, Rosena had mastered how to live as a commoner boy, not a noble young lady.
It had been a month after leaving the mansion before some news came to Rosena’s ears.
It was the news that Count Estarot’s young lady had disappeared.
The Countess even offered a small prize, but no one saw the young lady.
Of course that would be the case, because Rosena was now disguised as a commoner boy.
Rosena, who headed south from roughly around the central city, arrived in the echo forest in the late afternoon.
The echo forest was a large forest that connected the central and southern parts of the empire, but it was not a popular place for people to visit.
It was because the forest is so wide that it is a perfect place to get lost.
Beginners would make their way around the forest, but Rosena deliberately went through the forest.
She was curious about the magnificent scenery and didn’t want to go straight to the south.
In particular, it was safe to pass through because there was no word that a beast would appear.
Rosena looked around.
The echo forest, with nearly no human traces in it, was made up of white trees just as she read in the book.
It was all white and cold, so cold that she felt like she was in a snow field.
Just when she thought it was a little cold, a warm wind began to blow.
The spring breeze that pushed out the cold air enveloped Rosena.
The leaves, which had shrunk bloomed, as if to welcome Rosena.
The chirping of birds flying over the sky echoed and reached Rosena’s ears.
Rosena stood in the middle of a forest filled with white trees and looked up at the sky.
The sun, hanging above the top of the tree, was leaning sideways like a clock.
It felt like if she was late, she wouldn’t be able to get out of the forest until sunset.
As she walked inside, squirrels living in the forest came running up and began to walk in the lead.
Rosena smiled at the sight of squirrels that felt like they were giving her directions.
Rosena, who participated in the squirrel parade, took a step again.
But as she walked more and more, she felt a dark energy.
It seemed colder than when she first came into the forest.
Rosena, who was squeezing through the trees, paused. There was a shadow in the distance.
The shadow, leaning against a white tree, was a human being no matter how hard she looked at it.
Rosena hesitated. There was no place to ask for help if anything wrong happened while approaching.
Rosena tried to take a step back.
But the squirrels grabbed Rosena’s trousers and refused to let her go.
Only then did Rosena realize that the squirrels had intentionally led her here.
Animals that were usually afraid of strangers led her here, so that person didn’t seem to be a bad person.
Lowering her guard a little, Rosena approached a little closer while holding her breath.
The shadow that was as blurry as a mirage, gradually became clearer and showed its full appearance.
A man, either a young boy or a young man, with blond hair, as bright as the spring sun, stood on the borderline.
As if he had been attacked by someone, his clothes were ragged and soaked with blood, and it was hard to recognize his form.
She could tell how badly the stab wounds on the arms or legs were even with the naked eye.
The man gasped with his eyes closed in agony.
However, rather than struggling with the pain, it felt that he was strongly trying to suppress something.
The man held his shaky wrist with his other hand and soon fell forward.
Then he scratched the floor with his fingernails, which looked like a hound suffering from strong impulses.
He took a rough breath, grasping and letting go of whatever was in his hands.
He began to roll on his back on the floor, groaning, like the sound of a beast scratching his neck.
“Ugghhh…..!”
His chest, which was swollen and turned off with a painful groan, told her that the man’s condition was serious.
Rosena stared at him motionlessly.
Strangely, he seemed to be eaten by himself.
She felt like he’d run out of breath soon if she left him here like this.
Rosena thought about what to do.
But looking at his wistfully trembling shoulders, it was hard to just pass by.
Rosena’s steps were heading to the man even though she knew it was crazy.
The sound of stepping on fallen leaves was heard.
By the time his groan was heard more clearly, Rosena had stopped in front of the man.
Rosena reached out and asked, touching the man’s shoulder.
“Are you all right?”
The man’s heavy breathing was heard at once.
Surprised, Rosena tried to pull her hand away, but out of the blue, a hand stuck out and clasped Rosena’s hand tightly.
His hands were as cold as ice, but Rosena couldn’t keep her hand away.
The man was holding Rosena’s hand desperately as if it was a lifeline.
“…..”
Rosena was held still by the man.
Only the tremors and rough pulse that came from his fingertips captured Rosena.
His pulse slowed down little by little and his harsh breathing sound died down.
As if Rosena’s hands were a cure, his body which was running wild with agitation, found stability.
Rosena looked down at the man’s body and saw a long, open wound between his ragged clothes.
She didn’t know when he was hurt, but the blood was still flowing.
Maybe it’s better to stop the bleeding first…..
“Excuse me, I think we need to stop the bleeding…..”
For the first time, the man raised his head in Rosena’s voice.
Rosena looked into the man’s eyes and swallowed everything she was about to say.
The man’s eyes that were revealed through his hair were as dark as the night sky.
And yet she thought it was like a burning flame. His eyes were as intense as flames that could burn everything in the world.
The man growled, holding Rosena’s hand tightly.
“Who are you?”
Dark navy eyes were swaying mercilessly like candles in front of the wind.
He asked again in a confused, cracked voice.
“What have you done to me?”
Rosena blinked with a bewildered face.
All she did was ask if he was okay.
Someone might think it was her who hurt this man.
But instead of answering logically, Rosena thought she’d calm him down.
He seemed to have regained stability, but his wounds were severe and it seemed difficult for him to stand up properly.
“First, will you let go of my hand?”
But he didn’t let Rosena’s hand go.
Unlike before, he seemed hesitant.
It looked as if he was afraid to let go of Rosena’s hand.
Rosena looked down at her hand that was held by the man.
She didn’t realize it because she was surprised earlier, but strangely, it seemed she could feel his feelings from his hands.
And the feeling Rosena felt from him was anxiety.
Before he knew it, the ferocious spirit that was running wild receded, and he muttered quietly like he had regained rationality.
“If I let go of your hand, I will…..”
His words vaguely disappeared, not properly enunciated.
But Rosena was able to infer his swallowed words without difficulty.
It was because she read his anxiety that he might suffer from pain like before if he let go of her hand.
Are her hands really working?
Rosena, looking down at the back of her hand, shrugged.
There was nothing she could do. She thought it was wrong to step out anyway, so she would have to stay until he got better.
Rosena sat slowly in front of him. And put the other hand around the back of the man’s hand.
“Is this enough?”
The man smacked his lips in bewilderment.
But without uttering a word, he lifted himself slightly. Moving his body that was full of wounds, he leaned against the tree.
He was completely exhausted, but he looked relaxed.
From somewhere, a cool wind blew and messed up the man’s hair.
Then his golden hair fluttered like a field of wheat.
After some time, Rosena asked.
“Are you okay now?”
Rosena, who confirmed that the man’s condition had improved, pulled her hand off.
He winced, his finger flinched, feeling pitiful that Rosena’s hand was falling off, but didn’t grab it.
Rosena left the man alone and took the water out of her bag. And she washed the blood with the water.
Rosena scoured his wounds that were bleeding out. She thought his skin would be spoiled if she left it like this.
She thought about what she could do now, mobilizing everything she had read in a book.
First, it would be better to wash the wound with clean water and stop the bleeding.
Another bottle of water was taken out of her bag and it’s water was poured onto his hands and legs.
He didn’t even groan, even though it must be quite painful, and just watched Rosena’s actions.
And at the same time as she was putting down the empty bottle, the man, who has a sick expression, grabbed Rosena by the wrist and asked.
“So who are you?”
At dawn, when everyone was asleep, Rosena left the mansion.
Rosena decided to dress up as a man to get around more freely.
She cut her hair that she had grown for a long time and bought clothes worn by commoners in the market.
Dressing like a man, she looked like a pretty commoner boy.
After finishing all the preparations, Rosena left the county at dawn in a carriage bound for a foreign land. And she started going around the places that she wanted to go to all this time.
She visited the Lake of Light, which she saw only in paintings, and visited the market held once a year.
Although she was still within the empire, Rosena was more free than anyone else.
It was a satisfactory life that made her not remember what happened at the mansion.
She met a lot of people during the trip.
For Rosena, who had learned to wear a mask in nobles’ society all her life, those people were easygoing and honest.
Little by little, Rosena had mastered how to live as a commoner boy, not a noble young lady.
It had been a month after leaving the mansion before some news came to Rosena’s ears.
It was the news that Count Estarot’s young lady had disappeared.
The Countess even offered a small prize, but no one saw the young lady.
Of course that would be the case, because Rosena was now disguised as a commoner boy.
Rosena, who headed south from roughly around the central city, arrived in the echo forest in the late afternoon.
The echo forest was a large forest that connected the central and southern parts of the empire, but it was not a popular place for people to visit.
It was because the forest is so wide that it is a perfect place to get lost.
Beginners would make their way around the forest, but Rosena deliberately went through the forest.
She was curious about the magnificent scenery and didn’t want to go straight to the south.
In particular, it was safe to pass through because there was no word that a beast would appear.
Rosena looked around.
The echo forest, with nearly no human traces in it, was made up of white trees just as she read in the book.
It was all white and cold, so cold that she felt like she was in a snow field.
Just when she thought it was a little cold, a warm wind began to blow.
The spring breeze that pushed out the cold air enveloped Rosena.
The leaves, which had shrunk bloomed, as if to welcome Rosena.
The chirping of birds flying over the sky echoed and reached Rosena’s ears.
Rosena stood in the middle of a forest filled with white trees and looked up at the sky.
The sun, hanging above the top of the tree, was leaning sideways like a clock.
It felt like if she was late, she wouldn’t be able to get out of the forest until sunset.
As she walked inside, squirrels living in the forest came running up and began to walk in the lead.
Rosena smiled at the sight of squirrels that felt like they were giving her directions.
Rosena, who participated in the squirrel parade, took a step again.
But as she walked more and more, she felt a dark energy.
It seemed colder than when she first came into the forest.
Rosena, who was squeezing through the trees, paused. There was a shadow in the distance.
The shadow, leaning against a white tree, was a human being no matter how hard she looked at it.
Rosena hesitated. There was no place to ask for help if anything wrong happened while approaching.
Rosena tried to take a step back.
But the squirrels grabbed Rosena’s trousers and refused to let her go.
Only then did Rosena realize that the squirrels had intentionally led her here.
Animals that were usually afraid of strangers led her here, so that person didn’t seem to be a bad person.
Lowering her guard a little, Rosena approached a little closer while holding her breath.
The shadow that was as blurry as a mirage, gradually became clearer and showed its full appearance.
A man, either a young boy or a young man, with blond hair, as bright as the spring sun, stood on the borderline.
As if he had been attacked by someone, his clothes were ragged and soaked with blood, and it was hard to recognize his form.
She could tell how badly the stab wounds on the arms or legs were even with the naked eye.
The man gasped with his eyes closed in agony.
However, rather than struggling with the pain, it felt that he was strongly trying to suppress something.
The man held his shaky wrist with his other hand and soon fell forward.
Then he scratched the floor with his fingernails, which looked like a hound suffering from strong impulses.
He took a rough breath, grasping and letting go of whatever was in his hands.
He began to roll on his back on the floor, groaning, like the sound of a beast scratching his neck.
“Ugghhh…..!”
His chest, which was swollen and turned off with a painful groan, told her that the man’s condition was serious.
Rosena stared at him motionlessly.
Strangely, he seemed to be eaten by himself.
She felt like he’d run out of breath soon if she left him here like this.
Rosena thought about what to do.
But looking at his wistfully trembling shoulders, it was hard to just pass by.
Rosena’s steps were heading to the man even though she knew it was crazy.
The sound of stepping on fallen leaves was heard.
By the time his groan was heard more clearly, Rosena had stopped in front of the man.
Rosena reached out and asked, touching the man’s shoulder.
“Are you all right?”
The man’s heavy breathing was heard at once.
Surprised, Rosena tried to pull her hand away, but out of the blue, a hand stuck out and clasped Rosena’s hand tightly.
His hands were as cold as ice, but Rosena couldn’t keep her hand away.
The man was holding Rosena’s hand desperately as if it was a lifeline.
“…..”
Rosena was held still by the man.
Only the tremors and rough pulse that came from his fingertips captured Rosena.
His pulse slowed down little by little and his harsh breathing sound died down.
As if Rosena’s hands were a cure, his body which was running wild with agitation, found stability.
Rosena looked down at the man’s body and saw a long, open wound between his ragged clothes.
She didn’t know when he was hurt, but the blood was still flowing.
Maybe it’s better to stop the bleeding first…..
“Excuse me, I think we need to stop the bleeding…..”
For the first time, the man raised his head in Rosena’s voice.
Rosena looked into the man’s eyes and swallowed everything she was about to say.
The man’s eyes that were revealed through his hair were as dark as the night sky.
And yet she thought it was like a burning flame. His eyes were as intense as flames that could burn everything in the world.
The man growled, holding Rosena’s hand tightly.
“Who are you?”
Dark navy eyes were swaying mercilessly like candles in front of the wind.
He asked again in a confused, cracked voice.
“What have you done to me?”
Rosena blinked with a bewildered face.
All she did was ask if he was okay.
Someone might think it was her who hurt this man.
But instead of answering logically, Rosena thought she’d calm him down.
He seemed to have regained stability, but his wounds were severe and it seemed difficult for him to stand up properly.
“First, will you let go of my hand?”
But he didn’t let Rosena’s hand go.
Unlike before, he seemed hesitant.
It looked as if he was afraid to let go of Rosena’s hand.
Rosena looked down at her hand that was held by the man.
She didn’t realize it because she was surprised earlier, but strangely, it seemed she could feel his feelings from his hands.
And the feeling Rosena felt from him was anxiety.
Before he knew it, the ferocious spirit that was running wild receded, and he muttered quietly like he had regained rationality.
“If I let go of your hand, I will…..”
His words vaguely disappeared, not properly enunciated.
But Rosena was able to infer his swallowed words without difficulty.
It was because she read his anxiety that he might suffer from pain like before if he let go of her hand.
Are her hands really working?
Rosena, looking down at the back of her hand, shrugged.
There was nothing she could do. She thought it was wrong to step out anyway, so she would have to stay until he got better.
Rosena sat slowly in front of him. And put the other hand around the back of the man’s hand.
“Is this enough?”
The man smacked his lips in bewilderment.
But without uttering a word, he lifted himself slightly. Moving his body that was full of wounds, he leaned against the tree.
He was completely exhausted, but he looked relaxed.
From somewhere, a cool wind blew and messed up the man’s hair.
Then his golden hair fluttered like a field of wheat.
After some time, Rosena asked.
“Are you okay now?”
Rosena, who confirmed that the man’s condition had improved, pulled her hand off.
He winced, his finger flinched, feeling pitiful that Rosena’s hand was falling off, but didn’t grab it.
Rosena left the man alone and took the water out of her bag. And she washed the blood with the water.
Rosena scoured his wounds that were bleeding out. She thought his skin would be spoiled if she left it like this.
She thought about what she could do now, mobilizing everything she had read in a book.
First, it would be better to wash the wound with clean water and stop the bleeding.
Another bottle of water was taken out of her bag and it’s water was poured onto his hands and legs.
He didn’t even groan, even though it must be quite painful, and just watched Rosena’s actions.
And at the same time as she was putting down the empty bottle, the man, who has a sick expression, grabbed Rosena by the wrist and asked.
“So who are you?”
