Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Monster of the North (6)

Raindrops pattered onto the window. But the little bit of rain wasn’t enough to completely melt the snow that piled outside.

While the Dukedom's weather was either between wet and cold, it only snows from November to March every year. And when it did snow, the land gave off a very breathtaking scenery that made tourists want to at least stay for a few days just to see it. 

That's why, the Dukedom of Rizar was a nice place to visit during those months, but not an ideal place to live in.

Aurora gazed out the foggy window of the drawing room while drinking her tea. She was sitting in the spacious and quiet room all alone as if time had stopped.

Almost a month passed since she was summoned here. Only a few days passed since that night she cried herself to sleep. Her voice was steadily recovering as the Doctor said, but she still had trouble talking in complete sentences.

Aurora looked at her hand as she recalled the moment her fingers brushed against the back of the Duke’s hand. His skin…was ice cold. It was literally freezing.

No wonder he was so pale.

“…Despite being…handsome.”

“Who’s handsome??” Anya asked as she entered the room, holding onto a tray of desserts. “Ah!!” When she saw the open window, she placed the tray down and pounced towards it. “Why did you open the window, Miss?! You’ll get sick!!” Anya quickly closed the window shut. Just as she planned on scolding the Miss again, Aurora grabbed her hand.

Anya jumped in surprise but didn’t pull back. The Miss simply held her hand as though she was checking for something.

“Normal temperature…” Aurora thought maybe his skin was like that because this was the North of the Empire, where the sun barely shined. But that wasn’t it. Halon would have made sure to keep the Duke warm to prevent him from getting ill if that was the case.

Anya giggled. “What did you expect?” She frowned. “Your temperature is a bit chilly, however. Let me bring you more tea.” She then left as quickly as she had come.

After learning the truth about being summoned into the future, she found it inconceivable. Bending the laws of space and time wasn’t something a human or even a Witch could dabble in. There was no such spell in the first place.

And yet, here she was.

So, Aurora began gathering information. She tried to recall that day.

That day that led to the moment of her death, but it was all hazy. She only recalled bits and pieces. It was as though there was a seal on her memories, keeping her from seeing it clearly. For now, Aurora could only try to search for other clues.

Another thing that made her curious was how her 16th birthday was coming in a few weeks. She didn't know what would happen on that day but thought it might give her a hint to how she ended up here.

Although there were many changes in this world a thousand years later, what stood out most to her, was the Corrupted Region.

Lands where the erosion swallowed everything and evolved the plants and animals that lived there into monsters. Other unknown creatures also appeared, killing anyone or anything that approached indiscriminately. Even the humans who entered there without protection weren’t spared from the acidic rain or the polluted air.

The Corrupted Region plagued both the Epheria and Tamriel Empires. It started in the north area and spread east from there.

Try as she might, Aurora could not find anything else about that region. What caused it? What type of monsters are inside? Was it possible to kill them? Was there a way to contain the erosion?

She tried asking Tanya and Anya, but they also didn’t know any more than what was in the book. Aurora decided to confront the Duke. After all, she had a feeling this was part of the key to unraveling how she ended up here.

The main reason being was that this horrible event appeared only one year after her death. Something told her that it wasn't just a coincidence.

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When she was finally able to ask him, the Duke only told her that the Holy Temple oversaw all books pertaining to that region. Only those who received a pass from the High Priest can read those books. When she tried to sweet talk him into telling her more, he told her, “It’s a dangerous place that is shut off with a barrier rune to keep monsters from leaving and reckless people from entering.”

Aurora pursed her lips in anger. The way he looked at her when he said that last part, he was surely talking about her. Those blue eyes of his saw right through her intentions from the very beginning. But still, she wouldn’t let that stop her.

That’s right, Aurora was going to escape.

In the first place, she wanted nothing to do with a Duke or even other nobles.

Trust the Holy Temple? There was no way.

Trust a Duke? No matter how responsible he feigns to be, surely, he was no different than the other nobles she met that only cared for power and their reputation.

And if she stayed here, there was no telling if she’d ever get the chance to enter that place.

Without anyone knowing, she secretly collected the resources she’d need to survive for a few days after leaving. Perishable food, water, clothes, shoes, a map, and a knife.

She only needed one more thing to help her safely get past the guards at the gate.

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The first thing Aurora needed was to learn the outline of the mansion and the Knights stationed here. When she asked Halon to take her on a tour of the house, he and her two maids were relieved and happily agreed. They excitedly pointed out every room and even dragged her outside after dressing her in warm clothes. As you’d expect of a Duke’s house, it was grand and large.

There was a fifty-foot tall archway that stood in front of the entrance. The Duke of Rizar's main mansion, also known as Elran Mansion, occupies 6 acres of land and includes the servant's quarters, the Knight's training area, the stables and the weapons and food storehouse. This vast land proved that the owner was someone highly regarded by the Empire.

But what surprised Aurora was that despite this, the main residence where the Duke rested didn’t have any Knights stationed inside or any other servants. The Knights were going through intense training in a separate building.

There was only a single Knight that guarded the door. The best chance for Aurora to leave was when the Knights changed shifts in the evening. The door would be unguarded for at least two minutes.

As the time approached for the two Knights to exchange places, Aurora snuck out of her room and carefully headed towards the servant’s area where Tanya and Anya were sleeping. She paused in front of Anya’s door and knocked.

It took a few minutes for the door to open and for a sleepy Anya to stare with her mouth hung wide open at the person standing in front of her. “Miss Aurora! Is something wrong?? Why did you come all the way here instead of ringing the bell for me?"

Aurora grabbed Anya’s shoulder, her eyes were teary and frightened. “Anya….a big spider in…my room!! I ran out in panic…was so afraid!” Aurora sobbed between gasps.

“Oh my!” Anya put her hands on her cheeks and blushed. Her Miss was so cute! Even though she had such a womanly figure, in the end, she was only a young girl at heart. “I understand, Miss. I’ll take care of it for you!” She vowed with determination. “You stay here until I return. Lock the door and don’t let anyone inside!”

When Aurora nodded her head in agreement, Anya quickly left. Just as the door shut behind her, Aurora cleared her tears and her expression returned to being calm.

Really, Anya was just too innocent. When Aurora first met the twins, she had felt intimidated by their aura. They gave off a bloodthirsty feeling, making her anxious. But the more time she spent with them, the more convinced she was that it was just her imagination.

Aurora's mouth curved upwards in a slight smile as she pictured Anya meticulously searching her room for the spider.

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