Chapter 19  

“...... definitely want to give it a try. Huff, huff.”

I threw down the bedcover that I tied into a rope down my room window, muttering the words that I couldn’t say in front of Rennald yesterday.

Then I pushed myself up on the window frame using all my strength. That was all I needed to do for me to be out of breath.

It was the first day of the festival.

I patiently waited until Emily was done with serving me for the day yesterday, then immediately took all the bedsheets I had and tied them together into a rope.

It was the most classic way of escaping.

“Now, let’s do this.”

I got up from the window frame after my breathing became steady again.

I already prepared for today’s day out. I was wearing a thick robe that covered my face and my hair.

I also had with me a few gold coins and a cheque that I got from the duke as my reward for the incident that happened on the other day.

What was left now was to successfully get down from my room, which was located on the second floor of the mansion.

“Ha...... Why do I have to go through all this.”

I complained, looking down from the window, and started taking action.

I held onto the rope and slid down it with fast speed.

It was only on the second floor. I’ve concluded that it was possible to safely climb down from my room after wandering around within the mansion grounds a couple of times.

I’m sure it was possible...... .

“...... Shoot.”

The bedsheet I’ve tied into a rope was shorter than I thought.

I couldn’t check before as I couldn’t see well how long it reached down from my room. I thought it would be fine because the rope was pretty long.

I could wake someone up if I were to jump down from this height, and it was possible that I could get injured if I were to make a wrong move.

“Just...... !”

Realizing that eyeballed length was different from the actual length had made me panic.

I looked up to see that the distance from where I was at to my room window was pretty lengthy. I didn’t have enough power to climb back up.

I was barely holding onto the bedsheet, which was the best I could do.

“Ha...... What do I do.”

I sniffled at the situation where I couldn’t help myself either way.

It was then.

“Hey. You, what are you doing right now?”

A voice came from below me.

I glimpsed down below me and met eyes with someone.

“Ha.”

A sound of that person feigned laughing followed after those words.

“...... Rennald?”

His pink hair reflected the moonlight.

Rennald was looking up at me from below with the eyes seeming to be looking at a senseless thing.

“Wh, why do you come out from there?”

“Are you kidding? The room below your room is my room.”

“...... .”

I closed my mouth shut. How was I supposed to know that his room was the room below Penelope’s?

“Are you...... Ha, this is so ridiculous that I can’t find the right words to say. Are you trying to escape right now?”

“What do you mean, escaping!”

I was startled at his question.

“I, I was just going to go out for a walk.”

“To walk? Seems like it’s a trend nowadays for the girls your age to climb a wall when you’re going out for a walk.”

“...... .”

I couldn’t find the right words to reply with so I stared far into the mountains instead.

However, there was one thing that I’ve forgotten from panicking. It was that my arms reached its limits to hold on for any longer.

All the strength left me at that moment as I slid down the rope.

“Ack!”

I shouted grabbed onto the end of the rope just before completely falling down to the ground.

“Haa, ha...... .”

I was now clinging on to the end of the rope, swinging side to side, like a spider climbing its one strand of the web.

historical

“Hey!”

Then, Rennald shouted as he climbed up his window frame at a fast speed.

His face when he jumped out from his window, looked a little pale.

“Let go.”

Rennald, who was now standing on the ground outside, said as he opened his arms.

“Wh, what?”

“Let go and jump down to where I’m standing. I’ll catch you.”

That moment, I was barely able to keep myself from saying ‘how am I supposed to trust you?’.

“If you don’t want to, then you can just continue to cling onto that.”

My hesitation didn’t last long at his next words. I had no other choice.

“......Please don’t miss me. Catch me well.”

I ordered. He wouldn’t purposely let me die though I’m his hated little sister, right?

I was finally able to let go of the grip after thinking that over and over again to convince myself that I’d be fine.

“Hupp-!”

I felt the immense wind blow pass my cheeks. Just when I started to feel butterflies in my stomach like when you ride a rollercoaster...

Flop-.

“Caught you.”

I opened my eyes to see Rennald smirking like a devil would.

“......P, put me down.”

I realized that my face was really close with his and hurried down from his arms.

Rennald asked while I was fixing the robe I was wearing.

“Where are you planning to go?”

“Just for a...... .”

“If you say that you’re going out for a walk again, then I’m heading for father right away.”

I glared hatefully at the brat who cut through my line. Why did I have to get caught by him out of all the other people here?

‘Nah. It’s still better than having to be caught by Derrick.’