Toxic Marriage - Chapter 23.1

Chapter 23.1

“Quickly, light the beacon—!”

The surprised gatekeeper tried to take action, but Risyr was faster than him.

Thump, thump. The robust gatekeepers fell to the ground without hesitation as they were struck in the back of the head with a sword sheath.

The deliveryman watched in amazement.

“Th-that was really fast…”

“There’s no time to waste. Tell us the nearest town,” Freya said to the deliveryman in a hurry.

She had safely escaped the castle, but she could not say that she had escaped the margrave’s clutches yet.

Although he had limitations when it came to leaving the castle due to his ageless appearance, there were rare occasions when he would cover the lower part of his face with a veil and go out.

‘So I can only say I successfully got away from him when I leave the Niflheim area completely.’

The margrave could not leave the land of Niflheim because of his curse, and that fact was fatal to him. If only she could escape Niflheim, it was only a matter of time before the tide turned in her favor.

“But you said you would give me another five gold coins if I helped you leave the castle…”

Freya held out fifteen gold coins instead of five. The deliveryman’s eyes opened wide as he looked at the coins, which were more than he had been promised.

“Why so many…”

“This includes the price of the horses.”

With that said, Freya pointed at the two horses pulling the carriage. It was too noticeable and too slow to ride this carriage to the other villages.

The deliveryman nodded as if possessed by the gold coins in her hand. Risyr immediately untied the reins connected to the cart and climbed on the horse.

“Let’s go, Miss Freya.”

Freya nodded and climbed onto the horse.

Running towards the darkness, the horses left the castle and headed to the nearby village that the deliveryman had told them about.

***

“We’re in trouble, Erik!”

Hearing the maid’s petrified voice, Erik realized that his uneasiness wasn’t just a feeling of restlessness because he hadn’t slept well.

“What happened?”

“W-well… I don’t know where the madam is…!”

It began when the maid came to Freya’s room to help her with the bath. She found the knight guarding the door collapsed on the floor, and the room was completely empty, as if no one had ever been there.

Hearing that, Erik checked Risyr’s room, his heart beating as if it was about to burst. Likewise, the place was empty.

Only then did Erik realize that he had made a huge mistake. Everything that happened had been a trick just for this moment.

“Damn it!”

Erik had never dreamed that Freya would do such a crazy thing again on the day she had been caught trying to sneak out a note. He suppressed the urge to jump from the top of the castle rather than apologize to his master and ran to the highest point.

When he imagined how his master would react, his fear was heightened. Nevertheless, Erik did not slow down because he knew how important it was to announce this.

“Master! Miss Freya has left the castle…!”

Erik really didn’t dare to look at his master this time. It was the first time he had made such a huge mistake.

It was so serious that it was incomparable to the note incident that had occurred during the day. He had discovered it midway before, but now it had already been done.

“Prepare the horse.”

Erik didn’t know whether it was a good thing or not, but his master’s voice was calm.

As Erik barely mustered up the courage to glance at him, he saw Fenrir holding his bow and quiver.

But there was only one arrow in the quiver. It was one of the arrows that he had been told to sharpen very sharply.

“… Are you going to search for her yourself?”

Fenrir nodded.

“I’m thinking of going hunting.”

For a moment, his dark eyes shone coldly under the moonlight. In contrast to that fearful appearance, the corners of his mouth were curved in a relaxed way, confusing Erik.

It was hard to tell whether Fenrir was coldly angry or joyful.

Normally, he would be angry if an important person ran away, but strangely, it seemed like he had expected this to happen for a long time.

But he still couldn’t understand his leisure. It would be difficult to retrieve Freya if she completely escaped Niflheim.

“What should I say to Commander Harald?”

“Tell him to head for the southeastern bridge of Niflheim.”

Erik became puzzled once again.