# 22
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The little boy's unique warmth quickly calmed Elinor.
'Where am I now?'
Her tears stopped, and she quietly rolled her eyes.
It was in a stone building. On the walls, there was a woolen rug hanging even though it was summer. It was clean without a speck of dust.
It's not like they forgot to remove them after the winter.
‘The region whose walls are decorated with carpets has a special culture in the northwest of the empire.’
In the northwest of the empire, there was the Principality of Hilliard.
Could this place be the Duke's Principality?
Elinor looked at Matthias with a glance.
Their eyes met, and Matthias frowned worriedly.
"Are you well?"
“Yes. But... your arm...”
Elinor's gaze moved to Matthias's bandaged arm.
When she frowned, Matthias simply said:
“It's not a big wound.”
“Did you get burned?”
“Yes, but it’s not because of you, so don’t make that face. The doctor said it will heal soon.”
But contrary to his words, the bandages on his arm seemed very thick.
'Wasn't it the Duke who started the fire?'
In the midst of the rising flames, Elinor thought that Matthias had caused the fire.
She thought he planned to kidnap Charlotte's baby.
But when she saw his injury, these thoughts disappeared.
If he wanted to kidnap the child, there was no reason to save me.
'If the Duke had not saved me, I would have died already.'
And I would never see the child again.
I felt guilty seeing his injury.
I thanked Elinor sincerely.
“Thank you for saving me.”
Matthias smiled.
“I'm more relieved that you and the baby are okay.”
"Where are we? How long has it been since I fainted?"
“This is my villa in Lovela. A safe place.”
“Not the Principality of Hilliard?”
Lovela was the name of a district in the south, not far from the village where Elinor lived.
“And it has been ten days since you fainted.”
“Ten days?”
Elinor's eyes widened in surprise.
Has it been all this time?
She lowered her head to look at the child.
“Kia-”
It seemed as if the child had grown a bit compared to the last time she had seen him.
Little kids are growing up fast day by day.
“On that day, you fainted from inhaling too much smoke from the fire.”
Matthias explained the situation.
"Sophie called a doctor to see us. They said you would wake up soon, but you didn't regain consciousness even after some time."
“Ah…”
“You needed a better doctor. So I moved you here.”
Matthias sat with his legs crossed elegantly.
“The doctor said that you may have suffered psychological shock. Since your body was not badly damaged, your failure to wake up is due to a psychological problem.”
“Psychological problem...”
“I was worried it was too late for you to wake up. I'm really glad we can talk face to face again.”
Matthias smiled.
After thinking for a while, Elinor asked him.
“Do you know why the fire broke out?”
“James is the one who lit it.”
“What?! cough, cough.”
When Elinor coughed in shock, Matthias handed her a glass of water.
“It seems that your rejection of him made him very angry.”
"crazy."
A harsh word came out of Elinor's mouth for the first time.
This was to be expected, as the young child was at risk in this fire.
And so is Sophie, the innkeeper.
Elinor's hand trembled with anger.
“How would someone think of setting fire to a house where people live? What if everyone actually died?!”
“Do not try to understand the mentality of a crazy person.”
“Has James been punished?”
“He was caught red-handed at the scene.”
“It should never be overlooked.”
Elinor gritted her teeth.
"He tried to kill people. People! Moreover, that inn was Sophie's dream, which she built with her life savings. She told me she had a dream of running a inn at the end of her life."
Elinor hugged the child tightly.
“She must be very shocked…”
“It was.”
“I want to see Sophie.”
“I don't think it's a good idea.”
Matthias crossed his arms.
“I think it would be best for you to avoid having anything to do with the village now. That’s why I’m taking you out of there.”
“But...”
“What if you go to the village and encounter James again?”
Elinor paused.
Matthias clicked his tongue.
"James is crazy. I warned him in the most polite way, but he didn't learn and started the fire. Who knows what he'll do next?"
Mathias was right.
Based on his record, it wouldn't be surprising if he came with a knife next time.
“The departure of you and the child from the village was something the innkeeper agreed to as well.”
“Then, we can meet her somewhere other than the village...”
“Are you going to summon a busy woman because her house burned down before her youngest daughter’s wedding?”
Elinor felt like she had been stabbed, so she closed her mouth.
Matthias sighed lightly.
"Don't worry about Sophie. You will receive compensation from James for the damages you suffered. James will be dealt with properly. This matter involves you as a stranger and Sophie as a resident of the village, so the village head will no longer be able to ignore it."
"So now focus on getting your health back. You just woke up after ten days."
“…Okay, I will.”
Elinor had no choice but to agree to Matthias' words.
She played with the child's fingers and asked cautiously.
“Can you deliver a message if I write one?”
“Of course. Sophie is very worried about you, so she will be happy to receive your letter.”
She had carefully chosen this place to be safe for her and the baby, but she had to leave like this.
Things don't always go the way one wants.
Elinor sighed.
I felt sorry for this sudden separation.
* * *
After regaining consciousness ten days later, Elinor had many questions, so she asked Matthias everything.
But in the end, her body couldn't take it and she fell asleep again.
“Abiya bia.”
The child gently stroked Elinor's cheek as if he were playing.
Her eyebrows twitched slightly under the attack of his small hands.
When it seemed like she was going to wake up, Matthias picked up the baby.
"Enough."
“Woah.”
“You troublemaker. I know you're excited to meet your mother after such a long time, but you shouldn't hit her in the face.”
Matthias picked up the baby and left the room.
There was a maid waiting in the hallway.
In fact, she was one of Matthias's direct followers disguised as a servant.
"my lord."
Matthias extended his arm to the next person.
The subordinate removed the bandages squeezing his left arm. The arm appeared clean without any cuts or burns.
He did not suffer any serious burns at all.
The bandages were just a disguise for Elinor.
Matthias handed the child over to his henchman and said:
“Watch the baby and his mother carefully.”
"present."
“And...”
He had told Elinor that this place was his villa in Lovella, but in fact, this was Hilliard's main mansion.
“I can't reveal a piece of paper that's useful for finding Charlotte so easily.”
There was a secluded wing in the palace that was almost unused. It was the place his great-grandfather used to meet his mistress.