Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 41

“So, have you calmed down now?”

“…Yes.”

When I finally caught up to the carriage and called out to her, Shifa looked surprised at first, but then her face tensed with determination.

She had made up her mind about something.

I knew it—she had been shouldering everything alone.

Why?

She should have just asked me for help to take back the city.

Instead, she planned for me to become a noble in the capital while she returned alone to fight for Riofendarl.

Why the hell would she even think like that?

I wanted to shake her and demand to know.

But… I could tell just how much it was weighing on her.

After all, it was her sister who caused this mess.

She must have felt like she was troubling me again.

Like she had let down the people of the city.

She probably regretted not officially removing Eranda from succession when she sought royal protection.

If she had… this wouldn’t have happened.

She was too serious.

And that was one of the things I loved about her.

So, I hugged her, comforted her, kissed her, and kept holding her until she finally relaxed.

Well, honestly—

It was probably just time that helped her calm down.

I might have actually just made her cry more instead.

But…

She seemed okay now, so it was fine.

“Ahem… Can we talk now?”

“Took you long enough! You made us run while you stayed inside a carriage doing indecent things with Shifa! That’s so cruel!”

“…What?”

“Ah—!”

Michelle and Claire peeked in from the carriage window before stepping inside.

Shifa, startled, immediately turned bright red.

“Were you spying on us!? And you two followed us!?”

Was she angry?

…Not quite.

She looked more bewildered than anything.

“Of course we did. We were chased out alongside Lax, after all.”

Claire looked indignant, but honestly, she had no right to be mad.

If I threw her out of the carriage right now, she’d probably call it abandonment play and still force her way back.

“Shifa, we’re sorry for peeking, but we’re your allies.

We won’t let you fight alone.”

“Michelle… thank you.”

Michelle was guilt-tripping her on purpose to smooth things over.

And Claire?

She was just complaining for no reason.

But hey—if she was here to help, I wouldn’t complain.

The more hands, the better.

“Thank you, both of you. But… are you sure?

You two aren’t directly connected to Riofendarl—”

“Say that again and I’ll get mad.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Michelle’s expression hardened.

Claire stayed quiet, just watching.

Probably because she had no argument against that.

Knowing her, she was probably thinking, “Yeah, I guess it’s not really my business.”

“As I said before, Lax is my brother-in-law.

I was happy about his marriage.

And I wanted to support both of you—to help rebuild that city, to explore the dungeon together, and to watch over its growth.

So if you tell me this has nothing to do with me, it hurts.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Michelle gave Shifa a light tap on the head—

Then pulled her into a hug.

“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”

“…”

“I need you to rely on us.

Because if you don’t, I won’t forgive you.”

“…Okay. Thank you, Michelle.”

The two of them held each other and cried.

Damn it.

Michelle was going for my tear ducts, too.

And Claire?

Still silent.

…Oh well.

“But… I don’t have a plan.”

After calming down, Shifa muttered to herself as the carriage rocked gently.

“Then how about we go to the capital and ask the princess for help?

She might even take the matter to His Majesty.”

Michelle’s suggestion was more of a confirmation than a real proposal.

We didn’t have enough information yet.

But…

“I actually have an idea.

Mind if I share it?”

“Lax (san)?”

All three of them turned to me.

“What if…

That child Eranda gave birth to isn’t really hers?”

“…What?

But the duke verified it himself.”

“What are you suggesting?”

I wasn’t saying this would definitely expose her, but…

Something felt off.

“Apparently, she was half-dead when she was rescued in the Demon Forest.

She was saved by a group of adventurers called the Ark Knights.

But tell me—

Wouldn’t it be strange for a child to survive under those conditions?”

“Now that you mention it…

I haven’t seen my sister’s child yet, but…

He doesn’t resemble her or Jekyll.

Neither his eye color nor his hair color match.”

“Really?”

Something about this just didn’t sit right.

Even if Duke Horneld wasn’t directly involved,

it wouldn’t be surprising if he had manipulated something behind the scenes.

Why did she go through all the trouble of coming back with a newborn?

This country follows a primogeniture system—firstborns are prioritized, and males take precedence.

If Shifa fully inherited the viscountcy and then had a son later, Eranda—who was both the elder sister and had already given birth to a son—would have grounds to challenge the succession.

I considered the possibility that she rushed back to act before the royal family got too involved.

But even so, wouldn’t royal support be beneficial for a viscounty?

Especially if she planned to take control later anyway.

And yet…

She hurried back, bringing a newborn with her.

Even though Shifa wasn’t even the official lord yet.

I shared my thoughts with the two of them—no, the three of them.

“You’re right—it is strange.

I assumed she returned quickly to act before I could inherit the title, but…”

“Not to mention, even after you officially take over,

as long as a firstborn son hasn’t been born, she could still make a claim.”

Realistically, I doubted anyone would accept such an argument.

She’d likely be eliminated outright.

But the royal family had once interfered in multiple noble succession disputes—and failed.

Since then, they had avoided getting involved in internal family struggles.

“That’s true…”

“Well, this is the only weak point we have right now.

It’s worth investigating, don’t you think?”

“Yes.”

That settled it.

“We’ll postpone heading to the capital for now.

First, we’re going to the Demon Forest.

We need to find clues.”

“Understood!”