Swan Grave - Chapter 45

From the very start, falling into this world had been sudden. But even so, she didn’t want to return as if being driven out. She wanted to settle everything by her own decision before leaving.

Come to think of it, she’d always been putting things off. Rather than worrying alone about her continual failure to conceive, she should have at least once spoken to him about it. The proposal to be his mistress or his wife was the same. Anna had only rejected, nothing more.

She had never properly asked Rothbart a single thing, only guessed at everything. Even whether the way to return he had told her was true or false.

‘If I keep avoiding like this, nothing will be resolved.’

To stand proudly before Rothbart, she needed to confirm whether the way Sehyun spoke of to return to their original world was true.

If that method was indeed correct…

She would ask Rothbart why he lied. After accepting his answer and being convinced, then it wouldn’t be too late to leave wearing the clothes Sehyun gave her on the day of the Red Moon next year.

Even if she returned to her original world like this, the affairs of this world would continue to gnaw at her. It was better to resolve all grudges and misunderstandings and return a year later. Her parents waiting in the original world could surely wait a year or two.

In truth, she hadn’t expected Sehyun to say he would share his clothes with her. Just as she hadn’t told him about the method Rothbart had given her because she didn’t trust him, now a faint sense of guilt coiled up in Anna’s chest.

She thought she should meet Sehyun and apologize. Once they parted this time, it might be a year before they met again…

Many thoughts rose and vanished in Anna’s head. All the while, time passed.

Though it was a path she often took, today it felt especially long. Crossing the corridor, Anna quickly descended the stairs with brisk steps. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs and turned right, she would be at the rear gate of the mansion.

But the moment she reached the last step, Anna had no choice but to stop.

“Knew it.”

A boy, his eyes gloomy, stood tall blocking the rear gate. It was Svanhild. His red eyes, glaring at Anna, blazed like candle flames in the darkness. With a face full of betrayal, Svanhild quietly opened his mouth.

“Are you going to abandon me again?”

There was no way to know why Svanhild was here at this hour. And from his words, it seemed as though he had been waiting for her.

The mansion was full of mysteries, but the two men of House Lohengrin were ones whose hearts she could never fathom.

Anna gave an awkward smile and lowered her voice to soothe him.

“…What are you saying, young master? When have I ever abandoned you? I was only… going out for a short while, that’s all.”

“Going out? Lies. You’re going to leave forever.”

Svanhild’s face contorted sharply, as if convinced Anna was lying. Though his words were harsh, the sorrow and desperation behind them came through clearly.

‘Why does Svanhild cling to me so much… Is it because, like his father, I resemble the Marchioness?’

But it didn’t seem to be only that. There was a pure, inexplicable blind faith in him.

Svanhild sneered and threatened Anna. “If I scream here at the top of my lungs, what do you think will happen?”

“Please, young master.”

Anna pleaded with an urgent voice. She thought to explain her situation, but there was no time. Growing more anxious with every passing moment, she shifted her feet restlessly. The time given to her was not long. If Sehyun, tired of waiting, left before her…

But she had no idea how to persuade Svanhild. From the start, she didn’t even know why he was blocking her.

If worst came to worst, should she shove him aside and run? But if he screamed and people came after her… It was clear that nothing good would come of Rothbart or Odile hearing of this.

As Anna fretted and faltered, Svanhild, staring straight at her, suddenly spoke.

“Go.”

Anna’s eyes widened. If he was going to step aside so easily, why had he stood guard at the rear gate until this late hour? Unable to guess why Svanhild had suddenly changed his mind, Anna only blinked.

The small shoulders that had been raised so high in defiance drooped down. In Svanhild’s red eyes, faint tears welled. He spat his words out.

“If you want to go so badly, then go.”

“Thank you, young master. Truly, I will come back.”

“Lies.”

Svanhild stubbornly denied Anna’s words. His voice carried venom, as though certain Anna would never return.

But there was no time to argue. Fearing he might change his mind, Anna hurried past him.

“Even if you go, it won’t mean anything.”

Svanhild’s quiet words behind her back were ominous. As though he knew something… But there was no time to think deeply, and the appointed hour was almost at hand.

Leaving through the rear gate, Anna began to run, leaving Svanhild and the mansion behind. Across the fields, darkened like a black crow, the red gaze clung to her back like a brand.

Unknowingly, Anna looked back. In the distance, she saw Svanhild watching her. She couldn’t tell what expression the boy wore, but he didn’t move an inch. Until her figure vanished, he remained there.

A strange sense of déjà vu struck her. It truly felt as though she were abandoning Svanhild and leaving.

It made no sense. Aside from whether she intended to return or not, she and Svanhild were not in such a relationship of leaving or being left. They had hardly spoken a few words… But perhaps this was what parents felt when leaving a child before an orphanage. A sharp pain stabbed Anna’s heart.

‘This is all because Svanhild blindly clings to me. It’s only the guilt he planted in me… Because he asked me to be his mother, so I…’

Swallowing it all, Anna ran without pause until her breath caught in her throat. Meeting Sehyun came first. Her relationship with Svanhild could be unraveled later.

Before long, Anna reached the clove tree where she was to meet Sehyun. Naturally, she expected him to greet her, but near the tree, there was no one.

“Sehyun oppa?”

Flustered, Anna looked around searching for Sehyun. Perhaps he was hiding to avoid prying eyes. But even as Anna called for him again and again, he didn’t appear.

Thus, Anna stood alone under the clove tree, forlorn. Her gaze scattered emptily, with nowhere to rest.

***

After leaving the mansion as soon as darkness fell, Sehyun, dressed in Anna’s maid uniform, headed to the place where he had hidden his clothes. It was a ridiculous sight, but better than showing his pale naked body in the night. For Sehyun, it was a blessing to have anything to wear.

The place Sehyun had hidden his clothes was a little distance from the stables. While walking horses one day, he had discovered the hollow of a tree. As it was not easily seen, he had thought it the perfect spot.

Back in the village, Anna’s clothes had sold for a decent price, so Sehyun had thought the other stable boys might eye his things, which was why he hid them. Now it seemed a stroke of luck.

‘Anna said she even lost her undergarments… But how does one even lose their undergarments? Careless girl.’

Sehyun clicked his tongue softly. Though he pitied Anna’s situation, losing track of her own garments was her fault.

‘Well, even if she had undergarments, who knows if those alone would be enough to return to the original world. From the moment she sold her clothes, her fate was sealed not to return.’