Chapter 53: Newcomer

Inside a carriage traveling toward the path to the temple, a young woman sat quietly beside the window as she watched the view outside. The woman had long, silky jet-black hair that fell down her back and a pair of emerald-green eyes.

Her skin was fair, and her delicate facial features gave her an elegant appearance. However, there was also a certain paleness to her complexion that made her look somewhat fragile.

This young woman was none other than the eldest daughter of the Renswort family, Abigail.

Despite coming from one of the most influential noble families in the kingdom, she rarely made public appearances. Having suffered from poor health since childhood, she spent most of her time in places where she could recuperate.

"My lady, are you feeling alright?" A maid sitting across from her suddenly asked with a worried expression.

"Hm?" Abigail turned toward her before giving a small smile. "I’m fine. You don’t have to worry so much."

"We should have really just asked for the temple priest to visit the estate. Why did you even bother going out, my lady?"

"It’s alright. I wanted to come here myself." Abigail’s voice was sweet and soothing to the ears.

The maid let out a small sigh. She had been serving the young lady since she was a child, so she was already familiar with how stubborn she could be whenever she made up her mind about something.

"Besides, I haven’t been outside much since returning to the capital," Abigail continued as she looked back toward the window. "It’s nice to see everything again."

"Still, please let me know if you start feeling unwell."

"I will." Abigail smiled reassuringly before returning her attention to the scenery outside.

Unlike the luxurious carriages usually used by her family, the one she was riding today was more ordinary. It was actually her own request, since she didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention during her visit to the temple.

She had grown tired of people constantly watching her whenever she went outside, especially now that the news of her return had already spread throughout the capital. It was really troublesome.

"My lady, we should be arriving at the temple soon," the maid informed her after glancing outside.

"Alright," Abigail nodded before adjusting her position slightly.

She was actually looking forward to visiting the temple today. Although she had already spent several months in the mountains, she still wanted to offer her prayers now that she had returned home.

More importantly, it was her only way to get off her family. However, just as the carriage entered a section of the road, she suddenly felt it begin to slow down.

"Hm?" Abigail’s brows formed a straight line as she looked outside. Before she could even fully see what was happening, a loud voice suddenly came from outside.

"STOP RIGHT THERE! DON’T MOVE!"

Abigail’s eyes widened.

"M-My lady..." Her maid on the side was also startled by it.

"Hand over your valuables if you don’t want to get hurt!" Another unfamiliar voice shouted from outside of the carriage.

For a moment, the two women simply stared at each other.

"W-What should we do, my lady?" The maid immediately turned toward Abigail with a frightened expression.

Abigail didn’t answer right away. Instead, she looked toward the carriage window, trying to see what was happening outside. Unfortunately, the people seemed to be in front of them, so she couldn’t see much.

"Stay calm." That’s all she could say. She tried her best to remain composed. "Let’s see what they want first."

"B-But what if they hurt us?"

"I’m sure everything will be fine." Despite her reassuring words, Abigail was beginning to feel nervous too. She had never experienced anything like this before. She had always thought that the streets here were safe.

Meanwhile, outside the carriage, their driver was already trying to reason with the men blocking their path.

"P-Please, gentlemen! We don’t have anything valuable with us!"

"Hah! Do you think we’re stupid?!" One of the bandits shouted as he approached the carriage. "Anyone who can afford a carriage must have something worth taking with them!"

"Please, just let us pass. We’re only on our way to the temple." The driver swallowed nervously before glancing toward the carriage door. He was a personal driver of the Renswort family, so he was extra careful.

"Shut up! We don’t care where you’re going!" Another bandit stepped forward and struck the side of the carriage with his wooden club, causing the two women inside to flinch.

"Kya!" The maid immediately moved closer to Abigail as if she could protect her if ever.

"My lady!"

"I’m alright." Abigail gently held her hand. She still tried to look fine even if her heart was already beating loudly inside her chest.

"Boss! There are people inside!"

"Then get them out! We don’t have all day to negotiate with them!"

Hearing those words, the maid’s face immediately turned pale. Before either of them could react, someone began knocking loudly against the carriage door.

"HEY! GET OUT OF THERE!"

"Let’s go." Abigail took a deep breath as she made that decision.

"My lady?!"

"We shouldn’t provoke them. If we give what they want, they wouldn’t lay a finger on us."

Although the maid clearly wanted to protest, she eventually nodded. She carefully opened the carriage door before stepping down to help her mistress. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

The moment Abigail emerged, the five bandits immediately turned their attention toward her.

"Oh? Look what we have here!" One of them laughed. "Seems like we’ve caught ourselves a couple of wealthy ladies!"

Abigail frowned slightly at his words.

"We don’t want any trouble," she said calmly. "If it’s money you want, we can give you some. Just let us continue on our way."

The bandits exchanged glances.

"Hahaha! Did you hear that, boys? She’s offering us money!"

"Then hand it over!"

The maid immediately reached for the small pouch she carried and held it out with trembling hands.

"H-Here! This is all we have!"

One of the bandits snatched the pouch from her and examined its contents.

"Tch! That’s it?" he looked unsatisfied at it.

"P-Please, that’s really all we brought!"

"Don’t lie to us!"

The bandit took another step forward, causing the maid to instinctively move in front of Abigail.

At that moment, a loud voice suddenly interrupted them.

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!"

Everyone immediately turned toward the source of the voice. A young man was standing a short distance away, looking at the bandits with an angry expression.

Who is that? Abigail blinked in surprise.

"Who the hell are you?!" Meanwhile, the bandits immediately pointed their weapons toward the newcomer— The newcomer who was obviously Cealan.