Episode 11. A Long Game of Hide-and-Seek

“The rain outside is pouring too hard. How can a lord sleep with his legs stretched out when his estate is flooding?”

“Father…!”

“Don’t worry too much. I promise to come back soon, just after a short rest.”

There is no one more irresponsible than a lord who cannot care for his own people. High positions always come with great responsibilities.

Recalling the lesson her father had often repeated, Brienne bit her lip.

She didn’t fail to understand her father’s decision to go help the people of his estate.

With such heavy rain, the river running through the estate would surely overflow, and flooding would be unavoidable. People living in lower areas would be in danger.

Still…

She didn’t want to send her beloved father to such a dangerous place. Maybe it was because of the strange dream she had… today just felt like a bad omen. She wanted to go in his place, but there was no way her father would allow that.

“Just this once… can’t you not go? Please.”

Every time this happened, it felt like her insides were burning. In moments like these, she resented the fact that her father was a lord, a marquis.

While other nobles prioritized their own safety, her father always went in person. She admired him, but at the same time, she always felt a sting of resentment.

“Three hours. I’ll be back in exactly three hours. Remember how we used to play hide-and-seek whenever I came back? This time, I’m just the seeker again.”

“……”

“Brie, so come give me a hug. Hmm?”

Damon called to her gently with a warm smile. Though she was no longer a child to be tricked by a game of hide-and-seek, Brienne let out a sigh and wrapped herself in his embrace.

Right now, lives of the estate’s people were at stake.

She knew that just as she cherished her father, there were others who had precious people, too.

“You must… come back safely. And if it’s too dangerous, you must return immediately.”

“Of course. If my daughter says so, I must obey.”

Damon smiled and patted Brienne’s back. But Brienne couldn’t laugh along, as her throat kept tightening.

“Everyone, listen carefully.”

Releasing Brienne, Damon looked around at the staff with a now solemn face.

“From this moment on, I temporarily delegate all authority of the Ford household to Shiloh.”

“…Father!”

Shiloh, who had only been sniffling, looked up. Damon merely smiled bitterly, as if he were already preparing for the possibility that he might not return.

“Open the door.”

At his words, the two knights waiting nearby opened the tightly shut doors. Blinding rain roared in to greet them. Damon, as if suddenly remembering something, turned to Brienne.

“Ah, if anything interesting happens with Young Duke Belif, be sure to tell me all about it!”

Unaware of what turmoil his daughter was feeling, he gave a mischievous grin and disappeared into the rain with the two knights.

***

“Of course, it must be time.”

Climbing into the carriage, Damon looked up at the guestroom window where Hereis was staying. The answer to a question he had heard yesterday still lingered deeply in his mind.

“…Time, why do you think so?”

“It’s obvious. Time waits for no one. A newborn becomes an adult, and eventually grows old and closes their eyes. Don’t we all live losing everything equally? Since I will lose it anyway, I want to give all my time to the woman I love. I’ll cherish every moment we spend together and won’t let her feel lonely even for a second.”

When he heard those words, it felt like he had been struck by something. Damon himself wasn’t one to hold back affection, yet he had hardly ever spent quality time with his family.

The council, the family, the estate.

Looking back, work always came first. He had many responsibilities to uphold, but even now, he was risking his life on this trip meant to comfort Brienne.

He believed that reviving a declining house was for the sake of his family. That caring for the people of the estate to gain trust was for Shiloh, who would inherit his position. That it would help Brienne marry into a good family.

But after hearing Hereis’s words, he thought again. What his family truly wanted might simply be time spent with their father.

‘…When I return to the capital, we must spend weekends together as a family.’

A bitter expression crossed Damon’s face as he turned his gaze from the window.

He had tried to leave quietly so as not to wake the guest, but he felt regret at the thought that he might never see that beautiful young man again.

‘What a fitting answer for Brienne.’

Resolving once more to return without incident, Damon drew back the curtain and looked out over the swollen hillside.

The village he had prioritized was already submerged, not even a rooftop in sight. As if there had always been a vast lake there, the eerily calm scene was chilling.

Unless it was a region prone to heavy rains, the Ford estate lacked proper flood control. Whether the residents had evacuated safely was unclear. Even if he went there now, there might be nothing he could do.

Blaming his own complacency, Damon ordered the carriage to head to the second village. How much time had passed?

After a while, the speeding carriage suddenly came to a halt.

“The rain’s too heavy! We can’t go any farther by carriage!”

One of the knights urgently dismounted and knocked on the window. As if expecting it, Damon opened the window, and the knight lowered his posture to report.

“Marquis, as the terrain drops, the road ahead is flooding. If we go further, the wheels might get stuck and we won’t be able to turn back. We should proceed on foot from here.”

“Understood. Prepare to tie the horses here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Damon leapt from the carriage. Another knight quickly opened an umbrella to shield him.

“Hold onto me tightly. The water depth could change at any moment. You mustn’t get separated.”

Damon nodded and carefully took a step. His feet sank into the soggy earth, his body swayed. With every step, his trousers threatened to slip off.

“We’re almost there!”

As the knight said, the water that had only reached their ankles now rose to their knees. Damon squinted into the distance at drifting clothes and household items.

“That’s…”

Then he realized, it wasn’t just clothes drifting.

It was people.

They weren’t moving. Maybe already lifeless.

“…Damn.”

Damon, who had barely held his composure, turned pale. Was he too late? If only he had arrived a little sooner…

“There’s a child over there!”

At that moment, a knight shouted. Damon, who had been lost in regret, raised his head. Following the knight’s gaze, he saw a young girl standing on a rooftop.

Then it happened.

“Ugh…!”

The umbrella shielding their view was swept away before anyone could grab it. A sudden gust slammed rain against them mercilessly. Then a large plank came flying from somewhere.

“Watch out!”

A knight shielded the marquis’s head just in time. They fell into the muddy water, and the plank splashed down behind them.

“Marquis, are you all right?!”

Even in the chaos, Damon couldn’t take his eyes off the child.

He looked to be about six years old, clutching a chimney to stay upright. Even the roof beneath him didn’t seem stable.

His small, trembling face overlapped with a memory of young Brienne—when she was that age, constantly plagued by fevers and colds.

“P-Please save me…!”

Through the rain came a sobbing scream.

“Mom…! Dad…!”

The strong wind tore off bricks and boards. The child’s feet slipped again and again, helping to break apart the roof. The house looked ready to collapse any moment.

Below, the floodwaters churned hungrily, waiting to swallow her whole.

“H-Hey! Quickly, that child…!”

Panicked, Damon started to speak, but a knight shouted louder.

“Marquis, the water’s rising! We must turn back now!”

But Damon only stared at the child.

If he didn’t move now, who else could save the child?

“…Wait, just wait a little longer!”

He shoved the knight’s hand aside and pushed through the current. Caught off guard, the knights chased after him.

“Marquis! It’s too dangerous!”

“Please come back!”

Then another gust of wind and rain swept over them. None could keep their eyes open.

“Marquis…!”

When the knights finally opened their eyes, both the child and the Marquis of Ford had vanished.

***