"What happened?"
"Duke Alaris is dead," said Master Valorant.
When Master said those words, Anna was still sitting at the dinner table with us. Upon hearing them, her face instantly turned pale. It was clear from her expression that she didn't want to believe what she had just heard. She stood up from her seat and ran out of the room.
Tears welled in Anna's eyes as she murmured to herself,
[This can't be happening! I don't believe it. I don't want to believe it. Grandpa said there was still time… He lied to me. It's all a lie!]
She ran up to the second floor, dashing down the hallway until she reached her grandfather's room. The door was ajar. Anna approached it slowly, pausing just at the threshold without entering, and peered inside.
The room was dark, with only a sliver of light coming through the door. Everything inside looked just as it had always been—except for the white-coated doctor standing beside the bed. The doctor gently pulled a sheet over the man lying there.
At that moment, the doctor sensed someone blocking the light from the door. He turned and saw Anna standing there, tears streaming down her face. He stepped forward and, in a somber voice, said,
"My condolences."
Those words felt like the final nail in the coffin. Her tears paused for just a second—but for Anna, that moment stretched into eternity. It was the instant she realized she had lost everything. Refusing to accept it, she screamed out all the pain bottled inside her:
"No! This can't be true!"
By then, Suna and I had followed her. As the doctor stepped out of the room, I heard Anna's cries echoing from within.
When Suna approached the doorway and heard Anna's scream, her expression shifted to one of deep sorrow. The death of the Duke weighed heavily on everyone in the mansion.
As we reached the door, I saw Anna sitting on the floor just a step inside, sobbing uncontrollably. Suna rushed over and kneeled beside her, gently pulling Anna into her arms.
Anna wept into Suna's embrace, and though Suna said nothing, tears flowed silently down her cheeks. Seeing them like that made my own heartache.
But I couldn't shake the thought of what Master Valorant had told me moments earlier:
"Attu, quickly. Pack your things and help Anna. We must leave this place as soon as possible."
"Why? We can't just abandon the Duke like this."
"It's not about that. The second part of the mission has begun. Duke Alaris made one final request: that, upon his death, we take Anna to the Elven Forest without delay. Now go. Help her. We leave in ten minutes."
"Yes, Master! But after that, I expect you to explain everything!" I replied as I ran after Suna.
I didn't know how to tell Anna and Suna what the Master had said. Anyone would expect sympathy, not a command to flee.
As I approached them to deliver the message, seeing them cry hit something deep in my heart. I couldn't quite identify the feeling at first… but then I remembered. It was the same pain I had felt half a year ago when I lost my mother—the same helpless, crushing sorrow that drove me to the river's edge, where I screamed my grief to the sky.
This time, that pain didn't belong to me—it belonged to Anna and Suna. But I understood it. And I knew, no matter how cruel it felt, we had to leave.
[What should I even say? I can see how broken they are. I know how it feels to lose the only person who matters. But Master wouldn't say this unless it was serious.]
I stepped forward and delivered the message, though I felt like a heartless monster for doing it.
"Anna, Suna, please, get ready. We have to leave this place immediately."
Suna turned to me in disbelief and shouted,
"What are you saying?" Do you even hear yourself?"
I wasn't angry at her reaction—I understood. Anyone would be furious to hear such a thing at a moment like this.
"My master said we must go, as soon as possible," I replied.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I really don't. But we have to."
"And what about the funeral?! Are we just supposed to run off and leave him here?"
"Please, trust me. Trust Master Valorant. He said we must take Anna to the Elven Forest."
"And what then? Are we just supposed to abandon this place? What about her home?"
"I don't know. But Master knows something, and we have no choice but to trust him. Please… if you can't trust him, then trust me."
"…I don't understand any of this. But fine. I'll do what you say," she finally said.
"I'll go pack. You should hurry too." I turned and ran to gather my belongings.
Suna held Anna tightly as she cried. But as she remembered Master Valorant's words, she wiped her tears and steeled herself. She gently spoke to Anna:
"Anna… I'm sorry. I know this is the worst moment of your life, but we have to leave."
Still crying, Anna replied,
"I don't want to go. I don't want to accept this."
"I know… but we have to. Master Valorant wouldn't say this without a reason."
"I don't care. I'm staying."
At that moment, Suna desperately searched for a way to persuade Anna. Then a memory surfaced—the last time she had spoken with the Duke.
In the dimly lit room, Alaris lay on his bed in grave condition. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, and his lips were cracked and dry. Anna sat quietly beside him, holding his hand. Suna stood by the doorway, silently watching their final conversation.
"Anna…" Alaris reached his frail hand toward her.
"Yes, Grandpa, I'm right here," Anna replied, gently clasping his hand.
"You know as well as I do that I'll be leaving you soon."
"Don't say that! I'll find a way to heal you soon—I promise! You yourself said there might be a cure in one of the books in the library. I've read nearly every book in there. Just a little more time, and I'll find the spell or the herb that can save you."