Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 139

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I walked along a deserted path, relying on the memories of my past life. To be honest, the place I was walking couldn’t even be called a path. It was rugged with rocks and stones, and overgrown with thick grass.

 

The archmage probably built his tomb in such a remote and treacherous place to ensure no one would find his remains. After all, there would always be those who believed the archmage’s corpse might hold something extraordinary and would attempt to rob the grave. Though in this case, there really was something special. The irony was that by creating a tomb in such a remote and rugged location, it had inadvertently turned the area into a hunting ground.

 

They would never imagine there’d be a tomb here. Kobel must have learned about the existence of the tomb from the paper he showed me. Since I asked the cardinal to interpret it, I will know the contents of that paper soon. Thinking that, I kept my guard up and moved forward.

 

In my past life, I hadn’t encountered a single beast, let alone a person, on the way to the archmage’s tomb. So it should be safe, but you never know what might happen. I tightened my grip on the dagger in my hand. Though I had a bow slung over my back, it was practically useless. Mom taught me how to use a bow, but I still haven’t gotten past the basics. That’s why I bought this dagger imbued with magical power.

 

In my past life, I didn’t even have a self-defense weapon like this. Kobel had literally thrown me into the jaws of death for his own purposes. Good thing I didn’t run into anything dangerous back then.

 

It was while I was thinking that. Up ahead, I saw a familiar hill. It looked like a simple mound of earth, just a natural bulge in the terrain. But there was one oddly placed stone stuck in the middle of it. Found it! The archmage’s tomb!

 

It was just as I quickened my pace.

 

“Graaaa!’

 

Somewhere, the chilling cry of a beast echoed.

 

“…!”

 

Holding my breath, I looked toward where the sound had come from. Through the dense weeds and trees, I could look down at the area below. Unlike the higher elevation where I stood, Zone 3 was a relatively flat hunting ground. But I saw a pack of wolves sprinting into that area.

 

Since it was a hunting ground, it wasn’t strange for there to be plenty of prey. The problem was that someone was being chased by the wolf pack. Someone riding a horse at the very front, fleeing desperately. In that moment, sunlight filtering through the branches illuminated his face.

 

Ludwig! He was being pursued by the pack of wolves all alone. Moreover, there were strange markings engraved on the wolves’ heads. A pack of wolves bewitched by magic. That means someone deliberately sent them after Ludwig!

 

I hurriedly rushed down. Without a moment to think, I acted on instinct. My only thought was that I had to help him somehow. But then I realized far too late that the only weapon in my hand was a small dagger. And it wasn’t even something I could use from a distance.

 

The moment that realization sent a chill through my chest, Ludwig’s horse suddenly leaped high into the air. And in the very spot where the horse had jumped, the pack of wolves that had been charging relentlessly suddenly vanished.

 

“…?”

 

Someone had dug a trap below.

 

“Grrrr!”

 

The wolves that had fallen into the trap howled in despair. Ludwig, who had lightly jumped off his horse, smiled as he looked down into the trap. Seeing his calm demeanor, I realized something. Ludwig had anticipated this ambush and set up the trap beforehand. I worried for nothing. What kind of person is he, after all?

 

Just as I felt relieved and was about to climb back up, I saw it. Between the rocks beyond Ludwig, a pair of red eyes gleamed. There is another wolf! It seemed Ludwig hadn’t noticed yet. The wolf was crouched low, ready to pounce on him. At this rate, Ludwig would be attacked.

 

“Grrr!”

 

As I feared, the wolf lunged at Ludwig. No! My mind went blank, and before I knew it, my body moved on its own. My hand reached for the bow and arrow on my back, swiftly knocking the arrow and drawing the bowstring aimed directly at the wolf. Whoosh— Thud!

 

“Graaa!”

 

The arrow I shot pierced straight through the wolf’s eye. The leaping wolf instantly lost its momentum and plummeted into the trap.

 

I stared blankly at the scene before me. At that moment, Ludwig’s startled eyes turned toward me. As soon as I saw his face, words spilled from my lips. “Your Highness, are you okay?”

 

At my voice, Ludwig snapped out of his daze and rushed up to where I was in a single stride. “What about you? Are you alright?” His eyes scanned me from head to toe.

 

Seeing him like that, the tension in me eased, and I burst into laughter. “You were the one attacked by the wolf, yet you’re worried about me.”

 

At that, Ludwig made a rare sheepish expression. “Somehow, that sounded like ‘worry about yourself.’”

 

“You understood perfectly. If you’re going hunting, you should be more careful. Do you have any idea how much you scared me?”

 

The sincerity in my last words must have been evident, as Ludwig’s eyes showed a hint of surprise.

 

“Thank you. For worrying about me.”

 

“…”

 

“And for saving me.” He looked down at my hand holding the bow. “I owe my life to these small hands. I’ll make sure to repay this debt.” Then, he asked with curiosity. “Since when have you been so good at hunting? Your archery skills are top-notch.”

 

I flinched. Honestly, I didn’t know the reason myself. I had no idea how I had just managed to hit the wolf’s eyes dead-on. Of course, looking back, there had been times when I displayed abilities I couldn’t explain. Like when I fell out of a tree as a child and was completely unhurt. When I first entered the Blanche Mansion, Nicholas tried to hit me, but I somehow dodged his flying hands perfectly every time without even realizing it.

 

I looked into Ludwig’s eyes as he waited for my answer. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth, nor could I lie, so I changed the subject. “How did Your Highness know the wolves would attack and set up a trap?”

 

Ludwig smirked. He had noticed that I deliberately changed the topic. My conscience pricked. However, contrary to my worry that he would interrogate me, Ludwig readily played along with my deflection.

 

“I planted an informant with Claude.”

 

I was startled. “Are you saying it was Duke Claude Clementi who targeted you?”

 

“That’s right. My younger brother is quite the scoundrel, isn’t he?” Despite having nearly lost his life to his half-brother, he joked about it nonchalantly. “So, you should also keep your distance from Claude.”

 

“We’re not close.”

 

“Even if you get the chance, stay away from him. He’s really a bad guy. Trying to kill his own brother, of all things.”

 

Looking at Ludwig’s smiling face, I suddenly became curious. Is he really okay enough to smile and talk like this? Is he just pretending to be fine? Or has he already become so numb that he doesn’t feel anything anymore? I wanted to know what Ludwig was truly feeling, but it didn’t seem like we were close enough to share such things, so I held back my words. And besides, I had something I needed to do now.

 

“Your Highness, you should either return or have guards accompany you while you hunt. Someone might try to threaten you again.”

 

Ludwig’s eyes widened at my words. “And you? Are you planning to stay and keep hunting?”

 

“Yes. No one’s targeting me, after all.”

 

“Not to mention, you’re quite skilled with a bow.” Ludwig glanced at the bow in my hand as he spoke.

 

I flinched but didn’t respond. He crossed his arms, seemingly deep in thought for a moment, then smiled as if a brilliant idea had struck him.

 

“I don’t want to go back just yet. I want to hunt more and win the first-place trophy.”

 

“Then at least have a guard…”

 

“Lady Epirosa, you can be my guard.”

 

“What?”

 

Ludwig leaned in close to me and whispered. “With archery skills like that, you seem more than qualified to be the crown prince’s guard.”

 

I quickly took a step back. “Your Highness, I’ll be honest with you. I’m terrible at archery. That shot earlier? It was pure luck.”

 

“Luck? With that level of skill?” Ludwig let out a small laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it. “Still, I want to go hunting with you.”

 

“But why?”

 

“Because whenever I’m with you, only good things happen.”