Mr. Kadan in the Deep Forest - Chapter 33
‘No, there’s one thing left. This chemise.’
Luna tightly gripped the hem of her wet chemise. Though the cold, soaked fabric was sapping her body heat, the fact that she still had something from Kadan was comforting. She could look at the chemise in her remaining time and remember him.
Clunk, clunk!
Suddenly, a strange sound came from the floor of the shed. Startled, Luna quickly wiped away her tears and scanned the ground.
‘Could it be Kadan, coming to rescue me?’
The possibility was slim, but just thinking about him made her will to live stir. Kadan, is that you? She wanted to confirm it, but her voice was choked with sobs and couldn’t make a sound.
The ground soon shook violently, and a small iron door, hidden beneath the dirt, creaked open.
Through the dust kicked up from the ground, a figure poked its head out. It wasn’t Kadan. Luna squinted, focusing on the person. It was someone she had encountered before at the cabin—Ruth.
“Hello, long time no see.”
“You!”
Luna unconsciously gripped the front of her chemise and inched backward. Ruth sighed deeply and waved his hand urgently toward her.
“I don’t have time for small talk. I’ll help you escape. Come this way.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Hmm, maybe because I want to spend a hot night with the woman Kadan cherishes so much?”
Ruth’s eyes skimmed Luna’s wet chemise, briefly revealing her milk-white skin and the red tattoos beneath it. Her voluptuous chest and the pink tips of her n*****s subtly showed through the thin, damp fabric in the dim light.
If she weren’t Kadan’s woman, Ruth briefly thought, but he was a clever man who valued his life.
Feeling his blatant gaze, Luna instinctively covered her body with her arms and glared at him. Seeing the soft-looking woman glare back with such fierceness made Ruth smirk.
“Just kidding, just kidding. Don’t look at me like that, and hurry up, come this way. It’s really urgent.”
“…Fine.”
“Oh? You’re going to trust me?”
Ruth looked at Luna with a surprised expression as she nodded obediently.
“No. I’m just doing what I can right now.”
For now, Luna decided to follow Ruth. Even if his words were lies, it didn’t matter. There was a small chance she could meet Kadan, and that was worth following him.
Rather than helplessly waiting for the judgment of the royal knights here, it seemed better to cling to even the smallest chance.
Luna followed Ruth through a secret passage beneath the floor. The underground tunnel was narrow and dark, barely wide enough for one person to crawl through.
Every time Luna’s shoulder brushed against the earthen walls, small clumps of dirt fell onto her, and the smell of soil filled the air. The thin oxygen and the suffocating surroundings made it hard to breathe, but it was still better than the situation Ruth was in.
His tall frame made him hunch his shoulders and waist, barely managing to carve a path forward.
“Dammit, why did they dig this tunnel so damn small?”
Ruth muttered, breaking the silence.
“Do you know? The shed you were locked in? That’s where the villagers store their food.”
Luna didn’t respond to the unnecessary chatter, but the next bit of information piqued her interest.
“Not long ago, a thief broke in and stole all the food. I think that’s probably the reason they took you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think the village chief was secretly stealing food and then blamed it on the theft. He probably thought no one would notice. I’m pretty sharp, you know.”
Ruth went on to explain that as the villagers’ resentment grew, the chief needed a scapegoat and blamed Luna to calm them down. Desperate, the chief spread the rumor that the forest’s sacrifice had failed to fulfill its purpose, bringing misfortune upon the village.
“It’s weird though, isn’t it? Your secret existence suddenly pops up like that.”
Ruth shook his head, saying he didn’t know Luna had been the forest’s sacrifice. After all, on the day of the sacrifice, Luna had covered her face with a white cloth.
Only those who helped her prepare, like the chief, would have clearly remembered her face.
“Has anyone seen you in the cabin?”
Ruth’s question made Luna recall the women who had visited the cabin recently. If anyone had seen her face…
‘Her name was Daisy, wasn’t it?’
The woman who had helped her prepare for the sacrifice was also Daisy, and Daisy had actively gone to the cabin, showing interest in Kadan.
But it didn’t make sense.
‘Daisy was the one who pitied me when I was sold as a sacrifice, and she almost cried. How could someone like that turn me in?’
Luna shook her head, dismissing the doubt. She pushed those complicated thoughts aside for the moment. Escape was the priority now.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Luna?”
When Kadan returned to the cabin, he sensed something was off. The disheveled blanket, a chair lying on the floor, and the dirtied ground. The empty cabin looked as though someone unfamiliar had been there.
‘Has Luna ever gone out without saying anything?’
Kadan flexed his arms, the muscles clearly visible, and just then, someone knocked on the door.
“Luna?”
Kadan rushed to the door and flung it open. Standing there was not Luna, but Daisy. Startled by Kadan’s intense presence, Daisy flinched and greeted him.
