Chapter 16 - Saving Maylie

Maylie could not keep her balance. Azriel supported part of her weight on her back and headed to the stairs, stumbling repeatedly. Her body was already weak, and she could not move quickly while helping Maylie who was taller than her. She was soaked with sweat and Maylie’s blood. The wounds on her back and calf bled from the pressure, and the heat from the fire suffocated her. She was lucky that her chronic cough had not returned.

With all of her might, she came up the stairs. Avoiding the side of the hallway blocked by fire, she went the opposite direction and heard people’s footsteps nearing. Confused, she looked around and went inside the room across from the one she had been hiding in a while ago, where the winter rugs, curtains, carpets, and other furnishings were stored. She leaned Maylie, who had fallen unconscious, against the piles of wool rugs. People were moving and shouting fire outside. Azriel locked the door and approached the window, which had its curtains closed.

When she opened the curtains and looked outside, torrential rain was pouring down. Occasional lightning illuminated the surroundings white. Lamplights busily moved in the rain. The guards must be searching for intruders after news of a fire in the castle. Lamplights were heavily gathered near the rear entrance as well.

‘I need to get back to the secret passage again.’

Even after deciding on her next course of action, Azriel felt desperate all of a sudden. Since she was alone, she could just run away, but what about Maylie? Maylie had a family that could not be moved as easily. She clenched her teeth.

‘If we have money, we’ll make it somehow. I should escape with all of Maylie’s family. If I rent a huge coach…’

She was finally determined. Azriel went to Maylie again and shook her shoulder.

“Maylie, Maylie. Wake up for a second. Where did you put the other glass shoe? We need it to run away together.”

 Maylie only blinked her eyes, as if she were drowsy. Only after Azriel pressed her with a low voice did she barely manage a response.

“In the lobby… armor, deco… ration… right side, the second one… inside the helmet…”

It was Maylie’s job to clean the decorative armor displayed in the castle’s lobby.

‘She hid it in a familiar place.’

Azriel nodded and covered Maylie with the curtain she took down from the window so that she would not be visible to anyone entering the room.

“Take a rest here. Hold on a little longer. I will find the glass shoe and we can run away together.”

After hiding Maylie, Azriel went out the window and climbed down the wall. Her whole body was instantly soaked to the point of pain because of the pouring rain. Soon, her body felt cold. She ran staggeringly to the rear entrance near the lobby. Luckily, there was some distance between the lobby and where the fire was raging. She counted the armors on display in the quiet lobby. Second from the right. Stepping on the knee of the suit of armor, she climbed up and opened the helmet. Inside the dark lump of cast iron twinkled a clear, glass shoe. Azriel pulled it out and hid it inside the inner pocket of her apron.

About the time Azriel returned to Maylie, the fire was put out. As she crawled up the window that she had left open, she heard Deborah’s scream in a shrill voice.

“The girl’s gone! Go get her now! She couldn’t have gone far!”

There was no time to catch her breath. Azriel ignored her body, which had started trembling, and uncovered the curtain she had placed.

“Maylie, wake up. Maylie?”

Maylie seemed to have completely passed out. She did not open her eyes no matter how many times Azriel shook her. Azriel wrapped her with a plush rug and rolled her out the window. It was only possible because they were on the first floor and the window was low. The rug turned heavy after becoming drenched with rain, and she could not utter the strength to lift it. As soon as she went over the window, she removed the rug and carried Maylie on her back. Her back hurt and her legs shook, but she somehow managed to move. She had to.

Lights were turned on all over the previously sleeping Colte Castle. Shadows of people running around were seen through the windows. Azriel clung to the wall to hide and moved slowly. Her hair, wet from the rain, kept sticking to her face. Azriel’s only comfort was hearing Maylie’s occasional light breathing.

She reached the well after what felt like an eternity. Upon arriving, she set Maylie down against the well. Although she was exhausted, she needed to get herself and Maylie inside the secret passage before she could rest. As she looked inside the well to pull the rope, she was thrown into despair.

“No… Water has…” 

Because of the sudden, heavy rain, water was filling the well. She thought there must have been a device to drain the water since it was where the secret passage was located, but when she looked down at the flooded well, she felt her efforts were futile and sank into the ground. Wiping the rain running down her eyes with the back of her hand, she thought hard.

‘What do I do now? Think, Azriel Esthera. It’s not just for your sake, but you need to save Maylie, too…’ Azriel paused and thought. ‘That passage, there was a slight incline at the beginning. Maybe if I can go underwater and enter it, there might be no water inside.’

“…You b*tch, I got you!”

She heard a horrifying voice. Azriel turned back in shock.