Chapter 231

To avoid the knights' notice, Cain hid her face beneath the hood he wore and slipped out of the street with her.

How long had they walked, through that pouring rain? At last, cutting through the cold downpour, the two of them reached an old cabin deep in the mountains.

If they stayed here for a while, there'd be no risk of being found.

He'd brought her here, on impulse, simply thinking they needed to escape the knights' pursuit for now...

But now that they'd actually arrived, Cain felt as though his chest might split open from sheer frustration.

Drying Viola's small, soaked body and hair carefully with a dry cloth, building a fire in the old hearth, and laying the exhausted child down on the bed — all of that had gone well enough.

Watching her fall into a peaceful sleep, her young face relaxing with relief now that…