In A World Full of Silence, My Heart Will Find Its Way To You - Chapter 61

A horse stopped with a loud noise in front of the dark, looming mansion.

As Eric dismounted, the knights guarding the mansion approached him with tense expressions.

They had to tilt their heads far back to look up at his massive frame, nearly twice the size of an average man.

“W-Who are you?”

A deep blue vest, a tie, a frock coat, and a sword at his waist. Blue eyes peeked through jet-black hair, casting a shadow across his face.

“Eric Bailey. I’ve come to see the Baron.”

“Eric Bailey…?”

One knight tilted his head in confusion, but the knight next to him, quick to catch on, bowed his head.

“Are you, by chance, the Captain of the Imperial Guard? It’s an honor to meet you! The Baron left a short while ago.”

“There should be a new maid here. Where is she staying?”

“The new maid… Ah, do you mean the one who can’t speak?”

One knight bit his lower lip slightly and furrowed his brow before turning to another.

“Do you know where that maid is staying?”

“How would I know? Maybe the head butler would.”

“P-Please wait a moment. I’ll bring the head butler here.”

The knight, holding a long spear, rushed inside and soon returned with the head butler.

The butler, dressed in a black suit with neatly combed white hair, quickly bowed to Eric.

“Greetings, Captain. You’re looking for Aria.”

His eyes, marked by age, twitched slightly as he fell silent, lost in thought.

In truth, the butler had been observing his master all day, who had been acting strangely.

Unlike usual, the Baron had taken special care in his appearance and left in a carriage as soon as evening came.

With years of experience, the butler quickly guessed where the Baron was heading—to the cottage where Aria was staying.

He cautiously looked up at Eric. As expected, Eric’s sharp gaze pierced straight through him.

If he told Eric where Aria was, something terrible could happen. He couldn’t let the Captain of the Guard see his master’s shame.

The butler forced a smile to avoid answering directly.

“The Baron isn’t home, and it’s very late now… Perhaps you could return in the morning?”

“Call Aria. Tell her I’m here—she’ll come out.”

“T-That is…”

Seeing the butler’s uneasy face, Eric’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Where did the Baron go?”

“T-That’s a private matter—ugh!”

A drawn sword sliced through the air, stopping inches from the butler’s neck.

The butler froze in fear, feeling as if his head might fly off at any moment.

“W-Why are you doing this?!”

“I won’t ask again. Where did the Baron go?”

Eric’s sharp tone made the trembling butler mutter without realizing it.

“He… probably went… to the cottage… where Aria stays…”

The reason the Baron visited the maid’s residence at such a late hour sent panic rushing up from Eric’s core.

As Eric’s smooth forehead creased, the butler’s eyes shook. He could sense that Eric had a deep connection with Aria.

The butler began pleading desperately, pressing his hands together.

“P-Please have mercy! Aria said she would help out in the fields for a while… I-I thought it was a good idea…”

He rambled incoherently, begging as hard as he could to avoid the cold blade pointed at him.

Eric could only think of Aria. Her face appeared in his mind, smiling like a blooming flower.

He gripped his sword tighter. Was he already too late? He tried to push down the rising fear.

A remote forested hill with no signs of people—nor should there be.

The wind howled like a ghost through the thick trees, creating an eerie atmosphere.

His breathing grew heavier, and his hair was tossed by the wind, but he didn’t care.

If he stopped now, he felt he would lose Aria forever.

The path ended at a cliff. Eric brushed back his hair roughly and stared down the dead end.

There was no sign of Aria anywhere.

Finding her in the vast woods was no easy task. He had been walking silently, focusing on every sound and sight, when—

He heard a voice in the distance.

“Aria!”

Someone shouted her name, the harsh voice cutting through the cold air and landing clearly in Eric’s ears.

Losing all sense of reason, Eric sprinted toward the voice.

When he arrived, he frantically looked around. Then he saw it—a single shoe.

He froze on the spot. It was definitely Aria’s.

“Just be alive. Please…”

The voice rang again, snapping Eric back to his senses. He scanned the area carefully, his eyes locking onto a specific spot.

A dark shadow began to form.

A man was forcing himself on a woman, his disgusting actions faintly visible in the moonlight.

The Baron was slapping Aria’s face repeatedly as she struggled, and he was unbuckling his trousers.

Seeing Aria, lifeless and hopeless, made the veins in Eric’s neck bulge with rage.

His eyes darkened, stripped of any remaining calm.

At the moment the Baron tore at Aria’s skirt—

“You bastard!”

Eric’s furious voice pierced the night and struck both the Baron and Aria’s ears.

He punched the Baron’s filthy face without hesitation.

The sickening sound of the blow echoed, and the Baron collapsed to the ground.

Regaining a bit of her senses, Aria looked up, gasping. And there he was—the man she had once loved. No, the man she still loved and longed for.

Eric looked down at her pitiful state with a troubled expression. A bitter sigh escaped his lips.

“W-Who are you?! Do you know who I am?!”

The Baron, barely conscious, tried to get up, cradling his bruised face.

Eric’s eyes, once fixed on Aria, turned slowly to the Baron.

A chilling gaze—no, murderous madness. The cold, deadly eyes Aria had seen many times before.

Before she could stop him, Eric drew his sword and sliced off the Baron’s right arm.

With a savage sound, blood sprayed like a fountain.

“Ahhhh!!”

The Baron screamed in agony as blood pooled around him.

Eric stared down at him coldly, wiping the blood from his face. Then he raised his sword again.

His gaze was terrifying and cruel. He looked like he wouldn’t even blink if he cut off the Baron’s head right then.

Aria rushed to Eric, grabbing his arm with all her strength.

His deadly gaze turned to her.

Seeing her terrified face made his blue eyes waver slightly.

Eric finally calmed down, closing and opening his bloodshot eyes slowly.

To hide his bloodstained face, he put away his sword and grabbed her wrist, leaving the Baron groaning on the ground.

As they walked down the steep slope, Aria stumbled from her injured leg. Eric looked at her with concern.

Sighing, he lifted her into his arms and headed for his horse.

He placed her on the saddle and climbed up behind her.

She tried to get down, but Eric held her tightly and pulled the reins.

They rode for what felt like half a day in heavy silence.

Eric felt a faint sense of relief. He had found her. He had gotten her back.

As they rode, the Bailey estate appeared in the distance.

At that moment, Aria pushed away from Eric and jumped off the horse, tumbling to the ground.

She barely managed to stand and started to run, limping.

Eric’s face twisted in pain as he watched her.

“Why…”

He quickly dismounted and chased after her, catching up in no time.

Why did she keep trying to run away from him? He couldn’t live without her. She was the one who completed him.

Aria looked at him with red, swollen eyes. For a moment, he thought he heard her voice.

Let me go. Please.

Eric’s eyes trembled faintly. Unlike his usual calm self, he was confused.

But he couldn’t let her go. If he could, he would have long ago.

He grabbed her thin wrist and pulled her toward him.

Only inches apart, their harsh breaths were the only sounds in the cold air.

Eric whispered in a low voice.

“Why do you keep running from me? I told you last time—I won’t stay still.”

Aria’s brown eyes trembled, and she stepped back. Like she wanted distance.

But the more she pulled away, the tighter Eric held her. She lowered her head, powerless.

Eric’s eyes scanned her torn skirt.

Her thin leg showed through, and he bit his lip, falling silent. Only a small breath escaped him.

He took off his coat and wrapped it around her waist. As his warm hands finished, Aria suddenly drew his sword and brought it to her neck.

Eric’s face contorted immediately.

“Put it down.”

But Aria smiled sadly, as if trying to escape a deep scar burned into her.

Eric quickly reached for the blade and grabbed it with his bare hand.

Blood ran down his hand as the sharp edge cut him deeply.

“You’ll never escape me. I’ll find you, no matter what. So give up.”

With a twisted smile, he pulled her into a fierce kiss.

Their lips met, and the metallic scent of blood from her cracked lips mixed between them.

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