The atmosphere in the Antrows Adventurers' Guild lobby felt like a tightly drawn thread, ready to snap at any second. Keyzier, Donovan, and Novalia stood stiffly in the center of the room, surrounded by the gazes of dozens of pairs of eyes that were usually friendly, but were now filled with a mixture of pity, fear, and anticipation.
Keyzier, possessing the sharp instincts of an assassin, had sensed something was amiss from the moment he stepped through the front door. He walked toward the reception desk, staring at Hana, who appeared deathly pale.
"What's wrong, Hana? Why is everyone looking at us like that? Is there something wrong with the three of us?" Keyzier asked in a flat tone, yet demanding an explanation.
Hana squeezed her fingers under the desk, her eyes shifting from Keyzier to Novalia, who stood slightly behind him. "Nothing is wrong with you." Hana replied with a trembling voice. "It's just... earlier, the first son of Marquis Sylvestre Alloire Varda came here. He brought a large force, searching for his younger sister named Novalia."
Hana paused for a moment, swallowing hard before continuing, "I want to ask you directly... is the Novalia that person is looking for her?" Hana pointed toward the yellow-haired girl who had been a member of Party Noiver all this time.
Instantly, a chilling silence blanketed the guild lobby. Novalia flinched, her cheerful face suddenly losing all its color. Her body trembled violently as if the name Hana mentioned were an ancient curse come back to haunt her. Keyzier and Donovan did not answer; their silence was the loudest response possible.
Hana covered her mouth with her hand. Her instinct was correct. The sweet girl who often helped her at the guild was actually a high-ranking noble princess being hunted by her own family.
"What exactly is happening? Explain it to us, Novalia!"
A heavy and authoritative voice broke the tension. Robert, the Guild Master, emerged from a side corridor and approached the trio in the lobby. He stood tall, arms crossed over his chest, awaiting an honest explanation. As the leader of the guild, he could not allow a mystery of this magnitude to jeopardize the stability of his city.
Novalia lowered her head deeply. She felt thousands of eyes peeling away her identity. She turned to Keyzier and Donovan, seeking strength. Keyzier gave a slight nod, a sign that no matter what she said, they would remain standing by her side.
Left with no other choice, Novalia finally took a long breath and spoke. "It's true, Guild Master. My full name is Novalia Alloire Varda. I am the first daughter of the Marquis Varda family."
Shocked murmurs simultaneously erupted throughout the hall. The adventurers whispered to one another. A noble princess from the strongest military family in the West was now standing before them as a Rank C adventurer, drenched in sweat and dust.
"Do Keyzier and Donovan know about your background?" Robert asked again.
"Yes, they have both known who I am since our first meeting. I was the one who asked them to keep it a secret." Novalia answered, her voice growing stronger.
Robert frowned. "Varda is a region very far from Antrows City. Why would your brother come all the way to this city to find you? Why would a noble princess choose to become an adventurer and hide in a border town?"
Novalia clenched her fists beneath her magic cloak. Bitter memories began to swirl in her mind like a painful, worn-out film. She decided to tell everything, the truth she had kept locked away until now.
"I was indeed born into a noble family, a privilege many might long for. But I never felt a single moment of happiness while being a part of that family." Novalia began, her voice sounding pained.
She recounted that in the Varda family, military strength was everything. However, because she was born a female, she was considered a failure. Since childhood, the treatment she received was incredibly unfair. Her parents and her two older brothers often mocked and belittled her.
"They considered me trash because I couldn't swing a heavy sword as well as a man. I frequently suffered physical abuse and violence while living in that mansion. When I was innocent, I was always blamed. No one would listen to my explanations. Even when I needed protection, not a single person from my family would extend a hand."
The atmosphere in the hall grew even quieter. The usually gruff adventurers now felt pity hearing the young girl's suffering.
However, things grew worse when Novalia's magical talent awakened. The Varda family realized she possessed a rare and specialized skill in buff and debuff magic. Instead of showing affection, the Marquis saw her as a war asset.
"My father said my abilities were very useful to be used as a weapon to attack other noble families or to forge important ties with other nobles, even to be betrothed to someone I didn't know at all. I was placed under house arrest for no clear reason. I felt isolated, locked in a luxurious room that felt like a prison cell. My mind was slowly breaking because I was being treated like a political tool, not a human being."
Unable to endure that "hell" any longer, Novalia decided to take a desperate step. Taking advantage of the servants' and guards' lapse in vigilance during a stormy night, she jumped through her bedroom window. Carrying only a small amount of savings and some basic supplies, she ran through the woods surrounding the Varda estate.
"I kept running without direction. All I could think of was that I had to get as far away from that house as possible. I would rather be eaten by wolves in the forest than go back there!" Novalia said, tears beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes.
After days of fleeing and exhaustion, she accidentally stumbled upon a tent in the middle of the woods occupied by two young strangers, Keyzier and Donovan.
"I looked inside the tent and found two people fast asleep. At that moment, I had given up. I decided to sleep inside their tent because I was so cold and terrified. I was even prepared for them to kill me when they woke up, thinking I was an intruder."
But fate had other plans. When Keyzier and Donovan woke up, they didn't draw their swords. Instead, they gave her food, warmth, and most importantly, a sense of being valued as a human.
"That's the story, Guild Master. I am truly sorry for keeping this from the guild. But, if today I must choose between going back with my brother or dying here, I would rather choose to die!" Novalia declared with eyes full of determination.
Everyone in the guild was shocked. The noble life they had always imagined to be full of parties and luxury turned out to have a terrifying dark side.
Robert stared at Novalia with an unreadable expression, while Keyzier and Donovan stepped forward, standing in front of Novalia as if they were living shields for their comrade.