Chapter 8.3

“Lyla, over here.”

When she came down to the first floor, Charlier, already seated, waved his right arm.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Did I delay your meal for too long?”

“Haha, not at all.”

After apologizing again, Lyla took a seat across from Charlier.

Charlier stirred his soup with a piece of hard bread, occasionally glancing at Lyla.

When he had spotted her earlier among the crowd disembarking the stagecoach, he had initially thought it was bad luck. 

Had she followed me? Why, of all the villages, did she come to this one?

As various thoughts swirled in his mind, his eyes fell on her luggage.

Lyla had served as the Duke’s steward for a long time and had sent him a considerable amount of money during the war. Someone like her wouldn’t have fled empty-handed. Her bag was small, but he was certain it contained only the most valuable items.

Having made up his mind, Charlier greeted Lyla with the friendliest smile he could muster.

As expected, Lyla followed him without any suspicion.

His plan was to wait until she fell asleep and then steal her bag before fleeing.

But as he watched her quietly nibbling on her food, a different idea crossed his mind. His body reacted, and he found himself wanting to change his plan.

Lyla’s hair was still damp, as if she had only dried off quickly before coming downstairs. Her flushed skin glistened faintly with moisture.

Since we would never meet again, would it hurt to indulge just once?

They were the only guests at the inn. The innkeeper was an elderly man with poor hearing. If necessary, he could resort to using drugs.

Charlier licked his lips and let his gaze drift to Lyla’s chest.

However, unlike the last time he had seen her, there was no sign of any curves. 

Did she think to cover her chest but not dry her hair? 

Charlier inwardly lamented.

“Oh, just in case…”

Noticing his gaze, Lyla gave an awkward smile.

Her expression was so innocent, as if the thought of him harboring impure intentions never even crossed her mind. Charlier smiled lazily, trying to ease her concerns further.

As he brought a piece of bread soaked in soup to his mouth, Lyla cautiously spoke.

“Professor, Lord Kadis won’t come looking for me here, will he?”

Charlier froze mid-bite.

“I feel like he might… I snuck out while he was asleep.”

Ah, that made sense.

Charlier nodded with a grim expression.

‘So that’s why he let her go so quietly. She escaped while he wasn’t paying attention.’

If Kadis did find her, stealing her money and fleeing would be akin to suicide. 

How had I not considered this? 

Charlier decided to revise his plans entirely.

‘At least it’s fortunate we reunited in this village.’

Charlier made a living selling illegal drugs. He had stopped by this village instead of heading straight to the capital to meet with a distributor.

Using them, he could easily deal with Lyla.

Though he had grown fond of her, there was no other choice.

“Oh dear, I just remembered I have an appointment with an acquaintance.”

Charlier smoothly changed the subject.

“Oh, you had a prior engagement? I’m sorry for keeping you…”

“Haha, it’s fine. It wasn’t a meal appointment, just something I was supposed to do if I had time. And…”

“And?”

Charlier hesitated for a moment before looking directly at Lyla and continuing.

“I don’t think you need to worry about the Duke.”

***

“Damn it.”

Kadis shook his head irritably.

What had started as light flurries brushing against his face had turned into a full-blown snowstorm, with snow piling up on his eyelashes. His black horse’s mane had long since turned white from the snow.

“Hya!”

Kadis urged his horse forward, as if defying the intensifying storm. Behind him, dozens of soldiers followed.

A guard had been tailing Lyla when she escaped while Kadis was asleep, but it had been futile. The note brought by the messenger pigeon had been soaked in snow, smudging the writing.

‘If the snow piles up, wouldn’t it slow the Earl down, even just a little?’

One of his foolish subordinates had suggested this, but such assumptions only served to further enrage Kadis.

She had chosen to escape on a day like this? What if she caught a cold? She should’ve been resting, especially in her condition.

His anxiety gnawed at him.

“Stop.”

Kadis pulled on the reins.

They had reached a fork in the road.

“Split into two teams, excluding me. Head east and west.”

He pointed to the two paths and gave his orders.

“Where will you go, Your Grace?”

“I’ll take this path.”

He gestured toward a wooded area beside the fork.

The path, long unused, was barely discernible. Overgrown with branches and bushes, it was more of a trace than a road.

‘There used to be a village beyond this.’

Kadis’s eyes narrowed.

He couldn’t explain it, but he had a gut feeling that his mate was there.

Instinct, perhaps.

“Move out.”

As Kadis drew the sword from his waist, the soldiers split into two groups and dispersed.

Before plunging into the thicket, Kadis checked the thick winter coat strapped to his saddle.

It was Lyla’s.

Satisfied, Kadis spurred his horse forward. With each swing of his sword, the underbrush parted, clearing a path.

***

‘What… what’s going on?’

Lyla blinked slowly.

A cold sensation brushed against her cheek.

As she slowly lifted her head, a torch flickered above her.

Two unfamiliar men holding torch poles stood nearby, with Professor Charlier beside them, engrossed in counting money.

“Mmm… mmph…?”

Lyla tried to speak, but a cloth gagged her mouth, preventing her from making any sound. To make matters worse, her body was tightly bound with rope.

“Is she really a woman? She’s completely flat.”

One of the men spoke, and Lyla quickly shut her eyes, pretending to have fainted.

“She’s wearing bandages around her chest. Once you remove them, you’ll find she’s quite full and satisfying.”

Charlier smiled slyly as he carefully placed a wad of cash into his money pouch.

‘What… is this…?’

At the inn, Charlier had convinced Lyla that she could escape pursuit by relying on an acquaintance of his who lived in the village. At first, Lyla had hesitated, but Charlier’s persistent persuasion had led her to follow him without suspicion.

Then, in the forest, she had suddenly lost consciousness.

When she awoke, she was here.

No matter how she looked at it, it was clear that Charlier had sold her to these men. They hardly seemed like acquaintances, and the location resembled an abandoned warehouse rather than a home.

Was this a dream?

But everything felt too vivid to be a dream.

The hard texture of the ground against her skin, the damp and unpleasant air, the crude voices spewing vulgar remarks… Everything was real.

“Hmph. Is that so? How full are we talking?”

“Don’t touch the merchandise. Damaging it lowers its value.”

One of the men, who had been leering at Lyla’s body, was nudged by his companion, discouraging him from acting.

“Tch. What a waste.”

The man clicked his tongue and pretended to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, feigning regret.

“She’s a virgin who’s never been touched by a man. She’s lived her whole life disguised as one. I guarantee it.”

Charlier chimed in, his tone casual.

“Oh? Really? Virgins are always more valuable.”

“Of course, of course!”

“By the way, since when did you start dealing with women? You must be desperate for money.”

“This is a one-time thing.”

Charlier’s voice, as he casually conversed with the men, was twisted with malice. To Lyla, he felt like a stranger.

But in truth, this was his real self. The side of Charlier that no one knew was far more vile than anyone could have imagined.

“You know, Professor, you’re just as much of a wreck as we are.”

“They say you got expelled for messing around with noblewomen and young ladies in the capital.”

“Haha. I wasn’t expelled; I simply resigned from my ‘lifetime’ professorship. There’s a clear distinction.”

Charlier corrected them sharply, his pride wounded.

“Isn’t it the same thing? You got kicked out in the end.”

“It’s not—ugh, fine. Anyway, here’s how you handle the girl.”

Charlier, giving up on reasoning with the simpletons, pulled something out of his coat pocket and handed it over.

“This stuff turns people into mindless fools, right?”

“Yes. Completely obedient.”

“Wow! So this is what Imperial professors spend their time making in their labs! Are you selling this? I’d pay a good price for it.”

“Ah, it’s a difficult product to make. If mass production becomes possible, I’ll let you know.”

The man who received the drug approached Lyla.

Hearing his footsteps draw nearer, Lyla instinctively flinched. Though she quickly froze in place, her reaction gave away that she was conscious.

“Oh? This one’s been listening the whole time?”

“What should we do, Professor?”

The men turned to Charlier for guidance. Charlier stared blankly at Lyla for a moment before shrugging.

“Let’s give her the drug now.”

“Hmm. It’ll be troublesome to move a mindless woman across the border.”

“She might actually be easier to handle that way.”

As the men hesitated, Charlier snatched the drug from them and approached Lyla. If her connection to the Ducal Residence became known, the deal could fall apart.

“If you won’t do it, I will.”

Charlier removed the cloth gagging Lyla’s mouth.

“Pwah! Pro-Professor!”

“Yes, Lyle… No, Miss Lyla. Do you have something to say?”

Charlier smiled as he uncapped the vial. Lyla glared at him and shouted.

“What are you doing?!”

“Haha. Didn’t you hear it all?”

Charlier replied smugly.

“I’m using the money from selling you to start anew. Oh, and the money you diligently sent me will serve as a nice foundation.”

“You think you’ll get away with this—ugh!”

Charlier grabbed Lyla by the hair, forcing her head up.

“You’ll be fine. By the time the Duke comes looking for you, you’ll be a mindless fool who remembers nothing.”

He whispered in a chilling voice.