Chapter 26

‘Really, it’s absurd.’ 

Rohana thought to herself as she glanced sideways at Kaiden. As always, he was walking closely beside her.

When she asked where they were going, his calm gaze answered her to follow him.

The sound of their shoe heels echoed clearly on the cleanly polished cobblestones of the city.

Wherever they went, people stared at Kaiden, who always stood out, and Rohana, who was well-known in the capital, walking around as an engaged couple.

The former fiancée of the crown prince was now engaged to a duke. Did he not know how many different stories the gossips were spreading?

An ordinary lady might have fainted from shame, but of course, Rohana didn’t care at all.

“About that matter…”

Rohana finally broke the silence. Kaiden asked with his eyes what she meant.

“I am truly grateful. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

His silver hair shimmered in the sunlight. His face, strangely enough, was a bit tense. The less coldly he spoke, the more his face seemed to stiffen. It was puzzling.

“Why bother…”

Kaiden, who had turned his gaze away, looked back at her.

“Let’s just call it a business gift.”

“I see.”

Rohana smiled slightly. She felt truly grateful, and even if she tried to think of something else, gratitude was gratitude.

“It’s nice to be out after a long time.”

Rohana squinted her eyes and looked at the sunlit street.

“Indeed.”

“By the way, why didn’t you ask?”

Kaiden tilted his head at Rohana’s question.

“Why didn’t you ask why I tried to run away alone?”

Kaiden’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Didn’t you think I was doing all sorts of things because I was ignorant?”

Even as she probed once more, he didn’t react.

“I’ve never thought that.”

Kaiden answered firmly.

“You must have had your own reasons, My Lady.”

Still with a somewhat unclear expression, Rohana unknowingly spoke in an honest voice, along with a small laugh.

“I really don’t understand you, Duke.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Without specifically asking what she was curious about, Kaiden gave her a calm smile. However, it felt like his gaze lingered longer on her smiling lips and face.

“What happens after you divorce me? By then, will Nopthal or Ardgold be safe?”

“I’ll have to make it so. Ultimately, it would be an apology to you, My Lady.”

Kaiden answered skillfully.

“You know it’s not like that.”

What would the Duke think, seeing a woman who easily betrays her own family? What would the villain think?

Maybe he wouldn’t think it necessary to kill her. Or maybe he would think she was untrustworthy and decide to dispose of her sooner.

Just then, Kaiden suddenly stopped, causing Rohana to stop just in time to avoid bumping into him. She looked at the shop in front of them with a puzzled expression.

<Bris Young>

The shop was a jeweler that only displayed its gems to the nobility and royalty within the imperial palace.

Everything was strange and unusual.

First, why would he go to the trouble of coming here so conspicuously when he could just summon the jeweler?

Second, why would ‘he’ look at jewels in the first place?

“Didn’t we agree not to do this kind of thing?”

Rohana, mixing jest and truth, looked rather flustered, and Kaiden smiled steadily.

“That wasn’t in the contract, was it? It seems you needed more time to review the documents.”

His somewhat playful smile and joke were enough to throw Rohana off balance.

“Pardon?”

“Let’s go in.”

When Rohana looked up at him, Kaiden added,

“Strangely, you seem very tense around me, My Lady.”

With a slightly subdued smile, he leaned in a bit closer and said,

“As if you’re afraid of me.”

Rohana wanted to avoid his gaze, unsure whether he was joking or not, but she couldn’t move.

His intense eyes, more binding than holding her by the arm, and the mysterious gaze made her feel breathless.

She suddenly lost her balance and staggered. In an instant, Kaiden’s arm wrapped around Rohana, and his large body enveloped her.

As they drew so close that she could feel his breath, Kaiden’s eyes fixed on the sky beyond Rohana.

As Rohana looked up at him and then at the sky with wide, startled eyes,

BOOM!

A deafening roar echoed.

The peaceful scene transformed in an instant. Another roar followed, and the city filled with the screams of people.

Dizziness set in, and Rohana’s body swayed. A beautiful yet chilling sound pierced her ears sharply. Amid the chaos, a clear sound like a song reached her ears.

Thinking it was an unusual form of tinnitus, she realized she was still standing when she should have fallen.

“Rohana!”

A deep voice broke through. Reality quickly surrounded her.

Kaiden, who had been holding her close with one arm, looked at her before turning his gaze back to the sky.

It was then that Rohana realized the roar was the sound of the nearby building’s tower and upper floors collapsing.

People inside the building ran out in a panic, like startled deer, filling the air with curses and screams, creating a scene of utter chaos.

Then, another roar echoed. The building was collapsing. Rohana instinctively squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them, looking up at Kaiden, who still held her tightly.

Kaiden’s gaze was sharply focused on the sky.

‘What’s in the sky?’

When Rohana turned her gaze to the sky as well, the firm arm holding her loosened, and dust swirled up instantly.

“What the hell are you doing, you crazy man? That’s dangerous!”

Kaiden, who had stopped the man trying to rush forward, said dryly, without a change in expression, while still looking at the sky.

“Just borrow it.”

“What? Hey, silver hair, what the….”

At that moment, a familiar, sharp sound cut through the air.

Even amid the chaos, the chilling metallic sound was sharp. Just the sight of the blue blade drawn from its sheath was overwhelming.

“Get down.”

It was a side of Kaiden that Rohana had never seen before. At least not in her life. She looked at him as if he were a stranger.

At the almost murderous command emanating from his calm face and eyes, the man who was about to spew insults shut his mouth and hurriedly dismounted, fleeing clumsily.

The Blood Lord who had suppressed the Kark tribe in Nopthal.

Seeing a glimpse of the character from the original story, Rohana’s heart pounded.

Kaiden approached Rohana and, without saying a word, looked up at the sky.

“Are you hurt?”

The carriage they had come in hurriedly stopped in front of them through the chaos.

“There might be people under the rubble.”

Recalling how he had protected her superhumanly when the chandelier shattered and fell, Rohana spoke in a trembling voice without realizing it.

But Kaiden, as if not hearing her, opened the carriage door roughly without a word.

“Go first.”

Kaiden’s gaze was sharply fixed on the harbor. Another roar echoed, but this time, water sprayed up from the nearby sea.

“Kaiden, those people…”

“Don’t leave the mansion, ever.”

Despite his polite tone, Kaiden roughly pushed Rohana into the carriage.

“No, wait…”

Before she could protest, the door closed, and the carriage sped off toward the palace at a furious pace.

Rohana struggled to sit up straight and looked back out the window. Kaiden was heading toward the collapsed building on horseback.

At that moment, a sharp headache and a chilling sound echoed in her ears. The sound she thought was tinnitus earlier was back. It was an eerily beautiful song-like sound.

Then something caught Rohana’s eye. There was something in the sky, like a shadow of clouds.

It was so fleeting and faint that it was hard to make out.

‘A bird?’

As the absurd shape slowly registered in her mind, Rohana muttered to herself.

“Impossible.”

The carriage veered sharply along the coastal road, causing her to lose her balance again.

Losing sight of the scene, the sound and shadow vanished instantly. As they left the panicked city behind, a ship appeared in the distance beyond the coastal road.

A third roar echoed. Now, black smoke was rising from the ship as well.

Rohana opened the window and craned her neck to look at the sky. Something was falling from above.

Dust rose as bombs hit the coastline, destroying homes and the surrounding area. The carriage was speeding toward the palace at full speed.

“Please.”

Rohana shouted to the coachman.

“Not to the duke’s mansion, take me directly to the central palace.”

The coachman hesitated, but Rohana was resolute. Even though it was a short walkable distance, it seemed she had to save every second.

A disaster was unfolding.

Trying to shake off her disbelief and confusion, Rohana lightly slapped her own cheeks.

Why now?