Shadows in Paradise - Chapter 77

Even without its towers, the golden fortress was an enormous, five-storey structure. Lea didn’t know where to start looking for Eve.

At that moment, Greeta spotted her in the corridor and rushed over in alarm. Relieved to find someone who could help, Lea hurried towards her.

“Greeta, Eve is gone! Her fever broke, but after being sick all night—where could she have gone…!”

Lea’s voice shook as she poured out her panic. Greeta’s face tightened with surprise, but in the next instant she steadied Lea, taking her trembling hands.

‘I’ll search. Go back to your room.’

“I’ll come with you—!”

Lea tried to follow, unable to still her frantic heart, but Greeta shook her head firmly.

‘There’s a guest in the fortress.’

At those few words, Lea fell silent.

Her identity had to remain hidden at all costs. Here on Scizlon Island, where countless people came and went, she could not risk being seen.

Lea bit down hard on her lip. Greeta squeezed her hand reassuringly, as if to calm her fears, and guided her back towards the room.

‘It’s still within the fortress walls. She’ll be found quickly.’

Pointing to the floor, Greeta gestured firmly for Lea to stay put before stepping back into the corridor.

Lea paced anxiously inside the room. She couldn’t rest, not even close.

Guilt pressed heavy on her chest for failing to keep watch by her daughter’s side. She felt like a wretched mother.

‘It’s the golden fortress. No harm will come to her here. Someone will find her and bring her back. She’ll be fine…’

Lea tried to suppress her feelings of fear.

But what if Eve was lost, crying somewhere in this unfamiliar place?

What if she tried to climb somewhere dangerous and fell?

What if she touched something strange, hurt herself in her curiosity?

Each fearful thought swelled larger than the last.

How could a sick child disappear so completely?

And how could she do nothing but wait here, powerless? The thought sickened her.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

“I haven’t eaten since last night. Have a meal prepared.”

Eclace looked on, unflinching, at Shed who had brazenly settled himself inside the golden fortress.

He had intended to send him to the guest villa in the city, but the duke had stubbornly insisted on lodging here.

“To strike me and then demand my hospitality—you’re shameless, my lord.”

Eclace’s displeasure was plain, but Shed only leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs.

“It was only a punch.”

Shed spoke with indifference, as if he might just as easily have taken his head instead.

“And my mood is foul. I’d rather be alone. Leave me.”

Seated on the sofa, he looked every bit the master of the golden fortress.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. In this fortress, guests are never left unattended. I trust you’ll understand.”

For the wealthiest house in the world, visitors often came with trouble. Some tried to steal valuables, others sought to uncover secrets.

Thus House Vitel had long upheld its rule of constant surveillance within the golden fortress.

“Then at least you, Eclace. Step out.”

“Of course. I’m a busy man myself, Lord Lester.”

Eclace replied with a smile that lacked warmth. Her unannounced visit had thrown his schedule into disarray, and he was clearly displeased.

Leaving two attendants behind to serve, Eclace departed.

Shed’s face hardened as the door shut behind him. His violet eyes swept over the servants one by one.

‘Trained hawks.’

They seemed like ordinary attendants, but their bodies told a different story — they were honed by years of discipline, with muscles tightly coiled beneath their clothing.

“Wine.”

Shed flicked a finger toward them as his eyes lingered.

Obedient, the attendants poured him the welcoming drink.

A fine champagne, crisp with fragrance—perfectly matched to the occasion.

It had been years, but Eclace’s taste was unchanged.

Shed raised the glass, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Yes, such hospitality deserved an answer in kind.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

“Lea, I’m sorry, but for now—”

“Lord Vitel…!”

Eclace stopped short when she came to tell her that she must remain hidden for a while, upon seeing the empty bed.

“Where’s Eve?”

Still unaware of the girl’s disappearance, distracted by Shed’s arrival, he frowned at once.

“She vanished while I dozed. I tried to search, but Greeta—”

Lea’s trembling explanation pressed him down with a sigh.

‘Of all times… Shed Lester appears, and this happens.’

His head throbbed, but he could not afford to waste time.

“I’ll send people to search more thoroughly. She’s still within the fortress walls—she’ll be safe.”

“Then let me help—”

“I’m sorry, but an important guest is here. If he were to see you, he might recognize you. You must not leave this room under any circumstances. I will find Eve. You have my word.”

Eclace soothed Lea, who trembled with unease. She looked as though she had much more to say, yet in the end, she could not bring herself to plead further.

“I should have watched Eve more carefully…”

“You stayed by her side all night. You must be exhausted—you barely slept. This isn’t your fault, Lea.”

Eclace stroked her hair once, gently, offering a reassuring smile.

Lea clutched at her hem with pale knuckles.

“Then let me go and see to the search for Eve.”

After comforting her once more, Eclace turned swiftly on his heel. His long strides carried him quickly down the corridors of the golden fortress.

It was a damned day for everything to go wrong.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

When Eve opened her eyes, she found herself in a new world.

After a night of fever and deep sleep, her eyes were wide and bright as she took in the strange, dazzling space around her.

“A princess’s castle!”

The room was so splendid her eyes grew round.

The blankets were as soft as clouds, adorned with pretty pictures.

Leaving her sleeping mother undisturbed, Eve wriggled down from the tall bed.

The walls bloomed with painted flowers, golden ornaments glittered, and curious objects she couldn’t name hung upon the walls. The red carpet underfoot was as soft as rose petals.

‘Where am I?’

Wandering about, poking at things in wonder, Eve came at last to the door. She blinked, curiosity sparking.

What would be waiting if she opened it?

Rising on tiptoe, she tugged at the handle.

Creak—

The lock gave, and the door swung open, revealing the world beyond.

And what a world it was!

Walls decorated with colorful paintings, windows spilling in rainbow light, and a corridor so long she could run and run and never reach the end!

For a child who had lived her whole life on Janna Island, the golden fortress was a playground—a dreamland come alive.

‘Could it be…? Was Mommy is a queen all along?’

Her mind leapt to the beautiful queens and princesses she had seen in storybooks.

Stepping into the corridor, Eve caught sight of herself in the polished armor displayed along the walls. Her eyes sparkled wide.

The sleeves of her dress were trimmed with white frills, and flowers of every kind were embroidered along the collar.

She smoothed the new fabric with her palm, then spun around in a circle like a princess.

And then, with a burst of instinct, she ran.

Her little feet pattered merrily down the long hallway. Simply racing through such a beautiful castle filled her with joy too large to contain.

She ran until her breath came quickly, then stopped to admire the flowers blooming in ornate pots and the strange statues in odd poses. She gazed at the many paintings on the walls, trying to decide which was the fairest of them all.

The corridor was so wide that she practiced the tumbling she had wanted to show her mother. However, whenever she lifted her bottom into the air, her white skirt would flip over and she would end up in giggles.

At last, at the end of the hall, she came upon a staircase with railings as beautiful as lace.

Without a second thought, Eve tapped the railing with her tiny fingers. Then, gripping it tight, she took one step after another down the carpeted marble staircase.

“Something smells good!”

From below drifted a scent—sweet, so very sweet, unlike anything she had ever smelled before.

Her stomach rumbled loudly.

Following the fragrance, she descended further and further.

At the next floor, another long corridor stretched out before her.

Eve wandered down it, glancing this way and that, distracted at every turn by something new.

And just as the sweet smell grew stronger—

A rough hand seized the back of her neck.

In an instant, her small body lifted as lightly as down, flying into the air.

“Waaah!”

Startled yet thrilled, she let out a squeal, but then froze in mid-air.

Face-to-face with her, at perfect eye level, stood a man with a harsh, forbidding countenance.

He looked like the kind of man who would scold and curse at children, his expression so foul that it seemed carved from stone — yet his eyes shone with an uncanny violet light.

“Who are you?”

Eve’s voice quivered as she dangled from his grasp. Fear gripped her chest, and she suddenly longed for her mother.

In response to her question, the man’s scowl deepened and lines cut across his face.

Frightened, Eve let out a tiny, hiccupping breath, like a swallowed sob.

Then, from his lips came a voice like a growling wolf.

“And what are you supposed to be…?”

The sound was so terrifying Eve nearly burst into tears.

“M-my name is Eve…”

Her voice trembling, she stammered.

The man was still staring at her, his face grim and his gaze fixed and unrelenting.

Only then did Eve realize what she had done: she had wandered freely into a place she did not know.

‘It’s not a princess’s castle at all—it’s a villain’s castle…!’