Chapter 14.2

So Liat was allowed to wander the mansion. She wasn’t looking for an escape route.

‘He wouldn’t have thrown it away…’

Her pendant was with the clothes she’d worn when she arrived. She wanted to find it and send a signal. Closing her eyes, she sensed the flow of magic—she could read the flow from the person humming outside.

‘Need to look when he’s distracted.’

How often would his magic be this weak? Normally, he’d keep it neat, but now even Liat, new to magic, could sense the mess.

‘Please, let it be.’

She sensed a different kind of magic in the next room. Quietly sneaking out, she found a locked box.

Feeling the familiar energy, Liat was sure her clothes were inside. She wondered how to open it, when Karden came in to announce the meal. Regretfully, she left the room.

“Did you like the food?”

“…Yes. It was delicious.”

She’d starved, fearing strange drugs, but the food was extremely good—exactly to her taste.

“You were looking at the box, weren’t you?”

After dinner, Karden hinted he knew what she wanted. Liat wondered if this was another test and didn’t speak hastily.

“You’re basically the owner here. Take whatever you want.”

What was his real intention?

If she refused now, would another chance come? If he knew she needed it, would he throw away the clothes?

Her heart raced with worst-case scenarios.

“I’ll give you everything you want—except freedom.”

Karden laughed as if telling a joke.

Led by the hand, Liat’s heart pounded, afraid he’d discover the brooch. Surely a man who used high-level magic would sense the powerful magic stone.

But instead, Karden opened the box himself. Her clothes were intact, and the brooch was there.

Seeing it made her want to cry, and she bit her lip.

“…Can I change into my old clothes?”

“As you wish. Don’t bend over—I’ll get them for you.”

Karden stopped her from reaching for them and picked up the clothes himself. Of course, things wouldn’t go so easily.

“You’re changing, right? So you have to take off what you’re wearing.”

“…!”

“Aren’t you changing?”

Karden shook her clothes.

Disgusting man. Liat slowly unbuttoned from the top.

She had to act confidently. What was so bad about showing her body? Stripping before a beast was nothing to be ashamed of.

If Alvin knew, he’d scold her endlessly, but that was only if she made it back safely.

She tried to act composed, but her trembling fingers betrayed her. Karden whistled, enjoying her embarrassment.

When her pale skin showed, Karden stopped her.

“That’s enough. If you keep going, I won’t be able to hold back.”

“Then…”

“You win. Take it.”

His smirking face made his intentions hard to read. Liat crept closer—to the clothes he held.

“The clothes are important now, right? You keep staring at them. Is it precious?”

“…”

“I can tell by your face. Go ahead, take it.”

He knew what she wanted. Dangling the brooch before her, Karden dropped it to the floor.

As Liat desperately bent to pick it up—

“But I never said I’d give it to you whole.”

“No!”

Karden stepped on the brooch, pressing down. Transparent barriers formed around it, humming as they stacked. His foot bounced off, but he quickly regained balance.

The barrier grew rapidly, banging against something as it expanded to envelop the mansion. Cracking sounds followed, and Karden clicked his tongue.

“The barrier’s breaking. I’ll have to k*ll that woman first.”

As he tried to stomp again, a blue flash sparked, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air as Karden cried out.

“Stop! Get your foot off!”

“…Liat, read the room. Can’t you see I’m in a bad mood?”

Crackling, the brooch fractured as Liat tried to push him away, but she was no match. Karden subdued her with one hand.

“Agh!”

Liat crashed into the wall, hitting her head and collapsing. Warmth ran down her head, and her vision turned red and blurry.

“See? Pointless resistance just leads to unnecessary bloodshed.”

With a calm face, he watched as the magic stone at the brooch’s center began to fracture. Magic leaked through the cracks, and the spell broke.

The protective shield faded away. At the same time, the brooch shattered with a sharp sound.

“Humans are animals after all. Now I understand my father’s words. Sometimes that man is useful…”

Liliana’s shyly given gift shattered on the floor. Not satisfied, Karden ground the fragments under his shoe until they turned to dust. The scraping sound was chilling.

Even as her hope was destroyed before her eyes, Liat couldn’t move a finger. Her heart was filled with helplessness and despair.

“You can’t even send a signal, with your magic sealed.”

He was annoyed she’d tried to escape, but seeing her hold back tears with a blank face was a sight to behold. He barely restrained himself from reacting physically.

“Do you know what time it is? The engagement party you dreamed of is almost here.”

Liat didn’t seem to hear, crawling forward to gather the pieces, clutching them in her hand. Sharp edges cut her skin, and blood welled up.

“I’ll claim you that day. Is that word too grand?”

Not noticing her bleeding, she kept her head down, shoulders shaking. Watching her, Karden shredded the clothes she’d held, tossing the pieces into the air. The fluttering cloth smelled of the outside, and by tearing it, he felt he could redefine her life, erasing Alvin’s traces.

Saying he’d get herbs to stop the bleeding, Karden left. Alone in the locked room, a faint wave of magic stirred.

* * *

Thanks to Sieta’s desperate tip-off, Liat’s location was narrowed down, but it was still a vast area.

Alvin and his group searched repeatedly, but didn’t even find her shadow. Everyone’s feet were covered in blisters.

Alvin’s condition grew less human by the day. His eyes were bloodshot, and the gentle impression he’d had because of her was now rough and harsh.

Resting as Delin suggested was brief. With the clock moving without her, Alvin couldn’t sleep properly and was edgy.

He barely slept three hours a night, and even collapsed while riding. In his hazy vision, young Liat hid behind a tree, crying. After that, Alvin feared nightmares and couldn’t sleep with his back down.

Even when trying to think positively, it felt like Himbrid’s curse—her lover’s cries pressed against her temples, bringing a headache. Alvin’s gloom infected the whole group, and so, when their spirits sank into a swamp of despair—

The pendant, which seemed to have forgotten how to shine, began to emit a faint light. Liliana urgently informed Alvin of the news.

The magic stone, holding weak power, flickered softly as if constantly trying to announce its location.

Liliana was certain something was wrong with the pendant, and guessed that whoever kidnapped Liat possessed considerable power.

She didn’t have the strength to rescue Liat immediately, but in research related to magic stones, she had worked harder than anyone. Even the strongest mage could at least make a stone that would temporarily bind someone.

Alvin felt his heart pounding. He had a good feeling.

He quickly gathered the search party and gradually narrowed the search area. The place Sieta mentioned and the place Liliana identified overlapped, pointing to a single spot.

Alvin sent a letter to the Marquisate and began preparing to reclaim her. Mistakes could not be allowed. Losing her once was enough.

This pain, too, was a trial for himself for letting her go.

The time he spent training to protect Liat flashed before his eyes. The times were so hard he thought he might die, but all his sweat and blood had been for Liat. The time had come for it to bear fruit.

This game of hide-and-seek was especially difficult because a master at hiding was involved. It was impossible alone, but everyone Liat had kept close joined in, and so they found her.

If he killed Himbrid, he’d no longer be the seeker, wandering to find her. He would hold Liat tightly with hands stained by Himbrid’s blood.

Thinking of Himbrid’s blood, Alvin prayed to the sky with impure thoughts.

May she return safely to his arms.