Episode 20
Lloydin never trusted himself as long as the monster lived within him. It was the destiny of someone who possessed a force that could never be resisted.
But she believed.
She had absolute faith in him.
That’s why what he had to do was predetermined from the start.
After a while, as if she had moved very urgently, Lia returned to the room, gasping for breath.
“I’ve sent word to the mansion. People who will come to escort the lady from here will probably arrive soon.”
“I won’t send her away.”
However, unexpectedly, these words popped out of Lloydin’s mouth.
Lia, with a bewildered expression, thought she had misheard and asked him.
“Pardon? What are you saying, sir?”
“I said I won’t send the lady away. I will treat her here.”
Lloydin responded with a resolute expression, conveying a strong determination not to send Ayla away.
“But, sir, the lady…”
“If she can’t stay quiet, then tell her to leave this room.”
“Yes? Well, but…”
Lia tried to speak, but she instantly withered and closed her mouth.
It was because Lloydin, with a sharp gaze that conveyed a final warning, looked at her.
After confirming Lia’s silence, Lloydin approached Ayla.
With a determined face, he stared at her lying down for quite some time. Then, he kneeled near the bed after a moment, close to the floor.
Surprised by his actions, Lia, who was about to speak, realized that his warning wasn’t just words and silently observed his movements.
Lloydin took Ayla’s hand, slightly protruding from the blanket, and exerted all his strength to infuse her with his power.
“Please.”
He fervently hoped that his magic could truly heal her and that he could witness her smiling face.
Meanwhile, Lia, unable to do anything nearby, watched the two with a helpless expression.
Since word had been sent to the mansion, someone would come soon. However, judging from Lloydin’s stern expression, it seemed challenging for just anyone to take away his lady.
Time in the room flowed ceaselessly.
However, about an hour later, the atmosphere outside suddenly became noisy and chaotic, and someone knocked on the door.
“Sir.”
The owner of the voice calling him was unexpectedly William, the butler who was taking care of Ian.
“What’s the matter?”
“Lord Luke Anaïs has arrived.”
Luke Anaïs… Luke was Ayla’s third brother.
“Lord Luke has arrived!”
Upon hearing that Luke had come, Lia initially expressed joy but then immediately closed her mouth.
In response to the news of Ayla’s brother’s arrival, Lloydin fell into deep thought for a moment without saying anything. Soon after, having grasped the situation, he rose from the floor.
Until then, he had been holding Ayla’s hand, but after giving her a final surge of strength, he distanced himself.
“I’ll be back shortly. Take good care of Lady.”
“Yes? Ah, yes. I understand.”
After entrusting Ayla to Lia, Lloydin left the room.
As he exited, the tension that had filled the room began to dissipate.
Lia, taking a relieved breath, quickly approached Ayla.
“Lady!”
However, when she saw Ayla’s sleeping face, something strangely different struck her.
For some unknown reason, Ayla’s face looked serene and peaceful, with closed eyes.
Meanwhile, Lloydin, moving away with unwavering steps, approached the butler as soon as he left the room and asked in a lowered voice.
“How is Ian?”
“He is sleeping, and fortunately, there are no signs of any symptoms yet. It seems the medicine is taking effect properly.”
In a hushed tone that only Lloydin could hear, the butler whispered.
Upon hearing that Ian was fine, Lloydin nodded slightly in response.
“Still, you stay by Ian’s side. Lord Anaïs will handle everything.”
“I understand.”
Thus, the butler returned to Ian’s room, and Lloydin quickly descended to the first floor where Luke was.
Upon reaching the first floor and entering the reception room, he saw a man who resembled Ayla quite a bit. He was pacing anxiously, unable to sit still.
When Lloydin entered the room, Luke looked at him.
“Lord Lloydin Blighton.”
“Lord Luke Anaïs, please come in.”
“I apologize for being so impolite as to come like this. However, hearing that my sister has collapsed, I had no choice but to come urgently. Where is my sister?”
With the sole thought of taking Ayla back home as soon as possible, Luke immediately inquired about Ayla’s whereabouts upon entering the room.
However, no matter how long he waited, Lloydin remained silent. Frustrated, Luke pressed him.
“Lord Blighton, where is Ayla?”
“Lady Anaïs…”
A strange tension filled the reception room.
“Lady Anaïs will not return.”
“What? What on earth are you talking about?”
As Luke, unable to comprehend, grew more agitated, he continued to question Lloydin.
“As you and I both know, I have the power to cure Lady’s illness. Therefore, it is right for Lady to stay here.”
In contrast, Lloydin maintained an extremely calm and composed demeanor.
“Isn’t Ayla collapsing because the treatment is currently ineffective?”
However, despite his easy excitement, Luke Anaïs was not a person easily swayed. When he pressed Lloydin, Lloydin’s gaze wavered slightly.
Noticing this, Luke continued to shoot questions at Lloydin.
“Ayla believes in you, Lord Blighton, but I don’t. So, I will take Ayla back. Please tell me where my sister is before I forcibly search this place.”
“It’s not possible.”
Remembering his earlier decision and regaining composure, Lloydin stubbornly stood his ground.
“Lord Blighton!”
With a tremendous anger in his voice, Luke erupted for the second time.
However, Lloydin remained unyielding, keeping his mouth firmly shut as if he could never concede.
As they confronted each other, refusing to back down, the door to the reception room suddenly opened, and someone entered.
“Brother, what are you doing here right now?”
It was Ayla, who had been lying on the bed just moments ago.
* * *
“Lord… stay by… my side…”
“Lord… stay by my side…” were the words I couldn’t convey to him until the end before falling asleep.
So, as usual, I fell into a dream when I lost consciousness due to the illness, not when I fell asleep at night. Whenever my consciousness faded due to the illness, I was always alone in the middle of a road with open paths in every direction.
At first, when the illness began, there was only one path. At that time, unaware, I walked along that path, and as I walked, the end became visible, accompanied by a bright light. When I reached the end, strangely, I woke up from the dream.
However, the number of paths increased as the illness became severe. In the next dream, there were two diverging paths, then three or more in the following dream, and so on. As I continued to fall into sleep, the paths kept multiplying.
Therefore, in order to find a way out of sleep, I wandered in the dream for a long time.
‘But.’
Certainly, in the last dream, there were almost 50 paths…
Before moving forward, I surveyed the surroundings by making a full circle.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…
I didn’t count exactly, but it seemed to be at least half as many as the last dream.
Why are there so few paths?
‘Ah.’
During that moment, Lloydin’s face suddenly came to mind.
Seeing the reduced number of paths, it meant that his power truly had an effect on my illness.
‘Well, if it’s only this much, it won’t take a week like last time.’
Thinking about Lloydin’s handsome face, which had crumpled without mercy when he was shocked at seeing me collapsed, my determination flared up along with the thought that I should finish this quickly.
Although I couldn’t finish my words, did he understand what I meant?
It would be nice if he were there when I woke up.
For some reason, just having that thought made the corners of my mouth curl up.
‘No. Snap out of it.’
Now wasn’t the time for such leisurely thoughts.
I quickly cast aside distractions and focused on solving the problem that lay before me.
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wow that sounds like a nightmare