Episode 115

“Surround them.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Francis had brought only two divisions with him. Any more, and maintaining the illusion would have been impossible. Too many knights would also hinder the pursuit.

With the First Division, Francis arrived at the docks.

The sound of waves crashing against the shore filled the air.

In the distance, two figures sat on a bench. One had gray hair and wore black commoner’s clothing. The other, a platinum-haired woman, was dressed in a simple sky-blue dress.

Francis knew what Yvonne’s natural hair color was.

“My Yvonne looks better with silver hair than platinum, don’t you think?”

Hildebrandt’s words echoed in his mind as he observed the scene before him. The two seemed completely at ease, unaware of their surroundings. The gray-haired man had placed his hand on the woman’s shoulder. In response, she leaned her head against him.

That affectionate display unsettled Francis.

He told himself that his feelings toward Yvonne were simply an extension of his loyalty to the emperor. Hildebrandt had spoken to him countless times about his love for his daughter. Perhaps, without realizing it, Francis had been influenced by his words.

But loyalty was more important than fleeting emotions.

Even if he had to give up everything, his devotion to Hildebrandt could never waver. If he allowed himself to be consumed by momentary emotions and failed in his duty, then he would be nothing more than worthless trash.

“Move in.”

With that, Francis pulled the black scarf over his eyes, ensuring that his vision was completely obscured.

Moving without a sound, he advanced toward the couple. The knights behind him formed a perfect encirclement.

“Drop the illusion.”

“Yes, sir.”

In an instant, the veil of distorted sight was lifted, revealing the fully armed Imperial Knights surrounding the pair.

“Surrender quietly, Your Highness.”

“Kyaaahhh!”

“Who the hell are you?!”

The piercing scream made Francis scowl. Annoyed, he yanked off the blindfold covering his eyes.

“…Damn it.”

He didn’t even need to look to know—just from the sound of the woman’s voice, he could tell she wasn’t Yvonne.

“We’ve made a mistake. Resume the search.”

“Yes, Commander!”

As the knights dispersed, Francis frowned at the strange sense of relief washing over him.

Why did he feel relieved?

* * *

“Is it really okay to bring a stranger to your estate?”

“It’s my estate.”

By now, Yvonne had already followed Yurian to the Leonhardt duchy’s mansion.

“Yvonne.”

“Yes?”

“You can relax here.”

“Alright.”

For a moment, she considered telling him that this place felt overwhelming. But if she said that, he would only use it to pull her further into his grasp. In the end, she chose to remain silent.

Besides… she understood why he was offering her such a nice room.

And it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“By the way, who used this room before?”

“The duchess, traditionally.”

As if she had expected this, Yvonne looked at Yurian with an unimpressed gaze. In response, he only smiled more brightly, locking eyes with her.

“Do you see that painting over there?”

“Yes.”

Yurian gestured toward a massive painting of the aurora. The artwork was so large that, despite the high ceiling, it created an optical illusion that made the room feel smaller.

“That frame leads to the duke’s chambers.”

“…”

“If you ever get scared at night, feel free to come over.”

“…Enough nonsense. You’ve shown me the room, now leave.”

“Ah.”

Yurian reached out, as if to wrap an arm around her waist, but Yvonne quickly stepped aside. Undeterred, he leaned in close, pressing his shoulder against hers.

“I’m a little scared of the dark. Then can I come to your room instead?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

The way he asked—as if he truly didn’t understand—left Yvonne momentarily speechless.

Now that the effects of the alcohol had completely faded, she didn’t want to fall into his traps any longer.

“I don’t like being alone at night.”

“What exactly are you afraid of?”

“There’s a ghost in this mansion.”

“Oh, really?”

“…Actually, it’s not a ghost. It’s a goblin.”

“Oh, really?”

“…No, wait. An orc?”

“Oh, really?”

“What are you afraid of, Yvonne?”

“You.”

Yurian blinked, seemingly deep in thought. Then, as if realizing something, he fell silent under her gaze.

“Then does that mean I should try to be more terrifying?”

“No. It means I’d like to rest now.”

“…Understood.”

Though he had been tempted to keep teasing her, he wasn’t here to torment her.

For tonight, he would retreat.

* * *

Left alone in her room, Yvonne found that the urge to run away was fading.

That was strange.

Escaping alone had always seemed like the closest thing to freedom. And yet, right now, she didn’t feel far from it.

Yurian never forced himself on her when she refused him. Despite how he appeared on the surface, he wasn’t a frightening person to her.

It was as if he was giving without expecting anything in return, making it easy for her to turn him down. But at the same time, it made her naturally respond to him, just as he did to her.

“Hm.”

With that thought lingering in her mind, Yvonne removed her sky-blue dress. She washed up without calling for any attendants.

By the time she was finished, exhaustion weighed on her. She collapsed into bed without even drying her hair.

Oddly enough, her bed smelled like sunlight—a scent she recognized from Yurian.

She slept soundly for hours, only to wake suddenly at 5 a.m., just before dawn—the darkest part of the night.

Yvonne figured that the servants must have checked on her while she slept and turned off the lights. After all, before she had fallen asleep, the chandelier had been casting a warm glow over the room.

Now, everything was in complete darkness.

“There’s a ghost in this mansion.”

Yurian’s words echoed in her mind.

Obviously, he had been lying.

And yet… she just happened to wake up at exactly five in the morning?

And why was it so dark?

“Shit.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, but the sound of the wind rattling against the windows made her snap them open again.

She glanced toward the window—nothing.

Her gaze shifted to the canopy above her bed. The high ceiling loomed over her, the red fabric embroidered in gold with the Leonhardt crest.

In the darkness, however, the red fabric almost looked black.

She forced herself to think about something else.

The crest bore the image of a lion, which oddly suited Yurian.

Though, truthfully, he resembled a black panther more than a lion.

Both were large predators, but a panther’s silent, lethal grace was far closer to his nature.

Even if he acted easygoing, she knew he wasn’t an easy man.

Which meant she shouldn’t let her guard down.

Yet, for some reason, instead of thinking about how dangerous he was, the only image that came to mind was his delighted expression after kissing her.

“Hah.”

She let out a long sigh, slowly shutting her eyes again.

Vwooong.

Because the mansion was on the outskirts, the wind blew fiercely. The windows rattled noisily.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

Throwing off the covers, she decided to get up and drink some water.

As soon as her bare feet touched the cold floor, a chill ran through her entire body.

Vwooong! Clatter! Clatter!

“Ha.”

Yvonne realized she was only scared because of Yurian’s nonsense.

“That bastard.”

She resented him in that moment.

If he hadn’t said such ridiculous things, she wouldn’t have been frightened about waking up at this hour.

She reached for the water jug.

Unfortunately, the surface of the jug was polished to a mirror-like shine.

What if—what if she saw a shadowy figure behind her?

“Ah.”

She didn’t want to imagine it.

This is all Yurian’s fault.

Even though she knew his ghost story was fake, she couldn’t stop feeling scared.

Memories of horror movies from her past life started surfacing—ghosts with long black hair, pale white skin, and terrifying faces…

“EEK!”

A dark silhouette flickered in the reflection of the jug.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

“…”

Several minutes passed.

There was no sound.

Summoning her courage, she cracked open her eyes—nothing.

Even so, she couldn’t shake her fear.

Then, her gaze landed on the enormous painting covering one side of the wall—the aurora.

“Y-Yurian should experience this too. It’s not because I’m scared.”

Yes.

If he felt this same fear, maybe he’d reflect on his actions.

She realized she was still wearing a white negligee, and since she had fallen asleep without drying her hair, it was probably a mess.

But she was too afraid to look in the mirror, so she simply ran her fingers through her hair, making it even messier, before placing her hands on the frame.

The moment she pressed against it, she sank into the painting.

Stepping forward, she emerged in Yurian’s room.

It seemed the frame was linked like a gate, enhanced by illusion magic.

Barefoot, she crossed the carpeted floor, approaching his bed.

Before reaching him, she deliberately tousled her hair again, making herself look even more disheveled.

Then, she leaned closer.

 

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