Chapter 9

The man before me had seen through everything with terrifying precision.

It was as if he had been in Frozen Agriche from the very beginning, watching it all unfold.

Was that why they called him a monster?

As that absurd thought crossed my mind, the background shifted—the dimly lit hall of Snow Hall now replaced by a corridor.

In a secluded corner, a girl trembled violently.

Monet?

She had been anxiously pacing, her feet shifting restlessly as if waiting for someone.

The moment she spotted me—held securely in the Grand Duke’s arms—relief washed over her features.

You brought him to me, didn’t you? My savior.

Something warm and overwhelming welled up deep within me.

I wanted to say something—anything—but my voice was completely shattered, unable to form a single word.

All I could do was take in Monet’s face, memorizing the sight of her one last time.

* * *

As we made our way outside Agriche, the discomfort I had initially been too overwhelmed to notice began creeping up on me.

The unfamiliar weight of being carried by a man—him, of all people—felt suffocating.

Most of all, he hadn’t spoken a single word to me.

Where we were going, why he had come for me—nothing.

But considering he had called me his, it likely meant he intended to take me as his Purifier.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for someone of his status to go through the trouble of personally coming here.

Thoughts tangled like threads, endless and restless.

What will happen to Monet once I leave?

Did this man really do something to my brother?

Is my brother truly in Detroit?

At the end of my spiraling thoughts, only one undeniable truth remained, cold as ash—

I needed him.

To find my brother. To protect Monet. To survive.

Everything depended on him.

The crest of Detroit stood boldly against the dark surface of the carriage, bringing my situation into stark reality.

I had no choice but to go.

Kallain slowly set me down and extended his hand as if to escort me inside.

The gesture made my breath hitch—it felt burdensome, but refusing was not an option.

As I placed my hand over his, he guided me forward with effortless grace.

It was just a simple touch over gloves, yet it burned like skin against skin.

Even when I danced, I didn’t feel this way…

Now, even the slightest graze of his fingertips sent a strange shiver through me.

Ridiculous.

Just as my breath turned shallow, a man—most likely his butler—approached with a small bag in hand.

“We’ve retrieved all your belongings from your room. Please confirm.”

They took my things?

That meant they had… seen everything.

The notebook—where I had recorded everything about my dreams and the Grand Duke.

If he found out…

A cold dread washed over me.

No sane man would allow someone who had been secretly gathering information about him into his home.

My mind blanked out in panic.

Suddenly, the butler’s kindness felt eerily hollow.

His face remained unreadable, his detached politeness stabbing at my nerves.

Suppressing my anxiety, I grabbed the bag and quickly rummaged through it.

The notebook—wasn’t there.

They didn’t find it.

I must have hidden it well enough in the closet.

Relief barely settled in before another thought struck—I need to get rid of it.

“I need to step away for a moment,” I said hastily. “There’s something I forgot.”

The butler’s gaze flickered toward Kallain, waiting for his decision.

Kallain, who had been watching silently, gave the faintest nod.

“Go ahead.”

* * *

Dust rose in the air, swirling like fine powder as the woman ran, clutching the hem of her dress.

She looked almost like a fairy scattering glimmering dust in her wake.

Comparing a fairy’s dust to something as filthy as dirt.

I must be insane.

Ever since her delicate hand gestures had stirred the air in Agriche’s training hall, his mind had been unable to regain its usual clarity.

Now, standing close enough to see her pale, luminous face up close, that unfamiliar emotion within him twisted even further.

Her presence swelled inside him—so much so that even if he wanted to deny it, he could not.

Have I truly lost my mind?

At this point, he almost wondered if the woman had cast some wicked spell on him.

Muttering a curse under his breath, Kallain let out a small smirk.

The woman—was she bold or simply reckless?

She was the first to meet his gaze so directly while performing Purification.

And yet, her hands trembled under the folds of her dress.

Most people who exuded such bravado turned out to be all talk, with no real substance.

But she—she had the skill to match her confidence.

Both in quality and quantity.

Even so, he had no intention of taking her into his estate as a Purifier.

Keeping a Purifier by his side was far too dangerous.

He had survived numerous assassination attempts sent by his own brothers—such constant vigilance had honed his instincts to a deadly edge.

At some point, even distinguishing between an assassin and a mere observer had become exhausting, and he had grown extremely selective about who was allowed near him.

Years of betrayal had cultivated his distrust.

So bringing this woman along was a variable in his otherwise calculated life.

A variable created by the lingering traces of her presence that had followed him back to Detroit.

Had he fallen for some honeyed trap? Or had he been ensnared by sorcery?

As Kallain stared absentmindedly into the air, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in his field of vision—Jayden.

“Your Grace, you seem to be in a good mood.”

“I should be. I believe I’ve found a rather useful Purifier.”

In truth, he had taken an unnecessarily long route to find one.

“You were that satisfied?”

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be bringing her into my estate.”

Jayden, who had been nodding at Kallain’s casual tone, abruptly froze.

“…Into the estate…?”

“You thought I brought her along just to send her somewhere else?”

“I assumed you would arrange separate lodgings for her, of course. Are you actually planning to bring her into the estate?”

Jayden was stunned.

Anyone in the estate would be.

Kallain had always been incredibly selective about who was allowed into his home.

So much so that there were even rumors about him hiding a woman inside his mansion—rumors that had persisted for years due to the strict restrictions on outsiders.

While occasional guests were permitted, allowing someone to live inside the estate was an entirely different matter.

“She is still an outsider we have yet to fully investigate.”

Kallain furrowed his brows slightly.

Jayden had a point.

Even if she was an Agriche member, he had received no formal reports on her background.

There was no reason to let an unknown woman into his space so recklessly.

Kallain smiled faintly, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes.

“Then finish the investigation quickly, Sir Jayden.”

Jayden let out a defeated sigh, shoulders slumping.

“Must Your Grace always work this old man to the bone?”

“Of course. I enjoy seeing you busy.”

“Truly, Your Grace is cruel.”

“You should’ve expected this. You are the one who raised this wild stallion.”

Unlike Kallain, who chuckled, Jayden pouted slightly in protest.

In truth, he had served the Grand Duke since his childhood.

And if Kallain had grown into the man he was today, Jayden had certainly played no small part in it.

Still, the world needed to see this side of him.

Not just for Jayden’s own suffering—but also to dispel the exaggerated rumors surrounding his lord.

The Grand Duke had always carried an image of perfection, but that same image made him appear inhuman.

Cold-blooded. Ruthless. A monster of war.

Lately, a new title had been added to the mix—philanderer.

The rumors had grown so ridiculous that not a single noble family had sent a marriage proposal in some time.

And, as expected, Kallain made no effort to deny them.

He focused only on his work, as if love had never been a part of his life to begin with.

That was what Jayden found truly unfortunate.

A man who had grown up never knowing warmth—never once embraced in the care of another.

At the very least, he wished that one day, love would come on Kallain’s terms.

And perhaps, with this newfound Purifier, hope wasn’t so far away.

Maybe—after mastering his rampage—Kallain could finally envision a new future for himself.

Jayden silently wished for his master’s happiness as he prepared to leave.

But just as he was about to turn away—

A flicker of blue caught the corner of his eye.

At the end of Kallain’s gaze, a woman was sprinting toward them from Agriche’s main building.

Her name was…

Sylvia.

Jayden made a firm resolution.

He needed to investigate her even more thoroughly.