Chapter 20
At the sound of a familiar voice, Daphne suddenly stopped mumbling.
As if drawn by something, she turned her head toward the direction of the voice.
A man stood in the light streaming into the room and then strode toward her.
Her eyes, now adjusted to the brightness, quickly recognized him. A man with long pink hair and beautiful golden eyes.
“Theophanes…”
Just seeing him made the rage that had been burning inside her suddenly disappear.
At the same time, she took in the state of the room.
White frost and sharp icicles filled the space, covering every corner.
The men who had been taunting her just moments ago were now frozen solid.
“Shhh, calm down, my lady.”
“Haa…”
Her vision spun.
It felt like all her energy had drained from her body, and at the same time, an unbearable pain struck her heart.
The agony was so overwhelming that she wondered if tearing out her own heart would make it stop.
“Agh!!”
Seeing Daphne clutching her chest and screaming, Theophanes realized the situation was serious. He had to calm her down before she lost control completely.
“You’ve fully awakened your power of winter.”
He placed his hand over her heart, suppressing the wild energy surging from within her.
Slowly, the frost, ice, and icicles around the room began to melt.
“Haa… ha…”
As the power settled, her vision became clear again.
“…Why did you take so long? I told you to come quickly.”
Daphne blurted out her honest feelings without even realizing it as she looked up at Theophanes.
Her vision was still blurry, but she could make out the faint movement of his lips as he hesitated.
“…I’m sorry.”
That was all he could manage to say.
Now that she could see his face, a wave of drowsiness washed over her.
It wasn’t exhaustion from using up all her energy—it was the kind of sleepiness that came with relief.
Maybe, deep down, she had trusted him more than she thought.
“I’m cold…”
“It’s because you awakened your winter powers. Sleep for now. When you wake up, we’ll be far from here.”
Theophanes took off his hooded cloak and wrapped it around her before pulling her into his arms.
Daphne instinctively snuggled closer to his warmth and mumbled,
“…And… your name… is too long…”
Her words were completely out of place for the situation, making Theophanes chuckle softly.
“Then call me Theo, my lady.”
But Daphne didn’t answer. She had already fallen asleep.
After confirming she was truly asleep, Theophanes lifted her into his arms.
He walked over to one of the frozen men.
The man was clutching something in his hand.
“…That’s…”
A Mind Beast Core.
It was an object that worked in pairs—one person who consumed the left eye of the beast could control another who possessed the right eye.
It also had the power to amplify a person’s desires and manipulate them.
The marquis had undoubtedly planned to use it.
“Dante.”
“Yes?”
“Burn these bodies.”
The marquis must not find out that Daphne had awakened her power.
“Yes.”
Even though he had used teleportation earlier, Dante didn’t complain. He understood the seriousness of the situation and immediately stepped inside.
As Theophanes carried Daphne out of the room, Dante began setting the corpses ablaze.
When they climbed the stairs out of the underground chamber, they were greeted by the sight of the marquis standing in the lobby.
“Oh my, Duke,” the marquis said, clearly flustered. He hadn’t expected Theophanes to return so soon.
“There were men below trying to harm my wife, so I executed them on the spot. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. My daughter often hid in that room when she was younger to avoid showing weakness. It seems they took advantage of that knowledge. I should have taken care of them myself. Thank you.”
Theophanes scoffed at the marquis’s pathetic excuse and stepped forward.
Revenge against the Marquis belonged to Daphne. That was her right.
But a small warning wouldn’t hurt.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to show the marquis who was standing behind her.
“Marquis, be careful. The longer the tail, the more likely it gets stepped on. Protect that precious life of yours.”
With that, he turned away and walked out the front door, joined by Dante.
“Your carriage is ready, sir.”
Henderson, who had been waiting outside, opened the door of the prepared sleigh.
“Her belongings?”
“They’ve already been loaded.”
Theophanes carefully placed Daphne inside the carriage.
To keep the cold air from seeping in, Henderson thoroughly secured the sleigh’s roof before taking his seat beside Dante.
“Marquis! There’s a fire in the basement!”
“What?! What are you all standing around for? Put it out immediately!”
As the marquis’s mansion filled with commotion, Theophanes knocked on the carriage wall twice.
“Let’s go.”
The sleigh gradually picked up speed. Soon, trees whizzed past the windows, and only the white snow and forest remained in view.
Theophanes brushed back Daphne’s hair as she rested in his arms.
Her face was even paler and more gaunt than before. Her wrists and ankles bore clear marks from restraints.
“……”
This had all been his plan.
He had known exactly what she would have to endure.
So why did he feel so disgusted?
The tiny annoyance he had initially felt had grown into full-blown frustration.
Was it because of the way she had immediately relaxed at the sight of him? That pure, pale face filled with relief?
Before she appeared in his life, everything had been monotonous. He lived without purpose, merely existing as the world around him continued to change.
But ever since Daphne had entered his world, he found himself constantly aware of her.
It was unfamiliar. And he didn’t like it.
He was tired.
Pulling her closer, Theophanes rested his forehead lightly against hers and murmured,
“Hurry and fall for me, my lady.”
His voice was so soft it could have been carried away by the whirling snowstorm outside.
“The fire has been completely extinguished. It only burned the bodies, and luckily, there was enough water in the basement to prevent further damage.”
Watching the sleigh disappear into the distance, Oliver reported to Samuel Himonas.
“Damn it…!!”
The marquis turned, gripping his cane tightly before swinging it at the nearby furniture in a fit of rage.
“You useless fools! How is it that not a single one of you can do your job properly?!”
The crashing sound of breaking furniture echoed through the hallway, but no one appeared.
The servants of the Himonas estate were well aware—whoever approached now would suffer the same fate as the shattered furniture.
Breathing heavily, the marquis raked his fingers through his disheveled hair. His cane, already cracked from his grip, finally snapped.
Clicking his tongue in frustration, he tossed it aside and strode down the hall.
His plan had failed.
He had intended to use the Mind Beast Core to brainwash her and continue his experiments. But now, he had lost a valuable test subject.
Stopping in front of a door, he threw it open.
“Jacqueline Bruce.”
A man sitting calmly at a desk looked up and slowly set down his papers.
“Marquis.”
“You seem quite composed despite all this chaos.”
Jacqueline Bruce sighed tiredly and removed his glasses.
“My test subjects have all escaped.”
“You need to wait for the right opportunity.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? The problem is, I can’t afford to wait.”
The marquis gritted his teeth.
“Contact him. Immediately.”
“You mean… him?”
“Yes.”
If an opportunity wouldn’t come, then he would create one himself.
“Do it. Right now.”
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