Episode 132
Whio.
A faint whistling sound blended with the sound of rain. Serena and Azaid emerged from the bushes, having waited for the signal near the villa.
The door was wide open, and the mist had completely disappeared in the rain. Every knight in the villa was deep asleep, the scent of the sleeping incense having taken full effect.
Even the man who had sent the signal was in a deep slumber, a testament to Ophelia’s meticulous planning.
— I’ll have my knight infiltrate on that side. There should be enough time before the next shift change.
The next shift change was in two hours. That was plenty of time for Serena and Azaid to meet Nocturne and return.
Upon stepping inside, they found that everyone was indeed asleep—not just the knights, but even the servants inside had been subdued.
Glancing at the unconscious people around her, Serena remarked, “If they fell asleep this quickly, it must have put a strain on their bodies.”
“As expected from a doctor. Who are you even worried about, Rena?”
“It’s just a professional habit.”
As Serena awkwardly rolled her eyes, Azaid tightened his grip on her hand.
Was it just her imagination, or did he seem unusually excited? Following him up to where Nocturne was, Serena muttered, “You seem kind of excited.”
“Not just kind of—very excited.”
“…Why?”
“Well…”
Azaid suddenly stopped walking, gently caressed her cheek, and then, without warning, kissed her.
“Because we’re finally alone. You’ve been stuck with the others all this time.”
Then, as if afraid she’d scold him, he flashed a bright smile and pressed a kiss onto the back of her hand.
The moist and soft sensation sent a wave of drowsy warmth through Serena.
Come to think of it, she really hadn’t spent much time alone with Azaid lately because of all the work handling the duke’s affairs.
She thought it was fine since they were always in the same space, but apparently, he had been missing their time together more than she realized.
“I need to wrap this up quickly. Otherwise, I might wither away from longing.”
“Don’t be dramatic. That won’t kill you.”
“So cold-hearted.”
When Azaid gave her a sulky look, Serena grinned mischievously. Then she placed her other hand over his and gave it a comforting squeeze.
“But once this is all over, even if His Majesty orders me to stay away, I’ll stick to you no matter what.”
“As if he’d ever tell you to stay away.”
“You always ran away when you didn’t want to go on walks.”
“That was ages ago.”
Azaid chuckled and, on impulse, gave the back of her hand a light bite. Serena pretended to wince in pain.
“Anyway, let’s hurry. That person will be here soon. We need to finish before we run into them.”
“I know.”
With that, Azaid picked up the pace.
***
Nocturne sat by the window, gazing outside.
The sound of the rain was particularly refreshing, making it one of those days when he wanted to open the window despite knowing he’d get wet.
But remembering the guest he was about to meet, he simply listened to the raindrops against the closed window.
Not long after, the villa was suddenly shrouded in mist, and the knights collapsed one by one.
‘They’ve arrived.’
As if on cue, the tightly locked doorknob gave a small click and turned.
‘They will be here soon.’
The servant left after saying only that.
Nocturne had already been informed that Serena would be coming to meet him, so he swallowed hard.
> Absorption magic.
If it was that magic, then perhaps—just perhaps—it could sever the duke’s spell that had shackled him like a lifelong chain.
Nocturne had long known about the duke’s unique magic.
After all, he had once been the most promising heir—the duke’s carefully cultivated “product.”
When he awakened as an elemental mage and had to play along with the duke’s schemes, he had felt nothing but utter disgust.
Above all, he had always felt guilty for not being able to tell Azaid that the duke’s unique magic wasn’t actually elemental magic.
But once the duke’s magic was broken, there would be no more secrets to keep.
The very leash that he had believed unbreakable was about to snap, and the thought filled Nocturne with an overwhelming sense of emotion.
‘Just sitting here waiting is unbearable.’
Deciding to step out and greet them, he moved toward the door.
Thanks to the antidote Serena had given him in advance, the lingering scent of the sleeping incense didn’t affect his consciousness.
As he walked through the corridor, he caught sight of Azaid and Serena approaching.
Just as he was about to call out a greeting, he halted.
They were bickering playfully—then, all of a sudden, they kissed.
Nocturne, watching their public display of affection with a deadpan expression, slowly turned around.
‘I shouldn’t have come out.’
By the time he retreated back into his room, the nauseatingly sweet couple had already arrived.
***
Meanwhile, James Greenwood stood outside the villa, his hood dripping with rainwater.
The heavy downpour made the lone-standing estate look eerily like a graveyard.
“Finally found you.”
His eyes burned with a murderous gleam.
Bloodshot and restless, his gaze darted around, taking in the large number of guards stationed there.
‘So, this is where you’ve been hiding like a rat.’
Grinding his teeth, James clenched his fists.
He had endured hell to track Nocturne down.
The fact that Ophelia, who had feigned ignorance for so long, had suddenly revealed his location so easily had left him dumbfounded.
He recalled their conversation.
— You asked for Nocturne’s whereabouts.
— So, you knew all along?
— Of course. Father is personally protecting him.
— What?
— Did you really think Father would just sit back while you rampaged about trying to kill his precious son?
— Precious? I’m the heir!
— Father disagrees. He says you’re unfit to lead Greenwood. He plans to make Nocturne the successor instead.
— No… that can’t be…
— If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself. Nocturne should be there, preparing to take over.
Ophelia’s mocking tone still rang in his ears.
Spitting on the ground in disgust, James clenched his fists.
After all the years of groveling under the duke, it was Nocturne who had been chosen in the end.
Ophelia’s words were too bitter to accept, so he had come to see for himself.
But before he could storm inside, a familiar carriage pulled out of the villa.
The duke’s personal carriage.
James quickly hid.
The duke exchanged a few words with the gatekeeper before departing.
James stood motionless, his fists trembling.
Ophelia had been right.
The duke was protecting Nocturne—fully aware that James was hunting him.
‘Now that I think about it, it was the duke’s secretary who informed me about Patrick’s death, too.’
Clutching his throbbing forehead, James staggered and leaned against a tree.
Despite everything he had done for the duke, Nocturne was the one who had earned his trust.
Overcome with fury, James punched the tree repeatedly, heedless of his bleeding knuckles.
Exhausted, he eventually slumped to the ground.
“Ha… Ha-ha… Ha.”
His laughter sounded unhinged.
His fingers brushed over an object in his coat.
For the first time, a new thought crossed his mind—perhaps it would have been better to kill the duke back when he was still the heir.
‘You’ll never become the head of Greenwood. Ever.’
Recalling Ophelia’s words, James abruptly rose to his feet.
“No. The heir will be me. Not that coward hiding in the villa.”
***
From a distance, Serena and Azaid watched as James stormed off in a fit of rage.
Moments later, Leonard and Jack discreetly followed him.
Serena’s carriage, hidden by a magical artifact, was in no danger of being discovered.
“He took the bait perfectly,” she noted.
“He was never the sharpest opponent to begin with. Let’s head back. It’s getting cold.”
Azaid gently wrapped another blanket around Serena, his voice warm with affection.
They had successfully brought James at the same time the Duke was coming to see Nocturne. Given that the Duke had left without issue, it seemed he hadn’t realized that Nocturne’s magic had been undone.
“It looks like Lady Greenwood provoked him properly.”
“She’s always been naturally gifted at getting under people’s skin.”
“Have you been scratched a lot by her?”
At Serena’s sulky response, Azaid blinked. Then, with a slow smirk, he asked,
“Are you jealous?”
“It’s not jealousy, but rather that Lady Greenwood knows parts of Your Majesty’s past that I don’t.”
“No, she doesn’t know me better than you do. She never even tried to.”
At his firm words, Serena felt her irritation ease a little. Still, if she let it go too quickly, she’d seem too easy, so she deliberately dragged out her words.
“But she was once a strong candidate for empress. She must have spent more time with you than I have.”
“But we never truly approached each other sincerely.”
“Well, Your Majesty does have quite the high walls.”
That was why, in her past life, she hadn’t even been able to lay a finger on him.
As Serena muttered this with a subtle hint of reproach, Azaid quietly pressed his lips against her hair.
“You’re the one who tore down that wall overnight, Serena.”
His deep blue eyes were more intense than usual. The reflection of Serena within them showed a face unmistakably lost in love.
Before she realized it, Azaid had drawn so close that his lips hovered just shy of hers as he whispered tenderly,
“You’re the first. The first person to step inside my boundaries and completely turn my world upside down.”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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