Episode 107

“……”

What… what did I just hear?

I tilted my head, replaying Askan’s words in my mind.

Ludwig’s Imprinted One… wasn’t Rachel, but me?

“No way, you must be mistaken. I’m not Ludwig’s Imprinted One. He told me so himself.”

I let out a laugh.

I had heard it directly from him, of all people. He had no reason to lie to me…

‘Wait.’

If I thought back to the original story, Ludwig had hesitated to tell Jenna about the imprint at first as well.

He had been afraid she would feel burdened by the lifelong bond that would tie both body and soul.

Fortunately, Jenna had been delighted upon learning about it.

Still, Ludwig had been cautious to an extreme degree when it came to his Imprinted One, enough to be considered a calculating male lead.

“…No way.”

Thinking about it now, every time Ludwig had miraculously stabilized right before losing control… I had been there.

As that realization hit me, my mind went blank.

[You… you really had no idea? Even with how possessive he’s been?]

“Are—are you sure? That I’m the Imprinted One?”

[Of course. I can see it—the tightly bound thread connecting you and him.]

“You’re not joking?”

[I don’t have time for meaningless jokes. But considering you had no clue, I suppose this must be quite the shock.]

I couldn’t close my mouth.

[That cunning bastard. Of all things to hide, he hid the imprint?]

Askan spoke in an exasperated tone, but his words barely registered in my ears.

“When… when did this happen?”

When had the imprint been formed?

The first time I noticed the marking on his neck was during the Awakening Ceremony.

That meant the imprint had been established before then, which could only mean…

“Our first meeting?”

I had to admit, our first meeting had been intense.

[“I’ll stay with you until the rain stops. So… trust me.”]

[“Who are you…?”]

I had acted instinctively, moving before I could think when I saw Ludwig collapsed.

That stormy night, beneath the towering tree… Was that when the imprint was formed?

It had been a night neither of us could ever forget, but…

‘Still, this is ridiculous!’

[An imprint at first meeting, huh. That guy hasn’t changed one bit.]

“…You speak as if you’ve known him for a long time.”

[I’m just guessing based on my last memory of him.]

“…I still can’t believe it.”

Even Jenna had taken a long time to form an imprint with Ludwig.

She had captured his heart first, but for some reason, the imprint had been slow to appear.

I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“Then… the one who has to run away from Ludwig isn’t Rachel….”

[It’s you.]

Hearing Askan confirm it left me completely dazed.

I had always imagined that one day, I’d leave the capital and settle in a quiet countryside for a peaceful life.

But fleeing like a fugitive, without even a word of farewell, had never been part of my plan.

Seeing me still frozen in shock, Askan spoke.

[You should just pass the blessing to someone else and live comfortably—]

“I can’t. And it’s not just about the blessing. If Bergaus takes over Ludwig’s body, he won’t last long before he self-destructs. I… I don’t want Ludwig to die. And I don’t want him to be forced into slaughter against his will, either.”

[Hmm… Then you really have no choice but to leave the empire. The only way for him to protect himself is for you to move beyond Bergaus’s reach.]

“…That’s right.”

I let out a long sigh.

[You’ll collapse the ground with all that sighing. What kind of child sighs like that?]

“I just feel… overwhelmed.”

Not for a few months, but possibly for a lifetime—I was being told to live in a foreign land like a wandering exile. That was easier said than done.

“When will Bergaus’s consciousness fully awaken?”

[Within a month or two, his consciousness will be unsealed. Though his body will remain bound, he’ll use Ludwig Karsian as his vessel to enact his revenge.]

A month or two. Not much time at all.

But enough to take care of the Lisbeth disease.

“…I should start preparing.”

Preparing to leave this place.

Even in the depths of the night, sleep refused to come.

Holding my head, tangled in a mess of complicated thoughts, I groaned in frustration.

Eventually, Askan’s voice faintly reached my ears.

[For now, sleep. Worry about it tomorrow.]

Strangely enough, the moment I heard his voice, drowsiness washed over me.

In the end, I only managed to drift into a light sleep as the first light of dawn began to break.

* * *

The next morning.

Perhaps thanks to drinking the elixir generously, the stiffness in my body had completely vanished.

My mind was still tangled with the conversation I had with Askan last night, but at least I was now certain about what I had to do.

Looking out the window, I saw Karsian’s carriage entering the estate.

Just as he had promised before leaving yesterday, Ludwig had come to visit me again today.

How was I supposed to react when I saw him?

Could I act like nothing had changed, keeping up my usual composure?

As I nervously paced around, there was a sudden knock on the door, making me flinch.

“Sierra, it’s me. May I come in?”

“Y-Y-Yes! Please, come in, Ludwig.”

At my permission, Ludwig soon opened the door and stepped inside.

Unlike yesterday, when I was groaning in bed, today, I was sitting on the sofa, nibbling on cookies. Seeing this, he let out a faint smile.

“You seem to be feeling better today.”

“Yes, as you can see. Ludwig, sit here too. These freshly baked cookies are delicious.”

With his long strides, Ludwig walked over and took a seat on the sofa across from me.

Nella, my maid, soon entered, serving him tea with a satisfied smile.

She didn’t say anything, but it was obvious that she was pleased Ludwig had come to check on me again today.

“Thank you for bringing another batch of medicinal herbs for the lady, Your Grace.”

At Nella’s words, I turned to Ludwig.

“You brought more today? You really don’t have to….”

“It’s nothing. I simply picked up a few things from Karsian’s herbal farms.”

“For something ‘simple,’ I saw there was even Celestine Root….”

…Celestine Root? Wasn’t that an extremely rare herb that could only be obtained from the East?

During the brief period when Eastern medicine was in vogue among the nobility, Celestine Root had been the most coveted, yet unattainable, of them all.

My mouth hung open in disbelief, but Ludwig merely smiled nonchalantly as if he knew nothing about it.

“Well then, I’ll leave you two to your conversation, hoho.”

With that, Nella left the room, and silence settled in between Ludwig and me.

“……”

Intertwining and then loosening my fingers, I hesitated.

Should I ask him? And if I did… how was I supposed to phrase it?

‘Why… why did you imprint on me?’

As I wrestled with a million questions, Ludwig elegantly sipped the tea Nella had served him.

For a moment, I found myself distracted by the way his throat moved as he swallowed—it was annoyingly handsome.

Then, my gaze landed on the imprint on his neck.

A red crescent moon, slashed across by three claw marks.

It looked so deeply engraved that it seemed impossible to erase.

I wondered if it had hurt when it was first etched into his skin.

Sensing my gaze, Ludwig set his teacup down and rubbed the back of his neck.

“What does it feel like?”

The question escaped my lips before I could stop myself.

People often compared it to a leash or shackles, but what did it truly feel like for the one bearing the imprint?

What had he felt for me in that moment to have it mark him?

‘…Somehow, it feels too much for me.’

Did I really deserve to be his Imprinted One?

‘All I’ve done is receive his help… I’ve never been the one to give anything in return.’

Even now, Ludwig had readily offered to accompany me on a difficult journey to find the fruit.

If I thought about it, his attention had always been directed toward me.

To Ludwig Karsian, I had become a priority above all else—a realization that felt a little too heavy to bear.

“Are you curious?”

Ludwig leaned in, closing the distance between us.

His gaze, now fixed on mine, seemed to be searching for something.

Perhaps he was trying to figure out why, all of a sudden, I was paying attention to his imprint.

Before I realized it, Ludwig had taken my hand and guided it to the back of his neck.

The crescent-shaped imprint was searingly warm, and I could distinctly feel the steady pulse beneath my fingertips.

“Would you like me to tell you?”

Ludwig asked, smiling in that dangerously captivating way of his.