‘Eon!?’
There was no need to turn my head to confirm it.
‘So suddenly.’
I had been on high alert, worried that Eon might come this way. Even while talking to Ludis, I kept checking behind me. When I had stood up earlier, there had been no sign of Eon—no shadow, no presence at all.
“Is my sudden appearance that surprising?”
Eon spoke as if he had read my thoughts.
“Spatial teleportation magic. I was in a bit of a hurry this time,” he added.
Despite his words, Eon appeared utterly relaxed. It was the composure of someone who had known from the start that I could never escape him.
“Who are you?” Ludis asked, directing his question at Eon.
“This is the Tower Master of the Empire,” said the man next to Ludis, bowing his head in respect. It was as if he were urging Ludis to show the same courtesy. However, instead of bowing, Ludis posed another question.
“Do you know this lady?”
“Yes,” Eon replied curtly.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what is your relationship with her?”
“Not at all. It’s no bother,” Eon said, cutting Ludis off while keeping his gaze fixed on me.
“She’s mine.”
“Yours?”
Eon rephrased his statement, as if to make it easier to understand.
“In other words, she is my person.”
Only then did Eon shift his gaze to Ludis, offering him a slight smile. I didn’t have the chance to see Ludis’s reaction, as Eon’s words filled me with both shame and fear.
‘From “my possession” to “my person.”’
Eon was treating me entirely like an object he owned.
“The Tower Master’s…woman, it seems,” Ludis’s attendant muttered indifferently. His tone suggested we should stop caring and move on, as if saying there was no point in getting entangled with strangers we had just met.
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like that,” I snapped at the rude attendant.
“Now, come this way,” Eon said, extending his hand to me. I shook my head.
“You can’t force me to go with you anymore.”
With my aching leg as an excuse, I simply sat back down on the ground.
“It’s quite strange when you think about it. Why would someone belonging to the Tower Master be lying here in such a place? You don’t seem to be here for hunting,” Ludis said, his tone exaggerated, like an actor performing a play.
Having read the original story, I knew this was Ludis’s way of expressing anger.
Finally, Eon shifted his gaze to Ludis.
“What’s your name?”
Instead of answering Ludis’s question, Eon posed one of his own.
“It’s an honor to introduce myself to the great Tower Master. I am Ludis de Pardien,” Ludis replied with a sarcastic bow.
Whether Eon noticed the sarcasm or simply didn’t care, his response was short and sharp.
“You seem to have quite an interest in other people’s business.”
“You make it sound as though I’m being nosy. But isn’t it only natural for a gentleman to help someone in distress?” Ludis replied smoothly.
“Someone in distress?”
Eon stared at me intently, as if the thought had never occurred to him. Then, with a cold expression, he let out a soft laugh.
“If you’re interested in my person, wouldn’t it be better to simply admit it? Be honest,” he said.
To Eon’s predatory eyes, Ludis’s kindness must have seemed like an attempt to steal his prey. Eon mocked Ludis, using words that were the least fitting for him.
“Of course, I’m interested,” Ludis replied. “After all, a person who is supposedly the Mage Tower Master’s companion was found collapsed in the hunting grounds. Now, would you kindly explain what happened?”
“If that’s what you wish to know, my person can answer directly,” Eon said.
Both Eon’s and Ludis’s gazes turned to me simultaneously.
“Milady, are you really acquainted with this man?” Ludis asked.
I shook my head with all my strength. This wasn’t part of my original plan, but now was the time to reveal everything to Ludis. I clenched my fists and bit my lip for a moment before speaking.
“I belong to the Mage Tower Master…”
But before I could finish, Eon’s voice resounded in my head once again.
[Paying for a crime against the law with research at the Mage Tower doesn’t sound like such a bad deal, does it?]
The message was clear. Objectively speaking, I was an orphan who had broken the law, while he was a Marquis and the Mage Tower Master. It was obvious whose word would be believed.
‘But that’s not the whole story,’ I thought.
There was much to say about Eon.
“Mage Tower Master, this man…”
[Go ahead, say it. I’m curious to hear what you truly think of me.]
I had momentarily forgotten what it meant for Eon to read my thoughts. He would already know that I was aware of his true nature as a killer.
‘The only reason he hasn’t killed me yet is for his own amusement,’ I thought. Eon, who killed without any particular purpose, was likely enjoying this situation as a form of entertainment.
‘If I were to reveal here that he’s a murderer…’
He would kill me. Without a doubt. And perhaps he would kill Ludis as well, to silence him. Even if Ludis couldn’t save me now, I couldn’t let my hope die here.
[Lady Selena, you overthink things.]
Eon’s smug smile was an obvious taunt.
“Fine,” I said, glaring at him. “I understand now how important our agreement is.”
Turning to Ludis, I forced a weak smile.
“Milady?” Ludis asked.
“I’m a researcher at the Mage Tower,” I explained. “I was recently appointed, but as I prepared to leave my home, fear overwhelmed me, and I jumped out of the carriage.”
It was half true.
“I caused unnecessary concern with my foolish actions. Could you help me up?”
I extended my hand to Ludis and whispered softly, “The most moving novel I’ve ever read was 43rd Street of Bainaan.”
It was a meaningless statement to Eon, but one Ludis might recognize. I could only hope he understood.
Ludis’s crimson eyes flickered as they looked at me, a mixture of concern and hesitation. I silently prayed that he’d remember this moment, that he’d come to find me someday.
But before Ludis could take my hand, my body was suddenly lifted into the air. Eon had closed the distance in an instant and hoisted me up.
Unlike the elegant gesture Ludis might have made, carrying me like a princess, Eon slung me over his shoulder like a sack of cargo.
“I hope we don’t meet again, Ludis de Pardien,” Eon said coldly.
Whatever Ludis’s response was, I couldn’t hear it. My world had flipped upside down, and my view was dominated by Eon’s back.
A wave of dizziness swept over me, like motion sickness. Closing my eyes tightly, I slowly opened them again.
“Wh-where am I?”
The room was opulent, far surpassing even the luxurious chambers of a countess. The finely embroidered red carpet and the richly adorned curtains were undoubtedly of the highest quality. Every piece of furniture gleamed, meticulously polished.
But that was where the beauty ended. The dim lighting, whether from an overcast sky or the arrival of night, cast a shadow over the space. The luminous stones adorning the chandelier provided light, but it was more like pale moonlight than warm sunshine.
‘I know this place…’
“The Mage Tower,” Eon’s soft voice interrupted my thoughts.
The Mage Tower. The place that haunted my dreams, where eerie voices echoed and endless staircases loomed.
‘It’s real now.’
A shiver ran through me as I realized where I was. Perhaps noticing my trembling, Eon set me down on the bed. Looking up at him, I felt like prey trapped beneath a predator’s paw.
“You’re injured,” he said, his hand glowing faintly with a white light. A comforting warmth spread across my face and upper body. His gaze shifted to my leg.
Following his eyes, I glanced down at my left ankle. It was noticeably swollen, the delicate joint appearing unnaturally puffy. Was it merely a sprain, or had the bone fractured?
“At this rate, you won’t be able to walk properly for a month,” he observed, a hint of satisfaction in his voice that I was too slow to notice.
“So, you’re saying you won’t heal my leg?”
He wasn’t obligated to heal me. Leaving my ankle untreated wouldn’t be his fault. But it was clear that his refusal to heal just the ankle was intentional.
“If your leg were fine, who’s to say you wouldn’t try to run away again?” he replied.
“Th-that’s ridiculous. I’ve learned my lesson about the power of the binding contract.”
“And yet, even as we speak, you’re plotting your escape, aren’t you?”
Leaning in, Eon placed a hand on the bed beside my shoulder, effectively caging me in. His amethyst eyes gleamed with a predatory light, holding my gaze captive.
“I despise losing what belongs to me,” he whispered, his voice devoid of any humor.
The faint red glow in his eyes betrayed his anger.
“Do you understand what I mean?”
I found myself nodding instinctively, but his gaze remained fixed on me. Then, something cold touched my lips—a finger.
Eon traced my lips as if committing them to memory, his touch slow and deliberate. His finger pressed lightly against my lower lip, making it difficult to breathe.
Finally, he pulled his hand away after confirming my response.
“I expect answers to my questions from now on,” he said.
Though I wanted to retort that he could simply ask like a normal person, I stayed silent. Instead, I furiously rubbed the spot where his hand had touched, a small act of defiance.
“If you insist on keeping me here, what am I supposed to do?” I asked, partly to change the subject and partly because I genuinely needed to know.
Eon tilted his head in thought, brushing back his hair with an almost playful gesture. His demeanor made it clear that “researcher” was just an excuse.
“Ah, I’ve got it,” he said with a snap of his fingers. “You can start by figuring out what you’ll do here.”
‘Unbelievable.’
I swallowed back a bitter laugh, knowing it was futile. He could read my every thought, after all. Sure enough, he smirked knowingly, a look of pure amusement at my helplessness.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
