“…Brother?”
As Kayden, who had been suppressing his presence, entered the room, his eyes met Diana’s. Both Kayden’s and Diana’s faces froze in unison. For a moment, Diana felt like her heart had stopped.
How…
She was certain that the first prince’s palace was tightly controlled by magical devices and knights.
While Diana could conceal herself with Muf’s abilities, Kayden was a light-attribute elementalist. There was no way he could wield Muf’s abilities…
Ah. And then it hit her. Just as she had snuck into this place, there was no reason Kayden couldn’t do the same. I understand how attuned Kayden would be to Elliot’s condition, even if he was preoccupied.
While Diana was desperately trying to assess the situation, Kayden seemed equally stunned, as if he hadn’t expected to encounter anyone here. However, his expression hardened slightly as he unconsciously scrutinized the unknown figure before him. Could it be?
The person standing by Elliot’s side was not wearing the usual owl mask but had their face hidden with a mask. Yet, aside from that, the cloaked figure, shrouded in a cloak reaching down to their ankles, was one he had seen several times before.
Kayden murmured in a half-believing whisper. “…Obscure?”
Flinch. Diana’s shoulders noticeably jumped at those words as she struggled to comprehend the situation. Her reaction had slipped out unconsciously, caught off guard in her thoughts.
A brief moment of silence followed, short enough to blink an eye. Then, with a sudden movement, Diana sprang toward Kayden.
“Ugh!”
Diana immediately clamped her hand over Kayden’s mouth, preventing him from shouting, while using her other hand to close the door.
Thud! With a small sound, the door shut. Kayden’s back, pushed by Diana, collided with the closed door before he bounced off. As a result, Kayden and Diana tumbled to the floor, tangled together.
“Uup…!”
Elfand! Even in that situation, Kayden stubbornly tried to pry away the hand covering his mouth, summoning Elfand.
A white leopard leaped out of the void, its jaws wide open, ready to attack Diana. Growl! At that moment, Yuro let out a fierce growl and blocked Elfand. The two spirits, like their masters, rolled on the floor, clawing and biting at each other.
Meanwhile, Kayden managed to push Diana away and conjured a sword. Just as he gripped the hilt and was about to swing it, he hesitated, his movements suddenly halting.
What is this… Kayden’s eyes widened slightly. He looked down at his body. There, he saw violet threads winding around him, restricting his movements. The threads were connected to Diana’s fingertips.
Kayden’s face twisted in frustration. What on earth is this? Could it be… spirit magic? But he had never heard of an elementalist with such an attribute. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion.
And that wasn’t the only question plaguing him. If this person was indeed D. Obscure, why were they here? Could they be trying to harm my brother…?
Kayden’s expression hardened. While he had come to secretly check on Elliot and Fleur out of concern, D. Obscure’s goal might very well be to place Kayden on the throne. In that case, the First Prince Elliot could be seen as an obstacle to Kayden. Yet, even so, Kayden couldn’t rashly cry out and alert others to this situation. His grip on the sword tightened.
…Familiar.
When that mysterious figure covered his mouth earlier, it felt strangely familiar. It was almost comforting, as if just touching them eased his mind…
“Kayden.”
…Similar to how it felt when he touched Diana. And this wasn’t the first time he had felt this way around D. Obscure. Once or twice could be dismissed as a coincidence. But to feel this way every time they met, could it really just be a coincidence or a mistake?
Kayden gritted his teeth. Even though the thoughts crossing his mind seemed absurd, once suspicion began to grow, it was like a poison that wouldn’t dissipate. I need to confirm it.
In the end, Kayden decided to push those thoughts aside for now. Whether this person was D. Obscure or not, whether they intended to harm Elliot or not, he would find out by removing that mask and questioning them.
Kayden’s eyes sharpened. He gathered his strength, broke the threads binding him, and lunged at Diana. Whoosh! With a sharp sound, Kayden’s sword slashed through the air as if tearing it apart. Diana gritted her teeth, dodged the sword, and drew a line in the air. Snap! Kayden’s arm grazed the violet thread, causing blood to spurt out.
Diana bit her lip under her mask. I was so careless. She had been too engrossed in discussing matters about Yuro and Elliot, missing the moment when Hillasa had tried to warn her—her mistake. Originally, she intended to check on the 1st Prince and then leave, relaying what she had discovered to Kayden under D. Obscure’s name. But things had gone awry.
I panicked and moved without thinking. Perhaps if she had remained calm, surrendered, and assured Kayden that she had no intention of harming Elliot, things might have turned out differently. But now, she looked exactly like an assassin sent to kill Elliot. However, she couldn’t risk explaining herself at length, as doing so might lead Kayden to realize who she was.
I need to escape quickly…
In any case, to avoid revealing her identity, she had to flee. The longer she engaged with Kayden, the more likely it was that she would have to injure him. Diana didn’t want that.
As Kayden’s sword, once again filled with ominous energy, flew toward her, Diana dodged it and glanced anxiously toward the window. Her blue-violet eyes widened in the next moment.
“…!”
Taking advantage of the chaos, the Hillasa had smashed the magical device protecting the window and were struggling to unlock the window latch, using each other as stepping stones. Seeing this, Diana quickly composed her thoughts. Meanwhile, Kayden, who had closed the distance between them, reached for her mask.
“Ugh…!”
Diana quickly stepped back to avoid his grasp, but her body staggered greatly. As she rolled on the floor, Kayden pinned her down and tried to pull off her mask. Clasp. Diana raised her hand just in time to grab Kayden’s wrist. But the difference in strength was too great. Even with her spirit magic wrapping threads around his wrist, her hand trembled.
For a moment, the two were at a standoff. Kayden, staring intently at the face barely visible between the mask and hood, frowned deeply.
“You…”
To prevent him from focusing on her face, Diana decided to take a risk and distract him. She spoke in a voice as low and rough as possible, changing her tone.
“The ring.”
“…What?”
“Investigate the ring.”
And her attempt was successful. Kayden was momentarily distracted by her words and loosened his grip. Diana didn’t miss the opportunity and pushed him away with all her strength. Thud! With a loud noise, Kayden tumbled across the floor.
“Ugh…!”
“Yuro!”
Growl! Diana bound Elfand with threads and called out. Yuro, now free from Elfand, leaped onto Kayden. In that brief moment, she sprinted toward the window.
Kayden, having shaken off Yuro, looked up just in time to see her leap out of the now-open window. “Wait…!”
But Diana didn’t hesitate as she jumped out. Horrified, Kayden rushed to the window and looked down.
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