“I know it would be heartbreaking for my mother to hear this, but the truth is, I’ve always been lonely because I don’t have any siblings. So when she said she would put you on the imperial register, I was honestly happy.”
Hearing those words, Abel silently responded in his heart.
“I was happy too, Sister. I was so lonely too.”
At that moment, Malek answered Anais exactly as Abel had thought.
Anais stroked Abel’s head with a look of pity.
Abel could not forget those warm eyes and hands.
And when Malek used his body to deceive the Empress and Anais and tried to poison the Empress, he was so distressed that he wished he had died instead.
“No! No, you devil! Don’t touch Her Majesty the Empress! Sister! Please, suspect me! Please!”
Locked in the prison of his own body, unable to speak, write, or even express himself through his gaze, he screamed desperately.
It was a scream that no one could hear.
The Empress eventually died at the hands of Sasha and Malek, and since then, Anais has been drifting away from Abel little by little, and Abel is gradually falling apart as even the little warmth that was allowed to him disappears.
Abel sat on the floor, tears streaming down his cheeks as he muttered like a man who could not let go of his regrets.
“I think I made eye contact with that guy earlier…or not? But…I really did make eye contact…”
Sergey Lindell. That was definitely the name.
The new nobles that Malek and Sasha were trying to attract.
Whoever he was, it was the first time he had made eye contact with anyone outside while trapped in the palace, surrounded by a magical illusionary barrier.
So Abel had hope, but the man standing next to Anais turned his head away.
If he had been on Anais’ side and had really seen Abel, there’s no way he wouldn’t have said something to Anais, If he had seen Abel knocking on the window like he was crazy.
As Abel thought about it, he despaired again.
“Just kill me already…”
His will to live was slowly fading.
And that night.
As usual, Abel was lying on his bed in a dark room, staring blankly into space.
He was simply waiting for time to pass, wondering why he even existed.
And then, suddenly, he felt something move in a dark corner of the room.
‘Is it Malek?’
Abel didn’t really care because sometimes Malek’s true form would appear, strengthen the barrier in the room, and then return.
Trying to cling to him would only result in more mockery.
But tonight was different. For some reason, Malek seemed to be approaching him directly.
“This is a terrible sight.”
“Who made me like this?”
The voice sounded somewhat different from Malek’s usual tone, but Abel couldn’t believe it was anyone else.
Because the only one who could appear in that place where Malek had placed a strong barrier without opening the door was Malek himself.
But tonight, Abel’s expectations were shattered.
“I know you mistake me for someone else, but it makes me feel bad, so stop.”
Only then did Abel jump up from his seat.
“Y-you, who are you?!”
“You saw me earlier today, didn’t you?”
“How did you get in here? Did my mother let you in? No—aren’t you on my sister’s side?”
Sergey appeared from the darkness and slowly walked towards Abel.
“What about you? Are you on the side of your mother who made you like this?”
Standing in the pale moonlight, Sergey looked somehow inhuman.
‘He feels similar to Malek…’
Now that he thought about it, Sergey spoke casually to him, a prince, and even walked out of the darkness.
“Who are you? Are you like that guy Malek? Are you not human?”
“Malek? Is that the name of the man who did this to you?”
“Yes…”
“Hmm….”
Sergey muttered as he looked around Abel’s room.
“Judging by how you call him ‘that guy,’ it seems you don’t have any fond feelings toward him And from the way you were banging on the window earlier, it seems like you want to get away from your mother or that guy named Malek…”
And Sergey’s gaze, which was looking around the room, turned back to Abel.
“Should I save you?”
Abel felt his heart skip a beat.
How long has he been waiting for these words?
He didn’t care if the man before him was a true devil. No one could be worse than Malek.
Abel rolled out of bed and crawled to Sergey. Then he grabbed Sergey’s leg and begged.
“Please, save me! I’ll do anything! Please!”
Tears welled up again.
Abel was so desperate. He felt that if he missed that opportunity, he would never have another.
“Tsk tsk. You seem to have suffered a lot. You didn’t even bother to check who I was before rushing at me.”
“Even if you are the devil! Please take me out of this prison! If you can’t save me, then kill me! Please!”
Sergey looked down at Abel, who was desperately pleading, and sighed.
“Hey, calm down. My contractor doesn’t like killing people, so I can’t kill you. And wouldn’t it be better for you to get your body back and live a normal life instead of dying?”
“Is that possible? Can you do that? Really?”
“I told you to calm down.”
Sergey, who was trying to calm Abel down, felt that Abel’s instability was not just a problem in this situation.
When Sergey put his hand on Abel’s head to check his soul, it was surprising how weak he was still holding on.
“It feels like I came just in time. If I had been even a little bit later, that guy Malek would have eaten you up.”
Serge gave strength to Abel’s soul. For the first time in his life, Abel felt like he could breathe properly.
“Oh, thank you. Thank you!”
“It’s too early to thank me. I have something to receive from you too.”
“I’ll give you anything.”
“You shouldn’t use the word ‘anything’ so carelessly. What if I’m a bad guy?”
“That can’t be true.”
Sergey briefly thought that the gaze of this poor man who trusted him completely resembled Elaine’s.
Elaine had also said, ‘There’s no way that Rabes is an evil dragon.’
‘It felt a little good to be trusted like that.’
“If you trust me, let’s make a deal. You tell me everything you know about that guy named Malek, and I’ll save you from him. What do you think?”
“I will! As much as you want!”
Abel nodded his head vigorously, his whole body trembling.
Before Sergey could say anything, Abel poured out everything—how he ended up like that, what kind of being Malek was, and all the bitterness he had endured over the past 19 years.
After listening for a long time, Sergey awkwardly patted Abel on the shoulder.
“You’ve been through a lot. Anyway, you want Anais to become emperor, right?”
“Yes! I really have no desire for the throne! I’m not qualified to do so. If I become the emperor, I will only be my mother’s puppet.”
“Are you prepared to abandon your mother?”
“Are you talking about the person who handed me over to the devil when I was a baby? The one who ignored me as I begged for help? I never considered that woman to be my real mother.”
Abel’s eyes sparkled with resentment.
“Okay. Then let’s do this properly. Sooner or later, your mother and that guy Malek will do something. Then you’ll have to hit them in the back of the head.”
“Me? Can I…do that?”
“Of course. I’ll help you.”
Serge smiled, grabbed Abel by the back of his neck, and quickly outlined the scenario of what would happen next.
“You understand? Even if it’s not perfect, the main part won’t change. So you have to do your part well.”
“Yes! I will do well! I will really work hard!”
“Be strong. And don’t get excited and ruin things.”
Abel nodded several times.
For the first time, a ray of light shone into his miserable life that had been dark.
* * *
While Abel was filled with hope for the first time in his life, Lark was slowly walking down the dark and quiet hallway of the mansion.
His steps stopped in front of the stairs leading to the attic on the third floor.
‘This feels strange.’
It wasn’t something he’d noticed before because he’d never thought about it, but the place where Elaine had stayed felt different from the rest of the mansion.
The staircase leading to the third floor wasn’t polished, the design of the railing was utterly plain, and the wood itself was cheaper than what was used elsewhere in the mansion.
It made sense in a way—after all, the third floor was just a few attic rooms. An economical choice, surely. But to put it another way, Elaine had been abandoned there, like a useless item stored in a warehouse.
‘How foolish of me. I shouldn’t have let it happen….’
Lark sighed and regretted it.
If he had known that she would turn around in an instant like that, he wouldn’t have allowed Elaine to remain in such a place, no matter what his father had said.
But Lark didn’t think it was too late.
‘I’ll get her back.’
He started climbing the stairs one by one.
Unlike the other stairs in the mansion, it made a small creaking sound.
‘Elaine must have been hearing this all the time as she climbed the stairs.’
The railing’s rough surface seemed like it could easily leave splinters in someone’s hand, and it made him frown without realizing it.
The railing itself was poorly made, and flimsy to the point of being dangerous.
The stairs were two paces apart, and they were so thin that it felt like a single misstep could send someone straight down to the first floor.
It was heartbreaking to know that his pretty little flower lived in such a dangerous and shabby place. He felt ashamed of himself for not having noticed it back then.
* * *
Well too bad beech youre a loser