Chapter 3
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 3
Though the surroundings were sparse, the location was not so distant from the Banquet Hall.
Not directly adjacent, but close enough that the guard knights protecting the Banquet Hall remained visible. To conduct such a sinister conversation in such a place was extraordinary.
Yet the greater problem was that this conversation was unfolding mere steps away from her. Far too close to slip away unnoticed.
Grace Oellin swallowed dryly and carefully turned her head toward the source of the voices.
Beyond the shrubbery, the armor of the knights gleamed, reflecting moonlight. They stood scarcely twenty paces away. As Grace surveyed the knights, her eyes widened upon discovering the towering man who stood at their center.
'It's Lucas Black?'
Though not brightly lit, the darkness was insufficient to obscure his identity. His overwhelmingly massive frame made recognition inevitable.
"Betraying the royal family and attempting to sell the nation itself. I'm curious just how audacious you are—perhaps I should split open that belly of yours to verify."
A low, deep, and resonant voice uttered these terrifying words as though they were mere pleasantries.
"No, wait. If you remove the liver and he dies in the process, we won't be able to determine who the true traitor is...."
The voice was so unnervingly calm that it became all the more chilling.
"Ah yes, I think it best to sever those fingers one by one—the very hands that dared to harm the princess.
"No! No! Damn it!"
"Seize his limbs."
The knights moved with perfect synchronization, as though they truly intended to sever the man's hands, and swiftly bound him. With a ghastly pallor, the man pleaded desperately. Never had a plea for mercy sounded so terrifying.
Startled, Grace Oellin hastily clamped both hands over her mouth.
She had a habit of hiccupping when frightened, and she could feel one rising in her throat at this very moment.
Her instincts screamed that she must flee this place at once. Naturally, she attempted to do so.
But unfortunately, her frozen legs refused to obey her will.
'No, I have to escape. I shouldn't be seeing this, Grace Oellin!'
The fist pressed against her mouth trembled violently. Cold sweat streamed down her back like rain, and her heart pounded as though it would burst through her ribs.
Her entire body creaked like rusted tin. She clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached, yet her terrified body refused to heed her mind's commands.
Shing.
The crystalline sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath rang out with bone-chilling clarity.
"No, please, no!"
The bound man thrashed and shrieked desperately.
She desperately wished someone would hear this commotion and come running to halt this horrifying moment.
"Ahhh! Aaaahhh! Please, please spare me!"
In Grace Oellin's terrified eyes, the tip of the blade caught the moonlight, gleaming with terrible beauty.
It was a luminous radiance utterly at odds with the gruesome moment. Beyond the trajectory of the moonlit blade, Lucas Black's pale blue eyes were visible. Astonishingly, he wore a slight, twisted smile.
"Ah, ahhh...! Ugh! Uuuugh!"
Crimson blood sprayed into the air. Even the cheek of the man she had thought beautiful as a god became stained with blood.
The man, his mouth sealed by the knights, collapsed, wailing like a child.
Between the gentle gusts of wind came the metallic scent of blood. A distinct sound of something falling to the ground pierced through Grace Oellin's frozen consciousness.
And the moment she comprehended the identity of that 'something' that had fallen, she could endure no longer.
'I cannot lose consciousness....'
Yet her consciousness betrayed her and fled, and her memory of the day she first saw Lucas Black ended there.
* * *
Gasp!
I jolted awake with a start, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Cold sweat drenched my pallid face.
"Not... not another nightmare..."
I exhaled deeply and buried my ashen face in my trembling hands. The nightmares had robbed me of proper sleep, leaving my mind foggy and numb.
'At least tonight's dream didn't feature severed fingers dancing about.'
I laughed bitterly at myself, shaking my head. Ever since witnessing 'that scene' in the Royal Palace Garden a year ago, I had been tormented by nightmares of severed fingers leaping through the air.
Fingers bouncing playfully across blood-soaked floors as if engaged in some grotesque game!
It was a sight far more horrifying than anything my imagination could conjure.
And beyond those bouncing, severed fingers stood Lucas Black, wearing that chillingly beautiful smile, and the moment our eyes met, I would jolt awake as if fainting from terror.
"I was finally starting to forget..."
I slapped my cold cheeks frantically, desperate to shake off the lingering dread.
Whether from the trauma of that day or the relentless nightmares, my health had deteriorated rapidly afterward, confining me to bed throughout the entire social season.
I had missed two social seasons, and all the marriage proposals that had come my way vanished without a trace.
Capren Oellin was deeply disappointed, but he could not force his frail, bedridden daughter into the Banquet Hall.
After all, if I collapsed again, no one would want to marry me.
Yet now, of all times, marriage negotiations with Lucas Black had surfaced again.
I could not fathom why the illustrious Lucas Black would pursue marriage negotiations with me—especially when he was supposedly conducting them with Lady Alendia.
"This is madness."
I sighed heavily and paced my room in agitation, my flowing negligée swaying anxiously around my slender frame.
The hem rippled with the same turbulence churning within my heart.
'Lucas Black. Lucas Black...!'
Closing my eyes tightly, I envisioned him—impeccably dressed in formal attire, the very picture of gentlemanly refinement.
He had supposedly set down his sword and turned to business, dedicating himself to managing his territory and no longer wielding a blade. Yet despite this, I could not erase the image of fresh crimson blood splattered across his handsome, composed face.
When he flashed that sinister smile in my direction, I nearly let out an unladylike scream.
It was identical to that cruel smile I had witnessed beneath the moonlight that night—the one that haunted my dreams. Goosebumps erupted across my entire body once more.
"No... absolutely not!"
After much deliberation, I reached a decision.
I had to tell Father immediately that this marriage was absolutely impossible. Though he would likely refuse my plea, I could not simply do nothing.
I rushed out of my room.
Remembering that Father would be leaving soon, my heart raced. He had emphasized several times over the past few days that he had important people to meet, and that the Estate would likely be vacant for at least ten days.
And among those important people he needed to meet was Lucas Black himself.
If I did not speak now, this engagement could truly come to pass. I had to tell him immediately—this engagement, this marriage, was absolutely impossible.
My hurried steps turned into a run. The servants, startled by my uncharacteristic haste through the Estate, turned to stare, but I had no time for such concerns.
The corner of the staircase came into view. Just beyond it lay Capren Oellin's Study. He always checked the safe in his Study before departing, so he was likely still there.
Without hesitation, I rushed toward the corner but came to an abrupt halt at the sight of someone standing before the Study door. A man stood there as if about to knock, and he turned to face me.
A man with a towering, solid frame that cast a long shadow across the corridor.
"Lady Oellin?"
Lucas Black turned to me, his expression betraying undisguised surprise.
* * *
The moment Lucas Black caught sight of Grace rushing toward him in disarray, he couldn't help but recall the voice of his adjutant, Haem Demigrass.
"Pardon? Miss Oellin called out your name so desperately that she fainted?"
It had begun as a simple question.
As he adjusted his tie, Haem had casually asked what possible reason a lady could have for calling out a male nobleman's name even as she lost consciousness.
It was merely, truly, a simple curiosity.
Why had she done such a thing? Why? How could it be...?
At his words, Haem, who attended to Lucas, widened his eyes with a gleam. He gazed at Lucas with a knowing expression, as though he had discerned everything.
"Oh my, oh my...!"
Without answering the question, the man began circling Lucas frantically.
His behavior resembled that of a puppy searching for the perfect spot, prompting Lucas to click his tongue in disapproval.
"You're being insufferable, Haem."
"I smell something, sir. A most intriguing scent!"
At Haem's peculiar remark, Lucas raised his arm and sniffed himself to see what odor he might be detecting. Naturally, he detected nothing.
'What scent could there possibly be?'
Seemingly oblivious to Lucas's action, Haem continued circling around him, murmuring incomprehensible words.
"This is truly an event I cannot overlook. I have a distinct premonition that something momentous is about to unfold."
Haem had served Lucas since childhood. As his father and mother had also labored for the Black Family, it was fair to say he had followed at Lucas's side since birth.
As he matured, he was promoted to the position of adjutant, and he handled his duties with such keen perception and diligent execution that he rarely needed instruction twice.
Haem could generally be described as highly capable, yet his characteristically exuberant and ingenuous nature often rendered him somewhat boisterous. It was remarkable how he managed to accomplish his work so well despite such a temperament.
Haem gazed at Lucas with fresh admiration, scrutinizing him from every angle as he spoke.
"You certainly possess an exceptionally, extraordinarily refined appearance, sir."
Lucas's right eyebrow rose sharply.
"On the surface?"
"Ah, well, I haven't observed your interior, so I couldn't possibly know! Though I could certainly predict it to be equally magnificent without needing to look, haha!"
Haem quickly clasped his hands together and offered shameless flattery.
Truly, a man whose mouth never ceased its prattle.
Exasperated, Lucas pushed away Haem's head as the man continued circling, his tone carrying a warning.
"You know I despise people hovering around me, Haem."
"Ah, quite right. I've made an error. I became suddenly overexcited. You see, I fell asleep reading an absolutely thrilling detective novel yesterday."
What possible correlation could there be between detective novels and sniffing about while circling someone?
Yet before Lucas could pursue this minor curiosity, Haem posed another question.
"But you mentioned that Miss Grace kept blushing in front of you, yes? She could scarcely meet your eyes, and her fingers trembled slightly?"
"Well, I'd say it was more than slightly—rather vigorous trembling, actually. But what does that have to do with anything?"
Clap!
Haem clapped his hands together with exaggerated flourish, as though he had made a remarkable discovery.
"Oh, could it be!"
Haem let out a jubilant cry and burst into frivolous laughter.
At the sudden loud noise, Lucas's brow furrowed immediately.
He greatly disliked sudden loud sounds. In fact, he generally detested anything boisterous.
His imposing stature and refined appearance led some to believe he would relish the capital's glittering social life. Coupled with his tenure in the Crown Prince's Guard Knights, peculiar rumors clung to him—yet all of them stood at odds with his true nature.
I preferred solitude and quietude. I harbored a particular aversion to commotion and unforeseen incidents.
Rather than a bustling, ostentatious existence, I sought a life that, though perhaps somewhat monotonous, remained serene and predictable—that was the life I pursued.
Proximity to tumultuous and cacophonous things invariably set my nerves on edge. I despised such situations that rendered me hypersensitive.
Had I not been coerced into serving as a knight of the Royal Palace Guard at the Crown Prince's behest, I might have retreated to my territory long ago.
Yet now that I had become the family head, such possibilities had long since evaporated.
In any case, my preferences lay with quiet, serene outdoor spaces and remote rural living. My greatest joy was an endless expanse of fields beneath a resplendent sunset.
"That moment! When Miss Grace fainted, didn't you say the Commander offered his handkerchief and smiled ever so slightly?"
Thus, Haem Demigrass—who occasionally grew loud with excitement as though a screw had come loose—was hardly welcome. Had it not been for the affection we'd cultivated together since youth, I would have cast this wretch out long ago.
"Isn't that right? Commander? You did that, didn't you!"
I fixed Haem Demigrass with a steady glare as he prattled on in his agitated tone.
'...A single kick with my hind leg would silence him, I suspect.'
A most tempting impulse. So tempting, in fact, that my mouth began to water.
"Commander! This is undoubtedly it! I, the handsome jewel of Rosenta Territory! Beloved of the masses! Haem Demigrass, master of romance, stake my honor upon it—this is precisely!"
As Haem Demigrass's voice grew increasingly louder, my gaze fixed upon his shin transformed into something far more covetous.
Just once. Truly, just once. With careful restraint to ensure he wouldn't perish....
Even Haem Demigrass, oblivious as he was, sensed the danger and abruptly fell silent. He stumbled backward a step, his face registering alarm.
"W-why are you looking at me like that? Your eyes have suddenly become far too menacing...?"
"Your shin appears remarkably sturdy."
"Ah, it's not sturdy at all! It's quite fragile and delicate, I assure you! No, please, just listen to what I'm saying!"
As though deaf to Haem Demigrass's pleas, I began to lift my booted foot.
"Miss Grace has fallen for you, Commander! So deeply that she called out your name while fainting—utterly, completely smitten! It might even be love at first sight!"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org