An Unbreakable Obsession
Orsini was startled, but only for a moment.
That wasn’t Kallen.
That look in his eyes, that tone of voice. The Kallen Addis he knew would never act like this.
He’s lost his memories.
Or he was pretending to have lost them.
“Then what the hell are you?”
Orsini finally released Canna. He turned around.
“You’re no knight.”
He scanned the man from head to toe in one swift motion.
“A mercenary.”
The pieces of the puzzle clicked together one by one.
The white-haired man famous in the mercenary world. Orsini had heard the name in passing once or twice. Never would he have guessed it was Kallen with his memories gone.
“I have no intention of fighting you.”
“Too bad. I do.”
Ren bared his teeth in a grin. Then he swung his sword without mercy.
Clang! Orsini lifted his sheathed blade and blocked the strike.
“How underhanded. Attacking a man who hasn’t even drawn his sword?”
“I don’t give a shit about chivalry.”
After that, conversation was no longer necessary.
Kallen swung his sword. Orsini blocked it. As if he truly had no desire to fight, he focused solely on defense.
But Kallen wasn’t the kind of opponent who could be casually brushed off.
When the scabbard finally shattered, Orsini had no choice but to draw his blade.
“Lost your memories but your skills have improved.”
“Shut your mouth. Do nobles really chatter during a fight?”
“Fine. I’ll play along. It’s been a while since I last trampled you. This should be fun.”
Meanwhile, Canna was stealthily trying to slip away. Unfortunately, that was when the Addis knights arrived.
“Lord Orsini!”
The moment she saw the knight at the front, Canna quickly turned her body.
Claude Azel. Her former guard knight.
“Why did you suddenly run out like that? Don’t tell me the Black Fog has—”
A ridiculously stupid sound escaped Claude’s lips.
“Huh?”
It wasn’t just Claude. The knights following behind him began to murmur among themselves.
“It’s Lord Kallen!”
“Lord Kallen?”
As the knights swarmed in, the fight between the two men came to a halt.
“Lord Kallen! What in the world are you doing here…?”
“He’s lost his memories.”
Orsini cut in bluntly.
“From the looks of it, he doesn’t even know his own name.”
“What?”
Claude’s face twisted into a deep frown. He approached Ren and reached out.
“Is that true, Lord Kallen?”
“Get lost.”
Ren shoved Claude’s hand away, then walked straight past Orsini toward Canna.
Canna was keeping her head bowed with all her might. Ren whispered softly.
“Should they not see your face?”
When she nodded without answering, Ren removed his jacket. He draped it over her head and wrapped it around her shoulders.
Then he spoke to Orsini, who was watching them silently.
“Move.”
Orsini stared wordlessly at his younger brother and at Canna, who was obediently nestled in his arm.
His lips twisted. But he stepped aside to let them pass.
He’s letting us go?
Canna was startled by that realization when—
“Sir Claude.”
“Yes.”
“This is Tatiana Evgenia, the doctor from Yalden, and the mercenary serving as her guard. Escort them to the lord’s castle with the other knights.”
Of course he wouldn’t let her go so easily. Still, it was fortunate he hadn’t revealed her identity right then and there.
No. This is already the worst possible outcome.
Canna swallowed a furious sigh.
She could have handled being discovered by Claude, but Orsini? This truly was the absolute worst.
After that, Canna tried several times to slip out through the castle gates.
Why are Addis knights guarding the gates?
It seemed Orsini was determined not to let her escape. Using the excuse of watching for Black Fog infectees and monsters, he had stationed Addis knights everywhere. On the pretext of treating the injured, he himself refused to leave the castle.
How long do I have to stay trapped in this room!
The suffocating days dragged on.
Then one day, an unexpected visitor came. The gatekeeper.
“Lady Tatiana, I will help you escape.”
“Why would you?”
“W-well… it’s because I fell in love with you at first sight…”
What nonsense was this?
Canna narrowed her eyes.
“So you’re going to help me?”
“Of course. It would be an honor to assist an outstanding physician like you, Lady Tatiana.”
Canna stared at him for a moment, then smiled sweetly.
“Thank you for the kind words, but…”
…Wait a second.
This conversation didn’t make any sense.
The belated realization sent a chill racing down Canna’s spine.
Help me escape?
Tatiana Evgenia trying to escape from the Addis family. That was not something an ordinary person would ever think of.
Who the hell is this bastard?
Asking him directly would be foolish.
Canna crafted a calm smile.
There was no need to ask. There were only two possibilities anyway.
Someone who knew who she really was.
Someone who knew she was running from the Addis family.
Either a Black Apostle, or…
Someone from the Great Temple.
And distinguishing between the two was surprisingly simple.
“Well, I’m not sure what I should do…”
Canna turned around as if to touch the flowers, then pretended to prick her finger on a thorn and let out a scream.
“Ah, blood.”
The instant the words left her mouth, the gatekeeper lunged.
The moment she sensed him charging, Canna grabbed the flower vase, spun around, and smashed it into his head.
Crash!
“Guh!”
The gatekeeper collapsed with a short, sharp cry.
Good thing it was a marble vase.
Thanks to that, she had knocked him out in one blow.
So he really was a Black Apostle.
That explained why he had rushed at her like a madman the moment he saw her blood.
Alchemy-obsessed lunatics.
For the past three years, Canna had not touched alchemy once.
Using alchemy cracked the world, and through those cracks the Black Fog flowed in. The moment she learned that truth, she had sworn off the practice entirely.
Canna let out a small, bitter laugh.
Just dealing with Orsini was enough to make her head explode, and now Black Apostles were getting involved too.
Has Tatiana Evgenia’s fate finally run out?
If names had lifespans, perhaps Tatiana’s had already reached its end.
Or is Canna Addis’s fate simply too strong?
It felt as though an inescapable destiny was calling her back.
You’ve had enough rest these past three years. Now return to your world.
That’s right. Hiding accomplishes nothing.
Canna tied the gatekeeper firmly to a chair, then headed for Orsini’s room.
Orsini was reading a newspaper—an activity that didn’t suit him at all.
“You’ve got some nerve, coming to find me first.”
Irritation flared up instantly. Canna strode over and snatched the newspaper from his hands.
“What the hell?”
“What do you mean, what the hell? You’ve locked me up so I can’t leave, and you have the audacity to say that?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“There’s a Black Apostle in my room.”
“……”
“I tied him to a chair. Go take him.”
Orsini stared at her intently.
“Why would a Black Apostle target you?”
“How should I know? Maybe they were planning to use me to threaten you.”
Canna crumpled the newspaper and hurled it roughly at his face.
“They must have thought you were obsessed enough with me to be useful, you piece of garbage. Stop ruining my life and get the hell out of it.”
Orsini didn’t react to the insult. Instead, he raised his voice.
“Sir Estea.”
The door burst open.
It was the female knight who always stood guard outside Orsini’s door—the one Canna had seen before.
“Go to Lady Tatiana’s room with Sir Claude. There’s a Black Apostle there.”
“Understood.”
As soon as the door closed, Canna sneered.
“Since when did Orsini Addis need a guard knight? Have you become that much of a coward?”
“After Kallen’s suicide, guards were assigned. If he’d had one, maybe he wouldn’t have thrown himself from the spire.”
The words struck her like a blow.
When Canna fell silent, Orsini’s lips curved upward.
“I have no intention of leaving Kallen here.”
“Then take him. Take that guy and get out of here.”
“The problem is he’s not in his right mind. Even when I explain the situation, he refuses to believe me.”
He gave a crooked smile and muttered.
“It must be hard to believe that he threw himself from the spire in shock over his sister’s death.”
Canna bit her lip hard as she glared at him.
Whenever the story of Kallen throwing himself from the spire came up, Canna would lose her words.
“That’s one thing. But what about me?”
“You? I’ll have to kill you.”
Orsini spoke indifferently. Canna found his bluff ridiculous.
“Then kill me.”
As if he could.
She understood now. He was far more of a fool than she had thought.
Before Ren arrived, there had been no strength in the hand that gripped her throat.
The words she hadn’t thought of then came back to her.
“You’re Crown Prince Alexei’s concubine, aren’t you?”
Canna’s words failed her again.
It wasn’t a question. He already knew.
“Tatiana Evgenia. Concubine of Alexei Friedrich.”
Orsini recited it mechanically. Then, without warning, he stood up.
Their eye levels reversed in an instant. Orsini looked down at her arrogantly and mocked her.
“You ran away just to be someone’s concubine?”
He leaned his face close to her ear. He whispered softly.
“Does rolling around with another bastard feel good?”
“Watch your mouth.”
“You’re a wicked bitch. A demonic woman who seduces men and manipulates them.”
Slap! Canna’s hand struck his cheek.
Orsini’s face turned to the side. He touched his reddened cheek, then smiled with the corner of his mouth lifted.
“If you want to leave, then leave. I won’t stop you.”
He wouldn’t stop her?
Canna glared at him with disbelief. Orsini continued.
“Because I can vent my anger on someone other than you.”
“…What?”
“You’ve built quite the network. I hear Prince Lorenzo follows you well too.”
At that moment, Canna’s face twisted with rage. Orsini laughed.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of bastards they are. I want to go to the royal palace as soon as possible and meet them.”
He was threatening her. If she disappeared as she pleased, he would not leave Alexei and Lorenzo alone.
“If you touch them, I won’t let you get away with it.”
“Then stay by my side and watch. Who knows? I might leave them alone out of pity for how pathetically you’d squirm.”
“You vile bastard.”
“You taught me that. I learned a lot from you.”
He grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close.
Admiring the hatred that filled her face, he whispered.
“I learned so very much.”
Canna glared fiercely into his eyes, now inches away. She spoke as if cursing him.
“I should have killed you properly back then.”
“Then kill me.”
Orsini answered in a low voice, his gaze dropping. It stopped at her lips.
“Kill me right now if you can.”
They were red. An intensely red pair of lips.
The hand gripping her collar twitched with sudden force.
But the next moment, Orsini stepped back. Turning his head away, he muttered.
“If you’ve said everything you wanted to say, then get out.”