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Chapter 6
The enchantress Lichesia was the most sought-after figure in the Underworld.
Because of ‌‌‌‌this, there was no shortage of troublesome men vying for her attention.
The man who had just burst in was one who had once pestered Lichesia relentlessly.
'Was his name Morgan?'
After I had disciplined him for his particularly stubborn persistence, he would flee with his tail between his legs whenever he caught even a glimpse of my shadow.
'But what is this fool doing here?'
While I stood there momentarily bewildered, Morgan examined Chesa with a vacant expression.
"She looks like Lichesia...?"
As he scrutinized Chesa repeatedly, she rolled her eyes as if she hadn't noticed.
Hesitating, Morgan stuffed Chesa into a large bag, apparently pressed for time.
Then he hurried from the room.
Bound tightly and trapped in the pitch-black interior of the bag, Chesa's brow furrowed slightly.
With a flutter, a small butterfly materialized.
As the butterfly clung to the bag, the fabric-obscured view suddenly cleared.
Chesa observed the outside situation from within the bag.
Count Basilian's bedchamber was located at the highest ‌‌‌level of the castle.
Morgan, clutching the bag, descended immediately.
He passed several servants along the way, but ‌‌‌none of them noticed him.
He must have used a magical potion from the Underworld.
At this point, I was becoming somewhat curious.
Why ‌‌was he committing such madness?
'Let me observe how this unfolds.'
Chesa watched the situation unfold with leisurely interest.
Morgan, perspiring profusely, managed to reach the first floor successfully.
He headed straight for the back courtyard.
There stood a cargo wagon laden ‌‌with flowers.
Beside the wagon, a man with a patch over one eye paced nervously.
The One-Eyed Man, spotting Morgan, rushed toward ‌‌him urgently.
Morgan opened the bag and showed its contents to the man.
"This is it...?"
The One-Eyed Man examined Chesa with a skeptical gaze.
Chesa, lying docile and still, met his eyes with an innocent expression.
"Count Basilian searched through every orphanage imaginable to find this child, so I ‌‌‌thought it would be ‌something extraordinary. But it's just a brat?"
The One-Eyed Man's thick brows furrowed deeply.
He muttered uncertainly. ‌‌‌‌
"But now that I look at her, she resembles someone."
Morgan then chimed in as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"Does she not resemble the enchantress Lichesia?"
"Ah, you're right? She does look like the enchantress, doesn't she? Though her eye color is different."
The One-Eyed Man's ‌‌‌single eye widened before he suddenly burst into raucous laughter.
"Oh, oh! The higher-ups will be delighted. Perfect!"
Morgan cast a sidelong ‌‌‌glance at Chesa, his expression troubled for a moment, but he quickly urged the man forward.
"You've confirmed the goods. Pay up quickly." ‌‌‌
At Morgan's insistence, the One-Eyed Man pulled Chesa from the bag. He concealed her among the flower piles in ‌‌‌‌the flower ‌‌‌cart as he replied.
"Not a single coin until we're completely out of the Black Forest."
"Damn it! Then let's get out of this cursed castle quickly."
Morgan spat on the ground with a sharp sound. He ‌‌‌muttered beneath his ‌‌breath along with his curses.
"This wretched castle disgusts me."
"That much is true."
The One-Eyed Man muttered while gazing up ‌‌at the Castle of Serpents.
"What is Basilian that he'd order us to kidnap a mere child...."
Though House of Basilian was counted among the three great families of the Palen Empire, they lagged considerably behind.
The Ibroyel Duke Family—a cadet branch of the imperial house, inheriting the bloodline of esteemed mages.
The Nemea Marquis Family—commanding formidable knights, firmly grasping the empire's military authority.
Yet House of Basilian possessed nothing.
While other families shook the empire with their brilliance, they merely existed in quiet obscurity.
Like a serpent swimming beneath the ‌‌surface.
Despite their unremarkable presence, the solar imperial house of the Palen Empire never looked down upon House of Basilian.
Neither did the Ibroyel Duke Family nor the Nemea Marquis Family. ‌
They always mentioned House of Basilian together as one of the three great families, treating them with respect.
Thus other noble houses were forced to feign respect toward the Count Estate, yet an undercurrent of disdain inevitably lingered.
Even the denizens of the Underworld shared this sentiment.
They all looked down ‌‌‌upon House of Basilian as a gloomy, solitary noble family.
Only Chesa, who had long investigated ‌‌‌the three great families, sensed something amiss and delved deeper.
'Who orchestrated the kidnapping?'
I was quietly eavesdropping on the conversation between the One-Eyed Man and Morgan, hoping to extract more information.
Then a light, airy voice reached my ears.
"You there, gentlemen."
Morgan and the One-Eyed Man flinched and turned their heads.
The owner of the voice was a boy wearing a large parasol.
The ‌boy, whose platinum-blonde ‌‌hair was tied back to his chest, had long, dense eyelashes framing his downturned eyes, giving him a refreshingly pure appearance.
With delicate features as gentle as a breeze and ‌‌‌‌a slender frame, his overall impression was distinctly androgynous.
The clothes he wore differed from typical ‌‌‌menswear, adorned with abundant lace and frills, so much so that one might mistake him for a girl at first glance.
Yet the moment the bearded men laid eyes on the delicate boy, they froze ‌solid like mice before a serpent.
It was because of his crimson eyes.
The boy was Ishuel Basilian, the third of House of Basilian.
"Can't you hear me?"
Ishuel tilted his head ‌‌with a smile.
"Are you deaf."
Morgan and ‌‌the One-Eyed Man snapped to attention at the cold words.
Morgan answered with an obsequious laugh.
"Yes, yes! Young master. We've come to deliver flowers. Please let us know if there's anything you require."
"Mm, shut your mouth."
"...Yes?"
Ishuel Basilian's eyes narrowed.
His gaze seemed to hurl silent curses—filthy, vulgar things.
The One-Eyed Man spoke while cold sweat dripped down his face.
"Of course! We'll stay silent! Please tell us if there ‌are any flowers you need."
The boy approached the flower cart with light, graceful steps instead of answering.
Morgan and the One-Eyed Man exchanged a quick, meaningful glance.
They subtly rested their hands ‌‌on the daggers hidden in their garments.
Their bloodshot eyes trembled with tension as they watched the boy.
Regardless, Ishuel gently sifted through the flowers with slender fingers.
Buried among the blooms, Chesa ‌‌‌‌gazed at Ishuel through ‌‌the gaps between petals.
Their eyes met.
Ishuel's eyes widened slightly.
The boy fell silent for a moment, then murmured as if genuinely fascinated.
"You're beautiful, aren't you?"
Ishuel stared intently at Chesa, who was covered in flower petals, and spoke again.
"I've never seen anything as beautiful as me before."
Chesa was momentarily ‌‌‌taken aback by such narcissistic words.
Of course, Chesa was a fairy who lived with her own sense of superiority... but this was something else.
'This one seems worse than me.'
Chesa had never encountered anyone like this before.
Even as ‌‌she marveled inwardly, Ishuel examined Chesa from every angle.
"How strange... she doesn't even cry."
Glossy glass-like pink nails crushed the flower petals. ‌‌
A short, mocking laugh escaped.
"Or ‌‌perhaps she's an idiot."
This bastard?
Chesa bristled, but she didn't bother retorting.
Ishuel tilted ‌‌‌his head thoughtfully for a moment, ‌‌‌then withdrew without hesitation. ‌‌
"I'll have to wait a bit longer."
His full lips curved into a twisted smile.
"Until she ‌‌‌‌begs and cries for me ‌to spare her life."
Ishuel departed with light, graceful steps.
Watching the boy's retreating figure, Chesa finally grasped the weight of what ‌‌‌‌‌Kieran had said.
'He's truly out of his mind...'
By Underworld standards, he was a top-tier lunatic. ‌‌‌‌
As Ishuel disappeared, Morgan and the One-Eyed ‌‌‌‌Man released the breath they'd been holding.
"Phew, damn it, he told us to leave quickly!"
"Right, let's get out of here at once. ‌‍The third young master seems willing to turn a blind eye to this."
The One-Eyed Man climbed hastily onto the coachman's seat, chuckling dryly.
"Well, he wouldn't ‌‌‌be happy about a new brother to share the inheritance with."
Chesa agreed with that assessment.
'But ‌‌I'm just temporary, after all.'
The inexplicable affection Kieran showed me now was ‌‌‌merely ‌‌‌purposeful action in the end.
I knew well that it would all vanish like bubbles eventually.
Suddenly, the lullaby he had sung for me came to mind.
In the deep hours of dawn when everyone slept.
A languid voice humming a terribly botched lullaby.
'That too will become a meaningless gesture.'
My mood inexplicably soured.
"...."
I curled my small body even tighter.
Meanwhile, the carriage raced forward recklessly.
The violent jolting from the frantic pace caused the flowers inside to scatter in disarray.
Yet no one paid attention.
Everyone's mind was only on ‌‌escaping the Castle of Serpents and the Black Forest as quickly as possible.
My eyes, buried among the flowers, grew dim.
'How tedious.'
Just as I was thinking of returning to the castle.
Crash!
The ‌‌carriage that ‌‌had been racing ‌‌‌‌loudly suddenly shook with a deafening sound as if it would shatter.
It came to a violent halt, as though it had smashed into an enormous boulder.
A terrible scream erupted.
"Aaaahhhhh!"
A clear voice cut through the ear-splitting noise.
"Still not crying?"
The flowers loaded in the carriage shot up into the air.
The dim field of vision suddenly brightened.
My eyes widened.
Between ‌‌‌the scattering petals, a boy wearing a parasol ‌‌‌‌descended slowly from the air onto the cargo carriage.
Ishuel, removing his ‌‌‌blood-stained gloves, smiled wickedly.
"When will you cry, little sister?" ‌‌‌

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