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Chapter 4
He had no intention of letting such a rare treasure slip away so easily.
If he were going to release her, he never would have brought her here in the first place.
He had already revealed his identity as Caspian Felix, Duke of House Felix in the Akarzen Empire.
Any imperial citizen would know better than to attempt escape.
House Felix commanded the Aldeno Knights, the most powerful military order in the empire. Trying to flee the duke’s estate without his permission was practically the same as committing suicide.
Simply speaking his name was often enough to make people think twice.
…Caspian Felix?
Lea was stunned.
Why is he here?
Before her regression, the first time she’d ever seen him had been moments before her death.
In the dim moonlight, all she could make out was his towering figure and his striking violet eyes.
She swallowed hard.
So…
It wasn’t Delailu who found me first.
It was Caspian Felix.
If that was true…
Then fortune had finally smiled upon her.
After becoming human again, her plan had been to seek him out before anyone else found her.
He was exactly the person she’d hoped to reach.
“I’ll ask you once more.”
“Who are—”
“Please protect me.”
She cut him off.
“In return…”
“I’ll cure your thirst.”
Silence filled the room.
She had just revealed the greatest weakness he possessed.
During the years she had been imprisoned by House Gwyn, Delailu had beaten her whenever she was in a foul mood.
While enduring those beatings, Lea had unwillingly learned countless secrets about Caspian Felix.
Maybe I remember them so clearly because I learned them while being beaten…
The bitter thought crossed her mind.
She looked at him coldly.
If only he had shown Delailu a little kindness…
Perhaps she wouldn’t have suffered quite so much.
An irrational resentment briefly surfaced within her.
“This isn’t a conversation to have in the dark.”
His voice dropped another degree.
It was filled with unmistakable caution.
A murderous aura quietly spread from him.
Lea instinctively shrank back, holding her breath.
I was too hasty…
Of course.
A duke held one of the highest positions in human society.
A weakness belonging to someone like him would naturally be an absolute secret.
But…
It was the only bargaining chip she possessed.
If she wanted the proud duke’s protection, she had to offer something valuable enough to interest him.
One by one, candles around the room flickered to life.
A nearby mana crystal lamp began glowing softly.
Lea’s eyes lingered on the dark-blue crystal before suddenly widening.
Her necklace.
She hurriedly touched her neck.
The moment her fingers found the small pendant hanging there…
Relief washed over her.
Thank goodness…
This time…
I managed to keep it.
“That necklace…”
“It’s made from a mana crystal mined in the Haley Territory.”
Specifically…
One found only in the deepest waters at the northernmost edge of his own domain.
An extraordinarily rare gemstone.
How did she obtain something like that?
Even within his territory, such crystals were incredibly difficult to mine.
And hers…
Was emerald green.
An emerald mana crystal was so rare that the only one he’d ever seen was the gem mounted in his own ring.
Its capacity to store magical power was immense.
Who exactly is this woman?
Nothing about her resembled an ordinary citizen of the empire.
Her sky-blue hair.
Her delicate appearance.
The sacred, almost divine aura surrounding her.
She looked less like a person…
And more like a goddess who had descended into the mortal world.
“Who told you about my thirst?”
His voice hardened.
Outside of Duke Gwyn and Delailu…
No one knew about it.
Not even the members of House Felix.
It was his deepest secret.
The Akarzen Empire worshipped the Water Goddess Marisa.
Among all noble families, only House Gwyn had been blessed with her divine protection.
Only they possessed the authority to wield her sacred power.
Five years ago…
A mysterious, unbearable thirst had begun tormenting Caspian.
The only thing capable of easing it was drinking the holy water maintained by House Gwyn at the Temple of Wortanon.
Otherwise…
He had to receive purification or healing magic directly from Duke Gwyn or Delailu.
He despised that option.
Because the magic required physical contact.
“…Will you accept my proposal first?”
Though terrified by the intensity of his gaze, Lea forced herself to remain calm.
“You expect me to trust someone I met only today?”
As expected.
She already knew he was suspicious by nature.
Guarded.
A man who never allowed others close.
She knew that too…
Because Delailu had screamed it while beating her.
“…May I borrow your hand?”
He stared silently.
His eyes were sharp enough to cut.
Lea avoided meeting them directly.
Time stretched on.
Just as she thought he might refuse…
He slowly extended one hand.
His palm looked rough from years of swordsmanship.
Yet the back of his hand was surprisingly pale and elegant.
Lea gently placed her small hand over it.
She felt him flinch.
Closing her eyes, she released her power.
At twenty years old…
After completing her coming-of-age ceremony…
The divine blessing bestowed upon Lea Eleanor by the Goddess Marisa had awakened.
Healing.
And purification.
House Gwyn immediately realized what that meant.
They had begun draining Marisa’s fading power from her.
Delailu constantly boasted that House Gwyn alone had inherited the goddess’s blessing.
Yet…
She repeatedly stole Lea’s blood because it carried that very divine power.
Once every week…
Lea was submerged in the holy water of the Temple of Wortanon to strengthen its purifying ability.
Only her arms were never allowed into the water.
Delailu made certain of that.
Because any wound touching water healed instantly once Lea’s power had awakened.
Delailu liked seeing her bruised and scarred arms.
Remembering it made Lea feel sick.
She shook her head slightly.
Then opened her eyes.
The coldness in Caspian’s expression had softened…
Just a little.
…Or maybe I’m imagining it?
He really was incredibly handsome.
Perhaps he always looked this intimidating.
Or perhaps…
It was simply the situation.
Soft white light flowed from Lea’s body.
Tiny sparkling motes surrounded Caspian before quietly dissolving into the air.
He watched every second of it.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
I thought it might be true…
She really can suppress my thirst.
To be honest…
He hadn’t fully believed her.
Perhaps the holy water had simply been stronger than usual that day.
Even so…
He had brought her here because his instincts told him to.
And his instincts had been right.
“Do you believe me now?”
Lea’s voice no longer trembled as violently.
Fear still lingered in her clear emerald eyes.
But determination had begun replacing panic.
“If you wish to negotiate with me…”
“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”
Her identity.
If she were an ordinary human…
That would have been easy.
Caspian quietly watched her.
His gaze traced slowly from her forehead downward.
She looked away.
“I’m…”
“Just an ordinary commoner.”
Is that so?
“What territory are you from?”
A territory…?
Lea froze.
She knew almost nothing about the empire.
After becoming human, she had spent her entire life imprisoned in House Gwyn’s western tower.
She didn’t even know the name of the imperial capital.
The only place she knew…
Was the Temple of Wortanon.
Or perhaps…
The insults humans had constantly thrown at her.
The empire is enormous…
Surely it has countless territories…
“I-I’m from…”
“…Uphrere.”
“It’s a very small country village.”
Uphrere?
What a ridiculous lie.
She couldn’t even maintain eye contact while saying it.
“Your name?”
“Lea Eleanor.”
At her answer, Caspian raised one eyebrow.
Eleanor…
He had never heard of such a noble house.
“Very well.”
“Then let’s discuss this contract.”
Her family name didn’t really matter.
He had brought her here because she was useful.
Still…
After only this brief conversation, he had learned one thing with absolute certainty about Lea Eleanor.
She was utterly terrible at lying.
A leisurely smile tugged at his lips.
His gaze slowly drifted away from her face…
To her brilliant sky-blue hair.
