GDTN 09

Chapter 09

Selen finally finished her share of the apple, leaving only the core behind, though it had taken quite a while. The fruit had been so large that eating just one had left her full.

Since she had come to eat apples together, it was now time to return to her room.

Selen glanced at the silent man who had neither chased her away nor left her side despite the late hour. The first thing she saw was his broad shoulders, towering well above her own.

Beyond them were a jaw as hard as an alligator’s and tightly pressed lips. Her gaze naturally traveled upward, meeting his ruby-red eyes that looked like precious gemstones.

Those eyes, unmoving, had been fixed on her for who knows how long.

“Go back now,” he said.

For a brief moment, Selen, who had been thinking improper thoughts, flushed red and quickly straightened her clothes as she stood up.

Baras blinked in mild confusion as he watched Selen rise and leave the room, yet he did not move.

If she had hesitated even slightly, or if he had acted first, that woman would not have been able to leave his room until the next morning.

For those few minutes—long yet short—he had endured with superhuman restraint, forcing himself not to move even a finger.

Now he didn’t even know anymore. If she ran away, as he had intended to treat her as a target, he wasn’t sure he could contain his anger.

When he exhaled the breath he had been holding, a faint sweetness lingered at the tip of his nose, as if sugar were clinging to it.

He went to open the window for ventilation, but noticed it was half-closed and a cloak lay crumpled beside it.

It reminded him of the impulsive action he had taken earlier, fearing she might leave before he could open the door properly.

Through the slightly open gap, it felt like her sugary scent kept escaping, so he closed the window.

Having done the exact opposite of what he intended, he returned to the fireplace and lay down on the spot where she had been sitting.

At this point, he no longer understood what he even wanted from that woman.

Back in her room, Selen wondered briefly whether the book she had entered was really <The Northern Duke>.

When she first arrived and saw herself in the mirror, her appearance perfectly matched the heroine of that novel. Even Baras’s looks were exactly as described.

So why. Why on earth.

It had already been three nights, and yet the original plot still hadn’t started.

At first, she was glad. The delay in imprisonment felt like consideration for her.

But as days passed, she grew anxious.

Was this not consideration—but simply that she lacked charm?

The heroine Selen in the book had barely any personality description. Of course not. It was essentially a smut novel.

Maybe the original Selen wasn’t timid like her, but a lively romantic-comedy heroine full of charm.

A woman so irresistible that one would have no choice but to lock her away and slowly indulge in her.

If so, then she was doomed.

That atmosphere earlier had clearly been one where even a kiss might happen. And yet—“Go back now”?

Did he feel absolutely nothing?

Not even a kiss, not even a hug—did he not even want to hold her hand, not even a little?

Was she the only one feeling this?

She had wanted to get along, and thought she could, but she didn’t know how to begin.

Her eyes landed on the shoes she had been given as a gift.

In Korea, there was a saying that if you give shoes to a lover, they will run away. Was this gift meant to tell her to leave because she didn’t fit here?

[Day 5]

Baras, who had lain all night on the spot where the woman had sat, turned his head toward the fireplace.

The fire that once emitted warmth had died out, leaving only blackened embers, ash, and scorched gray stone.

It looked like a desolate trace of something extinguished—much like himself.

Zart entered from the adjoining office. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept all night.

No—could Zart, the chief servant Oghus, really look this worn after just one night?

“Lord. We found a young man last night,” Zart said.

Baras did not respond. His gaze clearly asked, So what?

Swallowing nervously, Zart hesitated several times before continuing.

“He is from a village called Kimerlin in the southwest. He says he came looking for his fiancée named Selen, who went missing.”

Baras took a long moment to process what he had just heard. Zart felt increasingly uneasy watching him.

“Though they never officially held a ceremony, they were apparently engaged…”

Baras interrupted.

“Recently…”

He paused, thinking.

“Isn’t the ground thawing these days?”

The earth, frozen all winter, had begun to melt. It had been a month since spring began.

Baras nodded and muttered that digging would not require much effort anymore.

Zart stiffened.

Baras, however, ignored him and continued thinking.

He had known it. Of course. What looks beautiful to his eyes would also look beautiful to others.

It didn’t matter. Whether they had touched bodies or hearts, whether they even had a child—it made no difference.

If he discovered it late, it was his fault, not the woman’s.

Still… he should at least see the man.

No matter how love-struck one was, who would dare come here?

He wanted to see what kind of man had such courage.

[Some time later]

Robin slowly opened his eyes.

He was lying on a cold stone floor, staring at a metal cage. Then he closed his eyes again.

The last thing he remembered was running through the northern fortress, asking every guard he saw whether they knew a woman named Selen.

He had known her father was a noble. But something he heard from a servant made him stop in disbelief.

She had apparently married a wealthy noble in the far north.

He understood better than anyone that love didn’t put food on the table. A comfortable life in a rich household suited her.

And yet—

He just wanted to see her once.

He didn’t care about wealth or status. He just wanted to ask if she was happy.

So he came all the way north.

Selen was a woman unforgettable after a single glance—especially her pale golden hair, a rare color.

He had thought he would find her quickly.

Baras entered the underground dungeon after reviewing documents about Selen’s past.

The man inside the cell looked like he had barely recovered from a long journey. Despite his disheveled appearance, his face was rather handsome—likely the type women liked.

Robin slowly opened his eyes, then quickly stood up when he sensed someone. He tried to approach the bars, but froze the moment he saw Baras, as if caught in a spider’s web.

Fear filled his eyes as he looked away.

Baras gave Zart a single order.

“Begin.”

Zart unlocked the cell and tied Robin to a chair.

“W-what are you doing?! Let me go!”

Zart pulled out a small glass bottle filled with purple liquid.

Seeing it, Robin struggled violently.

“D-don’t! Don’t do it!”

Zart forced the liquid into his mouth.

It was a truth serum that stripped the mind of reason and forced honest answers—Avelanon.

Baras looked into Robin’s unfocused eyes.

“Kimerlin village in the southwest. Was the woman named Selen your lover?”

Robin’s pupils wavered. At the name Selen, something in him reacted.

A beautiful golden-haired woman smiled in his drugged mind.

With flushed cheeks, he whispered to her that he wanted to live for her, to work hard for their future children.

A clumsy confession—but sincere.

She had smiled warmly and thanked him.

Robin, lost in memory, spoke softly:

“Selen and I… promised to love each other forever.”

Baras felt as if the ground beneath him had collapsed.

He looked down.

The stone floor was still solid.

So why did it feel like he was falling?