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Chapter 7
Their eyes met.
“Please find out whether my mother is alive. Her name is Marcella. Three years ago, she was taken away to the temple, and I’ve had no contact with her since.”
Evelyn swallowed hard as she looked at the man whose feral gaze bore into her as though he were about to seize her by the throat and snap her neck.
“If Your Highness is to fulfill the duty entrusted to you, you will need me. So…”
“…”
“If you will only confirm whether my mother is alive, I will serve Your Highness with all my heart.”
“Serve me?”
“I told you before. I possess healing powers. I believe no one knows your current condition better than Your Highness yourself.”
She had proven her worth. Whether he accepted her proposal or not was now entirely up to him.
Kalian remained silent for a long moment, as if weighing her intentions, before finally speaking.
“Have you ever heard the saying that you should be wary of anyone who offers a deal that’s too favorable?”
He believed he held the advantage, but Evelyn saw things differently.
If she could learn whether her mother was alive, remove his curse, escape death, and ultimately gain her freedom under the protection of his status… perhaps she stood to gain even more than he did.
“You’re offering me exactly what I want. Isn’t this a losing bargain for you?”
Who enjoyed taking a loss? Still, it suited Evelyn better if he believed that. She bit the tender flesh inside her cheek.
“So… you don’t trust me?”
“We’ll see.”
The corners of his lips curved upward with unmistakable interest, as though the situation had finally become entertaining.
Just as Evelyn drew a deep breath to gather her courage and speak again—
“Your Highness! May I come in? The preparations for the ritual are complete!”
A voice like thunder echoed from outside.
Bang! Bang!
Someone pounded heavily on the firmly shut door.
Looking mildly annoyed, Kalian rose to his feet, put on the coat he had carelessly thrown over the chair, then pulled the blanket over Evelyn’s head.
The same man who had held her close moments ago now spoke in an emotionless voice.
“Go back for now. I’ll decide in two days whether to accept your proposal or punish you.”
As Evelyn nodded, Kalian stared directly into her eyes.
“If you’re thinking of running away, give up the idea. Finding one person is effortless for me—even if you were to fly into the heavens.”
“I have one more favor to ask.”
“…”
“Please spread the rumor discreetly that someone infiltrated Your Highness’s bedchamber—and make sure people realize it was me.”
In the gaze fixed upon her, Evelyn sensed a quiet obsession and an unhealthy possessiveness.
It wasn’t desire, but curiosity toward a woman bold enough to meet his eyes and speak to him so fearlessly.
He was not merciful enough to let go of a woman who possessed healing powers and claimed to know the location of the next Gate.
The faint mark engraved on her wrist proved it.
‘A tracking spell.’
That was why he hadn’t bothered asking for her name.
A shadow visible only to him had already seized her, making it easy for him to discover everything about Evelyn.
Relying on that persistence, Evelyn intended to move on to the next stage of her plan.
Meanwhile, Count Lawrence arrived with a priest. While they spoke at the doorway, Evelyn quietly escaped through a slightly open window.
‘I’ve done everything I needed to do…’
Looking up at the clearing night sky, she thought:
‘Once rumors spread that the Grand Duke is looking for me, Louise won’t stay still.’
Please… find me.
Help me escape this place.
The next morning, Benjamin, Kalian’s aide, was astonished to find him completely recovered. Kalian, however, focused only on the hooded robe with a lizard emblem, the bloodstained cloth, and the medicine bottle left on the table.
He summoned the young physician Leah Bernard, questioned her, and immediately recognized that the robe belonged to the woman who had entered his room. Yet Leah herself was not the woman he sought.
“If you wish to live,” Kalian warned coldly, “tell me nothing but the truth.”
Exactly one day after meeting Kalian, Evelyn was suddenly blindfolded, gagged, and dragged into a damp underground chamber.
When the blindfold was removed, Louise stood before her, holding a glass vial filled with crimson liquid.
“I hear the Grand Duke is secretly searching for a mysterious silver-haired, green-eyed woman,” Louise said. “If that’s true, there’s only one such person in this estate. Isn’t that right, Evelyn?”
She stepped closer and asked coldly,
“I’ll only ask once. Last night… were you really the one who infiltrated the Grand Duke’s residence?”
When Evelyn remained silent, Louise slowly raised her hand.
