Chapter 17
“Uwaaahhh!!! M–Move out of the way!!”
“Ugh!”
With Kylian’s strangled cry, a heavy thud echoed against the solid floor.
Despite the violent impact, not a single finger of Rune’s body was hurt. She cautiously cracked her eyes open and saw neat, black-oak furniture arranged in the room.
Damn it…
Both her hands were filled with the warmth and firmness of someone’s skin.
She squeezed her eyes shut again, wishing she could just faint. She desperately wanted to ignore this reality—the fact that she was lying sprawled on top of Kylian, still held in his arms, pinning him to the ground.
“Are you going to get off anytime soon?”
The low growl rumbled deep in his throat, his voice seething through clenched teeth.
Pressed against his chest, Rune jerked upright in a panic and quickly raised her hands.
I don’t know what I touched. Therefore, I touched nothing.
“H–Haha… Good evening, Lord Kylian.”
Propping himself up with one elbow, Kylian sat up with a cynical expression and retorted,
“If you knew exactly what you were sitting on, you wouldn’t be smiling like that.”
“Eek!”
Rune shot up to her feet, her face burning red. I–I don’t know! I didn’t see anything!
But… if I landed in the ducal estate, that means I read the coordinates correctly!
Until now, the teleportation magic stones had always worked without a hitch. Why, of all times, did something like this have to happen tonight—to me?
“I–I definitely shouted for you to move aside!”
“Heh.”
Kylian let out a short, incredulous laugh as he rose from the floor. If he hadn’t caught her, she’d have smashed her nose against the ground—yet she still had the nerve to act so brazenly.
“How did you even get here? And what was that flash of light just now?”
“…Forgive me for coming so late. I used teleportation coordinates for the ducal estate, but… the precision seems to have been off.”
“What?”
Kylian, straightening his disheveled robe, stared at her in disbelief.
“Don’t tell me… with that magic stone? Hah, you’re insane. That stone is supposed to transport objects, not people.”
“Ah… that’s true. But it seems I’ve unintentionally become the first human test subject.”
With a rough sigh, Kylian raked his damp hair back. Crossing space with an unapproved method…
“Reckless. Did it ever occur to you what might have happened to your body?”
His voice carried a hint of anger. Rune scratched awkwardly at the back of her neck, lowering her head.
“…If I startled you, I apologize. But I had something urgent to ask. Ah!”
Kylian suddenly seized her wrist, clicking his tongue.
“So that’s why you ended up falling into my room. This explains it.”
Rune blinked wide at the black cord tied around her wrist.
Wait—this cord?
A teleportation spell usually activated by recognizing coordinates, but the medium used could affect the result. Apparently, Kylian’s mark tied around her wrist had inadvertently served as a conduit.
“Well, that explains it. Now—what was so important that you barged in like this?”
Unknotting the cord, he frowned at the travel bag that had fallen to the floor.
“Don’t tell me you’ve run away from home.”
Rune bit her lower lip, looking both frustrated and wronged. Wasn’t it Kylian himself who had once told her she could open the door?
Of course… he probably hadn’t meant this.
Kylian folded his arms at his waist, clicking his tongue again.
“Judging by your silence, I guess you really did.”
“I don’t intend to trouble you here. I only…”
“Only?”
Rune hesitated, her lips trembling. The shredded pieces of her recommendation letter came vividly to mind. The pain of that moment, as though her heart had been torn apart along with the paper, was still fresh.
Pressing a hand against her aching chest, she let out a small sigh.
“…I lost my recommendation letter. Forgive me, but could you write me another one?”
Kylian tilted his head slightly, studying her troubled face. To show up in the middle of the night, asking for that—after fleeing with only a bag, gambling her life on a dangerous teleportation…
I see.
He had expected Marquis Este wouldn’t allow her easily. Clearly, something had happened that she couldn’t speak of.
Narrowing his eyes, Kylian turned and nodded.
“Follow me.”
He opened a door that connected his bedroom to an adjoining room. Lighting the lamp on the wall, he revealed a dim study.
Rune cautiously looked around. A large bookshelf covered one wall, and a long black-oak desk stood beneath it, piled high with documents just like her father’s office.
He actually works here?
She clicked her tongue inwardly. Her father might be a workaholic, but even he didn’t keep his office this close to his bedroom.
Kylian strode to the desk, pulling out a crisp sheet of paper from between the stacks. It seemed he fully intended to write her a new letter immediately.
“You’re really going to write it, just like that?”
“Isn’t that what you came here for? A recommendation letter is hardly difficult.”
Taking up a pen, he began writing in a steady, fluid hand. After a while, he spoke quietly.
“Even if the Marquis has retired from politics, many still remember the name of Edmund Este. Especially those who wield a sword.”
Dipping his pen in ink, Kylian looked up at her.
“When you reach Lepium, there will be plenty who recognize you.”
“I know.”
Her calm reply made him chuckle faintly. His paused hand resumed writing.
“It won’t be long before the Marquis learns you’re at the academy. Clearly, you didn’t get his permission. What then?”
“That’s why all the more… I intend to make the name Este known.”
Kylian lifted his gaze, silently watching her.
“Interesting. Go on.”
In the depths of his black eyes, under the moonlit sky, her platinum hair seemed to shimmer.
“My father has always lived conscious of the world’s gaze. If everyone is watching me, even he will find it harder to stop me.”
The letter was nearly finished, lacking only a signature. Resting his chin on one hand, he smiled wryly.
“My name weighs just as heavily as your father’s. Are you sure you can bear it?”
As though being tested, Rune met his gaze firmly.
“If you choose to place that weight on me, I’ll accept it gladly.”
Satisfied, Kylian nodded. His elegant signature—Kylian Herace—flowed across the bottom.
“I wish you success.”
A smile of relief spread across her lips as she received the envelope.
The wolf seal pressed into the wax gleamed proudly. Rune blew gently on the warm wax, carefully cooling it.
Watching her, Kylian let out a disbelieving chuckle.
“Is it really worth all that excitement?”
“How could I not be? I must have troubled you at this late hour. Thank you, truly.”
It should be cooled now. Smiling faintly, Rune slipped the envelope safely into her bag.
“Forgive me for the intrusion. I’ll take my leave now.”
Having achieved her goal, she turned politely to go.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Before she could take a single step, a firm hand gripped the back of her collar, pulling her to a halt.
“…Why?”
Looking back in confusion, she found Kylian staring at her as if she’d lost her mind.
“Why? At this hour, where on earth do you think you’re going?”
Where else? Rune tilted her head, answering as though it were obvious.
“I’ll stay at an inn tonight and leave for Lepium in the morning. You must be tired, so please, go back to sleep.”
Kylian frowned and pressed his finger firmly against her forehead.
“When I’m right here, why would you?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’ll be heading to the capital soon anyway. You’ll come with me then.”
With him? Rune blinked wide, rubbing the spot on her forehead where he’d poked her.
The capital? Could it be because of his appointment as owner of Lepium?
But the academy’s admission deadline was only four days away—and she still had to take the entrance exam. There was no time to waste.
“I appreciate the offer, but I need to hurry to submit the letter.”
“So stubborn.” With a click of his tongue, Kylian tousled her hair lightly.
“You’ll get there in time, and you won’t miss that damned entrance ceremony either. Just do as I say.”
Massaging the back of his neck, he turned back toward the bedroom.
Rune puffed her bangs aside with a frown. First the teleportation mishap, then falling right into Kylian’s arms, and now this string of unexpected turns.
Her plans were crumbling again. And yet… why was it that when he said it, she felt oddly reassured?
Her eyes lingered on his broad back for a moment before she followed after him.
In the end, Rune spent the night at the ducal estate.
Nestled into the soft bed, she shifted uneasily before turning to one side.
Well, the bed is certainly comfortable.
But her heart was restless. Even the faint rustle of the sheets sounded loud in her ears.
The blanket carried Kylian’s fresh, clean scent.
To think my first night outside home would be spent… in Lord Kylian’s bedroom.
