THGA 08

Chapter 08

A deeper sense of confusion kept creeping over me. At that moment, Adenhart came closer and draped the jacket he had given me over my shoulders, asking with concern,

“Rachel. Are you okay?”
“Mm. Thank you.”

There were so many things I wanted to say, but somehow the words just wouldn’t come out. Seeing him brought me a strange sense of relief. Then Adenhart noticed the shackles on my hands and feet and furrowed his brows.

“What are those?”
“Well… that is…”
“Wait a moment. Let me borrow these for a bit.”

He then took the hairpin from my hair. Using it on the shackles around my hands and feet, they soon unlocked easily. I stared at him with wide eyes and asked,

“How did you do that?”
“I learned. One of the businesses my father runs deals with locks.”
“…I see.”

A brief silence fell between us. Then Adenhart’s gaze fixed on my neck. His fingertips reached toward it.

“What’s this?”

Only then did I suddenly remember the mark Sren had left. I flinched and quickly covered it with my hand.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

His hand lingered in the air, and Adenhart let it go with a bitter smile. The atmosphere grew even more awkward. Struggling to endure it, I forced myself to speak.

“By the way… what happened to you? After I locked you in the wardrobe.”
“Ah…”

He seemed to remember something long forgotten and pulled something from his pocket.

“Honestly, I don’t remember much about that time either. After you told me to stay in the wardrobe, I planned to stay put until you called me out. That’s when I found this.”

He showed me a moonstone engraved with an “M.” My heart started racing at once. This was exactly what I had been looking for—a hint to escape from here. Excited, I grasped the moonstone in his hand and asked,

“This was there?”

For some reason, Adenhart’s face flushed slightly. But he soon continued calmly.

“Yeah… but as soon as I picked it up, I suddenly felt extremely dizzy… after that, I don’t really remember.”

Perhaps it was for the best. What happened afterward would have been too horrifying for him to witness—just as terrifying as learning about his death had been for me.

His deep, steadfast eyes lingered on me. He gripped my hand more firmly in his own, as if refusing to let go. I tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. Trembling, I stared quietly into his eyes.

Then he spoke again.

“When I opened my eyes again… I was in a completely different place.”

Adenhart’s gaze carried more worry than before. Carried along by the mood, I asked absentmindedly,

“Where was it?”

With no change in expression, he said,

“A birdcage.”

How casually he spoke of such a chilling thing.

Just by freeing me from the shackles, I could roughly guess how he had escaped from there. Most importantly, Adenhart was still alive. For the first time, hope that we might actually escape this time flared in me. I felt grateful and overwhelmed with joy, hugging him tightly.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Ra…Rachel…”

Startled by my sudden action, Adenhart flinched. Then he chuckled softly and gently patted my back.

“Don’t worry. I came to save you. So I’ll protect you no matter what.”

Such a good boy. But no matter how strong Adenhart was, he had always fallen to Sren. I couldn’t shake my unease easily.

“You still need to be careful. Understand?”
“Yes. I promise.”

He extended his pinky, signaling a promise, and gestured for me to link mine. I finally intertwined my finger with his.

This moment felt unreal in its peacefulness.

And I didn’t realize yet—Sren was far more cruel and terrifying than I had imagined. With my naive approach, I would never be able to win against him.

Sren stood by the window of his office, lost in thought, holding an invitation from the royal family. At this time of year, the royal family always held a banquet. The theme changed each time, but the purpose was always the same—entertainment.

Sren exhaled deeply and murmured,

“They’re causing trouble again this time.”

He didn’t like it, but if he didn’t go, it was obvious they would pester him. The invitation came from none other than the Emperor of the Helion Empire. Unusually, this time there were two emperors.

Normally, the successor designated by the former emperor would ascend, but unexpected events had changed that. The royal factions naturally divided, and a dangerous conflict nearly arose.

The twin princes declared:

“Following the old-fashioned beliefs of our predecessors doesn’t suit us.”
“We are two, but we trust each other so much that we function as one. If we cannot divide the responsibilities equally, one person monopolizing power is impossible.”
“Yes, let’s become emperors ourselves and divide the work.”
“Good idea, Rezmei.”
“I knew you would think the same, Luicys.”

Such a thing was unthinkable—two suns under one empire. But their resolve was firm. Naturally, opposition existed. Since they hadn’t officially ascended, this was inevitable.

And bloodshed came to the palace. The twins began executing anyone who opposed them, revealing their tyrannical nature. From that moment, no one dared challenge their authority again.

Of course, Sren couldn’t care less. He had no interest in palace affairs. If his father hadn’t named him heir, he wouldn’t have met them at all. Yet somehow, the twins seemed unusually fond of him—perhaps because he suited their taste for beautiful things. And Sren was indeed strikingly handsome.

“This theme is trash, as expected.”

This time, the party invitation demanded a masquerade ball, and the letter even instructed him to bring his cherished doll—meaning Rachel. The twins’ curiosity seemed piqued since Sren had hidden her so carefully. But he would never take her to a royal banquet, knowing their vile nature.

Currently, the Helion Empire was ruled by vampires who had won a war against humans long ago. Vampires had chosen coexistence after offering a treaty—not out of sympathy for humans, but because the former emperor surrendered early, fearing them.

Nonetheless, the Helion nobility retained strong magical power. To prevent rebellion, they acted preemptively. Yet peace was fleeting; over time, the treaty deteriorated. Leading the changes were the twin emperors, Rezmei and Luicys.

As human influence grew, the twins devised a new method: a recurring banquet to offer sacrifices to satisfy their hunger. In reality, it was a killing game. Someone attending would inevitably die. This was a clear declaration of human oppression.

Only those invited could attend, and each time, attendees feared for their lives. The banquet was nothing but a disguised ritual of sacrifice. Sren hated associating with them—he despised them for no reason other than their amusement.

Though the twins often changed the theme of their parties, Sren was the only one they never grew bored of, which irritated him even more.

A letter starting with “To my beloved brother, Sren Crochet” lay crumpled in his hand.

“Filthy brats.”

His voice, laced with annoyance, carried a hint of anger. At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Enter.”

Sren replied indifferently. Phantom entered the office with a stiff expression, clearly indicating trouble.

“Report.”
“The prisoner has escaped.”
“What?”

Sren smirked, then unexpectedly burst into laughter. The cheerful sound of his laughter was oddly unsettling, but Phantom knew this was the most dangerous moment for him.

“Are you… okay, Master?”

Sren’s smile faded, and he spoke coldly:

“So you carry your head around as decoration, huh?”
“…I apologize.”
“If you know how to apologize, you know what you must do now.”

The royal invitation in Sren’s hand had turned to ashes.

“Move immediately. Bring the prisoner before me.”