VDBO 28

Chapter 28

After Ian left, a maid came in carrying cold water and a towel.

“Please lie down, Miss.”

“It’s fine. Just soak the towel and hand it to me. I feel sticky from the sweat.”

The maid dunked the towel into the cold water, wrung it out tightly, and handed it to me. When I spread it over my face, the heat seemed to subside, and I felt noticeably better. I roughly wiped my face, neck, and arms with it, then handed it back to her and told her to leave.

“You don’t have to come again.”

The maid hesitated, likely because she had orders from Ian, but when I gestured insistently, she finally went outside. My breath was still hot.

A little while later—

I thought I had only closed my eyes for a moment, but someone was holding my hand. I struggled to open my eyes and saw that I was lying down, with a doctor examining me.

“I told you I’m fine.”

My voice had been at least passable in the morning, but now it was cracked and hoarse on top of that. Damn this body. There’s a mountain of things to do, yet it keeps pulling nonsense like this.

“You’ve accumulated a lot of fatigue. You need to rest for a while.”

“……”

I didn’t even have the energy to respond, so I simply listened as the doctor spoke.

When the examination ended, the doctor left together with Ian. Just as my eyes were starting to droop again, Ian returned—this time holding medicine I didn’t want to take. A strong herbal scent filled the room. I glanced at the tray he brought and noticed candy placed beside the medicine. This wasn’t poison or anything, but still…

“I’m not taking it.”

“You must.”

“I’m already better.”

“You still must.”

“Ah… seriously.”

As we argued back and forth, I shot him a sideways glare—and noticed the corner of Ian’s mouth twitching upward.

“You’re smiling when I’m sick?”

He quickly wiped the expression from his face.

“No. Please take it quickly. You’ve been told you need rest for the time being.”

He went so far as to place the tray directly on my legs. Clearly, he had no intention of taking it away unless I swallowed the medicine.

“Ugh… how annoying.”

Pulling the ugliest face I could manage, I took the medicine. Only after I finished it and dumped the candy into my mouth did Ian finally take the tray away.

“Did Mother leave safely?”

“Yes. She arrived in Bay without issue.”

“Since Mr. Schvalt isn’t there, make sure you pay extra attention to Mother. She already has plenty of enemies. And also…”

I rolled onto my stomach and hugged the pillow, sinking into thought again. My head still throbbed, and I felt dizzy.

“…Did you report everything about yesterday?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Leave it for now. I need time to think.”

Whether the medicine was kicking in quickly or my body was simply exhausted, my consciousness began to blur.

“Will you meet him again?”

“Who? The Crown Prince?”

Ian didn’t answer. That was answer enough.

“I don’t know. If there’s a reason to meet him, then I suppose I will…”

My awareness gradually faded.

* * *

Ian stared silently at his master, who had fallen asleep mid-sentence.

Carbella, who had been sleeping like the dead, suddenly frowned. Strands of hair that had fallen loose were bothering her.

Ian lifted his hand and hesitated for a long time. With a touch so careful it barely seemed real, he brushed the hair away from her eyes.

“……”

Only when she was asleep did an opening like this appear. This was the first time he had ever allowed himself to look at her so openly.

Now he could finally stay by her side—but even so, it always felt like he was far away. Like a shadow following her, yet watching from a distance.

Before meeting her again, he had thought that just seeing her once more would be enough. He had believed that even if she had completely forgotten him, that would be fine. But now… he felt thirsty. Desperately so.

Ian gently smoothed the ends of her hair where it had spilled over the pillow. This was as far as his greed was allowed to go.

As he gazed at her as if lost in thought, a maid entered. To avoid waking her, Ian stood up and stepped outside.

“There’s been a summons from Bay.”

The maid handed Ian a letter. A hawk emblem was stamped into the seal.

Taking the letter, Ian cast one last glance at her door, then hurried down to the first floor.

“I’ll be stepping out briefly. Increase the guards on the second floor.”

One of his subordinates bowed deeply.

* * *

It seemed I had fallen asleep completely under the influence of the medicine. When I woke up, the room was empty. Ian was probably downstairs—or had gone out on business.

The fever had gone down, but my head still felt light and unsteady. I pushed my messy hair back and stood up, only to notice how strangely quiet it was outside.

I had a bad feeling.

I softened my footsteps and approached the door.

Just then—the door burst open.

Chapter 4: Kidnapping

Valerie was practically running through the corridor.

“It seems something has happened to her.”

Late at night, a report had come in regarding Blake Ariandel. It was coincidence. On the way back from handling some external business outside the capital, he had received a fairy flower.

They said it was a rare flower that glowed on its own under moonlight, and Blake immediately came to mind. Thinking he should gift it before it wilted, he had someone deliver it right away—but the report that came back described a suspicious scene.

The moment Valerie returned to the capital, he left his office without a second’s hesitation. The instant he realized she was in danger, his mind was filled with nothing but her.

He didn’t even understand why he was this blindly devoted to her. It had been that way from the moment he first saw her eyes. Not fluttering excitement, not a racing heart—but something deeper, something that dragged him helplessly into a place with no visible end.

That was what held him captive. And yet, he didn’t hate it.

All he could think about now was finding her, no matter what. Seeing her safe face. That was all.

“Valerie.”

The person he encountered in the hallway was his older brother, Delkian.

“Brother.”

“Where are you rushing off to at this hour?”

Judging by his comfortable casual clothes, Delkian seemed to be returning from an outing.

“There’s somewhere I need to go.”

When no one else was around, they dropped formal speech.

Valerie’s breathing was faster than usual. Delkian raised one eyebrow in suspicion.

“At this time of night?”

“…I’ll explain when I get back.”

Valerie quickened his pace as he passed him. Delkian watched him disappear, tilting his head at the rare sight.

“What on earth has gotten into him?”

* * *

A grinding sound of teeth filled the room. It hadn’t even been five minutes since Schvalt arrived in Bay.

“What did you say?”

“I’m sorry. We will definitely find the young lady—ugh!”

Bang!

The subordinate was sent flying by a single punch before he could finish speaking. He staggered for a moment before barely regaining his balance and bowing deeply.

The news Schvalt heard the moment he returned to Bay was like a bolt from the blue.

Bella had been kidnapped.

He had enemies everywhere. So many that he couldn’t even guess who was responsible.

Ian had already begun spreading information and searching before Schvalt arrived. Schvalt was on the verge of losing his reason.

“Search everywhere.”

“Yes!”

At his murderous voice, the subordinate hurried out of the room.

Only a handful of people were capable of overpowering all the guards stationed at the estate. Just as Schvalt turned, thinking he should strike the most suspicious place first, his jaw tightened.

The clicking of heels was not elegant as usual. Cold footsteps headed straight toward him. Untied black hair swayed heavily down the back of a soft velvet dress.

Schvalt came to a dead stop.

The sharp sound of heels halted in front of him.

“Lucellai.”

Smack!

Schvalt’s face snapped to the side.

“You’ve lost your mind.”

Her cold, noble voice was laced with frost. Red welts bloomed across his cheek, blood surfacing almost instantly. Even the corner of his mouth split open—thanks to the ring she was wearing.

Schvalt calmly wiped the blood from his lips with his palm.

“By tomorrow morning. Bella will be safe.”

It was just past midnight. Barely two hours since Carbella disappeared. His blazing red eyes lowered briefly before sharpening once more.

“She had better be.”

Schvalt understood then—if he failed to keep that promise, he would never again see that red gaze turned toward him.

He brushed past Lucellai and left the room. A different subordinate followed after him.

“We’re going to Iskar.”

Schvalt’s face hardened like ice as he strode forward. The leader of Iskar had once attempted to harm Lucellai and had been stopped by Schvalt himself. It wasn’t surprising.

Things like that happened as often as stumbling over stones in the road.

The man who had been Iskar’s leader at the time had been brutally killed by Schvalt. Since then, attempts to interfere with his affairs in revenge had occurred several times. It was always a possibility.

His eyes sank into darkness.