YPDM 08

Chapter 08

I hurriedly pulled my body back.

Then I pushed away the palm that was trying to erase my memory.

Well, I *tried* to push it away.

That is, until the moment my fingers touched his palm, and a powerful blue spark flashed before my eyes, bright enough to make me see stars.

“Kyaah!”

I let out a short scream.

“Wh-what is this…….”

I looked back and forth between my fingers and the man’s palm, then turned my gaze to him.

‘Eh……?’

And what I saw was a very unexpected expression.

The man’s face, which had been as dry and expressionless as a blank slate, was now clearly showing signs of agitation.

He seemed a little flustered, and at the same time, looked as if he had received a shock.

‘Is he that surprised?’

I was curious, but for now, I needed to get out of here.

If I didn’t want my memories forcibly erased, I had to run away quickly……

Just as I was stealthily trying to pull my fingers back, the man grabbed my hand with lightning speed.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

There was no time to refuse.

Caught off guard by the sudden contact, I couldn’t say a word, only parting my lips slightly.

The sensation of our skin touching was overwhelmingly unfamiliar.

‘This feels strange.’

But what was even stranger was that even though I was holding hands with a stranger, I didn’t feel repulsed.

I looked down at my captured hand. And soon, I witnessed something astonishing.

A blue energy began to flow out of me like a heat haze, traveling along our clasped hands and being absorbed into the man.

‘What is this?’

I glanced up at him.

“Hah…….”

He had half-closed his eyes, as if savoring something.

I could see his dense black eyelashes, angled downward, trembling faintly.

Even after the undulating blue current had calmed, he didn’t let go of my hand for a long time.

It wasn’t unpleasant. It really wasn’t, but……

But the sensation of holding this man’s hand was so peculiar. I had never felt anything like it before.

I waited for a long while, but eventually, unable to bear it any longer, I called out to him.

“Excuse me.”

Only then did his eyelids slowly lift.

“Could you please let go of my hand?”

“Ah.”

Only then did he release my hand.

Very slowly, like someone who was reluctant to let go.

“My apologies.”

“It’s fine.”

I quickly hid my freed hand inside my cloak and replied generously.

Careful not to let him notice that this was my first time holding a man’s hand, and that I had been flustered because of it.

However, my feigned composure didn’t last long.

He was looking at me silently. Too intently.

Feeling my face grow warm, I asked.

“Is there something on my face?”

But the answer that came back was completely off-topic.

“Now I understand.”

“What do you…….”

As I flustered, the man let out a short laugh.

Then, his thin, red lips, as if holding a cherry in his mouth, parted.

And.

“You were the target.”

The answer I heard was something I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams.

The target? Me?

“Are you saying someone is trying to kill me?”

Of course, I knew that Karin was after me.

But how could this man I was seeing for the first time know that I was being threatened?

In response to my reaction, he furrowed his brows and muttered.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know anything?”

He clicked his tongue lightly, as if incredulous, and asked me back.

“If that’s the case, do you at least know that you are Aephyre?”

My eyes went wide.

“How do you know that?”

Instead of answering, he asked another question.

“How long ago did you become aware of your awakening?”

“I found out yesterday, so about a day.”

“That figures.”

When a look followed—as if he were looking at the most pitiful thing in the world—I felt a surge of indignation.

So much so that I forgot for a moment that I had felt fear from this man just moments ago.

I was only on day two of possession.

I had been struggling to survive without even having the time to properly learn about this world or the previous Olavia’s life.

In a situation where I couldn’t even distinguish friend from foe, I was constantly doubting and unable to trust anyone.

Only those who have experienced it would know how sorrowful and unfair that was.

Overcome with bitterness, sharp words slipped out.

“Could you possibly explain things a little more kindly?”

“Is there something wrong with my words?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You cut off all context and just toss out bits and pieces—how am I supposed to understand that?”

“…….”

“And since when did we become so close that you’re speaking to me informally?”

When I grumbled my discontent in a small voice, he fell silent.

The conversation stopped, and the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy, making me flustered.

‘Is, is he mad……?’

I stealthily raised my head to gauge his expression. Between his narrowed eyes, his dark, deep crimson orbs were calm.

In the uneasy silence, I swallowed dryly.

“I apologize.”

What came back was an unexpected apology.

“Pardon?”

“My explanation was insufficient. I apologize for being rude to you.”

I blinked blankly for a moment, then quickly nodded. Then, he greeted me with a courteous manner.

“My name is Renox Krabanth.”

“Pardon?”

“I am the head of the House of Krabanth.”

Instantly, my vision went dark, and cold sweat trickled down my back.

“Surely…….”

The man’s well-shaped lips curved into an elegant arc.

It was clearly a gentle smile, but in my eyes, it didn’t look like a genuine smile at all.

“His, His Grace the Duke of Krabanth?”

I felt the skin beneath my eyes twitch.

And as always, a foreboding premonition never failed to come true.

“Thank you for recognizing me.”

“Huup!”

I hastily covered the scream that burst out with both hands.

Now I understood.

Why he had maintained such a naturally arrogant demeanor all along.

Renox Krabanth.

In *The Lady of Reversal*, he was an extra who only appeared briefly, but I knew exactly who this man was.

Because even as an extra, he had been an incredibly memorable character.

The head of the House of Krabanth, the empire’s only family of founding contributors.

In the past, when the Kingdom of Varkan was on the verge of collapse, the Krabanth family had saved the kingdom and greatly contributed to its subsequent rise as an empire.

‘Because of that, they enjoy privileges second only to the imperial family, unlike other nobles.’

In short, there was no one in this land to whom the Duke of Krabanth had to bow his head.

‘……I’ve heard even the Emperor can’t do as he pleases with the Duke.’

I swallowed dryly and racked my brain.

The conclusion I reached shortly after was not very favorable to me.

In the Varkan Empire, where status was everything, who would win if a duke went up against the second daughter of a viscount’s house, who held no title of her own?

I belatedly regretted having snapped at him.

It was as clear as day that my life would become miserable if the Duke held a grudge against me.

Thinking of the inhuman swordsmanship I had seen earlier sent a chill down my spine.

‘I should have just held my tongue.’

I must have been temporarily out of my mind.

“My introduction should suffice for now. I’d like to hear your name next.”

Even amidst all this, his annoyingly pleasant voice drilled into my ears.

‘Pretending not to hear would be useless, right?’

I glanced behind him. I roughly gauged the distance of the escape route, but gave up.

Judging by his earlier movements, he would surely catch me before I could even take a few steps.

‘If that’s the case…….’

In times like these, what I needed was a quick change of attitude.

I barely managed to lift my trembling lips and put on my business smile.

I didn’t forget to raise the pitch of my voice either.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace the Duke of Krabanth. I am Olavia Brienne, the second daughter of House Brienne.”

—

* * *

Fortunately, the Duke was a reasonable man, and thanks to that, I avoided the disaster of having my head chopped off for lèse-majesté.

‘At least I’ve overcome the immediate crisis…….’

Now, I needed to find out how Renox knew about my situation.

The ‘target’ Renox had mentioned.

‘If Renox knows that it’s Karin who’s targeting me…….’

I couldn’t trust him.

It was near the end of the novel that Karin eliminated Olavia in an unimaginable way and was revealed to be the protagonist.

Even then, it was the final chapter.

The fact that someone knew about Karin’s plan at this point in time could only mean one thing.

‘……I have no choice but to think of him as an accomplice.’

Of course, there was a second possibility.

That there was a third party, other than Karin, also targeting me.

If that were the case, things would become even more complicated.

Because the number of enemies I had to deal with would increase.

I slowly organized my thoughts and opened my mouth.

“I have something I’d like to ask Your Grace.”

At that, Renox lightly snapped his fingers.

At the same time, a transparent, dome-shaped barrier shimmering with iridescent light materialized.

It looked like half a round soap bubble placed on the ground.

‘So this is the Krabanth barrier.’

I knew it instinctively.

It was information I had only skimmed over in the original work, yet for some reason, I remembered it vividly.

‘The most overwhelming power held by the head of the Krabanth family.’

As if possessed, I rose and walked to the edge of the barrier.

‘It matches the description in the original work.’