Chapter 60
“Oh, Master!”
“What on earth is going on here?”
The Cartel mansion was in an uproar. Derwin Cartel, the master of the house, who had stormed out in anger the previous night, was dragged back into his own home like a criminal.
The king’s personal knights held him firmly by both arms as they escorted him inside. His legs barely moved as if he wasn’t walking but being dragged.
“Until His Majesty the King gives further orders, you are not to take a single step outside this estate.”
The knights delivered the king’s decree stiffly, released Derwin’s arms, and left through the same door they had entered. Immediately afterward, about a dozen soldiers marched in to take their place.
“What are you people doing here!”
Maid Marie shouted at the burly soldiers who tramped inside with their dusty boots.
“By order, we are to oversee Lord Derwin Cartel’s house arrest and keep watch over the estate.”
“That’s nonsense!”
“Marie, calm yourself.”
Butler Cuddles, who had quietly observed the entire scene, spoke in a composed tone as he looked around at the servants.
“These men act under His Majesty’s command. Treat them with proper courtesy.”
“But—!”
“Carry on with your work as usual.”
He gave clear, orderly instructions to the bewildered staff. Then, with polite deference, he supported Derwin by the arm.
“Master, let us return to your chambers.”
Cuddles was more concerned about Derwin, who looked utterly spiritless, than about the mansion’s chaos.
Derwin sat on the edge of his bed but couldn’t bring himself to lie down. Still dressed in the same clothes, his unfocused eyes simply stared ahead.
Indefinite house arrest. Officially, it was punishment for failing his duties as the princess’s knight and acting on his own.
But Derwin didn’t see it that way. That was just the excuse. The real reason was the king’s ambition to separate him from Shanellica.
He recalled what had happened that morning in front of the cave.
The royal knights had subdued him instantly. He had wanted nothing more than to draw his sword against those blocking him, but he couldn’t. To resist the king’s knights was to defy the king himself, and that was treason.
As he was forced out of the cave under Eleusis’s command, Derwin tried to calm himself.
He reasoned again and again: I’m not a physician. Staying by Shanellica’s side won’t heal her. The carriage and doctors are on their way—being apart briefly will be fine. The king’s gaze on her unsettles me, but he wouldn’t harm her.
When the carriage finally arrived, Eleusis himself carried the fainted Shanellica out. Derwin’s insides churned, but with guards everywhere and the wall of status between them, he could only stand and watch her be taken away.
“Your Majesty, I’ll inspect her before departure.”
Two female physicians entered the carriage and locked the door behind them. They hadn’t dared undress and treat her inside the cave, with so many eyes watching, so they did it now.
As Derwin waited, restrained by knights, Eleusis approached him.
“And what of Lydia’s protection? Why are you here?”
Derwin stayed silent.
“If you were going to abandon your duty, you should’ve done it properly. Showing up only after everything went wrong?”
Still, silence.
“Were you so anxious you ran here all the way from Larta? If you feared for her, you shouldn’t have let her go in the first place. Even if it meant giving up your position as her knight. That’s what I think.”
It was a clear rebuke. Eleusis’s voice was gentle as usual, but his expression was harder than stone.
“When I arrived, Sir Stern—no, Stern—was kicking Lady Shanel. That frail girl.”
Derwin felt as though invisible hands were tightening around his throat.
“She nearly died because of your negligence.”
Thud.
His heart plummeted. It was like hearing a death sentence pronounced in court.
“Lady Shanel knew she was walking into danger. She quietly asked me to follow her. And yet you, her fiancé, were not at her side.”
Though Shanellica had told him it was fine, though she had urged him to go to Larta as planned, Derwin still felt the blame was his. He hadn’t warned her clearly enough of the risks.
That she had sought Eleusis’s protection instead stung deeply, but at least she had survived.
“And then you saddled her with that useless oddball as her guard?”
For the first time, Derwin glanced where Eleusis pointed. Soldiers were dragging along his younger brother, Ferdin.
Ferdin? Why him?
“He’s the one who ambushed and buried alive all the men I had tailing her. Stern swore Ferdin was his partner in crime.”
The words froze Derwin’s face.
“That can’t be true.”
“Is it? Ferdin hasn’t spoken a word in his defense.”
“There must be some mistake—”
“It’s a clear case of aiding and abetting. I’ll find out myself why the brother you trusted so much would endanger your fiancée. Stern will also be dealt with by me.”
The carriage door opened for Shanellica. Eleusis, done with his words, turned toward it. But he paused mid-step.
“Ah, Lady Shanel said she doesn’t want to see you. She didn’t tell me why.”
Derwin’s lips refused to move.
“She’ll be treated at the palace. What comes after will be decided once she recovers.”
No reply.
“But you should also think carefully. Are you truly worthy of standing beside her?”
Derwin couldn’t say a word as the carriage bearing the king and Shanellica departed.
“Damn it!”
His curse echoed through the chamber.
Everything was spiraling wrong. What had gone awry? Where?
Why had Stern brutalized Shanellica so cruelly? Why had Ferdin harmed the king’s men?
And worst of all—why had Shanellica said she didn’t want to see him?
Could the king have lied? No—Derwin knew better than anyone that the king wouldn’t.
Then why? Was it because he wasn’t the Lord? But she had believed he was. Even if he wasn’t, would her heart change so quickly? Did she somehow learn of his terrible past?
Gripping his throbbing head in both hands, he groaned.
He knew nothing. He didn’t even know what to do next.
Stern, Ferdin, Shanellica—each in the palace. And he? A prisoner in his own home. Helpless.
“Ough.”
The strange pain still came in waves. Shanellica had survived, but after such brutal abuse, she might yet die from illness. The thought made the pain both unbearable and somehow a twisted comfort.
Lady Shanellica… please, be safe.
All Derwin could do now was pray for her recovery.
What did I even do wrong!
The young man with dark green hair, tall stature, and a boyish face in his early twenties muttered under his breath.
This was Cherpinebycis, the Green Dragon—Chel for short. Sweat streamed down his back. It wasn’t even hot, but in his polymorphed human body, he was sweating buckets.
It had been half a year since he’d cast the spell to send his friend, Asha Nerbekirael—Asha—into the human world.
The information had been certain. The Dragon Lord was said to be living in the Cartel estate of the Campton Kingdom, according to none other than the Wind Spirit King himself, who had visited Speecher Isle for the first time in a thousand years. Reliable beyond doubt—or so Chel had thought. He had even passed it on to Asha immediately. So why, after all this time, had there been no word?
At least a message! Either from the Lord or his mate!
Grumbling to himself, Chel mopped his brow.
Dragons were free to go on play. But there was an unspoken rule: never play in the same region as another dragon. Life as a new being was meant to be savored, and another of their kind nearby spoiled the fun.
Collisions were rare—the continent of Hures was vast, and few dragons roamed. On rare occasions, wars or migrations caused encounters, but long-term closeness was strictly avoided.
If the other dragon was the Lord himself, this wasn’t just etiquette—it was mandatory.
Asha had been an exception, seeking the Lord rather than mere play. But Chel was absolutely not supposed to wander near the Lord’s domain. If he angered the Lord, punishment—or worse—would be inevitable. His nervous sweat poured for that very reason.
No, it’s fine. Haha. I only came because I worried for Asha, the hatchling. Even the Lord wouldn’t fault me for seeking news of a missing child, right? Right.
Chel muttered as though brainwashing himself.
At last, he reached the Cartel mansion.
Like Asha before him, his jaw dropped at the sight. A pitch-black mansion, utterly out of place among its surroundings.
Really? That’s your sense of aesthetics?
Shaking his head, Chel braced himself. As he neared the mansion, the Lord’s aura grew even stronger. No doubt the Lord already sensed him.
The Dragon Lord was the being above all dragons. His abilities were immeasurable, far beyond the ordinary, his limits unknown. That he would detect another dragon’s aura more sharply than they could his was only natural.
Chel steeled himself. Enter with the utmost respect.
Still, he cursed Asha inwardly. Half a year he had waited, counting the days like a human, though dragons lived for ten thousand years. And all for nothing.
Hm? What’s this? Something’s happened…
Approaching the mansion’s entrance, Chel tilted his head in suspicion.
