Chapter 8
Confusion only grew deeper.
Just then, Adenhar stepped closer and gently draped the jacket he had used to cover me over my shoulders. He asked with concern,
“Rachel. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Thank you.”
There was so much I wanted to say, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out. Seeing him made me feel strangely relieved. Then Adenhar noticed the shackles on my wrists and ankles and frowned.
“What is all this?”
“Well…”
“Wait a moment. I’ll borrow this for a second.”
He pulled the hairpin out of my hair. Using it, he fiddled with the shackles on my hands and feet, and they came off easily. I stared at him in shock.
“How did you do that?”
“I learned how. One of my father’s businesses involves locks.”
“…I see.”
A brief silence fell between us.
Then Adenhar’s gaze fixed on my neck. His fingertips brushed near it.
“What’s this?”
Only then did I remember the marks Sren had left. Startled, I quickly covered them with my hand.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
His hand lingered awkwardly in the air before he pulled it back with a bitter smile. The atmosphere grew even more uncomfortable. Unable to endure it, I forced myself to speak.
“By the way… what happened to you after I hid you in the wardrobe?”
“Ah…”
As if recalling something he had forgotten, Adenhar pulled something out and showed it to me.
“Honestly, I don’t remember much after that.”
“…?”
“I planned to stay still until you told me to come out. But while I was in there, I found this.”
In his hand was a Door Stone with the letter M carved into it.
My heart started racing.
This was it. One of the clues I’d been searching for. A key to escaping this place. I grabbed the hand holding the Door Stone, unable to hide my excitement.
“You found this there?”
For some reason, Adenhar’s face flushed slightly. He quickly continued,
“Yeah. But the moment I picked it up, I suddenly felt really dizzy… and after that, my memory gets fuzzy.”
Maybe that was for the best.
What happened after that was too horrible for him to know. Just like how terrible it was for me to know about his death.
His clear, steady eyes stayed on me for a long moment. He tightened his grip over my hand, as if he never intended to let go. Startled, I tried to pull away, but he was too strong. I looked at him, shaken.
Then he spoke again.
“When I opened my eyes again… I was somewhere completely different.”
His eyes looked more troubled than before. Caught up in the mood, I asked quietly,
“Where?”
He answered calmly,
“A cage.”
That was a chilling thing to say so casually.
Given how easily he had freed my shackles, I could roughly imagine how he escaped. More importantly, Adenhar was still alive. For the first time, I felt a real sense of hope that we might actually escape.
Overcome with relief, I hugged him tightly.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“R-Rachel…”
Startled by my sudden action, Adenhar flinched. Then he smiled softly and patted my back.
“Don’t worry. I came here to save you. So I’ll protect you no matter what.”
Such a good guy.
But no matter how strong Adenhar was, he always died by Sren’s hand. I couldn’t shake my anxiety.
“Still… you have to be careful. Okay?”
“Yeah. I promise.”
He held out his pinky finger, raising his brows as if telling me to hook mine too. I linked my finger with his.
The moment felt peaceful. Almost unreal.
That’s why I didn’t realize it yet.
That Sren was far crueler and more terrifying than I thought. Someone I could never defeat with such naive resolve.
***
Sren stood in his study, staring out the window, lost in thought. An invitation from the imperial palace was in his hand.
Around this time every year, the palace always held a banquet. The themes varied, but the purpose was always the same. Entertainment.
Sren let out a deep sigh.
“Troublesome as always.”
He didn’t like it, but if he refused, they would surely become annoying. The invitation came from none other than the Emperor of the Hellion Empire.
Or rather—emperors.
In this generation, there were two.
Normally, only the designated heir ascended the throne. But due to an unexpected tragedy, that heir died. Power within the palace split, and a dangerous conflict nearly broke out.
That was when the twin princes declared,
“The old, rigid beliefs don’t suit us.”
“We are two, but our trust and thoughts are as one.”
“If power cannot be shared equally, then no one should monopolize it.”
“So let’s both become emperors and divide the work.”
“A fine idea, Resmei.”
“I knew you’d agree, Luisis.”
It should have been impossible. Two suns under one empire.
But the twins were stubborn. Opposition rose, naturally, since they hadn’t officially ascended the throne.
Then the palace was bathed in blood.
The twin princes began executing those who opposed them. That was the moment they revealed themselves as future tyrants.
After that, no one dared to object. Anyone who spoke up vanished without a trace.
Of course, none of this really mattered to Sren.
He had never cared about palace affairs. If his father hadn’t pushed him into succession, he would never have met them at all. Yet for some reason, the twins were particularly fond of him.
Perhaps because he fit their taste.
After all, Sren was beautiful.
“This theme is trash too.”
This time, the party theme was a masquerade ball. Worse, the invitation even said to bring along his favorite “doll.”
They meant Rachel.
Since Sren kept her so carefully hidden, their curiosity had been piqued.
But Sren had no intention of bringing Rachel to an imperial banquet. He knew how vile and cruel their tastes were.
The Hellion Empire was ruled by vampires who had won a war against humans long ago. They proposed a treaty of coexistence, though not out of kindness. Humans had surrendered first, out of fear.
Still, many nobles of the Hellion Empire possessed powerful magic. Subduing them wouldn’t be easy, and another war was risky, so the vampires struck first.
Peace didn’t last.
Over time, the treaty decayed. The ones leading that change were the twin emperors, Resmei and Luisis.
As human influence grew, the twins proposed a new solution.
They would hold banquets at regular intervals to satisfy their hunger.
In truth, it wasn’t a banquet. It was a killing game.
At every party, someone from the invited noble families was guaranteed to die.
It was an open declaration of oppression against humans.
Only invited guests could attend these banquets, and they all trembled in fear. Every time, the hall ended up soaked in blood.
Sren hated associating with them. Their killings had no reason. It was pure amusement.
What annoyed him most was that, despite their boredom with everything else, they never seemed to tire of him.
The letter that began with
“To my dear brother, Sren Crochet,”
was already crushed in his hand.
“Vermin.”
A trace of anger seeped into his voice.
Just then—knock, knock.
Someone knocked urgently on the door.
“Come in.”
At Sren’s flat reply, Phantom entered the study, his face stiff. One look told Sren that something annoying had happened.
“Report.”
“The prisoner has escaped.”
“…What?”
Sren’s lips twitched.
And then—
“Heh… hahahaha!”
Unexpectedly, Sren burst into laughter. His loud laughter sounded genuinely delighted, enough to confuse anyone watching.
But Phantom knew.
This was when Sren was the most dangerous.
“Um… Master. Is everything alright?”
The smile slowly faded from Sren’s face. He spoke coldly.
“Your head is just for decoration, isn’t it?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, then you know what you should be doing right now.”
The imperial invitation in Sren’s hand turned to ash.
“Move. Now.”
“Bring the prisoner to me.”
