CHAPTER 79………………………………………………
“This is…”
What crinkled in her hand was a piece of paper wrapping something small.
She steadied her trembling hands and quickly unfolded it, revealing a familiar stone.
Its surface was intricately painted red.
“This… is a magic circle.”
It was exactly the same as the one Kadiya had once given her, saying she would come to fetch her.
At the time, Kadiya had taken it back, saying it was only made for practice.
“The fact that this is here…”
Sierra unfolded the note, her heart pounding.
We are staying at the ‘Felln Inn.’ We’ll find a way to contact you, so hang in there a little longer.
The writing was in a familiar sacred script.
Fearing she might be caught, she quickly tossed the note into the fireplace.
As she watched the paper burn, she repeated the location aloud.
“Felln… Felln Inn.”
She couldn’t just sit idle and wait.
She wanted to get Ashur out as soon as possible.
Distrustful of the people in this mansion, she planned to enlist the help of outsiders moving in and out while preparing the party to send a message.
Sierra spent several days cautiously moving about the mansion.
Though someone always seemed to follow her, under the pretext of party preparation, she could move relatively freely.
Agreeing to host a party for herself turned out to be an excellent choice.
She secretly made a messenger from the outside staff, bribed the guards, and asked them to deliver nutritious food to Ashur.
Whether it would reach him safely was uncertain.
Still, she received the rare relief that there was no torture—he was merely being left alone.
For some reason, during her busy days, Derek had not appeared at all.
Amid the smooth preparations for the party, Sierra received an unexpected invitation.
Alejandro Amir Heriberto Altareon.
The owner of this long, unfamiliar, and ostentatious name was the kingdom’s first prince.
“Why would the prince… invite me?”
The invitation called for a light tea gathering.
But before coming to the magic tower, she had been just a young countess with no connections to the royal family, so she could only feel puzzled.
Ellaine, who happened to be nearby, saw the royal seal on the invitation and rejoiced as if it were her own matter.
“The prince sent the invitation! We can go together. And the dress we ordered last time has arrived, so this is a great opportunity!”
Since morning, the dressroom had been filled with the clothes Ellaine had forcibly picked for her.
“Isn’t he probably trying to ask us to invite him to our mansion’s party?”
Excited, Ellaine treated Sierra like a doll, trying different outfits and selecting a dress.
“I’ll lend you the accessories that match it!”
From observing her for several days, Sierra noted that while Ellaine appeared cheerful, there were occasional moments of gloom, an odd contrast.
Ellaine’s golden eyes, tinged with melancholy, somehow reminded her of Adrian’s purple eyes.
Perhaps it was because she was confined again, just as before.
Ellaine was not violent but treated Sierra like a doll.
“I don’t know what this prince is thinking, but I can’t exactly refuse.”
During party preparations, she had been able to exchange notes with Kadiya’s group via a messenger child, but freeing Ashur seemed far off.
Still, attending the invitation might allow her to gather information for the long-term goal of stopping the war.
So Sierra obediently went along with Ellaine’s plans.
While being dressed and preened for some time, her mind wandered.
Owen was unreliable, but in exchange for buying him a townhouse, she could entrust Kadiya’s group to him.
It would be far better than encountering random strangers at an inn to have them stay in a guest room.
Owen was oblivious, pleased only by the existence of a new luxurious house.
Even that joy was short-lived; soon he came and went constantly to see Ellaine.
He seemed indifferent to whether Sierra had guests or not.
Clap!
Ellaine’s applause brought her back to reality.
“Oh my, it’s so beautiful. How do you like it?”
Alone, she saw herself in the large mirror, fully adorned.
It felt as if she were trapped inside it.
Ashur’s location was a damp underground prison without even a window.
There was no light at all, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night.
Chains imbued with magical energy still bound him, but his eyes, accustomed to darkness, gleamed sharply.
The one who had mercilessly pulled out his arrows on the first day occasionally visited, clicking his tongue.
It seemed he was checking if Ashur was still alive.
“From today, special meals.”
Whereas before he only tossed dry bread and water, this time proper food was provided.
But, as expected, no utensils were given.
“Charmed by such a beautiful noble girl… lucky bastard. Eat it like a dog and be grateful! Heh heh.”
Sierra, no doubt.
His eyes grew hot with emotion at the thought that she still cared for him.
It was miserable, but survival left him no choice.
Ashur knelt, bowing his head.
For the first time in a while, he smelled the warmth of food.
He had to endure this humiliation and somehow survive to meet Sierra.
Some time later, unfamiliar footsteps approached.
The sudden flare of a torch made Ashur frown.
A small shadow flickered at the entrance.
“…Sierra?”
But the voice he had been longing for did not come.
“Oh my, you speak the common tongue so well.”
Closer now were strange golden eyes.
“How pitiful. Several days already, and you’re still tied up.”
The woman was strange.
She spoke as if feeling sorry but tilted her head, fingertips brushing his cheek, merely seeming curious.
“Don’t you want me to rescue you?”
Ashur only shot a sharp look at her.
“Hmm, boring.”
The stranger didn’t wait for an answer and crouched by the iron bars.
Roll—clunk.
She rolled an object that struck Ashur’s feet.
“Take this. It will show you Sierra’s location. You’ll be able to get out soon, so watch for the chance.”
The transparent orb radiated a strange aura.
Inside, a small image of Sierra appeared.
“Sierra…”
Ashur stretched his tightly bound hands desperately and grasped it.
He could not let go of even a small hope.
Whether it was compassion or a trap.
Focused on Sierra’s face, Ashur did not notice the black smoke brushing across the orb.
Finally, Derek returned to the mansion.
Preparations for war were nearly complete.
Sierra’s role had not been very significant.
The magical circle reconstruction was already far along.
If she intervened, it could reduce damage, but war would hardly be peaceful anyway.
Sierra remained pure, incomparable to him.
Now that he had reclaimed her, the next goal was to end the war and unify the continent.
This had always been the Altareon royal family’s ambition.
As Duke of Estevan, it was his duty to achieve it.
In doing so, he would secure a safe foundation for Sierra’s life.
Derek headed straight to the underground prison.
Inside the bars, a defiant barbarian glared at him.
“You’re still alive.”
Looking down at Ashur, still bound, he spoke coldly.
Having been treated worse than human for quite some time, Ashur could understandably feel defeated.
Though his appearance was a mess, his eyes were the same as when first seen.
“Fit this on.”
Derek threw a restraining device, similar to Sierra’s, to the guard.
It was applied to Ashur’s neck, hands, and feet.
It drained not only magical energy but also his life force.
If he disobeyed its owner’s commands, it could inflict unbearable pain.
Though freed from the magical chains, Ashur was caught in even harsher bonds.
“Bow.”
Ashur tried to resist, but endless pain forced him to lower his head.
“Ugh.”
“I am your master now. If you disobey, this happens, as you just saw. Remember and behave obediently.”
Ashur glared at him with eyes blue with hatred.
“My fiancée wanted you nicely restrained.”
Derek signaled his secretary and turned leisurely away
