Chapter 36
When Katrina returned to the castle, night had already fallen, and darkness had swallowed the world outside. Inside the castle, a heavy silence loomed.
Crackle. Crackle.
In the grand hall, a fireplace crackled softly. Katrina’s gaze drifted toward it almost instinctively.
Lucifer was there.
He sat silently before the fire, unmoving.
His shadow, elongated by the firelight, swayed like a ghost dancing within the flames. The flickering glow bathed one side of his face in crimson, while the other remained hidden in darkness.
Lucifer, who was usually sensitive to any presence, seemed lost in thought. He didn’t even notice Katrina approaching.
She was about to quietly pass by when he suddenly turned his head.
“You’re back, Katrina.”
There was a flute in Lucifer’s hand.
He retrieved it.
It meant Lucifer had completed his task as well.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
She turned to leave.
“Katrina, do you remember the day we first met?”
Had Lucifer not asked such an abrupt question—
“That’s so random.”
“I know. Still, tell me.”
The day she first met Lucifer.
She remembered.
That pristine appearance, that beautiful face… She had thought he looked like an angel.
“I remember.”
“Tell me.”
Still toying with the flute, Lucifer turned to look at her.
She didn’t understand what he was trying to do.
“Raymond said he wanted to introduce me to a friend. So I went along. And that friend turned out to be you.”
She didn’t want to think any further than that.
She hated recalling the distant past she shared with them.
“Ahaha. So that’s what you remember.”
“Why? Is there something else to remember? That’s all I recall.”
“Well, I remember more.”
Suddenly, Lucifer, who had been staring at the flute, responded.
“I do.”
“…Is that so.”
Lucifer’s demeanor was different from usual.
He was always playful and mischievous with her, but now, he sat motionless before the fire, eyes fixed on the flute. His gaze looked distant.
“Come to think of it, it’s getting late.”
He slowly raised his head and looked at her.
“Good night, Katrina.”
“…Yeah. You too.”
Something’s odd today.
Still, she didn’t dwell on it.
Katrina returned to her room. Soon, this would be the last night she spent in the castle.
Rattle. Rattle.
The windows shook against the fierce wind.
It was late.
She figured she should sleep.
Katrina closed her eyes.
Drowsiness gently descended over her eyelids.
In that hazy state, she thought she heard the sound of a flute.
It was cold.
Her body shivered uncontrollably.
…Ugh…
Had the fire gone out again?
Katrina forced her heavy eyelids open.
And then—
The view before her wasn’t her room.
She was outside the castle.
And in her hand… was a flute.
Her foggy mind snapped awake in an instant.
Katrina realized she was playing the flute.
…What?
What is this?
Why am I doing this here?
She was confused.
She remembered falling asleep in bed, thinking it might be her last night in Asius.
So why…
…had she woken up in the middle of a desolate field?
With a flute in hand.
The wind blew.
It was winter in Asius.
Yet Katrina stood there in nothing but a thin negligee—like someone who had simply walked out of bed.
…I need to go back.
She had to return to the castle.
Whatever had happened, she couldn’t remain here.
She didn’t know how this had come to be, but the first priority was to leave this place.
She turned around—
And saw a crowd of people behind her.
A chill ran down her spine.
What in the world…?
Then—
“The First Recon Team has found traces of Lady Katrina!”
“We discovered the cloth she had tied in her hair!”
Shouts echoed from behind her.
“Your Eminence! Over here!”
Footsteps approached rapidly, heading toward her.
And soon, they found her—face-to-face.
Their eyes widened with astonishment.
“There she is—Lady Katrina!”
The search team, who had shouted loudly, suddenly fell silent as they took in the scene behind Katrina.
She stood frozen, silently facing them.
Behind them, a snow-white horse galloped toward her and came to a sudden stop upon seeing her.
“Katrina, there you—”
Lucifer, astride the horse, also stopped short upon seeing what lay behind her.
“…Ha.”
A light chuckle escaped him.
“What… is this?”
Everyone looked at her in utter shock.
In the middle of the night, Katrina had played the flute—and summoned people.
“…Goodness.”
Lucifer, not looking the least bit surprised, muttered with a false note of confusion.
“What on earth could’ve happened?”
“…A witch. She’s a witch!”
Gilbert pointed at Katrina and shouted.
“That artifact was purified by the Saintess! It shouldn’t be able to charm anyone anymore!”
Katrina felt momentarily dazed.
…Gilbert wasn’t wrong.
“Why would you steal the flute the Cardinal had taken and lead the townspeople out here? What were you planning to do to them?!”
Gilbert’s voice grew louder.
“Have nothing to say, Katrina?”
Lucifer asked calmly.
Stay calm.
There was no need to panic.
Katrina had clearly been enchanted by the artifact.
“Perhaps… the purification wasn’t complete.”
She replied steadily.
“How dare you! That artifact was already—!”
“Then please confirm it. I’m innocent.”
She hadn’t used a single bit of her own will as she walked here, flute in hand.
She had opened her eyes and found herself outside the castle.
She stood barefoot in the snow, dressed in nothing but a nightgown. The frigid wind sliced across her skin like blades.
“That could be possible.”
“Your Eminence.”
“First, return to the castle. Call for Niel Francé again. We can decide whether it was a mistake or not after that.”
“…Understood.”
“And take care of the villagers back there. That’s the more urgent matter now, isn’t it?”
“You’re right, Your Eminence.”
Even Gilbert, who had scolded Katrina so fiercely, nodded obediently at Lucifer’s words.
“And Katrina.”
Lucifer approached.
He took off his fur cloak and gently placed it over her shoulders.
“You must be cold.”
“…”
“And you’re barefoot.”
Only then did Katrina look down.
Her feet were buried in snow. She hadn’t even realized she was barefoot because they were numb from the cold.
“Still afraid of riding horses?”
“…No. I can ride.”
“That’s a shame. If you were, I was going to carry you.”
“…Don’t say ridiculous things.”
Katrina felt conflicted.
Why had this happened?
…And then, one thought struck her.
Lucifer had taken the flute—she was sure of it.
So how… how did it end up in her hands?
“This flute—why do I have it?”
She immediately questioned Lucifer.
“You clearly took it back.”
“…”
“There’s no way I could’ve stolen it from you.”
Lucifer gazed down at her silently.
As winter deepened, the land fell into a solemn silence.
The sky stretched endlessly above, covered in an unbroken blanket of grey clouds. The cold, sharp wind swept through the forest, scattering snow from the branches.
The snow had blanketed the world in white. No matter where she looked, all she could see was cold, empty whiteness.
And amid that frozen stillness, the man smiled.
“You already know the answer.”
In that moment, a dull ache stirred in her head.
Ah. She remembered.
She had heard the sound of a flute.
She had left her room.
And there, she had seen—
—
“Welcome.”
Lucifer was waiting.
