Chapter 29
Brendley let out a short scream and tried to turn his body away.
But before he could, the stranger barked fiercely at him.
“Shut your mouth and follow me quietly.”
“Who…!”
“The one who gave you that powder.”
At those words, the strength drained from Brendley’s shoulders.
That was it.
The thought that he had successfully escaped loosened the tension in his body, and at the same time, his eyes began to sting.
Sniffling, he followed the stranger until they arrived at a dilapidated hut.
Under normal circumstances, he would never have set foot in such a ruin, but the man opened its door without hesitation.
“Oh heavens… James!”
Brendley’s mother rushed over in tears and hugged him tightly.
Brendley, who was also crying uncontrollably, clung to his mother as well.
Behind her stood his father, his older brother, and his beloved little sister.
Seeing his worried family made warmth return to his cold, numb fingertips.
“You’ve lost so much weight! Honestly, the Duke is so heartless. How could he treat you this way?”
“That woman is the problem.”
Brendley clenched his teeth.
Ever since that woman, Lily Hegelstern, arrived, the ducal house had become strange.
The Duchess had grown fond of her, and as for the Young Duke, there was no need to even mention it—he behaved as if he were completely bewitched by her.
Even the commander and vice-commander had been enchanted by a girl young enough to be their daughter, and the Tower Master was no different.
Even the servants spoke endlessly about the “meteor shower” and looked at Lily with thinly veiled admiration.
“You don’t know how shameless that woman is.”
“That’s right. Lily Hegelstern is the problem.”
The stranger, who had been silently watching the Brendley family from a few steps away, spoke gruffly.
The man had his arms crossed, and a mask covered his face, but from beneath the mask, a faint burn scar could be seen on his jaw.
“Even back when she was at the temple, Hegelstern was nothing but trouble. She tried to seduce the High Priest countless times, attempting to become the Water Maiden through petty tricks.”
Brendley immediately shouted, “I knew it!” in agreement.
Jim and his wife listened to the man’s words with stony expressions.
“The High Priest prayed endlessly for that corrupted soul… but prayer alone wasn’t enough to purify her. Still, after raising her for so long, he couldn’t bring himself to dispose of her.”
The masked man’s eyes scanned the family.
A woman who, even while fleeing, couldn’t give up her expensive dress…
A man who had taken the time to slick back his hair and mustache…
And two children who didn’t even seem to grasp the situation.
Indeed, the High Priest had a knack for sniffing out people who could be of use—just as he had done with his own daughter.
“The High Priest now wishes to reconcile with the North. But because of that girl, everything was ruined. She begged the Young Duke to take her north.”
The man—once Count Edelin and the former captain of the Holy Knights, now stripped of his name and forced to hide behind a mask—spoke calmly.
Everything was unfolding according to the High Priest’s script.
“But since the Duke’s household has already been bewitched by her black tongue… if there were a knight from the North who hadn’t fallen under her spell, he could be of great help to the High Priest’s plan.”
“Of course!”
Brendley straightened his back and answered with vigor.
It was common knowledge among the knights that the Young Duke visited Hegelstern’s room every day.
The senior knights would just say that there must be matters to discuss with the Saintess, but Brendley thought that was naive.
If an unmarried man and woman were alone in a room late at night, what could be happening in there was obvious.
Among nobles, keeping multiple lovers even after marriage was nothing unusual.
Moreover, the Young Duke was unmarried and without a fiancée, so whatever happened in that room was not morally questionable—at least for him.
But the same could not be said for Hegelstern.
She was the Saintess.
Saintesses were said to devote both body and soul to God, yet the moment she came north, she dragged the Young Duke into her room.
Brendley clenched his fists.
A sense of mission swelled in him—he had to expose the true nature of that harlot.
“I will clear my name and return to the North.”
“That’s my son!”
Brendley’s mother leaned against his back, sobbing.
His brother and sister came closer, patting his shoulders.
The masked man let out a silent, bitter laugh.
Apparently, in the Order of the Guardian Knights, as long as you were physically capable, you could pass the entrance test—if even a blockhead like this had once been a member.
By the time the masked man stuffed Brendley into the wagon he had prepared, the knight lying unconscious in the ducal underground prison—where Brendley had escaped from—opened his eyes.
All traces of sleepiness vanished from his face.
The knight checked whether the magic he had secretly planted on Brendley was still in place.
Fortunately, he sensed it not far from the mansion.
He quickly climbed the stairs, where Stewart was waiting with an indifferent expression.
“He’s gone.”
From the knight’s mouth came a soft, beautiful voice.
The knight’s outward appearance slowly melted away, revealing his true form.
His black, rough hair became curling golden locks, and his gloomy brown eyes turned into deep violet ones.
When the transformation was complete, the person standing there with a bright smile was no knight—it was the Tower Master.
“I’ve confirmed my magic is well implanted.”
Though he had been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, there was no place in the world that could hold the Tower Master.
Glancing toward Lily’s room, he continued:
“I’ve also placed a mental spell on them. I’ve layered it heavily—it won’t be undone for at least five years.”
“Thank you,” Stewart said sincerely, bowing his head.
The Tower Master waved it off lightly.
Lily had saved his life when he had been on the brink of death.
Coming to the North to cast a few spells for her was hardly a burden.
Just then, a knight in a black robe emerged from the shadows.
With a curt expression, he approached Stewart, bowed, and reported:
“Young Duke, they’ve departed.”
“The driver?”
“As you predicted.”
“No surprise there.”
Stewart nodded lightly.
“Bianca?”
“Confirmed she entered safely.”
“Well done.”
The knight bowed silently and withdrew, and after confirming that everything was wrapped up, the Tower Master unfurled his great wings and flew swiftly over the mansion.
Stewart watched until the Tower Master became just a speck in the distance, then lowered his gaze toward Lily’s room.
“So foolish…”
The Brendley family probably still hadn’t realized they never had a youngest daughter to begin with.
The mental control spell was firm and meticulous.
With a slightly lighter step, Stewart headed toward Lily’s room.
『Graaaah!』
A bear the size of a house roared as it charged.
The sensation of its sharp claws raking her shoulder was so vivid that Lily instinctively clutched the spot and groaned softly.
Taking advantage of her momentary halt, the bear closed in and tore her flesh to shreds.
『Aaagh!』
The terror was so overwhelming that even her screams were trapped inside her mouth.
She watched blankly as the grass and soil beneath her feet turned slick with blood, feeling the reality of death settle upon her.
In the end, even holy power was of no help at all.
The taste in her mouth turned bitter.
Holy power could raise even those on the brink of death, but it couldn’t protect her own body—what a joke.
Lily lay flat on her back.
At some point, the bear had disappeared—perhaps it had returned to its cubs.
“…I want to see Young Master.”
If she was going to die, she wished she could see him just once more.
But that probably wouldn’t happen.
Life had never gone her way before.
Her blinks grew slower and heavier.
The moment the Young Master had opened the basement door, her world had finally opened.
Coming to the North hadn’t been purely joyful—there was the Tower Master, Brendley…
If she had stayed at the temple, she might have suffered, but she wouldn’t have been in mortal danger.
Here, she had already nearly died twice.
But each time, Stewart had come running, asking if she was all right, his eyes full of concern.
At the temple, even when she writhed on the floor in pain, they had only kicked her and told her not to fake it.
Stewart, however, had apologized, kneeling and crying, even when he had done nothing wrong.
Just as her eyes were about to close completely, the world suddenly shook violently.
She thought she heard a low voice calling her name.
It already hurt just to exist, and now someone was shaking her—irritation surged through her.
When she finally burst out, telling them to stop—
“Are you okay? I mean, I wasn’t planning to come into your room, but… you suddenly screamed, so I thought something had happened. I didn’t hear—uh, I mean, I didn’t see anything. I guess I shouldn’t say I didn’t see…?”
Stewart stammered awkwardly, his earlobes faintly red in the moonlight.
Only then did Lily realize, from her disheveled state in bed and his explanation—‘you suddenly screamed’—that the pain she had just experienced had only been a dream.
“…Did I… talk in my sleep?”
“A—no, no, I didn’t hear anything. Don’t worry. I really didn’t hear—”
Seeing his flushed face and flustered manner, Lily was certain she had talked in her sleep.
She replayed what she had said in the dream…
She was fairly sure she had muttered something like I want to see Young Master.
‘Ah… I’m doomed.’
