Chapter 80
“Damn. How did I end up here?”
Dino also realized the identity of the knights and cursed under his breath.
He tried to resist by attacking, but they were all highly trained knights. He was no match for them.
Not only Dino but also his group were pushed into a corner. The enemies’ faces were full of embarrassment as they stepped back.
Thud thud—
At that moment, someone entered the room with footsteps. Ailyn’s gaze involuntarily shifted towards the sound.
And when their eyes met, a sense of relief washed over her.
“Ailyn!”
“Richard…”
Seeing Ailyn and Adrian safe, Richard let out a sigh of relief.
However, before he could reach them, Damon screamed and charged forward.
“Ughh!”
Damon, with a sword aimed at Ailyn, was heading in her direction. Ailyn stared at him with a sharp look.
It’s already ruined, I’ll just take her down…!
“Where do you think you’re going?”
But his ambush ended in vain. In an instant, he was repelled by a transparent barrier that appeared out of nowhere.
Hainel grinned as he watched Damon, who had been knocked unconscious after slamming into the barrier with all his strength.
“No one touches our lady.”
“Hainel, are you alright?”
“Well, a little.”
Hainel shrugged. Just as Ailyn was about to relax, Richard hurriedly approached.
“Is now really the time to worry about others?”
“I’m fine.”
“If I hadn’t arrived, it could have been dangerous.”
Richard sighed heavily and knelt down. He then tightly gripped Ailyn’s hand.
“I really thought my heart was going to stop, Ailyn.”
Richard’s hand was cold. It even trembled slightly.
It was then that Ailyn realized how much he had been worried about her.
“I’m sorry.”
At Ailyn’s sincere apology, Richard hesitated.
“I’ll accept your apology slowly when we get back. Right now…”
Richard glanced behind him. Dino was smiling as the knights restrained him.
The fact that he didn’t seem to recognize the gravity of the situation made Richard’s eyes grow cold.
“We need to deal with him first.”
“Are you going to kill him?”
At Ailyn’s question, Adrian shuddered. It seemed he was afraid of the lives hanging in the balance right now.
To reassure Adrian, Ailyn patted his back. Richard, who had been watching this, spoke.
“No. I plan to hand him over to the Guard. But…”
Richard gestured toward the knight who had restrained Dino. The knight nodded and led Dino to the next room.
Once Richard saw that, he continued.
“I will make sure he can never wield a sword again. So that he can’t get it back.”
“Ughh!”
A scream was heard from the next room. Adrian, shaking, dug further into Ailyn’s embrace.
Ailyn held Adrian tightly and agreed with Richard’s words.
The ‘he’ Richard referred to was Croker. And Croker was a ruthless person who discarded useless pieces.
The reason Croker took Dino in was probably because of his swordsmanship and evil nature. Now that Dino had lost his strength, Croker would likely classify him as a useless pawn.
Although things had been resolved without incident, Ailyn didn’t feel at ease. Perhaps it showed on her face, as Richard tightened his grip on her hand and gently spoke.
“Let’s head back to the mansion for now.”
“Yes. But Richard, how did you get here so quickly?”
Ailyn asked, curious. Richard hesitated for a moment before answering in a somewhat curt tone.
“I used the same method you used.”
“Excuse me?”
“I hired wizards from the Magic Tower using the highest-grade magic stone you gave me. Then we used teleportation magic to come here directly.”
When Ailyn saw Richard’s resentful gaze, she awkwardly smiled.
“I see. Then, since we don’t have a carriage, we’ll need to use teleportation magic to return as well.”
Both Ailyn and Richard’s gazes turned to Hainel. But Hainel groaned and replied.
“Let’s rest a bit before we go. I’m tired too.”
“Then I’ll deal with the remaining stragglers.”
Richard stood up and spoke. Ailyn looked at his back and then felt a tug on her sleeve, prompting her to lower her head.
“Sister, are we going home now?”
“Yes. Let’s go home, Adrian.”
Adrian pursed his lips and buried his face in her chest again. Feeling his wet clothes, Ailyn gently patted his back.
❧ ❧ ❧
The group, including Ailyn, returned to Oldengard the next morning via Hainel’s magic.
Adrian seemed relieved to be home and collapsed as soon as they entered the mansion. Ailyn quickly moved Adrian to the bedroom and stayed by his side until he woke up.
Fortunately, Cain was not punished. Thanks to Ailyn’s plea that she had dragged him along against his will, he was spared from any punishment by Richard.
Dino and Damon, who had kidnapped Adrian, were thrown into prison. With Richard’s influence, they might never get out of there again.
A few days later, Ailyn received shocking news.
“They’re dead?”
Ailyn asked, her face stiff with shock. She thought she might have misheard, but Richard nodded.
“Dino died in prison, and Damon lost his sanity.”
“Lost his sanity…?”
“In other words, he’s gone mad.”
A shadow passed over Ailyn’s face.
“How could this happen…”
“Additionally, someone set fire to Damon’s Dexter Trading Company.”
“Excuse me?”
Ailyn’s eyes widened at the unexpected news. Richard also stroked his chin, his expression serious.
“There’s no proof, but it might have been the work of Marquis Hibis…”
Ailyn followed Richard’s serious tone.
If it was Croker, it made sense. If someone who knew his secret was imprisoned, he would have dealt with them before they could reveal anything.
A brief silence passed between them. After thinking carefully, Richard spoke first.
“For now, it would be best to be cautious. Please tell young Count to be careful when going outside.”
“I was already planning on doing that. One incident is enough.”
Ailyn still seemed distressed as she tightly gripped the hem of her dress. Richard, seeing this, sympathetically reached out his hand.
“Sister.”
At that moment, Ailyn heard Adrian’s voice from inside the room.
Richard paused with his hand still extended toward Ailyn and awkwardly smiled.
“The young Count is calling. You should go to him.”
“Yes. Thank you for letting me know, Richard.”
Ailyn turned her back on Richard and walked toward Adrian’s room. Just as she was about to leave, Richard stopped her with a word.
“By the way.”
Ailyn exhaled in surprise and turned back to him. Just then, something warm brushed against her cheek.
Ailyn lightly kissed Richard’s cheek and shyly said.
“Good luck today.”
“…Of course.”
Richard’s eyes and mouth softened gently. Ailyn smiled at him, then turned and entered the room.
“Has His Excellency arrived?”
“Yes. By the way, how are you feeling?”
“I’m much better.”
Adrian, whose face seemed better than before, had clearly improved. Although there was still some fever, it seemed like a few more days of rest would do the trick.
As Ailyn placed her hand on Adrian’s forehead, she sighed in relief. She then asked with a soft smile.
“Adrian, is there anything you want to eat?”
“Are you going to buy it all for me?”
“Of course. Just tell me.”
“Really? Then…?”
Ailyn mentally took note of all the desserts Adrian mentioned. Then, she realized something and narrowed her eyes.
“All desserts?”
“Is that a problem?”
Adrian asked with shining eyes. His pitiful expression made Ailyn laugh helplessly.
“A promise is a promise. Wait here. I’ll go get them all.”
“You’re the best, Sister!”
“But remember, you have to finish all your medicine. Got it?”
Adrian raised his arms in excitement, then flinched at Ailyn’s stern tone.
He gave her a pitiful look again, but Ailyn was firm.
“Yes…”
In the end, it was Adrian who gave up.
Ailyn secretly smiled as she stood up, preparing to go buy the things Adrian had requested.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
“Make sure you come back quickly.”
Adrian looked up at her with concern. He must have been worried that something might happen to Ailyn as well.
To reassure him, Ailyn kissed his forehead and then left the room.
When she went outside, Cain was waiting as usual.
Ailyn approached him, her eyes wide.
“Aren’t you going to rest some more?”
“Of course not. I’m fine now.”
“Are you sure you’re not pushing yourself? You could go with another knight today.”
“I’m not pushing myself. Even if I’m tired, I won’t neglect the duties assigned to me.”
At Cain’s firm words, Ailyn decided to step back.
More than anything, though, while she said that, because of Adrian, she didn’t feel completely comfortable being with Cain today, so she chose to go with him.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes.”
Ailyn and Cain headed toward the busy street. The dessert shops Adrian mentioned were all well-known.
They visited each shop and bought everything Adrian had asked for. Before long, Cain’s hands were full of wrapped desserts.
Since it was a dessert shop, the packaging was cute and decorative, but with Cain’s tough appearance holding them, it looked rather funny.
It seemed he knew that, as Cain’s face looked a little awkward. Ailyn tried hard to suppress her laughter as she thought about their next stop.
“Ma’am.”
Just then, someone approached her. Though they were wearing a hood, Ailyn immediately recognized who it was.
“Your Highness?”
