Chapter 5
The punishment chamber was damp and freezing.
An icy chill seeped into Diena’s bones, piercing through the threadbare clothes that barely covered her body.
There wasn’t a single light in the room. An ordinary person would have been consumed by fear in such complete darkness.
Yet a faint smile curved Diena’s lips.
It’s a relief Romie is still as violent as ever.
And the Duchess and Cain are still exactly the same kind of people.
She had known from the moment she deliberately appeared before the representatives of the Five Great Houses that this would happen.
She had expected Romie to lose her temper.
She had expected to be thrown into the punishment chamber.
After all, this room had always been the punishment Diena feared most.
Even knowing exactly what would happen, she had intentionally provoked Romie.
Because there’s a secret passage here.
Running her fingers across the freezing stone wall, Diena searched carefully.
Then she tapped it in a steady rhythm.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
A soft grinding noise echoed through the room.
The bricks suddenly split apart, revealing a narrow passage that had remained hidden for generations.
The sealed doorway slowly opened.
“Goodbye, Rothwell.”
Leaving those words behind, Diena stepped into the darkness.
The wall shifted back into place behind her.
Within seconds, it looked as though the hidden door had never existed.
Holding her breath, Diena hurried through the secret tunnel.
Before long, chaos erupted throughout the Rothwell estate.
“Diena’s gone!”
“Where did she run off to?!”
Has the past already started changing?
Her escape had been discovered far sooner than it had in her previous life.
Reaching the tunnel’s exit, Diena froze.
Voices drifted through the thin layer of earth and stone separating her from the castle above.
The first voice belonged to Edeline.
“So what if she disappeared? She’s just a useless girl without abilities.”
Another voice answered sharply.
“Quiet!”
“You know perfectly well that some people awaken their abilities later than others!”
“If she turns out to be an ability user, we can’t let her roam free!”
Diena stiffened.
Uncle…
She recognized the voice instantly.
Duke Balthazar Rothwell shouted loud enough for the entire castle to hear.
“Any ability user belongs to this duchy!”
“They’re an asset of House Rothwell!”
“And even if she’s powerless, that brat won’t leave my hands until the day she dies!”
A bitter smile touched Diena’s lips.
Once again…
They had reminded her that she wasn’t family.
She was property.
Something whose value had to be calculated.
Then came the order that made her expression harden.
“Search the entire castle!”
“Seal every exit!”
“Bring Diena back to me!”
Keeping low, she slipped out into the darkness beyond the tunnel.
Barkan should be heading toward the Eastern Mountains.
After attending the banquet, he said he would accompany Master Malakar to the Mage Tower.
Anyone traveling to the Mage Tower had to pass through the eastern mountain range.
She was fairly certain.
But doubt continued to gnaw at her.
What if history doesn’t unfold the same way?
She squeezed her eyes shut.
No.
I can escape.
Even if it isn’t today…
I’ll leave this place.
No matter what.
Then—
She had barely taken a few steps beyond the hidden exit when a shout rang out behind her.
“There she is!”
Two guards carrying torches had spotted her.
Their eyes met.
The torchlight illuminated her instantly.
Snow whipped through the night as Diena ran with every ounce of strength she had.
The freezing air tore through her throat.
Fresh snow crunched beneath her feet.
“She’s heading that way! Catch her!”
She clenched her teeth.
Her eyes shone.
As a wielder of the Purification Ability, Diena could sense darkness itself.
Whenever another ability user was nearby, she could instinctively locate them through the darkness surrounding them.
And now—
I can feel it!
Only one person possessed darkness this dense.
Barkan.
He was close.
Forward.
Just keep running forward.
She never once looked back.
She hadn’t eaten properly in days.
She had no idea where this strength was coming from.
Branches whipped against her face as she plunged deeper into the forest.
The wind lashed her cheeks.
Snow and tears blurred her vision.
Twigs snagged her tattered clothes, ripping the fabric apart.
Just… a little farther…
Barkan will be there…!
Her heart pounded violently.
Her legs felt ready to snap beneath her.
Still, she couldn’t stop.
Behind her, soldiers’ shouts and pounding footsteps drew ever closer.
She kept running.
Then—
The ground beneath her suddenly gave way.
Without even managing a scream—
Diena disappeared into the snow and tumbled down the steep slope.
Barkan frowned as another blast of snow swept across the mountains.
“The weather’s just as miserable as that family’s rotten state.”
His sharp remark made his lieutenant, Hassen, flinch.
“We’re still inside Rothwell territory, my lord! What if someone hears you?”
“So what?”
“They deserve worse than a few insults after everything they do.”
Barkan’s brow furrowed.
The image of Diena surfaced in his mind.
Romie’s extravagant dress…
Standing beside it was the girl in ragged clothing that barely kept out the cold.
The missing former duke’s daughter…
No matter what had happened, she was still their blood relative.
Yet they treated her like nothing more than a servant.
It made him sick.
Especially knowing the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the previous Duke of Rothwell.
Hassen glanced around before lowering his voice.
“You’re of noble standing now. You really shouldn’t talk like that anymore.”
“I was born with no pedigree.”
“So I’m allowed.”
“My lord!”
“I’d rather they took the title back.”
“My father never wanted to become a duke in the first place.”
“…Even so,” Hassen said quietly, “that title allowed Lady Bianca to receive proper treatment.”
“And Duke Rothwell used that treatment as bait.”
“He toyed with a person’s life.”
Silence fell.
Unable to argue, Hassen changed the subject.
“What will we do now?”
“Return directly to House Cardian?”
Barkan looked toward the fork in the road.
The path to the right crossed the harsh Eastern Mountains before leading toward the Imperial Capital.
The left road led north…
Home to House Cardian.
But…
His gaze shifted to Malakar.
The old mage’s complexion had become deathly pale.
Dark circles shadowed his eyes.
His condition was clearly worsening.
“No.”
“We’re skipping the estate and heading straight to the Imperial Capital.”
“The old man’s nagging is unbearable.”
“I should return him to the Mage Tower before he drives me insane.”
“And he’s almost out of suppressants.”
“What kind of mage needs suppressants for ability backlash anyway?”
“What a troublesome old man.”
Malakar let out a dry laugh.
“You insolent brat.”
“With a personality like yours, anyone would nag you.”
“You act as though the whole world revolves around you.”
“Even then,” Barkan replied with a grin, “I’m still better than those Rothwell bastards.”
Watching them, Hassen asked worriedly,
“Are you all right, Lord Malakar?”
“It looks like the suppressant you took earlier is wearing off.”
“We spent too much time visiting House Rothwell.”
“I’m still managing.”
“Even so, if your condition gets any worse, you have to tell us.”
“Promise.”
Malakar smiled faintly.
“I will.”
“Yeah, old man,” Barkan added gruffly.
“Don’t keep quiet until you lose control.”
Just then, Barkan’s expression sharpened.
He looked toward the forest.
“…It’s noisy.”
“What’s going on?”
Hassen blinked.
“Noisy?”
“I don’t hear anything.”
“No.”
“Rothwell’s soldiers are chasing something.”
“They’re getting closer.”
Hassen tilted his head in confusion.
Malakar, who had remained silent until now, spoke calmly.
“He’s always had senses sharper than ordinary people.”
“He must be hearing something.”
Barkan narrowed his eyes.
The presence he had sensed became clearer.
He slowly raised a hand, pointing toward the hillside.
“…What’s that?”
Everyone looked.
Something white was tumbling down the snow-covered slope.
Rolling.
Rolling.
Rolling.
At first glance…
It looked like nothing more than a giant snowball.
It finally reached the flat ground below and burst apart.
Barkan stared at the figure exposed beneath the snow.
“Isn’t that a rabbit?”
“It looks all scruffy.”
Hassen stared at him in disbelief.
“A rabbit?!”
“My lord, that’s obviously a person!”
He sprinted forward and barely managed to catch the snow-covered figure.
It was a young girl.
Her clothes were filthy and torn.
As Barkan got a clear look at her face, his eyes widened slightly.
“…Diena Rothwell?”
