Chapter 62
The moment we met Duke Creyman, we ran to the count’s room.
But somehow I couldn’t keep up with the duke. So I tried to send him ahead.
“I can’t. I’ll follow you—please go first—”
“Excuse me.”
Before I could finish, the duke strode up, bent down, and suddenly lifted me into his arms.
Startled, I froze and looked up at him. He said, “Sorry for touching you roughly. But moving this way will be faster. Is that all right?”
He asked my permission. Leaving aside efficiency, being carried by him felt deeply embarrassing and awkward, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that.
Reluctantly I nodded slightly.
“Y-yes…”
“Then let’s go.”
No sooner had he spoken than the duke dashed off like an arrow. Perhaps he’d been matching my speed before, because now he was unimaginably faster.
At that terrifying speed I wrapped my arms tightly around Duke Creyman’s neck.
Before I knew it we had arrived at the count’s door. I climbed down from his arms.
Worried about whether the count was safe, I heard the duke mutter, “…the protective magic has been undone.”
At the same moment a man’s voice drifted from beyond the door.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll kill him for you. Farewell.”
A familiar voice.
‘Vincente…!’
There was no doubt — it was Vincente’s voice. Vincente was trying to kill the count.
The duke and I kicked the door in and burst inside.
“Stop!”
I saw the startled count and Vincente, his head tilted toward us.
Vincente looked as if he might kill the count at any moment, so I ground my teeth and warned him.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Vincente.”
When I called his name, Vincente’s eyes widened.
Rightly so — the name Vincente was a rare alias known only to a few.
Knowing it meant I already knew who he really was.
A curious light flickered in Vincente’s purple eyes.
In the blink of an eye he was standing right in front of me.
‘Magic?’
Knowing he was a mage, I realized he had used teleportation.
“Hmm. What’s this? You’re the one I met earlier. Who are you? I don’t recognize your face… Take off that mask.”
Before I could answer, Vincente reached toward my face. But his hand couldn’t touch me.
“If you lay a hand on her, I won’t forgive you.”
“Who’s this?”
Duke Creyman had already stepped in front of me and pressed the tip of his sword to Vincente’s throat.
Vincente only rolled his eyes to the blade at his neck. Even though it would reach him with a slight movement, he smiled without flinching.
“Interesting. Shall we see who’s stronger?”
“Do you think you can’t do it?”
The duke warned coldly and drew closer. The two men’s gazes locked head-on.
No one gave an inch; I took a deep breath.
‘If they fight here it’ll cause a huge commotion.’
Above all, there was a risk of Count Simore — unable to move freely — getting caught up in it.
Of course the two men must know that. So the situation was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for us.
Duke Creyman had someone to protect; Vincente had nothing to lose.
Watching quietly, I parted my lips.
“It’d be bad to cause a scene here, Vincente.”
I felt him looking at me. I smiled calmly.
“If you make a fuss, ‘that person’ will discover you. Isn’t that why you even changed your name?”
“What are you really?”
At my words the smile vanished from Vincente’s face.
He hardened into a menacing expression and tried to approach me, but Duke Creyman’s blocking stance made it impossible.
I continued speaking.
“Go back. Or I won’t stand idly by. You know what I mean, right?”
Of course this was pure bluff.
Even if I knew his weakness, what could powerless me do?
But Vincente had no way to check whether I was bluffing.
The corners of Vincente’s eyes narrowed. I didn’t avert my gaze; I met it head-on.
“…Fine, I’ll leave for today.”
Thankfully, Vincente withdrew.
Still, Duke Creyman kept his guard up to the very end. Vincente regarded the duke with an annoyed look, then glanced back at me.
His purple eyes churned like a violent whirlpool. He tugged a crooked smile.
“If you thought a mask could conceal your identity, you were greatly mistaken.”
He snapped his fingers and his body slowly began to blur.
I watched him fade quietly. At that moment our eyes met and his lips moved slightly.
“Then… ”
In an instant he smiled at me.
“See you again.”
I felt something penetrate deep into my body.
Too late, Duke Creyman swung his sword at Vincente, but Vincente had already disappeared.
The duke immediately ran to me.
“Siela! Are you all right?”
“Ah, yes.”
I opened and closed my palm.
Strange. I had felt him do something to me, but there was no sign of anything wrong in my body.
Count Simore wheeled over in his chair and gently took my hand.
He closed his eyes. Soon I felt his magic flowing from his hand into my body.
A moment later he opened his eyes and said, “It’s a tracking spell.”
“A tracking spell…?”
“Vincente cast a tracking spell on Miss Siela before he left.”
“Is there any way to break the spell?”
Hearing Count Simore’s words, Duke Creyman asked, even more surprised.
But the count shook his head.
“He implanted the tracking magic in your heart. To remove it you’d have to find a mage more powerful than he is — and at present there is no mage greater than him.”
“Even you can’t do it?”
“Right now I can only place protective magic — and soon I won’t be able to do even that. But don’t worry.”
He brushed the ring on my hand with his finger. It was the Simore family signet ring he had given me.
“This ring — precisely, this magic stone in the ring — carries a nullification spell. As long as you wear the ring, no magic will take effect. Casting magic can’t be stopped, but its effects won’t manifest.”
“You mean…”
Count Simore smiled at me.
“As long as you don’t take the ring off, the tracking spell will be useless. But take care: for one-time spells, wearing the ring when the spell is cast will nullify it and you can remove the ring afterward with no problem. For ongoing spells, however, the magic will activate if you remove the ring, so be careful. The spell he placed is a continuous one, so don’t take the ring off.”
I nodded at his words and looked down at the ring.
‘A nullification spell…’
The Simore signet was more remarkable than I had expected. I worried whether I deserved to have such a ring, but since the situation had already come to this, there was no choice.
After smoothing the ring, I looked up at the duke and smiled.
“I’m really relieved…”
I wanted to say, ‘Me too,’ but his sudden action cut me off.
He hugged me tightly, as if desperate to take me away from anyone who might try to snatch me.
“Thank God, thank God.”
“Your Excellency…?”
“If anything had happened to you I could never have forgiven myself.”
“Ah…”
“I’m so glad you’re safe.”
Duke Creyman muttered in a stifled voice.
‘…You were very worried.’
He seemed more relieved than I was now that I was safe.
What should I do? I shifted my eyes for a moment.
Then I slowly raised my hand and patted his back, whispering softly.
“You protected me, Your Excellency. So it’s all right.”
He slowly lifted his head and looked at me. His golden eyes were fixed solely on me.
With a resolute face and earnest voice he said, “I will protect you. From now on, I will continue to protect you.”
I smiled brightly and replied, “Yes, I’ll be counting on you.”
“Of course.”
After the duke answered at once, I offered him a faint smile, then turned to look at Count Simore.
My expression hardened as if I’d never smiled.
Count Simore, however, still looked at me with a smiling face.
I said to her, “Then. Could you explain what on earth happened, Your Grace?”
To be honest, I was angry. I had realized she had sent for me and intended to die.
If the duke and I had been just a little slower, Count Simore would already have been dead by Vincente’s hand. I would have been consumed by deep guilt.
She nodded as she watched me silently.
“It was my fault for dragging you into this. I’ll explain everything.”
