I quickened my pace, anxiety bubbling in my chest.
The pendant in my hand swayed with each step, and the strange vibration I had first felt in the prison cell grew steadily stronger.
I hadn’t imagined it—something was definitely off about this pendant.
“I heard a voice.”
I had acted calm in front of Lord Bastien, but my palm was damp with nervous sweat.
Maybe I had overexerted myself, as a sharp pain flared in my leg. But that wasn’t important right now.
Once inside my room, I quickly locked the door behind me and hurriedly placed the pendant on the table.
“I didn’t imagine it.”
When I had been checking on Mayer in the cell, I had definitely heard a voice.
A voice that only I could hear—one that Count Bastien hadn’t seemed to notice.
And when I had grabbed the pendant, I had felt an unexplainable vibration, too.
…And most importantly, the symbol.
“I’ve definitely seen that symbol before.”
I stared intently at the pendant, still stained with grime in places, then carefully picked it up.
Using a cloth meant for cleaning mirrors, I began wiping it down.
Gradually, the obscured edges of the symbol began to emerge.
“This is…”
Just as the image came to mind and my lips parted in realization—
Whirrrrr—
A strong vibration suddenly surged through my hand, and I yelped in surprise, dropping the pendant.
With a sharp clang, it hit the floor and rolled. A faint glow began to seep from it.
Whrrrrrrrr—
The vibration intensified—so much so that the entire room seemed to reverberate with it.
Startled, I stumbled backward toward the bed. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the vibration stopped, plunging the room into silence.
And then—
[Child.]
Eyes wide, I stared at the pendant in disbelief.
[…Child, finally…]
The voice came and went, crackling like an untuned radio.
[…For so very long…]
Cautiously, I took a step forward. After hesitating, I slowly reached out and picked up the pendant.
The moment my hand touched it, a clear resonance coursed up my arm.
As that strange sensation enveloped me and I shut my eyes tightly—
[We’ve finally met!]
I opened my eyes slowly. And then I just stood there, mouth agape, staring at the scene before me.
In the center of the once-empty room stood a mysterious figure in strange clothing.
They floated above the ground, long emerald-green hair flowing around them, wearing a crown with the same symbol as the pendant.
“W-What the hell?!”
I screamed and immediately clamped a hand over my mouth.
It would be a disaster if Anna or any of the servants came running.
How in the world was I supposed to explain this?
“W-Who are you?!”
My voice shook involuntarily as I stared at the floating figure, completely on edge.
“How are you floating…? No—more importantly, how did you even get in here—?!”
The stranger tilted their head slightly, then smiled gently.
[‘Get in’? Wasn’t it you who brought me here?]
My face froze in shock.
As my mind scrambled to make sense of everything, I muttered slowly,
“…The pendant?”
The stranger smiled faintly and stepped toward me.
[Yes, you finally found me.]
“W-Who are you?!”
[Me?]
He answered with a gentle smile.
[My name is Adam.]
I stared at him, confused, then scowled slightly, still guarded.
“No, I mean—what are you?!”
He fell silent for a moment, as though pondering how to answer. His ethereal face creased slightly.
Then, raising his head to meet my eyes, he said,
[It’s hard to explain. Let’s just say I’m an angel for now.]
I stared at him in disbelief.
[Or, if you prefer, think of me as a pitiful soul who’s waited for you for a very long time.]
“You… waited for me?”
[Yes. You, and no one else. I was so happy when I first discovered you.]
A shadow crossed his face as he continued.
[But you couldn’t hear my voice, so I had to wait all that time alone. It was terrible. That man… he really did whatever he pleased with me.]
My heart skipped a beat as I remembered the day Mayer had that pendant around his neck during training.
“…Then—you were watching that day too?”
I was referring to the day Mayer had tried to brainwash me.
Adam slowly nodded.
[Yes, that day and every day before. I was always watching you. But even though I knew everything, there was nothing I could do. It was heartbreaking.]
I stared into his eyes, bewildered.
His eyes, shaded by long lashes, looked too beautiful to belong to any being of this world.
…No way. He’s not a con artist pretending to be an angel… is he?
[I really am an angel.]
He smiled kindly again. I clamped my mouth shut, then asked incredulously,
“…Wait. Did you just read my mind?”
[By finding me, you’ve become my master. I’m now bound to you. I can read your thoughts—and sometimes even more.]
Suddenly, he reached out and placed his hand over mine.
A warm sensation spread through my palm, and a soft light appeared above it—just like when Martin examined me.
[Now, I can protect you.]
My mouth fell open in shock. The light above my palm moved freely in response to my thoughts.
“This is…”
[Yes. From now on, you can use my power whenever you need it.]
I blinked in surprise, then narrowed my eyes and turned to him.
“What’s the price?”
He looked startled.
[Hmm?]
“I asked, what’s the price? If you’re giving me your power, there must be something you want in return.”
He stared at me silently before shaking his head.
[…I can’t tell you that.]
I frowned at him.
“You’re telling me to use your power but won’t even tell me what it costs?”
[Even so, I really can’t tell you yet.]
I stared hard at him, suspicion in my gaze.
“Then what can you tell me? Whoever you are—you have no idea how confused I am right now!”
He furrowed his brows, clearly troubled.
Then, collecting himself, he put on a calm expression and said,
[…Alright. What do you want to know? If it’s something I’m allowed to say, I’ll tell you.]
Perfect.
I calmly raised one finger.
“First, did you ever talk like this with Mayer?”
[Only you can summon me, child. There is no one else in the world who can do that.]
“Why?”
[…]
“Okay, next question.”
I raised a second finger.
“How did you end up in the pendant?”
[This pendant isn’t just a necklace. It’s a holy relic passed down from long ago.]
My eyes widened.
“No wonder that symbol looked so familiar!”
I remembered seeing it in one of the books I had read in the library about the temple.
Everything clicked into place.
The pendant was engraved with a temple symbol, and Mayer had been wearing it around his neck.
It’s a relic from the Prater Temple. And for some reason, Mayer had it.
And there was more.
The priests who had come to the estate had insisted on entering the prison again and again.
Even if they didn’t care about Mayer, they still wanted that relic back.
I gave a bitter laugh and glanced at the man before me.
Of course. It’s no wonder they were so desperate.
If the pendant really was a relic, it would also explain how Mayer had used powers without any known medium that day.
After organizing my thoughts, I raised a third finger.
“What kind of powers can I borrow from you?”
Adam answered, clearly delighted.
[I can protect you—from what you see and what you can’t. And…]
“…”
[If you wish, I can show you the world through my eyes.]
My eyes widened.
His emerald hair fluttered as he spoke in his beautiful voice.
[After all, my eyes are everywhere.]
A few days later. Inside the drawing room of Tigris Duchy.
“I regret that we had to meet under such circumstances, Lady Selenea.”
I calmly gazed at the man sitting across from me, smiling kindly.
“I hear you’re the one who eased the Duke’s anger toward our priesthood?”
He had introduced himself as Callista, the High Priest. I responded evenly.
“Yes. This situation would’ve been troublesome for both sides.”
Callista chuckled.
“You’re absolutely right. The temple was quite troubled by this affair.”
“…”
“I feared His Grace wouldn’t permit our visit again, but I see I owe you a great debt.”
He glanced at my father, who sat beside me.
As always, Father glared at the clergy with cold, piercing eyes.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
“You do owe a great debt.”
“…”
“If not for my daughter, your heads would’ve been rolling down the streets already.”
Callista’s face hardened instantly.
“…That’s a bit harsh, Duke.”
“And what about you?” my father snapped. “You came five times to take back the man who almost killed my daughter. Isn’t that harsh?”
“That was—!”
“You’re right,” Father muttered coldly, lifting the corner of his mouth into a slight smirk.
“I’m a man who takes things too far. So you’d best tread carefully.”
His icy eyes glinted with menace.
