Chapter : 10
“You’re a Guide, aren’t you?”
“……”
“I suggest you read the situation quickly.”
He wasn’t wrong. Being a Guide, Clara knew better than anyone that he was a starved beast—and she was nothing more than a fine piece of meat laid right before his eyes.
If his claim about having no intention to touch her was sincere, yielding quietly for now was her wisest move. Resisting without cause would only risk unpredictable consequences.
For now, stay still.
Despite that rational thought, the sheer horror of experiencing such a situation for the first time overwhelmed Clara, and tears spilled over.
“Sob, hic……”
She had lived her whole life as a delicate young lady. Maintaining composure while pinned beneath a unfamiliar, imposing Sentinel who threatened her safety was far too heavy a burden. Suppressing her sobs as best she could was the absolute limit of what she could manage.
Mikhail silently looked down at Clara, who was trembling and sobbing with both hands clamped over her mouth. Soon, he let out a sigh.
“Hah……”
The surroundings were still pitch-black, making it impossible to see his expression.
Was he angry? Clara suddenly recalled her fiancé—and how he used to exhale a heavy sigh whenever something displeased him. Was Mikhail making that exact same expression right now?
Terror gripped her. If he set his mind to it, he could do anything to her. What wouldn’t a man be capable of if he had already gone so far as to kidnap the Marquis’s fiancée?
Instructions fell over her head, sharp and cold as a frozen blade.
“Stop crying.”
“P-please…… sob, spare me……”
“I told you I’m not going to kill you. How many times do I have to say it?”
“Can’t you just…… let me go……?”
“What?”
“What did I…… do wrong, hic.”
Struggling to force the words out, Clara soon whimpered softly.
“I miss…… Josef……”
Mikhail did not answer. He merely stared down at her as she desperately stifled her cries, trying not to provoke him.
An anxious silence stretched on for several seconds. At the end of that eternity, the Sentinel submerged in darkness spoke once more—his voice strangely altered.
“Young Lady.”
“……”
“What on earth are you saying in front of me right now?”
His tone was noticeably softer, yet it retained a razor-sharp edge. It was almost as if he were soothing her gently while holding a blade directly against her throat.
Only then did the memory resurface: This man harbored a deep ill will toward Josef.
“Do you love the Colonel?” he asked abruptly. It was an out-of-the-blue question. Why bring that up all of a sudden?
Of course, her answer was clear. Clara loved Josef. Even if she couldn’t be certain how Josef truly felt about her, her feelings remained unchanged.
“I asked if you love your fiancé.”
She hesitated. A sudden feeling brushed past her—that this wasn’t a question meant to receive an honest answer.
“Answer me. Quickly.”
“Why…… all of a sudden……?”
“If something were to happen to you…… just assuming such a scenario, that is.”
For a brief instant, a thin sliver of moonlight slipped through a gap and illuminated the side of his face. The moment their eyes met, Clara involuntarily caught her breath.
“If something like that were to happen…… do you think the Colonel would be upset?”
He was no longer in his right mind. His reason had vanished long ago. All kinds of dangerous desires swirled within his dark eyes.
Josef had been a superior officer Mikhail deeply respected. At least, he used to be—even if that was now a meaningless past.
A Sentinel with abilities far superior to his own. A capable officer who secured victory in every operation he led. In the past, Mikhail took immense pride in serving as his direct adjutant. Josef was an officer revered by all, and serving under his command was no different than holding a shining medal in hand.
Josef Kirchner trusted Mikhail. Mikhail was not only an outstanding Sentinel, but his loyalty was second to none among the adjutants.
I am trusted by Colonel Kirchner. That fact will remain unchanged until the war ends.
That rock-solid faith eventually shattered. How many years ago was that now?
He couldn’t remember clearly. At times it felt like an ancient memory, yet at others it felt as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. Perhaps it was an aftereffect of the torture he endured at the hands of enemy forces—the inability to properly recall that day.
Remembering almost nothing about that day drove Mikhail nearly insane. He felt an injustice so intense it boiled into murderous intent, yet he couldn’t grasp the root cause. He wandered through the ruins left by the war, endlessly asking himself: Why? What for?
He had to do something. If he didn’t, he felt he would lose his mind completely.
Completely abandoned and cast aside, he had lived like a stray dog—taking contracts with promised rewards and killing designated targets. It didn’t take long for a trained Sentinel like him to make a name for himself as a hitman.
It was a life he had never asked for, but he had never complained either.
As he grew accustomed to this new life, Mikhail gradually forgot that he had once been a soldier. The hatred and resentment that plagued him faded away as well. Perhaps he could have forgotten about Colonel Kirchner altogether—if only the woman before him, the Colonel’s fiancée, hadn’t shaken his composure.
Mikhail looked down at the woman pinned beneath him, lost in thought. He was merely an underworld contractor now. He had no means to direct his long-festering hatred toward Colonel Kirchner directly.
But if it’s this woman……
She might be a unique lever Mikhail had just acquired. Perhaps because his reason was clouded, that thought kept tempting him.
If he could use Clara to agitate the Colonel even a little bit—when the Colonel realized the hunting dog he thought he had discarded ended up leaving a mark on what belonged to him—what kind of emotion would he display?
It was an irresistible temptation. But that wasn’t all.
Not only his broken soul, but his body also desperately lusted for Clara. If he had known she was a Guide, he would have taken medication in advance.
The touch of her soft, delicate skin was unbearably sweet. Was it because his body had endured for so long without a proper Guide? A simple touch sent a surge of euphoria rushing through his entire body. It was a level of Guiding so satisfying that supplements couldn’t even compare.
To receive this much Guiding just from skin-to-skin contact—it was almost laughable how unpredictable fate could be. To think that Colonel Kirchner’s fiancée was a Guide whose compatibility with him was near perfect.
Thanks to the Guiding, Mikhail felt his clouded mind gradually clearing. The impulses that bordered on raw lust slowly subsided.
That didn’t mean his twisted desire for Clara had lost its hold, however. Mikhail still wanted her. Only now, he wished to take her away through a much deeper, more insidious method.
Developing personal feelings toward a target was unprecedented and entirely unacceptable, but Mikhail had no intention of giving up.
Unaware of any of this, Clara remained trapped beneath him, whimpering softly. She said nothing, but her delicate, trembling breath betrayed everything.
“Clara.”
Mikhail called her name. He felt Clara flinch noticeably. She was clearly treading carefully, perhaps sensing that his demeanor had changed.
It didn’t matter. Soothing her came first. He needed to get her to lower her guard.
“Let’s move to the bed.”
“……”
“I know you want to escape, but let’s sleep first and think about it when we wake up.”
Though he spoke persuasively, she had no real choice. In the end, Clara meekly complied. Her legs had completely lost their strength, making her wobble unable to walk properly, so Mikhail personally supported her over to the bed.
Once she lay sideways on the mattress, she didn’t budge. She simply pulled the sheet high up to cover herself completely, as if building a shield.
Looking down at his old enemy’s fiancée—the woman he had kidnapped with his own hands—Mikhail returned to his own spot and sat down.
The chair creaked under his weight. A long, heavy silence followed.
Clara fell asleep only after a long while. Mikhail, however, did not. Throughout the fading night until dawn, he stayed awake, listening to the quiet rhythm of her breathing.
