<CHAPTER 10>

Arliata could only stare blankly into Idwin’s crimson eyes.

What on earth does he mean by that?

After everything that had happened, it felt as though her mind had stopped thinking altogether.

The final teardrop clinging to the tip of her chin fell softly onto the ground.

Idwin took the handkerchief from Arliata’s hand and gently wrapped it around her neck.

He carefully tied the ends together.

The white handkerchief covered the vivid red finger marks left behind after Kai had strangled her.

The silver-embroidered cloth rested gently around her neck like the feather of a tiny bird.

Even after tying it, Idwin continued looking directly at Arliata.

“Shall I put you to sleep?”

Arliata did not avoid his gaze either as she quietly studied his face.

His features were astonishingly beautiful, yet they were still filled with exhaustion.

“Let’s postpone it for today.”

At Arliata’s completely unexpected reply, Idwin let out a quiet chuckle.

He soon turned around and mounted the horse held by the Grand Duke’s knights.

Without hesitation, he spurred the horse into a gallop.

As soon as Idwin rode off, the Grand Duke’s knights followed after him.

The remaining knights lifted Kai from the ground and dragged him away.

The situation was resolved almost immediately.

Before long, Arliata was the only person left standing on the street that had been crowded with the Grand Duke’s knights.

Watching Idwin disappear into the distance, Arliata gently rubbed the edge of the cloak he had draped over her.

Though it was as dark as the midnight sky, all she could feel was its warmth.

The brown-haired woman approached once more and guided her toward a carriage that had somehow already been prepared.

“Let us return.”

“…Where did my friend go? She’s badly hurt and needs treatment.”

“A doctor has already been summoned to your friend’s home. She will receive treatment there.”

Arliata wanted to ask how they had found Yuel’s house, but she decided against it.

They managed to find me, so finding Yuel’s home probably wasn’t difficult.

“A lady named Jaini Morris accompanied your friend. We informed her that Lady Arliata would be returning to the Grand Duke’s Castle with us.”

The brown-haired woman smoothly answered the very question Arliata had been wondering about.

If Aunt Jaini was with Yuel, she would probably be fine.

I’m still worried… I’ll visit her again tomorrow.

As Arliata climbed into the carriage, she kept glancing behind her.

Idwin was nowhere to be seen.

Having ridden his horse at full speed, Idwin’s breathing had become slightly uneven.

As soon as he entered the Grand Duke’s Castle, he leapt down from his horse and steadied his breath.

To become short of breath after riding only this far…

It wasn’t simply because he had hurried there.

His heart pounded as though something inside it was striking violently against his chest.

Each breath seemed to catch in his throat.

Not knowing the reason only made the feeling more suffocating.

It was as though an emotion he had never experienced before was squeezing his heart.

Even after riding nonstop from one end of the Empire to the other, he had never once lost his breath.

Yet now, his chest felt unbearably tight.

After handing the reins to a servant, Idwin walked through the castle corridor while repeatedly calming his breathing.

Only then did it feel as though air slowly began filling his lungs again.

At that moment, the castle gates opened and the knights dragging Kai entered.

Among the large knights, the limp purple-haired man stood out immediately.

Once again, his chest tightened as the image of Kai strangling Arliata flashed before his eyes.

I should have beaten him more, whether Durante stopped me or not.

For someone like Idwin, who rarely allowed anyone into his circle, bringing in an unknown woman had been a major decision.

Even if his instincts told him she was the key to the prophecy, it did not change that fact.

He dared lay a hand on someone belonging to the Grand Duke’s household…

It’s no wonder I regret not beating him harder.

After thinking it over, Idwin slowly nodded to himself.

Whatever her identity, she now belonged to the Grand Duke’s Castle.

Anyone who harmed one of the Grand Duke Rafareon’s people deserved severe punishment.

I should have executed him on the spot…

I shouldn’t have let him live.

If he had arrived only a little later, or if Kai had tightened his grip just a little more, Idwin could have shattered the hand wrapped around Arliata’s throat.

Even after suppressing the cruelty within himself all the way back, his inexplicable anger continued to surge.

Leaving Kai alive had only wasted time discussing punishment.

“…Myself?”

The words escaped Idwin’s lips.

Unless it involved treason or war, the Grand Duke never personally carried out immediate executions.

The single question he voiced threw his thoughts into complete turmoil.

His crimson eyes wavered.

“Why would I…?”

She was merely a wandering woman who had entered the castle only a few days ago.

Is it truly right for me, the Grand Duke, to personally intervene in this matter?

Unable to answer his own question, Idwin stood motionless in the corridor.

Just then, the carriage carrying Arliata entered through the wide-open gates and came to a stop.

The carriage door opened, and Arliata slowly stepped down with a servant escorting her.

Her honey-colored hair shimmered beneath the moonlight.

Perhaps because of what had happened earlier, her turquoise eyes seemed even deeper than before.

After stepping onto the ground, she looked around the Grand Duke’s Castle.

Then she spotted Idwin standing in the corridor and froze.

The color of the sea was reflected completely within Idwin’s crimson eyes.

Moonlight poured endlessly between them.

Neither of them made any attempt to move.

They simply stood there, gazing at one another.

It almost felt as though they could sense each other’s warmth in the cool night air.

Arliata blinked several times, her long eyelashes briefly hiding her clear eyes.

The falling moonlight scattered fragments of light across her turquoise irises.

Faint sounds of waves echoed in Idwin’s ears.

Looking into the crimson eyes calmly fixed upon her, Arliata remained rooted in place.

Such beautiful eyes.

A face as though the gods had poured all of their talent into creating it.

Eyes as mysterious as polished rubies.

How can someone be this beautiful…

As though enchanted, Arliata could only stare into those crimson eyes.

Is this how people feel when they hear my lullaby?

It felt as though she were slowly sinking into the depths of the sea.

Even her breathing softened as every sound in the world faded away.

Those ruby-colored eyes resembled an endless abyss from which no light escaped.

The harder one struggled to escape, the deeper one seemed to sink.

Arliata felt her heartbeat gradually slowing as she looked into those mysterious crimson eyes.

Unable to move or do anything else, she slowly blinked.

Just then, footsteps approached.

Turning her head, she saw Hansen walking toward her with long strides.

He smiled gently upon seeing her.

Straightening his jacket collar, he stood neatly beside her.

“I was a little late, wasn’t I?”

“I said I was going to buy you a present, but seeing you return safely is the greatest gift I could have received.”

Warmth filled Hansen’s voice, gently embracing Arliata’s heart that had only just begun to relax.

The relieved smile on his lips slowly brightened her own expression.

“Come inside. I’ve already instructed them to prepare a bath for you.”

“Thank you.”

As she followed Hansen, Arliata looked back toward the corridor.

Idwin had already disappeared.

He’s gone…

Yet it felt as though traces of crimson still lingered where he had stood.

Even as Hansen escorted her back to her room, those crimson afterimages remained before her eyes.

The fear that had once bound her had long since disappeared.

After spending the entire night awake, Idwin sat alone at his desk, staring out the window.

As the moon completely set and the sun slowly rose, Arliata’s eyes continued to occupy his thoughts.

Even now, he still had no answer to the question within himself.

Why do those clear eyes keep appearing in my mind?

Although her eye color was unusual in the Alferno Empire, the eyes of magical beasts were far stranger.

And yet here he was, thinking about a woman’s eyes.

Hadn’t he always hated even hearing a woman’s voice?

“Then why… do I still keep thinking about those eyes?”

As Idwin questioned himself, the rising sun completely drove away the darkness and welcomed a new day.

Knock. Knock.

While he continued staring outside, Mitchell entered the office after knocking.

Today he wore clothing decorated with yellow feathers upon the shoulders.

Mitchell placed several thick bundles of documents onto the desk.

“I heard there was quite a disturbance last night. What happened to the culprit?”

“He’s being held in the underground prison.”

“What? You didn’t hand him over to the town guard?”

“He harmed one of my people.”

Watching Idwin answer so casually while leaning back in his chair, Mitchell made no effort to hide his disbelief.

“A secretary hired for only one year is one of Your Grace’s people? Then does that mean every servant and maid working in the Grand Duke’s Castle is also one of your people?”

Idwin lowered his gaze and rested his hand against his chin.

Then he answered in a solemn voice.

“Now that you mention it… you’re right. They are all my people.”

Mitchell stared at him in utter disbelief.

Finally, speaking with the voice of someone who had completely given up, he continued.

“Yes… Truly a benevolent ruler. Then what punishment will he receive?”

“Exile him to the Forest of Screams tonight.”

“What?!”

Mitchell was once again left speechless.

“But… that’s where only the most dangerous criminals are exiled.”

“If someone who harms one of the Grand Duke’s people isn’t a dangerous criminal, then what is?”

Idwin did not even look at Mitchell again.

He simply picked up another document and continued reading.

Punishments naturally had different degrees.

Except for major crimes, offenses committed within the Grand Duchy were normally handled by the town guard.

When Mitchell first heard about the disturbance, he naturally assumed that was what would happen.

Instead, the Grand Duke himself had appeared at the scene with his knights.

That alone had been unbelievable.

Now he wanted to exile the culprit to the Forest of Screams.

Mitchell had no idea what Idwin was thinking.

Could it be…

After pondering for a moment, Mitchell cautiously examined Idwin’s expression before asking,

“Do you perhaps believe he’s connected to the recent disappearance cases occurring throughout the Empire?”

Idwin stopped turning the pages and looked back up at him.

“So that’s why you ordered him exiled to the Forest of Screams. Was the culprit from last night’s incident involved in the disappearances?”

At Mitchell’s words, Idwin’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.