IBWCD 27

Chapter 27

The door was always open, and there was no warning not to enter, but Evelyn had never set foot in the glasshouse.

“Kalian told me it was a place for solitary contemplation.”

She hadn’t often visited the capital’s mansions, and the butler’s remark made her even more reluctant.

‘I never thought such a place could hold such secrets.’

But the maids’ conversation suggested that Kalian had not brought “the woman” to the manor.

‘She didn’t come with us to the capital, so she might be a northerner.’

Regardless, She couldn’t let something so intangible keep her on edge forever.

It was unpleasant to be compared to a forgettable, audible presence.

‘I’ll find out a face or a name,’ She thought, ‘better than being jealous of myself for nothing.’

Just as she was thinking this, she stepped into the greenhouse.

BANG!

A strong thunderclap echoed through the building.

“Huh!”

Startled like a thief caught off guard, Evelyn rummaged through the walls and quickly lit the candles she found.

Her nervousness, which had sent goosebumps up and down her body, eased the moment she set eyes on the greenhouse.

The scent of damp greenery wafted in from all directions, and there was a pergola to relax in among the colorful flowers.

Nothing but peace.

As she cautiously explored the greenhouse, she stopped in her tracks at a dark curtain that completely covered one wall.

“No way, this is it.”

Raising the candlestick to her eye level, she pulled back the curtain as if mesmerized by something.

“Ah…”

A painting on the wall was revealed.

Evelyn stared at it, feeling her heart sink.

“That looks just like me.”

Silver hair, green eyes.

A woman in a dark green dress she recognized from her closet, smiling brightly in Kalian’s arms.

“The mood is completely different.”

She wondered if it was the image.

Unlike her, who was crushed by the weight of life, she looked beautiful and noble.

Her eyes were full of life, and so was he.

Black hair, black uniform, and black gloves.

The darkness of his attire remained the same, but as he looked at the woman, his eyes flashed with a colorful array of emotions, unlike his current one, which was filled with worry.

“I can almost picture it.”

That was how she remembered Kalian’s eyes.

Suddenly, the emotions that had been dulled by the thought stabbed her in the chest like an awl.

“Ha…”

Evelyn pushed the dizzying jumble of thoughts aside and lowered the candlestick to shine down on the canvas.

There was an imprint that looked like a woman’s name. It was unmistakably not her own.

“D.Lindberg.” She stared at it for a long moment, blankly, and then remembered the day she’d first met him in the spire.

“Why are you here now, huh?”

His eyes were intent, his voice wistful, like a long-lost lover reunited.

It was strange, now that she thought about it.

The first time he’d laid eyes on her, he’d treated her as if he’d recognized her from somewhere.

“Maybe he mistook me for her…”

So did he take her as his wife because he couldn’t forget her from his previous life?

She’s seen a few job postings looking for someone who looks like a loved one.

For example, someone who has the same hair color and eye color as his deceased wife because he can’t forget her.

But why would Kalian do that?

There’s no denying that he saw her and thought of her, but there’s no reason to look for similarities.

Unless he’s never going to see her again.

“Of course, that wouldn’t make any difference, she’s not me.”

But there were few silver-haired people in the Empire, except for mages.

Except for her own mother.

‘If you think about it, I guess I’m not completely unrelated to her…’

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, Evelyn’s vision blurred, and a stabbing headache set in.

Startled, Evelyn grimaced and rubbed her throbbing temples.

“Ah…”

Evelyn paused as she was about to close the curtains, perhaps because the painting had unsettled her.

A faint glimmer of light came from beyond the framed wall.

As she pushed aside the dense rose vines, she saw a doorway as black as the abyss.

“……!”

Evelyn pushed it open a crack, and a lazy breeze leaked out.

She glanced down and saw a dim light illuminating the dark staircase, sending a chill down her spine.

“Something tells me I shouldn’t go in there.”

A portrait of a woman hung in the space.

Whatever was down there, she didn’t think it would be good for her to see.

Images of an ebony coffin, eerie candles surrounding it, and blood spattered around the circle of magic floated uneasily through her mind.

“Evelyn, what are you thinking?”

Evelyn shook herself out of her thoughts and brushed the goosebumps off her arms. Just as she was about to close the door and turn around.

“……!”

With a loud thud, the door to the indoor garden was slammed open. Her heart dropped to her stomach.

No way.

“Kalian…?”

Evelyn stared blankly at him as he approached.

So startled was she that every hair on her body stood up in unison.

Unable to breathe properly, she mumbled like an idiot, but the man was getting closer and closer, leaving the glass greenhouse door open.

Rain-soaked hair, thunder pounding on her eardrums, and the subtle smell of blood wafting through the dank odor of the underground.

Her heart tightened.

He was dressed the same as he’d left, looking as dapper as ever, but he carried an air of decadence and danger, as if he’d just walked through the pouring rain with his bare body.

She shuffled along.

Finally, their toes touched. A puddle of sticky liquid formed beneath the floor where he stood.

Even in the darkness, she could feel the red blood rushing before her eyes.

He opened his mouth.

“At this late hour…”

His voice was heavy and sunken.

It reminded her of the days when he’d gone on a rampage and rubbed himself like an animal, and it made the nape of her neck chill like cold water.

“What are you doing hiding like a frightened rabbit?”

She wonders if it’s because she’s seen something she shouldn’t have.

She felt strangely immobilized by a surge of fear as the man’s warm, cold eyes bore into her.

Evelyn clasped her hands together and barely spoke.

“Well, I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk and then…”

She opened her eyes, his dark eyebrows drawn together and his long, eyelidless golden eyes as sharp as ever. He didn’t look injured…

“I’m sure you’re not lost in the mansion you walk by every day, and suddenly curious about this place.”

She gave him a quizzical look and he nodded, removing the black cloak from around his shoulders.

“You must have spied on the manor while I was away.”

The large cloak was then wrapped around Evelyn’s body in a snug, protective embrace.

The texture of the leather against her bare legs gave her goosebumps, and she shivered.

“I’m not snooping— ah!”

Her body flipped into the air as a familiar scent rushed into her strained lungs.

“Wha-what are you doing?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened in surprise, and she reflexively hugged him tightly around the nape of his neck, now eye level with her.

Holding her lightly, Kalian pushed open the cellar door with the woman’s portrait on it and began to walk briskly down the stone steps.

* * *

The interior of the crypt was clean and dark.

The stone walls were decorated with colorful tapestries, and the golden carpet on the floor glistened in the reflection of the torches on the walls.

If it weren’t for the bars and shackles on the walls, it could easily have been a sacred prayer hall.

“Wait, cages? Shackles…?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened in bewilderment, and the corners of his otherwise smiling mouth slowly tilted upward.

“I thought you were wondering what was in the basement.”

Evelyn thought he was going to chastise her for trespassing in a space meant for the woman he loved, but the objects before her belied that assumption.

The objects in front of her were far more dangerous than the fear of witchcraft.

‘If he’d asked me what I thought of the portrait, I might have had something to say.’

“Well, that’s…”

She was about to protest when she was interrupted by him taking a step forward.

Hiss.

The end of a long hallway.

Into a dimly lit dungeon, he swept her convulsively and set her gently down on an antique console.

It was more torture device than antique, but if he didn’t think of it that way, it would be hard to survive in this dreary space.

His back was a cold stone wall.

Barely lowering her into the narrow space, she gripped the corner of the console with trembling hands.

Recalling the underground fortresses of the North should have made it easy to recognize the identity of this place, but Evelyn had no time for such thoughts now.

A low voice rumbled over the crown of her head as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Does that answer your question?”

Evelyn opened her eyes at Kalian’s question, her eyes narrowing as if she were about to cry, and she shook her head vigorously.

Looking at her face with a hint of resentment, he leaned over and placed his leather-gloved hands on either side of her thighs.

“So guess what I think I’m trying to do here.”