MDBYF ~ 09

Chapter : 09

“Did you finish eating?”

Mikhail, smiling as if nothing had happened, took the bowl away from her.

“I have to keep my promise. I’ll stay as far away as you like.”

Clara didn’t answer. Watching him with wary eyes, she grabbed the blanket the moment Mikhail stepped back from the bed and pulled it up over her shoulders.

As if that paper-thin blanket were the last protective shield keeping her safe.

Whatever she was imagining, Mikhail had no intention of lay a finger on her.

Her status as Joseph Kirchner’s fiancée had provoked him for a brief moment, but…

Well.

Doing something to his fiancée wouldn’t be all that interesting anyway—unless Clara Thuringen meant something truly precious to Joseph.

She had a dream.

Clara was walking down the hallway of the Kirchner Ducal Residence. A sudden draft blew from somewhere, making the lamp flame in her hand flicker precariously.

It feels just like that day.

Clara had been in a similar situation before. And quite recently, at that. Was it happening all over again? Dread washed over her, but she couldn’t stop her feet. As if drawn by an irresistible force, no matter how hard she tried, Clara couldn’t control her own body.

“Ah, ah, ahn!”

The panting moans of a woman drew closer. The familiar voice was repeatedly calling Joseph’s name in a coquetting whine.

“Your Grace, Your Grace…”

She could already tell what was happening in the nearby bedroom. I don’t want to see it. I should go back right now.

Yet an invisible force dragged her right in front of the bedroom door. The door was left ajar. With trembling eyes, Clara peeked inside.

The Guide Joseph used to summon was sitting in front of him, swaying her hips. Sitting on the sofa, Joseph wrapped his arms around her waist, letting out a low groan.

“Ah, Joseph… mm, it feels so good.”

Joseph’s face was hidden behind the woman’s body. What kind of expression was he making? Of course, she didn’t want to know. It was better not to see it.

“Isn’t this better than that useless Guide… ah, don’t you think?”

At that moment, the words Joseph had once uttered across the tea table echoed in Clara’s ears:

“As you know, a Sentinel can’t unleash his abilities properly without regular Guiding.”

“…I know.”

“I can’t expect effective Guiding from you. So I have no choice but to call another Guide.”

“Just let that woman die. The Guide that suits you best is me… ah, you only need me.”

Before she knew it, tears were streaming down Clara’s cheeks. Unaware that she was crying, Clara hurriedly went to wipe them away just as Joseph pushed the woman off him.

Draped in a robe, he strode toward the door.

He had noticed Clara watching.

Yet Joseph didn’t scold her. Instead, he slammed the door shut right in front of her face.

Bang!

At the sound of the door slamming, Clara startled awake. Lying on the hard bed, gasping for air, she slowly returned to reality.

‘It was just a dream.’

But was it truly just a bad dream? When something painfully similar was happening in reality, too.

Clara shifted her gloomy gaze to the side. A blonde man dressed in black was sitting in a chair with his eyes closed. Arms crossed and head resting against the wall, his posture looked terribly uncomfortable.

However… something was off.

His complexion looked unwell.

And that wasn’t all. His symptoms felt strangely familiar.

A pale face. Eyes flushed red as if running a high fever. Heavy breathing.

It was identical to how Joseph looked whenever he sought out a Guide.

Even though she knew it shouldn’t be, Clara desperately tried to deny it.

No. It can’t be.

He could just have a cold. It might be nothing.

However, her flimsy self-consolation didn’t last long.

Clara had witnessed Mikhail effortlessly slaughtering those attackers with her own eyes. He was a Sentinel. That much was blatantly obvious. Those weren’t movements a normal human could ever display.

Having a Sentinel as a fiancé made it even clearer to her. They were nothing like ordinary people. Sentinels surpassed humans in every metric.

Not just in physical strength and agility… but even in resistance to disease.

Yet a Sentinel of his caliber was suffering from a cold?

There’s no way.

It couldn’t possibly be a cold.

Though she had always been dismissed as a useless Guide, Clara was still a Guide nonetheless. Instantly, she could feel it instincts deep within.

That man is in urgent need of Guiding.

Fear crept up her legs. Her blood ran cold, sending a chill down her spine.

The man’s large body, shrouded in darkness, held Clara’s terrified gaze captive. He was less than three steps away. He might be asleep now, but there was no telling when he would wake up.

Does he know I’m a Guide?

Whenever Joseph needed Guiding, he became exceptionally edge-driven and aggressive. She remembered how his usual rational, cold demeanor would blur, replaced by raw, volatile impulse.

Especially the way he would violently grab a Guide’s wrist.

It wouldn’t be surprising at all if the exact same thing happened right here. If he made up his mind, overpowering Clara to force Guiding out of her would be effortless.

‘I have to run.’

Being kidnapped was bad enough; if she were violated by a stranger on top of it, there would be no turning back. Overwhelmed by terror, tears welled up in Clara’s eyes.

She forced her trembling limbs to move and slipped off the bed. The moment her foot touched the floorboard, it gave a low creak. Did he wake up? She didn’t dare look back. She was terrified. So terrified she could barely stand it.

“Hicc, ugh…”

Her legs buckled. One more step felt like it would cause another loud creak. In the end, she dropped to her knees and practically crawled.

The exit should be right around here… but the room was pitch-black and she was panicking. She fumbled through the dark, desperately feeling around for the doorknob.

I have to get out.

I need to leave this place—

“What are you doing?”

Along with a man’s low, gravelly voice, a heavy hand grabbed her shoulder. Reflexively, a sharp scream burst from her throat. Mikhail pinned the screaming, thrashing Clara to the floor and clamped his large hand tightly over her mouth.

Even in the pitch-black darkness, the overwhelming presence of the massive man pressed down on her with terrifying clarity. She couldn’t see his face; tears blurred her vision completely.

Restraining her struggling body firmly, he warned:

“Be quiet.”

She felt like she would die if she didn’t obey. Tears spilling over, Clara finally stopped resisting. Only her ragged breathing lingered in the frozen silence.

Fortunately, Mikhail didn’t seem angry. His voice was fairly calm.

Or rather… closer to the fact that he was desperately trying his best to act calm.

Her uncalmed breaths tickled the back of Mikhail’s hand. He remained motionless, keeping Clara trapped beneath him.

It was strange. Clara wasn’t the only one trembling.

Suddenly, he let out a long, low sigh, as if suppressing something with all his might.

As if… he were forcefully holding back a massive, irresistible urge.

“Stay still, lady.”

“……”

His voice carried the same tension. It sounded rational on the surface, yet underlying it was a low growl reminiscent of a restrained beast.

“It won’t do you any good to provoke me. I have no intention of laying a finger on you. Not yet, anyway. So I’d appreciate your cooperation.”

He isn’t lying.

Clara realized it instantly. ‘I don’t want to touch you.’ Those words had been spoken with absolute sincerity.

A chilling shudder ran down to her toes. Trapped beneath his weight, Clara trembled softly, her fingertips twitching.

Because while those words sounded like they were meant for her safety, in truth, they were an incredibly dangerous warning.

The moment I lose my grip on sanity, even for a second, there’s no telling what will happen next.