Chapter 8
At the same time — the outer walls of the Esper territory.
Karlos paced along the walls, circling them while keeping his hands on the battlements.
The Esper territory acted like a gateway between the human world and the Underworld, so a sturdy barrier had been erected to prevent just anyone from entering or leaving.
But hearing that the barrier’s power had weakened, he had rushed back in haste.
“It has definitely weakened.”
Part of it was because Karlos had been away for a long time, but a bigger reason was the constant attacks from outside, trying to break the barrier.
The culprit was likely…
“That brat.”
The same person who had turned an ordinary rabbit into a monster to attack Irene.
Karlos had pursued the culprit relentlessly, but the enemy had already fled into the Underworld.
Knowing that Karlos couldn’t follow, the culprit had taken refuge there.
“Annoying.”
If they wanted to fight him, they could have done so openly. Instead, they had been scheming behind the scenes, which was infuriating.
In any case, the barrier needed urgent repair. And those wandering around the territory ignorantly also had to be dealt with.
As Karlos closed his eyes, the shadow stretching behind him merged into the barrier.
Time passed while Karlos focused on repairing the barrier. Suddenly, he sensed movement and opened his eyes.
The sky had grown dark, a thin crescent moon faintly illuminating the world.
“Apologies, master.”
From inside the walls, Jesse emerged hesitantly.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you…”
“It’s fine.”
As Karlos turned, the shadow that had been absorbed into the barrier reappeared under the pale moonlight.
It slithered like a living thing before vanishing again. Karlos exhaled slowly, his elegant face showing the fatigue of long work.
“What is it?”
“It’s about the young lady.”
Karlos nodded, and Jesse continued.
“While attending to the young lady’s bath, I checked the floral branch tattoo the master mentioned. There are seven buds, three of which have bloomed.”
Just as Karlos had seen at the Montro inn.
Nothing had changed at all.
Well, it had only been ten days, and no special events had occurred. Expecting a difference would be like a thief’s greed.
“Also, it seems the young lady has no knowledge of the tattoo on her back.”
Jesse’s voice continued.
“Still, just in case, tonight I’ll enter her dreams to check.”
Jesse, a resident of the Underworld and one of Karlos’ loyal subordinates, had the ability to enter a person’s dreams and extract information.
Those whose dreams were disturbed by her ability suffered intense nightmares for several days.
“Don’t enter her dreams until I bring it up.”
Irene was already unsettled in the unfamiliar territory; giving her nightmares would only make her more anxious.
And since she didn’t seem to be lying, Karlos decided not to use Jesse’s ability for the time being.
“The young lady has numerous wounds and scars.”
Hearing this, Karlos’ relaxed, tired expression immediately tightened.
Jesse swallowed nervously, even though she knew she had done nothing wrong.
“Wounds and scars?”
“Yes. It seemed too heavy a subject to ask the young lady directly, but from my observation, she appears to have endured prolonged abuse.”
Indeed, the Silas Baron had claimed that Irene not only set fire to the Silas territory but also that her parents were killed.
Had she been unable to endure long-term abuse and, in desperation, killed her parents and set the fire?
No—Karlos immediately knew why he hadn’t noticed any scars before: he had been entirely focused on the floral tattoo on her back. Nothing else had registered.
“Shall we ask how she was hurt in detail?”
Karlos thought briefly, then shook his head.
“No, that’s unnecessary.”
If she had truly been abused, asking would only touch old wounds. There was no need to know. Her past, what she had endured, was irrelevant.
“Treat her wounds carefully so they don’t worsen.”
Still, the fact that she had wounds displeased him, so they needed proper care.
“Can the scars be removed?”
The scars were also bothersome. He wanted her small body to bear no marks—why, he did not know.
“Well… I’ve heard wandering pharmacists once mentioned medicine to remove scars, but I can’t be certain.”
“Find out. No matter the cost, if such a medicine exists, get it.”
“Yes, master.”
Jesse responded calmly but was internally astonished. Karlos was not usually so meticulous.
That Irene was a special person didn’t fully explain his behavior; there were still things that didn’t make sense. For example, the first thing he had noticed…
“Anything else to report?”
Jesse snapped out of her thoughts and replied immediately.
“No, nothing else.”
“Then go. Report immediately if anything unusual happens or if the flowers bloom.”
“Yes.”
Jesse bowed deeply and withdrew quietly.
Karlos raised his arm again to continue repairing the barrier, only to notice his hand had turned semi-transparent. He frowned.
Fortunately, it returned to normal quickly, but the sign indicated that his remaining time was limited.
“…They must bloom soon.”
Because that’s how I can survive, he thought, clenching the hand that had momentarily turned semi-transparent.
Irene had immediately guessed that the northern tower hid some secret, but she paid it no mind.
Whatever it was, it didn’t concern her. Her only focus was figuring out how to escape from Karlos safely.
She had already experienced that running blindly without a plan was likely to fail.
If she were caught this time, death was a real possibility, so she carefully devised escape strategies.
‘First, I need to plan my escape route.’
Irene roamed the Esper castle, pretending to familiarize herself with the grounds or go on walks.
Even after two full days, the castle was so vast that she hadn’t seen half of it.
But one thing became painfully clear:
‘Escape is impossible.’
The walls were towering, so high they disappeared from view, and the knights guarded them so strictly that not even an insect could crawl through.
Other areas she hadn’t seen would likely be no different.
Of course, security would be tight where a high-ranking noble resided.
Sighing, Irene was asked by Jesse, who had been following a step behind,
“Would you like to go inside if you’re tired, milady?”
“No. I want to explore a bit more.”
There was always a chance to discover something unexpected.
Walking along the polished paths, Irene spotted a large gray building and pointed.
“What is that place?”
“It’s where the brave knights, loyal to the master, reside. There’s also a training ground opposite it.”
Since it probably didn’t concern her, she planned to move on, but Jesse asked,
“It’s the right time for sword training. Would you like to watch?”
Irene perked up. She had been indifferent until now, but the idea caught her attention.
“May I watch? I thought such things were private…”
“Of course, ordinary people can’t. But you aren’t ordinary.”
“Then what am I?”
“You’re someone precious to the master.”
Jesse answered as if it were obvious. Irene tilted her head and asked,
“Why do you think so?”
“Uh, well…”
Unlike her confident earlier demeanor, Jesse now hesitated, avoided Irene’s gaze, and suddenly took her hand.
“We must go now to see the sword training. Let’s hurry.”
She was avoiding a direct answer. Irene, expecting it, accepted it calmly.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated. She wanted to know at least one reason why Karlos had brought her here and why he treated her so well, but no one told her.
‘Should I ask him again?’
Now that she had arrived in the Esper territory, maybe he would answer this time.
The problem was that Karlos hadn’t shown his face since their arrival. The man who had appeared everywhere suddenly vanished, and she wanted news, wanted answers.
“Jesse.”
“Yes, milady?”
“Could I… meet him?”
Jesse immediately understood that Irene meant Karlos. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Irene.
“You want to see the master?”
“Ah, no!”
Irene flailed her head, embarrassed at the absurd idea of wanting to see Karlos.
“I just have something to ask, that’s all. Really, that’s all.”
Though sincere, her flustered attempts to explain made it look like she was denying it.
Jesse, smiling gently, said,
“Understood. I’ll tell the master you wish to see him.”
“If he’s busy, there’s no need.”
“He is quite busy these days. Being away ten days to bring you here, his work has piled up.”
“…What?”
Irene was confused. She had thought Karlos’ coming for her had been a coincidence, a chance encounter while passing the Silas territory.
If Jesse was right, Karlos had moved intentionally from the start to bring her.
‘Impossible.’
A high-ranking noble like Karlos wouldn’t act personally to bring a commoner like her.
Even the timeline didn’t match. About fifteen days had passed since she was accused of arson and murder. It took around twenty days round-trip from the Esper territory to Silas territory. It made no sense for him to have reacted so quickly.
“Has he really been away for only ten days?”
“Yes. Precisely eleven days.”
Irene grew even more confused, about to ask another question, when something damp and soft licked her cheek along its length.
