Chapter 51
***
“Smoooch!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
That was the third time I had to witness those two kissing.
Even though I was happy that Loti was alive, the scene still made my stomach turn.
Anyway, I managed to save Alfred again, and now we had to go help the people of Elahi.
But first, there was something else I needed to do.
“Whoever dared to hurt my Loti…”
I remembered the sight of Loti lying on the ground with a dagger stuck in her.
Whoever was behind this, it was clear from the moment the Rohia mansion was set on fire—they were trying to catch me.
In the original story, there was never a fire at Rohia Mansion. The biggest difference between the original and now… was me.
So if someone set fire to Rohia Mansion, it had to be because I was there. And if I follow that logic, there’s only one person who would’ve ordered such a thing.
Someone who knew I was at Rohia Mansion and hated me.
“Yudis…”
When I muttered the name, Winter responded as if he understood.
“If Boris Rohia is an illegitimate child, then Yudis Rohia would definitely try to protect the eldest son, even if it meant harming you. That woman is obsessed with Boris Rohia.”
I clenched both my fists, trembling slightly.
‘You’re my mother too, you know.’
Not just Boris’s. Mine too.
“Seoa, your brother has a girlfriend to go on dates with, so of course he gets more allowance than you. Do you think you and your brother are in the same situation right now?”
I’m your child too.
Even if I give you the benefit of the doubt—maybe you have a favorite kid—but shouldn’t there at least be no child that gets ignored like me?
“Izana.”
Maybe I looked too serious. I shrugged like it was nothing and said casually,
“I should’ve known she’d try to get rid of me when she had the chance. I let my guard down. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
Winter silently looked down at me.
His expression was unreadable—and to be honest, I didn’t want to know what he was thinking.
“Anyway, what matters now is catching those bastards, right?”
“I agree.”
Winter, thankfully, didn’t say anything like “Are you okay?” or “Hang in there.”
I wasn’t joking. That fact made me incredibly grateful.
***
“Where did they say the girl was?”
“Top floor, end of the hallway. But we didn’t ask whether it was the left or right side.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’re going to check every room anyway. Who knows where the treasures are?”
The men knew it themselves—they were more wicked than most criminals.
They weren’t just cruel, they were clever too.
So when someone in a rush, face covered, came to them at dawn, ordering them to set fire to the Rohia mansion and kidnap the girl inside—they figured out who was behind it pretty quickly.
They’d done shady jobs for nobles before, so their instincts were sharp.
They smashed one of the mansion’s windows and boldly entered.
Honestly, it felt like they were invited.
Everything inside felt like a feast prepared just for them.
“Nobles trying to get rid of an illegitimate child secretly… that’s not unheard of.”
“Where should we send her this time?”
The leader of the four, Karim, grabbed anything valuable he could find and stuffed it into a sack.
“What do you mean ‘send’? We take care of her here. There’s too much good stuff here to be dragging a girl around.”
Another man grumbled.
“Then you deal with her. I don’t like the idea—it gives me bad dreams.”
“Oh, please. It’s not your first time.”
“Exactly. That’s why it gives me bad dreams.”
While moving through the mansion, Karim remembered the client asked them to destroy all the picture frames in the first-floor lobby.
He smashed them and poured oil everywhere.
Sometimes nobles make strange requests, and it’s better not to ask why. Karim just worked faster.
The Rohia name alone made him nervous. He wanted to grab everything and leave the empire as soon as possible.
“Alright! Time to find the girl!”
Once their sacks were full, they started kicking down doors.
BANG!
“Found her! This is it, guys!”
“Huh? I thought the girl’s room was supposed to be at the end of the hallway?”
They finally found the girl they were looking for.
But—
“Wait, who’s that guy? Wasn’t the girl supposed to be alone?”
The girl had long, green hair and sparkling pink eyes. She looked a little thin, but her sharp gaze showed she was intelligent. She was calmly sipping tea at a small table.
Not alone—there was a boy sitting with her.
From behind, he looked young—not even old enough to have gone through a coming-of-age ceremony.
Karim drew his massive sword.
“There’s four of us. What difference does it make if she’s alone or with someone?”
When he signaled, the other three quietly entered the room.
At that moment, the girl finally spoke.
“Oh no, intruders. I’m so scared.”
She placed her teacup down slowly.
“Do you see them, Duke? Those scary men. Oh my, what should I do?”
The boy, who had been sitting with his back to the door, casually rested one arm over the chair and turned around slowly.
His silver hair sparkled like broken waves in sunlight, and his deep blue eyes were calm like the ocean.
But the danger hiding in his gaze hit the thieves like a lightning strike.
Karim and the others froze, stunned by the man’s beauty and the terrifying aura he gave off.
The man shook his head slowly.
“Yes, I see them clearly. Four men capture one delicate girl. Truly scary and terrible.”
The thieves felt a prickling sensation all over their skin.
Then they realized—the source of that pressure was this beautiful man.
One of the thieves suddenly shouted in panic,
“That guy… isn’t he the one who’s been ranked No.1 in [Continent’s Most Handsome Men] for five years?”
“You actually read that stuff?”
“Glass Orsheus!”
When another thief said the name, Karim’s jaw dropped.
“Why would the Northern Empire’s Emperor be here?! Are you stupid?! And why are both of you reading that kind of stuff?!”
“Karim! Focus! This is serious!”
Snapped back to reality, Karim tightened his grip on his sword and lowered his stance.
The girl spoke again.
“Oh no. They look like they’re going to attack.”
The man calmly poured what seemed to be orange juice into her teacup.
“Indeed. A very dangerous situation. I do wonder what kind of parents would leave such a young, weak girl alone like this.”
“Would you help me, Duke?” the girl asked, clasping her hands together sweetly.
The man thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Why not. I’ll help you.”
“Thank you, Duke! You’re the best!” the girl said with a big thumbs-up.
The man smiled gently and asked,
“I’m flattered. So, how can I help, my lady?”
The girl pointed to the four thieves who were now ready to rush in.
“Burn them—uh, I mean beat them up. Just enough so they don’t die. Leave them one second away from it.”
Winter, the silver-haired man, stood up, picked up a small teaspoon from the table, and replied cheerfully,
“Understood perfectly, Izana.”
Izana smiled as she leaned back comfortably, ready to enjoy the scene that was about to unfold.
It didn’t take long to beat the truth out of the four thieves.
It was surprisingly easy, and the story wasn’t very different from what we expected.
The only surprise was how Winter managed to beat them to a pulp using just a teaspoon.
I’d never seen anything like it.
“I tied up all four of them in an empty room.”
“Thank you, Duke.”
“Are you sending them to Elahi instead of going yourself because you still have unfinished business in this castle?”
I was waving out the window.
To Loti, Alfred, and Rena.
The three of them would report what happened here to the Elahi knights.
We would then set fire to the stables again and make it look like everything was the work of a thief gang.
Winter would arrive at the perfect moment, defeat the thieves who threatened me, and help the people of Elahi escape.
He’d become a “hero.”
Which, in a way, was true.
“Yes, that’s right. We still have something to check before others arrive at this castle.”
Now I had to explain why I stayed behind.
After rescuing Loti and clearing my head, I remembered something I had forgotten in all the chaos.
“Don’t go to the basement.”
The mysterious being in the basement.
The one that made me faint with a scream and killed all the prisoners in the underground dungeon.
It was time to face that unknown danger.
