Chapter 21
The fire quickly swallowed the streets. Screams surged like waves.
“Quickly! Move fast! Annie, hold Bran! Where’s Peter?!”
Following Mari’s directions, the children scattered in perfect coordination. Kids around Mari’s age grabbed the hands of younger children and ran in the opposite direction from the rising flames.
“L-Leave me behind!”
“What are you saying!”
“I can’t run with this leg! I’ll just slow you down!”
Screams like crows’ cries filled the air. Mari tightly held my wrist and wouldn’t let go. For someone so thin, her grip was unbelievably strong—I couldn’t shake her off no matter how hard I tried. It was frustrating and nerve-wracking.
“What are you doing?! Run away!”
“How can I leave you, My Lady!”
“So you’re going to burn with me?! You want to die together?!”
“Is that so wrong?”
“…Even a pointless death has its limits.”
Because Mari wouldn’t move, the children waiting for her also couldn’t run and hesitated. I twisted her wrist and broke free. A red mark was left like a burn. Smoke came riding in with the screams. There was no time to hesitate.
“I’ll just accept the sentiment. The kids are waiting for you.”
“No! My Lady, don’t give up—I can carry you on my back!”
“Peter! Take Mari and go! Now!”
“No! Let go! I can carry you—please, let’s go together!”
I wasn’t sure if the boy’s name was really Peter. He was younger than Mari but much taller, and he threw Mari over his back like a sack. Mari reached out to me and screamed.
“Let me go! My Lady! No, I don’t want to!”
There’s no reason to risk your life for someone you’ve only known for ten days. I sat on the chair Mari had brought me and waved my hand. Her screams were touching. Even if she had run away without looking back, I would have understood. But she, of course, tried to help me.
Had I ever received such kindness before? At least, not that I could remember.
Just ten days.
I hoped the boy carrying Mari would run faster than anyone. I hoped the fire wouldn’t catch her. Even if everyone else died, I hoped she alone would survive. That girl I’d known for only ten days—I liked her more than anyone I had ever met.
Even if Mari could carry me, I wouldn’t have run away with her. I couldn’t stand the thought of slowing her down, even a little.
When Mari first pointed out the reddening sky, I hadn’t felt the heat. But now, with the sound of something collapsing, it hit like a wave. While people screamed and ran, I sat frozen alone.
If I burned to death, not even my body would remain. I had just gotten this body back, and now I was going to die in flames. And yet, I felt strangely glad—at least I’d die in my own body, not taken by anyone. It almost felt like a blessing.
Not taken by Linus…
‘Wait. Was this fire really an accident?’
It wasn’t the dry season. Fires were common, yes, but this? Was it really a coincidence? I remembered Linus’s cruel methods—how he killed the men who loved Lila Green, one by one. Arson was one of them. He burned down a mansion completely, killing not just his rivals but even his own servants.
He left no one alive…
“Spirits can’t enter land contaminated by corpses. You’re not under a tracking spell, either. You may not know, but the slums are much wider than you think. To search the whole area, they’d have to send people in. And once they do, it’ll get noisy, and that’s when you run.”
Land without spirits—contaminated land.
Linus probably searched the whole city and figured out the slums were all that remained. Keith said they’d need to send people to find me, but the Linus I know…
‘He wouldn’t pass up a way to find me instantly, even if it meant mass murder.’
Even if it meant arson that turned into a massacre.
That fire meant Linus was coming. I knew the chance of him finding me in this huge street full of people was slim. How could he find me among all those swarming like ants? But for some reason, I had a gut feeling—if it’s Linus, he’ll find me.
I shouldn’t have gone outside. No matter how much Mari insisted, I should’ve refused harder. If I’d just stayed behind that wall, at least I could’ve died quietly. Crushed under a collapsing building, my body smashed and mangled, hidden from Linus’s eyes.
I clenched my teeth. I threw my body to the side, and the fragile wooden chair toppled easily. My legs still had no strength, but my arms could move. As I fell to the ground, I collided with a fleeing man. My arm and chin scraped the ground, and someone stepped on the back of my hand.
“Ah!”
“Move!”
I thought I heard someone curse, but I wasn’t sure. I must’ve hit something wrong as I fell—an intense, stabbing pain shot through like a spike in my bones.
But there was no time to writhe. I used my elbows to crawl slowly into a nearby building.
“I found her!”
“It’s the Marchioness of Baldwin!”
“This way! Madam, are you alright?!”
No, no…
I couldn’t breathe. My bad feeling was exactly right. Knights in armor came through the flames. They spotted me crawling and started toward me. Someone shot something high into the air. With a bang, blue smoke rose. I screamed in panic.
“Don’t come near!”
“Madam, please be calm! We’re here on orders from your husband to rescue you! Contact the commander, now!”
“We found the Marchioness!”
It really was because of me. I gasped and crawled faster—like a bug. But the door to the building was closed. I couldn’t even reach the handle.
‘I have to die. If I bite my tongue, can I die?’
No, that won’t do. The knights would just bring my body to Linus nicely. I couldn’t let even a strand of my hair go to him.
I pressed myself against the wall. It was burning hot. When I leaned my cheek on it, it felt like my skin would melt.
I was terrified. I had no idea what to do. Would Keith come? Did Mari escape safely? I was torn between wanting to die before Linus got to me and wanting to survive, no matter how horribly.
“Madam!”
“Don’t come! If you touch me—I’ll bite my tongue! Don’t come!!”
“She seems very agitated. Contact the commander quickly. No one else approaches!”
“Madam, we’re here to help! You’ll get burned if this goes on!”
“Please calm down!”
The knights looked confused. Maybe they were blessed, because even in the fire and smoke, they didn’t seem to feel pain at all.
“Stand back! Don’t let anyone near her! Back off!”
“But Vice Commander, she’ll be hurt if we just leave her!”
“Leave it to the commander. Step back!”
I felt like all the blood drained from me. Even though I was pressed against a burning wall, I felt cold. The knights trying to surround and approach me quickly pulled away. I trembled and looked up.
From within the blazing fire, a man walked toward me.
A sculpted face shadowed in darkness looked at me. When our eyes met, he smiled brightly and happily.
“…Hello, my love.”
He returned the greeting I had once given him.
