Chapter 17

Count Steven had received a letter from his daughter, but unable to erase his worries, his face hardened at the news of Duke Dahrin’s visit.

Along with the news of his daughter’s disappearance, Duke Dahrin was the prime suspect.

When the Count sent a letter asking his daughter if she might be with the Duke, she had replied telling him not to worry and that she was doing well. However, he had not dropped his suspicions.

Considering his daughter’s affectionate nature, he thought she might have sent such a letter simply to ease his worries.

Because of this, Duke Dahrin’s visit was entirely unwelcome.

He had no idea what on earth had brought the Duke to see him. He wondered if perhaps the Duke had his daughter and was bringing her with him, but the letter he received contained no such information.

Even through the letter, he could feel that something urgent had happened.

After a brief wait, Count Steven faced Duke Dahrin. Beside the Count stood his son, Raven.

Even though nothing was certain yet, Raven had insisted on seeing the face of the Duke—the man highly likely to have kidnapped his younger sister—with his own eyes.

Knowing his son’s feelings, the Count willingly agreed to his request.

“What is the matter?”

Considering their ranks, bringing this up without a proper greeting could be seen as rude, but he had no desire to show courtesy to the man who might have kidnapped his daughter.

“……I am sorry.”

After a moment of silence, Keisran opened his mouth in a devastated tone.

“What do you mean?”

At the Count’s words, instead of answering, Keisran silently dropped to his knees.

The Count and Raven looked shocked at his sudden action.

The man before them was Duke Dahrin, infamous throughout the Empire. To think such a man would kneel before them.

“……I… did something I never should have done.”

“What are you saying!”

Unlike the Count, who was trying hard to maintain his composure, Raven shouted with a fierce expression.

There was only one reason he would come to the Count’s estate to beg for forgiveness.

Their suspicions were true.

“I kidnapped her.”

“You son of a bitch!”

The fact that the man in front of him was a Duke vanished from Raven’s mind. There was only a shameless scoundrel who had kidnapped his precious younger sister.

Raven grabbed the kneeling Keisran by the collar and threw a punch at him. Even though he could have easily avoided it if he tried, Keisran did not dodge.

Instead, he stayed completely still, as if telling Raven to hit him as much as he wanted. Seeing this only fueled Raven’s fury even more.

“So with what nerve did you come here?! And by yourself at that!”

The Count was about to stop Raven’s violent outburst, but stopped himself. The Count, too, couldn’t hold back the surging curses.

Even if the other party was a Duke, kidnapping his daughter was unforgivable.

Especially since that child was not a simple Count’s daughter. She harbored a massive secret. One that couldn’t be told to anyone.

The only ones who knew this fact were himself, his son Raven, and the Emperor.

He couldn’t tell Keisran about her true identity without the Emperor’s approval. But since she wasn’t a mere Count’s daughter, Keisran kidnapping her was something that could never be easily overlooked.

“I am sorry.”

Keisran spoke with difficulty through his busted lip. He couldn’t even bring himself to meet Raven and the Count’s eyes.

Seeing their worry-filled expressions made him realize anew just how grave a sin he had truly committed.

But that was not the problem right now.

It wasn’t as if he wanted to come here alone. He couldn’t bring her with him.

The fact that he had to say it out of his own mouth constricted his heart maddeningly.

His heart had already been creaking as if broken ever since he found out she was kidnapped.

Everything, even the air surrounding him, had turned into thorns digging into his heart.

Even tearing his heart out while alive wouldn’t be this painful.

Thinking of Leila, who must be terrified after being kidnapped all alone, made him feel like he was going even crazier.

The madness boiling within his entire body was maddeningly demanding blood. Even dismembering the bitch who dared to kidnap her wouldn’t easily appease it. And…… in the end, he himself, the starting point of all this…….

How on earth could he apologize for this sin? He didn’t even entertain the thought of being forgiven. He didn’t have the right to demand such a thing.

“So, didn’t Raven ask you? What happened to my daughter?”

The Count asked coldly, his tone stripped of the politeness it had at the beginning. Keeping even a modicum of formal speech was his absolute bare minimum courtesy.

“That is…… she has been kidnapped.”

“What do you mean……?”

“You said you kidnapped her! But she was kidnapped again, what kind of bullshit is that!”

Raven shouted in a sharp tone.

“It seems the culprit is Iana Lacian. And…… the vassals of our Duchy also aided in it.”

“Ha!”

Raven let out a scoff of disbelief.

He dared to kidnap his precious younger sister, yet couldn’t even keep her safe and let her get kidnapped?

As if he could no longer bear it, Raven drew his sword.

“If you want to kill me, you may. But finding her comes first.”

“Why on earth would the Marquis’s daughter kidnap my child?”

“That too, is entirely my fault.”

If it weren’t for him, Iana would have had no reason to kidnap her. No, if he hadn’t kidnapped Leila in the first place, none of this would have happened at all.

At the thought that he had ultimately placed the woman he loved in danger with his own hands, Keisran couldn’t even breathe properly.

“First, as the Duke said, finding my daughter is the priority, so I will find her first. It won’t be too late to discuss the Duke’s crimes after that.”

For now, he couldn’t make any decisions himself. Although he was currently the child’s father, the punishment for the one who kidnapped the child would ultimately be decided by the Emperor.

Because the Emperor…… was that child’s true father.

He was just taking care of Leila temporarily. The bond of raising her couldn’t be ignored, so if he had to send her back to the Imperial Palace now, he wouldn’t be able to accept it easily, but he had no other choice.

“Prepare yourself. The crime the Duke committed will be far greater than the Duke imagines.”

“……I am prepared.”

Saying they could kill him was no lie. If his death could serve as a proper apology, that would be enough.

The only slight worry he had was whether Leila would be heartbroken over his death. He didn’t want Leila to suffer because of his death.

Everything was his fault, and he was merely receiving the punishment for it. She was not at fault in the slightest.

Rather, she had shown him far too much underserved consideration.

He would never forget the sweetness she had shown him at the Duchy. If he was lucky enough to survive, he would barely manage to prolong his miserable life with those memories.

He no longer harbored any greed to stay by her side.

How could he dare to wish for such a thing.

***

Clang.

With that sound, the sword Leila was holding fell to the floor.

Bloodied men lay scattered inside the warehouse. There were no more uninjured men left.

Leila took a moment to catch her breath.

Having subdued the men, she needed to hurry and get out of there, but it was impossible in her current state. She needed a brief rest.

After catching her breath for a moment, Leila picked up the sword that had fallen to the floor.

The only thing she could trust right now was this sword. It was the only means to protect herself.

Leila carefully opened the door and stepped out.

Perhaps the warehouse was well-soundproofed, because as Leila opened the door and emerged, the men guarding the front looked surprised.

‘Haa. There’s a sickening amount of them.’

She had hoped the men from earlier were the last of them.

Leila raised her sword in annoyance. She no longer had the energy to even open her mouth.

Rather than wasting time talking, it was more efficient to swing her sword one more time and subdue them.

Though it was exhausting, Leila, having finally subdued all the men, quickly moved her steps.

She didn’t have any severe injuries, but her stamina was so depleted that it was hard to even walk.

Leila’s dress was completely ruined, and her silk-like hair was a disheveled mess.

Her face and body were covered in the blood spilled by the men.

“I thought it would at least be in the city……”

When she escaped the warehouse, she was greeted by a forest.

Given the time, she probably hadn’t completely left the capital. This was likely the outskirts of the capital.

“Please…… Kei……”

The only one she could trust was Keisran. She wasn’t sure if she could safely escape this place all by herself.

She only prayed that he would come to save her before she ran into more men.

***

At that time, upon hearing that the Marquis was looking for her, Iana frowned and fiercely returned to the Marquis’ estate.

However, what actually waited for her were Keisran, Luhan, and the knights of the Imperial Guard.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Though briefly anxious at the sight of Keisran, Iana asked with an unbothered smile. At that smile, Keisran radiated thick murderous intent.

“Did you ask what is the meaning of this?”

Keisran’s bloodlust choked Iana’s throat. Iana looked to her father and Luhan as if pleading for help, but neither came to her aid.

“Speak right now. Where did you hide her?”

“H…her?”

Barely able to breathe, Iana gasped and asked with difficulty.

“If you want to die right now, you may keep your mouth shut like that. Of course, you won’t be the only one dying.”

Keisran’s gaze briefly shifted to the Marquis.

“W-what is the meaning of……! No matter if you are His Grace the Duke… this disrespect……”

However, Iana couldn’t finish her sentence.

It was because Keisran drew his sword and pointed it at her neck. It felt as though her neck would be slit at any moment.

The sad reality was that no one was stepping in to stop him.

“Iana.”

Luhan called Iana’s name with a stiff expression. At his call, Iana shot him a vicious glare, as if asking how he dared to utter her name.

“It is an imperial decree. If you do not reveal where you hid Lady Steven, an order has been issued to execute everyone in the Marquis’s family for treason.”

“What do you……”

Iana couldn’t understand why the Imperial Family had intervened, nor how the mere kidnapping of a Count’s daughter could warrant the charge of treason.

However, she couldn’t not believe it. An imperial decree bearing the Emperor’s seal was held in Luhan’s hand.

Ultimately, Iana slumped to the floor with a hollow expression.

“E-even so, I…… don’t know. I know nothing about it. Is there even any proof that I did it?”

“Since an imperial decree has been issued, the existence of evidence does not matter.”

Keisran was resolute, as if declaring he would use any means necessary to pry her mouth open if she kept it shut till the end. A cruel and ferocious aura surged from his body.

“I will speak. There is a place I know of.”

Stepping in for Iana, who refused to speak, her father, the Marquis, came forward.

Since it was his daughter’s doing, the Marquis roughly knew what Iana had planned and what actions she had taken.

But he had deliberately feigned ignorance. He, too, desired the downfall of Duke Dahrin, and thought it wouldn’t matter as long as the Count’s daughter returned to the Count’s estate safely.

***

Dragging her exhausted body, Leila wandered through the forest. She didn’t know which way to go to escape this place.

She simply moved instinctively, using the sun in the sky as a compass and applying all the knowledge she had.

Her severely overworked body demanded rest, but there was no time to rest.

She didn’t even have the luxury to care about the throbbing pain from her hangover or the agony of walking barefoot through the forest without shoes.

She was merely worried about the people who must be worrying about her.

The only desperate thought in her mind was that she had to get out of here safely.

Then, the sound of people approaching reached Leila’s ears.

Wondering if it was the people who had come to catch her, Leila tensed up. She quietly held her breath and waited for them to show themselves.

Leila’s hand gripping the sword was tense with power.

The moment they revealed themselves, she would swing her sword and subdue them immediately.

She had to take them down in a single strike.

Soon, the owners of the footsteps revealed themselves. Without even taking the time to check who they were, Leila swiftly swung her sword.

However, Leila’s sword was easily blocked. Before she even had the chance to despair at that fact and swing her sword again, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“……Lea.”

It was a voice as dry and cracked as someone who hadn’t drank water for days. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t recognize it.

“Kei……”

Feeling the tension drain from her body in an instant, Leila leaned in and embraced Keisran.

Keisran firmly supported her and pulled her into his arms.

Worried that the sword she was holding might hurt her, Keisran carefully made her drop it to the ground and kicked it away.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Keisran said, his voice carrying a desert-like desolation.

A simple “I’m sorry” couldn’t express his faults. Wallowing in deep guilt, he wore a pained expression.

“Thank you…… for coming to save me.”

“It’s only natural. And…… this is absolutely not something you should be thankful for. This is all because of me.”

Feeling an overflow of emotions, Keisran squeezed his eyes shut.

This warmth would be the last. However, the reason he didn’t push her away was because her body, held in his arms, was trembling violently.

More important than his own guilt was soothing her.

He held Leila in his arms and patted her, as if telling her everything was okay now, that nothing would ever put her in danger again.

It was then.

Leila was forcefully pulled out of Keisran’s arms by someone. At that rough touch, Leila trembled in shock. Her face was filled with fear.

“Lea… is frightened.”

“And whose fault is all this!”

Raven, having pulled Leila into his own arms, shouted fiercely. But feeling Leila startled by his actions, he too reflected on his behavior.

Hating the sight of him acting sweet and comforting Leila when he was the one who kidnapped her and caused this entire mess, Raven had unwittingly applied too much force in his hands.

“Brother……?”

Realizing through the voice that the person who snatched her was Raven, Leila finally relaxed her body.

Though she didn’t know why her brother was with Keisran, she felt relieved thinking that it was all over.

There were still things she needed to think about and wrap up, but right now, she just wanted to rest.

Her body had already reached its limit long ago.

In an instant, Leila lost consciousness and collapsed. Fortunately, because Raven was holding her, she did not fall to the ground.

***

Seeing Raven return with an urgent expression while carrying Leila, Count Steven couldn’t hold back his worries.

“Is…… Lea okay?”

“A doctor, please call a doctor!”

There were no visible major injuries on the outside, but one couldn’t be sure of her condition.

At Raven’s words, the Count hurriedly went to fetch a doctor. He could have ordered a maid to do it, but his thoughts didn’t reach that far.

Soon, Leila was carried in Raven’s arms and moved to her room.

Keisran, who had returned to the Count’s estate with Raven, couldn’t bring himself to enter that room.

He needed to step back at this point.

Iana was locked in prison for the crime of daring to kidnap her. Now he, too…… would have to go there.

“Keisran……”

Luhan called Keisran with a dark expression.

He knew the crime Keisran committed was not light, but because he was his one and only close friend, and because he knew Keisran’s feelings and circumstances better than anyone else, he prayed it would somehow be resolved favorably.

But now, he could no longer hope for that.

The incident had already blown up too much.

He wouldn’t be able to avoid it, even if he tried.

“Do I go to prison now?”

“An arrest warrant has been issued, but I can give you a little time. I’ll wait until Lady Steven wakes up.”

‘Because that’ll put your mind at ease too.’

Adding the thought inwardly, Luhan smiled bitterly.

“……Is that so.”

Keisran wore a bitter expression, just as much as Luhan.

It wasn’t because of the fact that he had to go to prison. His heart ached, imagining how hard it must have been for her, who had lost consciousness.

He wondered if he even had the right to check on her safety. However, as a very final consideration, he wanted to confirm at least that much.

And he also wanted to apologize to her properly.

Keisran stood blankly guarding the door to her room alongside Luhan. However, no one in the Count’s estate paid him any mind.

***

Inside Leila’s room, Count Steven entered with the doctor, and the doctor examined her condition.

Fortunately, there were no major injuries. She had many small scratches, but they were minor enough to be treated with just a simple ointment.

“But why isn’t Lea waking up!”

Raven shouted fiercely at the doctor’s diagnosis. Already possessing a rugged appearance that frightened people on looks alone, Raven’s shout caused the doctor to bow his head and tremble.

“I-it’s because her tension was suddenly released. She will wake up soon after resting.”

“Are you certain?”

Though calmer compared to Raven, the Count’s face was also pale white.

How terrified must this delicate child have been.

He thought she would have been quietly locked away, but the fact that she escaped that place with her own hands was incredible enough.

With a pained expression, the Count stroked Leila’s face.

It was then.

Leila’s hand twitched. Soon, she held the Count’s hand and murmured softly.

“I’m…… okay.”

Barely managing to utter those few words, Leila closed her eyes once again.

“How could this lovely child have to go through such a terrible ordeal.”

He could forgive neither Iana nor Keisran.

Judging by the nature of the crime, Iana, who had put Leila in this state, committed a greater sin, but that didn’t lessen Keisran’s sins either.

***

Watching the doctor enter and exit Leila’s room, Keisran simply stood in a daze.

The shock and terror he felt over those past few hours had exhausted his body. He could barely even stand properly.

However, whatever exhaustion he felt was merely a drop in the bucket compared to what Leila had gone through.

After all, whose fault was it that she ended up like that in the first place?

He wanted to draw his sword and slit his own throat right then and there. But the reason he didn’t do so was because he didn’t want to run away from his mistakes like that.

His sins were far too great to simply avoid the situation through death.

It was then.

From afar, the Emperor’s figure appeared.

It was surprising enough that the Emperor stepped into this matter, but to personally visit the Count’s estate……

The Emperor’s expression was uncharacteristically rigid. Spotting Keisran, the Emperor approached him with a bloodthirsty expression and swung his sword.

There wasn’t even time for anyone to stop him.

The sword the Emperor swung precisely slashed Keisran’s shoulder. Keisran did not dodge it.

“How dare…… you bastard!”

“……I apologize.”

“Did you not promise me you would bring her back safely? And yet……!”

The Emperor shouted, showing an excessive reaction for someone merely worrying over the daughter of a favored retainer.

“You dared to kidnap an Imperial Princess and put her in danger.”

At the word “Imperial Princess” falling from the Emperor’s lips, Keisran and Luhan’s eyes widened. Luhan, in particular, was greatly shocked.

“A-an Imperial Princess… Whatever do you mean, Your Majesty……”

Stepping in for Keisran, who couldn’t bring himself to speak carelessly, Luhan asked the question.

To his knowledge, Leila was clearly the daughter of Count Steven.

“Because she is my daughter.”

It was a truth he had kept hidden all this time, but he had no intention of doing so anymore.

He planned to proudly declare her existence and strictly punish those who harmed her with the crime of attempting to assassinate a member of the Imperial Family.

His threat to charge Marquis Lacian’s family with treason was no empty warning.

She was his one and only precious daughter. To protect that daughter, he had to tear her from his arms with his own hands and send her to the Count’s estate.

How much had he agonized over whether the Empress would discover her existence and try to kill her.

Now that the Empress was dead and the heir apparent was secured, he was just thinking that it would be safe to bring her back. For such an incident to happen at this very moment.

She was the child of the only woman he had ever loved. Knowing the Empress’s tyranny, he hadn’t even been able to show it until now.

She was a daughter he had to send away without even seeing her face. Even if he missed her, he couldn’t meet her for fear that the Empress might grow suspicious if she found out.

He had only heard through the Count’s words how she was doing and how beautifully she had grown.

Luhan was appalled by the Emperor’s unexpected declaration.

So this was why the Imperial Family had intervened in her disappearance.

The crime, which would have been heavy even for a Count’s daughter, had become infinitely heavier.

Now, even he couldn’t help Keisran.

“Drag this man away at once. And you won’t walk away from this unscathed either, Sir.”

Because he had known the one who dared to kidnap the Imperial Princess and remained silent until now.

The Emperor’s vicious gaze fell upon Keisran and Luhan.

Following the Emperor’s command, Luhan, wearing a devastated expression, cuffed Keisran’s wrists and dragged him out of the Count’s estate.

Keisran didn’t say a word and obediently let Luhan drag him away. However, Keisran’s gaze never left the room where Leila lay.

The Emperor, who had watched with a cold expression as Keisran was arrested and dragged out, soon entered the room.

At the Emperor’s appearance, the Count and Raven hastily bowed to pay their respects.

“How is she?”

“She fell asleep for a moment as her tension subsided. She will regain consciousness shortly.”

“Tsk. Did I not explicitly ask you to take good care of my child?”

“……I am sorry.”

The Count’s sin of failing to find Leila and allowing the Imperial Princess to go through such an ordeal was just as grave as Keisran’s sin of kidnapping her.

“However, since you have taken good care of my daughter up until now, I will let it go this once. But Lea is no longer your daughter. As soon as she wakes up, I will take her straight to the Imperial Palace.”

At the Emperor’s words, the Count simply bowed his head.