Chapter 3
At that moment.
Near Enria’s burning mansion, a teleportation stone lit up in a flash of blue.
Caldeon stepped out, and his eyes widened when he saw the flames devouring the building.
“Eva!”
He sprinted toward the mansion, summoning his water spirit.
At once, large spheres of water appeared at his side, merging into the form of a transparent, azure dolphin—
The spirit of water, Eva.
Eva sent a massive surge of water crashing toward the burning house, and the fire died instantly.
Caldeon rushed inside, frantically scanning the rooms, calling her name.
“Enria!”
He had dropped everything and come running after receiving her sudden letter about leaving on a trip, only to find her home in flames before his eyes.
His face drained of color; he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
Floating beside him, Eva glanced out the window, her liquid body suspended in midair.
[There. The woman you’re looking for.]
Caldeon’s head snapped toward the direction Eva was looking.
Far away in the sky, a white carriage was speeding through the air—and the next moment, it vanished from sight.
[She’s with some man. He’s got his arm around her shoulders.]
Caldeon’s face contorted instantly.
“What?”
[She’s in his arms, your woman. What will you do about it?]
FRoseen in place for a heartbeat, Caldeon turned sharply on his heel.
“I’ll find her.”
“And how will you find out who took your little human?”
Eva shifted into the form of a beautiful woman, brushing her long blue hair back with a lazy hand.
Caldeon ignored her, pulling out another teleportation stone and tossing it to the ground.
“I’ll find out—and kill him. He dared to take my woman.”
And with that, he vanished into blue light.
***
Even after Lahar helped her into the carriage, Enria couldn’t bring herself to sit properly.
Only when he took her arm and firmly guided her into the seat did she finally snap out of her daze.
She sat by the window, staring blankly outside, trying to make sense of this absurd and bewildering situation.
She hadn’t done anything to Roseanne—not even meet her face-to-face—
and yet, Lahar had kidnapped her.
‘What on earth…’
Her head spun. She pressed her fingertips to her temples and took a deep breath.
‘Could it be… he’s trying to eliminate his sister’s fiancé’s lover before her marriage?’
That was the only conclusion her tired mind could reach.
Lahar adored his sister to a fault; it was plausible.
But unlike in the original story, she had already left the Grand Duke’s estate before Roseanne became duchess.
She hadn’t tormented her at all this time.
‘Then why… Wait—no way!’
Her scalp prickled.
‘Did he find out about the child?!’
She’d made sure Dale and Chavel kept their mouths shut, but maybe one of the servants who saw the physician come and go had talked.
Rumors had wings. Secrets never stayed buried forever.
Instinctively, Enria wrapped her hands protectively around her belly.
A choking fear pressed down on her chest.
Noticing her distress, Lahar spoke in his usual polite tone.
“You needn’t be afraid. I’m not here to harm you, madam.”
Some of her fear eased at that.
If he meant to kill her, he wouldn’t bother lying to comfort her first.
Still, this was the man who had killed her in the original story—so she didn’t dare lower her guard.
“Then why…?”
“Your life is in danger.”
“…What?” Enria’s eyes widened.
“Groen Marsone. He’s after you.”
Enria frowned.
‘Gro… who?’
The name meant nothing to her—until one thought struck, and her eyes widened further.
“The Tower Lord’s son?!” she blurted out, her face turning pale.
Groen Marsone—the son of the Tower Lord, heir to the Magic Tower, and a mid-level villain who tormented the main characters early in the original story.
He was used by his father, who dreamed of ruling the empire through the Tower’s power.
“But why me?!”
It made no sense. She’d never met the man, had no connection to him at all—not even a passing one in the original plot.
‘Why in the world…’
“It’s a long story. For now, you need to hide. They will try to kill you.”
“But why?”
She couldn’t make sense of it.
Why would a villain target her so early in the timeline?
Unless—
‘Could it be they’ve already discovered that I’m the one who stabilizes Caldeon’s magic rampages?!’
“The Grand Duke’s rampages,” Lahar said suddenly, as if reading her mind.
Startled, Enria looked at him. His golden eyes shimmered faintly.
“They know you’re the one calming him.”
Her blood went cold.
That was supposed to be an absolute secret—known only to one high priest who had received the divine revelation directly.
The Sanctuary had classified that revelation as a Secret Oracle, hiding the truth that Enria, a saintess, was sent by the gods to help the cursed Grand Duke.
That secrecy allowed her to live under the guise of Caldeon’s mistress.
‘Then how does he…’
Her temples throbbed as she pressed her fingers harder against them.
Lahar continued.
“A new oracle was delivered to the Sanctuary not long ago.”
‘An oracle?’
“It spoke of one among the blessed who would bear the power of Absolution.”
‘Absolution? What now…’
Seeing her confusion, Lahar explained further.
“The Tower believes you are the one that oracle spoke of.”
“…What?!”
Enria’s mind reeled.
She had no idea what was happening anymore.
The oracle, the power of absolution—none of this existed in the original story.
If Lahar’s words were true, this had to be a misunderstanding.
Once they learned she wasn’t the oracle’s chosen one, nor had such a power, they would stop hunting her—or so she hoped.
But then—
“Even if that’s not true, they’ll still kill you,” Lahar said calmly.
“You can neutralize the Grand Duke’s rampages. That’s reason enough.”
Her last shred of hope shattered.
“So you’ll have to stay hidden for a while.”
‘Hidden? Where exactly am I supposed to go?’
She frowned in frustration.
After a pause, Lahar asked cautiously, “I must ask—do you actually possess the power of absolution?”
“I told you, I don’t even know what that is.”
He gave her a detailed explanation.
It was long-winded, but she managed to summarize it:
“So basically, it nullifies magic—and under certain unknown conditions, it can even bring the dead back to life?”
“An excellent summary, madam,” Lahar said with a nod, eyes glinting.
“But I don’t have that power.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“Even so, they’ll kill you. Groen and the Tower Lord plan to exterminate every saintess in the empire.”
“What? Why?!”
Her eyes flew wide open.
Then it dawned on her—the Tower had long dreamed of ruling the empire.
But Caldeon’s uncontrollable power stood in their way.
If they’d learned of a saintess capable of suppressing that power, she’d be a direct threat to them.
And if a saintess with absolution truly existed, the Tower would want to eliminate every last one—just to be safe.
‘This is bad.’
“In any case, I’ll protect you,” Lahar said. “You have my word.”
Enria blinked, stunned.
“…Why?”
He gave a faint, bitter smile.
“My sister asked me to.”
‘His sister… Roseanne?’
“But tell me, madam.”
Lost in thought, Enria’s gaze drifted down to the carriage floor—until his voice drew her back.
‘And why does he keep calling me madam?’
The word grated on her nerves more than it should.
“Have you and the Grand Duke parted ways?”
She sighed, answering quietly.
“Well, he kicked me out of the mansion, so… I suppose so.”
“Then it’s true—you were his mistress.”
Lahar nodded thoughtfully at her answer, murmuring to himself.
Her heart dropped.
If he knew she was the one soothing Caldeon’s rampages, he might start doubting that her role as a mistress was only a cover.
She bit her lip hard, scolding herself for talking too freely.
“Hm. How troublesome. What was Roseanne thinking…”
“It’s—it’s over! Completely over!” Enria blurted out hastily.
“If our relationship wasn’t over, would Caldeon have thrown me out just because his fiancée was arriving?”
Her only goal was to convince him she was harmless—that there was no reason to kill her.
“Then how does the Grand Duke plan to control his rampages from now on?”
“Um… I don’t really—”
As she faltered, Lahar’s expression darkened in thought.
Enria watched him nervously.
Then he muttered as if realizing something.
“Ah… So that’s why he chose my sister.”
His words made Enria recall the original plot.
After Lahar killed Enria, Roseanne—driven by guilt—created a magic formula to suppress Caldeon’s rampages.
Since Enria had been cast out before meeting the heroine, that spell might already exist in this timeline.
In the original story, Roseanne and Caldeon’s marriage was arranged by the emperor and Count Kaznaren—a political alliance to control the Tower.
But if Roseanne already had that spell, Caldeon himself might be the one pushing for the marriage this time.
That would only make sense if Enria no longer mattered to him.
‘He once looked at me like I was everything… but if he’s chosen her instead—then maybe…’
A bitter thought crept in.
‘Maybe he never loved me at all.’
Enria’s face went rigid.
Comments for chapter "Chapter 3"
DISCUSSION
Leave a Reply
1 Comment
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Torryy
Has OGFL turned back time?