Chapter 2.6
“What?”
Ines looked at him with suspicion. His answer had come too easily.
“Are you… being serious?”
“To live in peace. If that’s the only thing you want, then yes.”
The hand that had been gripping her arm let go. But his presence still loomed over her like a shadow.
‘What is he thinking…?’
Ines narrowed her eyes and tried to read his expression.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Startled, Ines instinctively tried to push him away, but his body, as heavy as iron, didn’t budge.
“Your bath is ready, miss. If you’ll follow me—ah.”
The innkeeper, bowing politely, was startled at the sight before her.
The air around the man and woman standing so close to the wall beside the window was strange.
The man had been leaning toward the woman but shifted his gaze to the innkeeper. The woman followed his eyes.
The woman’s status was unclear, but the man was unmistakably a noble. Not only that, he gave off the sharp pressure unique to a sword-wielder. The innkeeper quickly lowered her head.
“I’ll, uh… I’ll come back later.”
“…No.”
The man looked away from the innkeeper and back at the woman.
His eyes burned with an intensity that could have torn her apart with just a look.
Then, suddenly, he smiled faintly, as if nothing had happened.
“Still, you should take a bath. You can’t just walk back into the rain like this.”
His eyes were like those of a predator slowly driving a small, delicate prey into a trap.
‘…What should I do now?’
Ines sat dazed in the bath prepared by the innkeeper.
‘Is he… not going to take me by force?’
She heard Kian’s low growl echo in her mind.
[Don’t trust anyone, Ines.]
“That’s… true.”
Should she stop thinking too much and just run?
But now that she had been found, she had no choice but to rely on Kian if she wanted to escape again. Ines curled up in the warm water.
‘I can’t keep cutting down my lifespan like this…’
Now that this place had been discovered, staying at the herb shop with Hyran and Robert was no longer an option. She would have to flee even farther away.
‘Then… five years. I should have at least five years…’
Five years. A wave of despair washed over her.
When she believed she had ten years left, it had seemed far away. But now that it might only be five, her heart sank with a thud.
She had thought she wasn’t afraid—but maybe she had been lying to herself. Ines clenched the hot water in her fists.
“…Let’s just watch for now, Kian.”
She didn’t know what the Grand Duke was really thinking, but for now, he had promised to protect her peace.
The look in Rayan’s eyes when he said that was the same as when they’d met in Eleanor’s room. Back then, he had been cold but gentle, offering her a place to rest. Ines thought maybe, just maybe, he had returned to being that person.
Maybe he really would leave her alone this time.
Then she wouldn’t have to shorten her life. She could live out the rest of her time peacefully at Robert’s herb shop…
A vague, undefined emotion poked at her chest.
“….”
The truth was, she had already sensed it while standing before him.
Her pounding heart and trembling voice weren’t just from fear.
He had said he wouldn’t hurt her. He was… a safe person.
Her instincts screamed for the comfort of standing beside someone strong. She had even felt drawn to him for a moment.
To snap herself out of it, Ines dunked her face into the water.
“Get it together, you idiot. Kian is right.”
She had finally found a place to rest.
The warm, peaceful harbor town of Hyran. Robert’s herb shop, filled with the scent of bitter herbs. That was enough.
She didn’t want to lose it by being swayed by a man’s unclear kindness.
Leaning her head back against the tub, Ines let out a shaky breath.
‘I hope that noble man doesn’t shake me anymore.’
She sincerely wished that from this moment on, their paths would never cross again.
Even after Ines finished her long bath and stepped out in fresh clothes, the Grand Duke was still in the room.
She stopped in her tracks just outside the steamy bathroom.
He sat slouched on the sofa near the window, resting his chin on the back of his hand like a trained hound. Despite his thick muscles, his movements were sleek and his gaze razor-sharp.
He hadn’t moved at all. His hair was still wet.
He had waited for her.
“….”
Noticing her presence, he turned his head.
Seeing her flushed cheeks from the heat, a satisfied look came over his face.
As Ines hesitated, unsure of what to say, he stood up from the sofa.
“Go. I’ll take you back.”
He really meant to let her go. Ines brightened.
“That’s okay. I can go alone. The rain has stopped.”
“…You’re going to walk alone in the rain at dawn?”
Rayan tapped lightly on the window with his finger. The rain had lightened, but it was still pitch-dark outside.
But Ines, who had faced even darker things, wasn’t afraid.
“I’ll be fine, really.”
His lips curved in a calm smile. She took it as his agreement.
Ines hesitated a little, then added,
“And… thank you for granting my request.”
“….”
“I’ll never forget your kindness. I’ll carry everything you’ve given me in my heart.”
With that, she bowed deeply. Though he didn’t reply, she chose to take the silence as his silent permission.
“…Then I’ll be going.”
She was anxious, unsure when he might change his mind. She quickly turned to leave and reached for the door handle.
Then a low voice came from behind her.
“If you ever need help, come back here.”
“…Aren’t you leaving?”
“I’ve come all the way to Apael. There’s work to take care of in the capital. I’m not exactly free.”
“….”
“And… after putting so much effort into finding you, it doesn’t feel right to just leave like this.”
“….”
“So I’ll be back in Hyran in ten days. If you’re not here then, I’ll return to Eleanor.”
He was giving her ten days to think.
“You don’t have to…”
She started to say there was no need to return to Hyran, but then a large hand reached from her right and covered hers on the doorknob.
There had been no sound or presence—he was just suddenly behind her.
He lowered his head and pressed his lips against her hand.
That was all.
But it felt like her whole body was trapped in his.
He kissed her hand with a heat sharp as a burn, then moved his lips to her neck. Her stiff body trembled as her erratic pulse echoed through the contact.
“Your Grace…”
He didn’t answer. He just took in the scent of steam and her sweet body warmth deeply.
Then came a damp sound by her ear, and her face flushed with heat.
She knew what he was doing. She knew what it meant.
She had learned.
“…I want you to be where you’re safest.”
With a stinging pain, a deep, wet mark was left on her skin.
His voice pierced through her like it could break all her defenses.
“So, ten days, Ines.”
“….”
“Think it over while I’m gone.”
And with that, Rayan stepped away from her.
Ines bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and opened the door. Then, without looking back, she stepped into the dim hallway.
The Grand Duke didn’t stop her.
“What were you thinking, going out like that? Are you out of your mind?!”
When Ines finally returned to the herb shop, holding onto what was left of her sanity, she was met by Robert, who had bloodshot eyes and was pacing outside the door.
“The storm was raging out there, and you, dressed like that, going up against three grown men! You think this old man’s warnings are a joke?!”
Robert ranted angrily as he wrapped her in thick blankets and sat her by the fireplace.
A warm cup of tea was pushed into her hands, as if he had been waiting for her.
“If you don’t want to be bedridden with a cold again, drink that. Now. And don’t even think about crossing this threshold tomorrow.”
He had clearly been boiling water while waiting for her to come back. Ines wrapped her hands tightly around the warm mug.
“So, what did you tell the constables?”
“I handled it. Don’t worry. Things should be quiet for a while.”
“You didn’t… go through something awful, did you? After those thugs left, some noble-looking man came looking for you…”
“N-no. Nothing happened.”
Ines pulled the blanket higher, covering the right side of her neck. She didn’t need to look to know there was a hot, red mark pulsing there.
“…Well. If nothing happened, that’s all that matters.”
Though Robert looked uneasy, he turned away and started sorting herbs. Ines silently watched his back.
