Chapter 108
Although it was a simple and extreme method, Raylenne believed that inflicting pain on her body was the only way to escape Harbian’s control.
Her assumption was correct.
Harbian frowned upon seeing the blood flowing from Raylenne’s palm.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
He reached out to snatch the shard from her hand.
“You should stop now…!”
But Raylenne was faster. She pushed Harbian away and quickly opened the door.
The hallway was empty. She needed someone to call for help, but there was no one around.
‘Damn it.’
Clutching the shard, Raylenne ran. However, running in uncomfortable shoes meant she was quickly caught by Harbian.
Thud. Harbian grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.
“Let’s end this game of tag.”
His voice was low, and it seemed that her unexpected actions had shaken him more than usual.
His grip on her shoulder was strong.
“I didn’t expect you to escape my control through pain, but it will only be temporary.”
As Harbian’s eyes glowed red again, Raylenne felt as if strings were attached to her like a puppet, and her body moved on its own to wrap her hands around his neck.
“I’ve only used a fraction of my power. If I wanted, I could make you seduce me first.”
Raylenne gritted her teeth and managed to speak.
“This power must have made your life quite easy.”
“I don’t use this power much. I prefer to achieve things on my own.”
Raylenne scoffed.
“Liar. You killed your uncle with this power.”
“I did use it on him once because he was being stubborn… but other than that, I’ve hardly used it.”
“So it was you.”
“I despise fools. If he had stepped down gracefully, he would have lived.”
Their conversation, despite their close proximity, was anything but romantic.
‘This horrible man.’
Raylenne frowned.
“Let’s stop ruining the mood and go back inside. I don’t want to embrace you in such a place.”
With a bit of force, Harbian made Raylenne’s hands drop from his neck.
“Now, drop the weapon and take my hand.”
As he extended his hand, Raylenne moved like a puppet to release the shard from her grasp.
Just as the shard was about to fall from her hand.
‘Please…!’
Raylenne closed her eyes tightly once more.
For a brief moment, Harbian’s control weakened, and Raylenne used all her remaining strength to clutch the shard tightly.
Her already wounded hand throbbed with enough pain to make her mind clear.
‘Now…!’
Free from Harbian’s control, Raylenne raised the shard high and swung it.
Thud—!
The shard pierced deeply into flesh in an instant. Harbian’s eyes widened in shock.
Blood flowed from where the shard had penetrated.
“What on earth…?”
Harbian’s gaze was not on his side, but on Raylenne’s.
The shard was embedded in her side, quickly staining her light blue dress.
Raylenne had stabbed herself.
The overwhelming pain made her gasp as she spoke.
“I can’t let you have your way…”
She didn’t want to resort to such drastic measures.
But letting things go as Harbian wanted was even more abhorrent.
So she stabbed herself without hesitation.
No matter how insane Harbian was, he wouldn’t want to embrace a blood-soaked woman.
Moreover, she recalled what Lavita had told her about Harbian.
[The Crown Prince Harbian… cut his own neck with a sword.]
[He said if I came to find him, people would believe I did it.]
Harbian had used self-inflicted wounds to threaten Lavita.
“It’s best if you leave immediately… If you stay here, people might think you did this to me…”
She wondered how Harbian felt now that the same tactic was used against him.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because… I hate you.”
Raylenne replied firmly.
Harbian quietly watched Raylenne, who had collapsed, before slowly speaking.
“If I leave you here, you might die.”
“Then… that would be my fate…”
Surprisingly, Harbian’s expression appeared somewhat bitter as her vision blurred.
Unable to stand any longer, Raylenne slid down the wall.
Harbian knelt on one knee and sat before her.
“What if I kill you here?”
Raylenne spoke with labored breaths.
“That too… would be my fate…”
She could feel Harbian’s gaze, but it was hard to keep her head up, so she lowered it.
“Do you really hate me that much?”
His voice was low.
Raylenne struggled to reply.
“…Yes, I hate you.”
Harbian stood up. She couldn’t see his expression, and she didn’t want to.
“As you wish, I will leave.”
“….”
“This place is rarely visited, so no one will find you. You’ll die here.”
“….”
“Even if someone finds you later, they’ll think you were attacked by an assailant.”
Telling her the conclusion of her own fate in advance was almost a twisted kindness.
“Your loyal dogs will mourn your cold corpse. That will be quite a sight.”
Muttering to himself with a blank expression, Harbian quietly walked down the hallway.
Thud, thud. His footsteps echoed faintly, then completely disappeared.
Left alone, Raylenne closed her eyes. As her tension released, her body went limp.
She had lost too much blood.
Using her last bit of strength, she pressed on the wound in her side. She needed to stop the bleeding.
Raylenne let out a faint sigh.
Hoping someone would find her soon.
* * *
Meanwhile, Aiden and Caverion, who had been searching the party venue for a long time after Raylenne suddenly disappeared, realized their fears had come true.
“Someone has taken Lady Raylenne,” Aiden said.
Caverion nodded in agreement.
“It seems they were determined to take her.”
“Harbian. It must be him.”
Although there was no evidence, Caverion agreed with the statement. Years spent in life-and-death battles had honed his instincts to a razor-sharp edge. His keen intuition told him that Harbian had taken Raylenne.
“Harbian knows the palace well. He probably took her to a place where people rarely go.”
Even so, Caverion didn’t see this as a significant problem. How could they search every corner of the palace to find Raylenne? If Harbian had taken her with such determination, it couldn’t be for a good reason.
Caverion blamed himself.
‘It’s my fault.’
He should never have taken his eyes off Raylenne, not even for a moment. The thought that Raylenne might be in danger made his lips dry.
He needed to act quickly.
“I will stop the party and demand that the royal family search for her. If Harbian acted alone, they won’t refuse my request.”
Aiden remained silent for a moment. The urgency of the situation made Caverion impatient with Aiden’s silence. Just as he was about to urge him, Aiden slowly lifted his head.
“Perhaps… I might be able to find Lady Raylenne.”
Aiden looked around as he spoke. A black aura began to emanate from his body. Caverion frowned at the sight. It seemed Aiden was trying to use his awakened powers, but finding a person with them seemed impossible.
Aiden had not been an Awakened One for long and seemed to think he could do anything. However, being an Awakened One did not make someone omnipotent.
Then, Aiden spoke quietly.
“I can smell Lady Raylenne’s scent from somewhere.”
“What?”
Now, Caverion frowned deeply. It was hard to believe. The party hall was filled with the overpowering scents of women’s perfumes. How could he distinguish Raylenne’s scent among them, especially when she could be far away?
“Faintly, but definitely, I can smell Lady Raylenne. And…”
Aiden’s expression darkened.
“I smell blood with it. We must hurry.”
Aiden began to move urgently.
Caverion followed suit. There was no time to question whether Aiden’s words were true.
‘…Blood?’
Feeling a sense of foreboding, Caverion followed Aiden, who moved as if he knew exactly where he was going. The black aura around Aiden grew stronger.
They noticed people staring at the unusual sight, but Aiden seemed entranced, continuing to walk determinedly.
Soon, Aiden began to run, his speed increasing to an almost impossible level. To keep up, Caverion had to use his own Awakened powers.
They reached a corner of the party venue. Aiden pulled back a long curtain to reveal a door.
No one would have suspected there was a door there, but Aiden acted as if he had known all along. Caverion realized that Aiden’s claim about Raylenne’s scent was true.
Aiden placed his hand on the doorknob and opened the door.
With a soft click, the door swung open, and Aiden cautiously stepped inside. A long hallway stretched out before them.
Aiden’s eyes focused on the end of the hallway.
A woman was leaning against the wall, alone and still.
“Raylenne…”
The woman with the pale face and closed eyes was undoubtedly Raylenne.
