Chapter 129
There was nothing special in the letter. It contained messages as if they had returned to their old relationship—saying he had heard she had suddenly collapsed, asking if she was alright, expressing concern. The letter was filled with such greetings.
If she hadn’t remembered anything, she might have thought he was genuinely worried about her and felt she should reply quickly, but now she couldn’t possibly take it in a positive light.
Ares looked at Kirine as if to ask what was wrong.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing.”
When she shook her head saying it was nothing, Ares held out his hand. He wanted her to give him the letter.
As she quietly handed it over, Ares quickly read through it as if he had been waiting for this chance.
“Nothing but probing words.”
Soon losing interest, Ares placed the letter on the table with a dispassionate expression.
“How long are you going to keep me confined?”
“Who’s confining you? People would misunderstand if they heard that.”
When Ares made an exaggerated expression of shock, Kirine couldn’t help but frown.
“You won’t let me leave the house. What else is this but confinement?”
“That’s all because I’m worried about you…”
“You know I’m fine now.”
Kirine knew well that Ares was doing this because he was worried. But this was excessive even for that.
When she looked up at him as if to say he should be satisfied with this much, Ares avoided her gaze and rubbed his eyebrow.
“Still, I’d prefer if you stayed at home.”
Usually, he would have accepted with an “alright,” but Ares seemed extremely reluctant. Just as she was about to ask if something had happened while she was unconscious, Ares spoke first.
“We haven’t found that woman yet.”
“What does that have to do with keeping me confined at home?”
When she asked, unable to understand the connection, Ares sighed as if troubled before reluctantly answering.
“You received a warning letter.”
“What warning letter?”
Even hearing it with her own ears, it was hard to understand. Finding it incomprehensible, she gave him a look urging him to explain, and Ares irritably ran his hand through his hair.
“What kind of warning letter? No, before that, who was it from?”
“It’s a warning letter that woman sent to you.”
“That woman… you mean who I think you mean?”
When she looked at him hopefully thinking it couldn’t be, Ares nodded heavily.
“Wasn’t she supposed to be dead?”
She clearly remembered seeing the ceiling collapse on top of that woman. But Ares let out a heavy sigh with a grim expression.
‘How did she possibly survive?’
Setting aside her doubts for a moment, she was concerned about the warning letter this woman had supposedly sent.
“Why would she send me a warning letter? What did it say?”
“…”
“Ares.”
Frustrated, Kirine’s voice grew increasingly lower.
“Never mind that, just give it to me first.”
Seeing how Ares seemed unlikely to answer properly no matter how much she asked, she thought it would be better to see it for herself.
But Ares kept avoiding her gaze as if deeply troubled.
“Hurry up.”
When he still showed no sign of giving it to her, she was about to get up from her seat, but then Ares said “fine” and took out a letter from the drawer.
‘Should have given it to me from the start.’
Kirine gave Ares a disapproving look before quickly snatching the warning letter from his hand. As soon as she unfolded and read it, a bitter laugh escaped her.
‘Is she really not insane?’
The letter was filled from beginning to end with the same sentence repeated over and over: “Stay away from my daughter. If you don’t, I’ll kill you.” While the message filled with madness made her shudder, it also sparked anger.
That woman was still considering Ares as her daughter.
“So where is this woman now?”
Sensing that leaving her alone could lead to serious trouble, Kirine asked, and Ares let out a complicated sigh.
“We’re looking, but it’s not easy. Someone must be helping her.”
Given how difficult it was to find even a single clue, this seemed entirely possible. Ares added that he wanted to find her quickly too.
“Are you okay?”
Kirine asked Ares while mercilessly crumpling the warning letter from the mentally unstable woman.
“Why suddenly?”
“Well, given who we’re dealing with…”
She asked out of concern that he might find it difficult to face that woman again, given the memories of being not just kidnapped but imprisoned by her, but surprisingly, Ares seemed unconcerned.
“You think I’m still that same child from back then?”
“I’m just worried about you. Just worried.”
Even if he seemed fine now, it would surely be difficult and painful when they met again. Considering how he had frozen up just at the sight of her last time, he might not be okay even now.
But Ares clicked his tongue, saying it was needless worry.
“Worry about yourself. I’m more concerned about you.”
“You’re still worried about me even after keeping me confined all this time?”
Looking at him as if to say he was being ridiculous, Kirine threw the warning letter she was holding onto the floor.
“So when did you receive this?”
“Three days before you woke up.”
“At this house’s address?”
“…”
Though she asked hoping desperately it wasn’t true, there was no answer. The silence seemed to confirm it was true.
‘This is truly insane.’
It wasn’t just a house where she and Ares lived—Sasha lived here too. This meant the woman might potentially harm Sasha.
“If she touches Sasha, I’ll kill her.”
Gritting her teeth and vowing to tear the woman apart if she laid even a finger on her daughter, Ares nodded in agreement.
“That’s why I was thinking of leaving Sasha with Reilly.”
“With Reilly?”
When Kirine repeated the unexpected suggestion, Ares stroked his chin as he replied.
“I think she’d be safer in the mage tower than here.”
While Sasha’s movements were limited to the palace education facility and home, the suggestion was to leave her with Reilly to eliminate any possibility of her being left alone in an unavoidable situation.
“Especially since that woman might keep lurking around here.”
Listening to his opinion about eliminating risk factors entirely, Kirine slowly nodded.
“I think that would be better too.”
She didn’t want Sasha to be in any more danger. If something unwanted happened while Sasha was alone at home, she would never forgive herself.
“Then I’ll ask Reilly about it.”
“Good.”
Kirine couldn’t help but smile at how smoothly the conversation had progressed.
“So can I return to work now?”
