How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 35

‘I should have killed her sooner,’ Sylvia thought bitterly.

She should have eliminated Lindsey before she awakened her divine powers. From the moment her son started looking at Lindsey, Sylvia should have erased her from existence.

But it wasn’t too late yet.

Even if she was sent to Lrsen, it didn’t mean she would be gone forever. Sylvia trembled with humiliation. Lindsey had become the reason Kenyan was now defying her.

‘I will repay this humiliation.’

Her eyes burned with rage.

⋆★⋆

Time passed peacefully. Lindsey’s engagement to Azhet was officially annulled, and a formal decree was issued by the imperial family:

“We approve the annulment of the engagement between Azhet Radian and Lindsey Kesion.”

It was simpler than she had expected. Yet, in the past, Lindsey couldn’t have even dreamed of such a simple outcome.

She had once wept at Azhet’s feet, begging him to spare her from the engagement, pleading for her life.

‘That will never happen again,’ Lindsey told herself.

Her thoughts turned to the letter she had sent to Bianca a few days ago.

‘Bianca is smart. She’ll understand what I meant.’

She hadn’t been able to write down everything in detail due to the risk of surveillance, but Bianca was clever enough to decipher her intentions.

‘I almost feel like I’m on the verge of returning to Korea,’ she mused, though she knew it was only wishful thinking.

Lindsey fastened her clothing, preparing to leave the Kesion estate with Mikhail.

Several maids were assisting with her preparations. One of the maids, who was arranging Lindsey’s hair, cautiously spoke up.

“Lady Lindsey, I heard that Sylvia Radian has gone away for recovery.”

“Sylvia Radian?” Lindsey tilted her head, surprised.

“Yes, she’s been sent to Lrsen for her health.”

Lindsey frowned, puzzled.

“They said she apologized for her rudeness toward you before she left.”

An apology from Sylvia? It was utterly absurd.

Lindsey knew exactly what kind of person Sylvia was.

‘There’s no way she’d ever apologize to me.’

The idea that Sylvia would apologize and leave for a remote region like Lrsen seemed too good to be true. Something didn’t sit right.

“They say she had a big argument with Sir Kenyan, and now she’s being punished for her mistreatment of you,” the maid added.

Other maids quickly nodded in agreement.

“That’s right, she was terribly rude. I was so upset when I heard about it.”

“I heard Lord Raysis was furious too and lodged a formal complaint with the marquis.”

“Honestly, Lady Lindsey, it’s such a relief. No one will dare be disrespectful to you anymore.”

Lindsey smirked slightly at the maids’ words.

‘How amusing.’

These maids, who had once done anything to gain Rosalyn’s favor, now bent over backward to stay on Lindsey’s good side. After the rumor spread about her healing Mikhail during the recent campaign, their behavior had changed drastically.

Once, they had flattered Rosalyn and tormented Lindsey, but now the tables had turned. They were desperate to avoid Lindsey’s displeasure.

‘Because they’re guilty.’

The same was true for the Radian family.

Azhet and Kenyan had never defied Sylvia before. They had always followed her lead.

‘For Kenyan to defy Sylvia… I think I know why, and it disgusts me.’

“That’s enough. You can go now,” Lindsey said coolly.

The maids hurriedly left the room. Lindsey glanced at Mikhail, who stood beside her. His energy was wild and turbulent. He had returned from a mission not long ago.

‘I should guide him soon.’

Lindsey frowned, remembering why she couldn’t guide Mikhail immediately.

It was all because of Crain’s orders.

“An imperial banquet will be held in a few days. You will attend with Mikhail,” Crain had said.

“Showing off your power at the banquet wouldn’t be a bad thing. His Majesty will be very pleased.”

“So don’t heal Mikhail just yet. We need a dramatic display.”

Crain had seemed almost gleeful, clapping his hands excitedly.

“Rosalyn should come too. It will be good for her to demonstrate her abilities before returning to the academy.”

“My two daughters possess the most powerful divine powers in the empire! You’re truly the pride of the Kesion Marquisate!”

Crain had always loved showing off.

He wanted to flaunt Rosalyn and Lindsey’s divine powers for all to see. Of course, Lindsey suspected he had ulterior motives as well, and the thought made her frown.

Raysis appeared before them.

Lindsey shot him a cold glance, annoyed by his presence. His recent words still grated on her mind.

“But if you give me one more chance, we could go back to the way things used to be…”

The idea of going back to their previous relationship was an insult to her past.

“Lindsey.”

“……”

“I heard you’re going to the imperial palace.”

Raysis’s gaze shifted toward Mikhail, his expression wary, as if he were staring at a dangerous predator.

“You’ve become Mikhail’s personal cleric. Are you planning to be officially appointed at the palace?”

Lindsey remained silent.

It seemed Raysis wasn’t really expecting an answer.

“You must know how dangerous this is.”

“……”

“I didn’t realize how terrible things had been for you.”

“You didn’t realize?”

Lindsey’s expression twisted with anger.

“When Rosalyn took me to those banquets, and people laughed at me for how pathetic I looked?”

“……”

“When the family hit me, starved me, and made me sleep in the filthy stables… you didn’t notice that either?”

Raysis couldn’t respond. She was right. He had known everything but chose to ignore it.

He had thought that once he gained power, he could help Lindsey. He hadn’t considered the wounds she would bear in the meantime.

He knew, but he had turned away.

He had told himself that once he inherited the family title, he would make things right.

But when his mother’s keepsakes went missing, he accused Lindsey, further isolating her.

Once Raysis withdrew his protection, the way Lindsey was treated became even more appalling.

The direct members of the Kesion family found new ways to torment her, locking her in the freezing stables during winter and leaving her there for hours.

“Hey, half-blood! Looks like Raysis abandoned you too, huh?”

“Who’s going to protect you now?”

“Fitting place for you to sleep, right? Haha.”

Even now, she could still smell the stench of the stables lingering on her body.

Even in those moments, Lindsey had tried not to blame Raysis.

She had convinced herself that he had no choice but to turn a blind eye.

She believed that he didn’t really think she had stolen the keepsakes.

‘What a foolish belief that was.’

Lindsey smiled faintly, her eyes cold.

“Even without the incident with the keepsakes, you were always annoyed by me. It was probably just a convenient excuse.”

“Lindsey, no. I—”

“You found a reason to ignore your lowborn sister. So don’t act like you’re being kind now, Raysis. It’s revolting.”

“……”

“Honestly, Rosalyn is better. At least she’s honest about how she feels.”

Lindsey’s face twisted in disgust as she spoke. Raysis’s eyes seemed vacant, as if he were mentally unraveling, hollow and void.

He tried to step closer to Lindsey. He knew that once she left for the imperial palace, he wouldn’t see her for a while.

‘If I don’t clear up this misunderstanding now, I might never get the chance.’

He didn’t hate Lindsey anymore. He had learned the truth about all the accusations against her. He needed to tell her.

He needed to apologize, to admit he had been wrong.

If he had known the truth back then, he would never have allowed her to suffer.

He had to explain everything. Raysis reached out his hand toward Lindsey.

But his hand never reached her. Mikhail firmly grabbed Raysis’s wrist, stopping him.

“Mikhail, she’s my family. Why are you stopping me?”

It was Lindsey who answered, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Don’t make me laugh.”

“I—I just… the Kesion family…”

Raysis looked confused, his words jumbled as he tried to make sense of everything.

“I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with my family. I both despised and took pride in it.”

Lindsey looked bored, her expression indifferent.

That conflicting sentiment was something all members of the Kesion family seemed to share. But it wasn’t something Lindsey had ever felt.

“I always thought I’d be the one to inherit the family.”

That caught Lindsey’s attention.

She looked at Raysis with a hint of surprise. She hadn’t expected him to say something like that so openly.

Raysis had always been a cautious person.

‘He’s openly talking about inheriting the family?’

What was he playing at? Such a statement would paint a target on his back among the many who sought the marquis’s position.