How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 38

“After the departure banquet, he said we should leave immediately.”

“Got it. Now, if you could excuse me for a moment.”

I needed to rest for a bit.

Between the attack by the monsters and the tension between Flute and Mikhail, I had been overly stressed.

The emperor ordered Kenyan, Bianca, and their group to head to the lawless territories, but there was nothing I could do about it.

‘I should just get some rest.’

It was best to improve my condition as much as possible before leaving.

‘Maybe the opportunity will come sooner than expected.’

If I were to leave on the mission with Bianca, we would likely have a lot of conversations.

‘This is an opportunity. I might even start feeling grateful to Prince Flute.’

Thinking this, Lindsey walked toward the terrace.

She looked up at the sky. Since it was evening, the moon had already risen.

She smiled faintly, feeling a strange emptiness.

Two distinct moons were visible.

A clear sign that this wasn’t Earth.

‘Every time I see them, I feel awful.’

It was then. She felt someone’s unsettling gaze.

Lindsey frowned and looked down. She saw a familiar face.

The last person she wanted to see right now.

“Kenyan.”

Lindsey was taken aback.

Why on earth was he here?

She shook her head as she saw Kenyan staring at her with a dumbfounded look on his face.

“Is this a dream?”

“I wish it were.”

At Lindsey’s words, Kenyan’s dreamy expression shifted.

He looked angry.

With a raised voice and wide eyes, Kenyan yelled at her.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re going on this mission? You know what’s happening in the lawless territories. And yet, you’re following them as a cleric?”

Kenyan’s face twisted in frustration. Lindsey felt irritated by his reaction.

She had felt the same way when she heard about Sylvia. Pretending to care, acting like she was concerned…

Why do they act like that?

‘Even if they care, it still feels awful.’

And now, it was the same.

Kenyan’s worried eyes made her uncomfortable.

“I don’t want to go either, you know? But it’s an imperial order. What do you expect me to do?”

Even after Lindsey responded, Kenyan’s expression didn’t soften.

“What the hell did you do to get assigned to such an absurd mission?”

“I’m used to unfair treatment.”

“What?”

“I’m used to being punished for things I didn’t even do.”

Kenyan was left speechless.

He was going on this mission because of an obvious mistake. In exchange for not exposing Sylvia’s crime, he made a deal with the First Princess.

As punishment for collaborating with black magicians, he was to be sent to the lawless territories.

Bianca was going as well to atone for her crime of executing a noble to save impure blood.

But why was Lindsey being sent on such a dangerous mission?

Kenyan had also heard rumors.

That the Second Prince, Flute, and Mikhail had been competing over Lindsey.

‘Then why is Lindsey Kesion being sent on this mission?’

“Damn it, this isn’t right.”

“……”

“Ask that mighty Mikhail for help or something. You’ve done nothing wrong!”

Lindsey, resting her chin in her hand, gazed at Kenyan, who was angry on her behalf.

She had seen this scene in a dream before. It wasn’t necessarily Kenyan, but someone around her being furious about the things happening to her.

But no one had taught her better than Kenyan that being loved by someone was just a dream.

The fact that he was angry for her sake now felt like a joke to Lindsey.

“Why are you getting angry?”

“……”

“Right? We’re barely even acquaintances now. I’m the woman who broke off her engagement with your brother. Isn’t that all?”

Kenyan couldn’t respond.

His complexion had turned pale, almost white, at Lindsey’s words.

“Why do you keep saying strange things to me? Like you care about me or something.”

“……”

“It’s disgusting.”

Kenyan couldn’t deny it. Because everything she felt was true.

Right now, he was losing his mind, worried about the Lindsey in front of him.

When he saw her standing on the balcony in the imperial capital, bathed in moonlight, it felt like he was in a dream.

Her appearance was so beautiful that she looked almost sacred.

Looking at Lindsey, his heart started racing wildly.

Yes, Azhet had been right.

He was in love with Lindsey.

He couldn’t even pinpoint when it had started…

And so, he wanted to deny his feelings. He couldn’t accept reality.

For someone who had always prioritized his noble status, it was hard to believe that the one he had fallen in love with was of “impure blood.”

So, he pushed her away instead.

He tried to deny reality.

He kept repeating to himself that he actually disliked Lindsey, even though it wasn’t true.

“You won’t get hurt during this mission. I’ll make sure of it.”

At Kenyan’s words, Lindsey gazed at the moon with a disinterested expression. How could she not know what he was feeling?

Lindsey wasn’t a fool.

Kenyan’s actions had clearly been expressing his feelings for her.

Though he hadn’t said the words, it was essentially a confession of love.

But she didn’t care.

In the past, if she had heard such words, she might have been moved to tears. She would have been happy, thinking someone truly loved her.

‘How fleeting it all is.’

Now, she only gave him a cold look.

Her eyes were hollow, as if devoid of any emotion.

⋆★⋆

It was the banquet in the imperial palace for the mission’s departure.

Lindsey was preparing herself to be in her best condition for the event.

She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the maids dressing her up.

Crain seemed to have spared no effort for today.

She was adorned with expensive jewelry she had never imagined wearing. Her dress was made of the finest fabric. It had been tailored by Laris Boutique, known to be the best in the empire.

She had heard that Crain had paid extra to have the dress made in time for the imperial banquet.

“You look absolutely stunning.”

At the maid’s comment, Lindsey awkwardly looked at herself in the mirror.

‘So different from Han Ji-Yu.’

If Han Ji-Yu had been a sharp-eyed beauty with cat-like features, Lindsey had a soft, gentle appearance with slightly drooping eyes.

‘It wasn’t just my status, my face also looked too kind, making me seem easy to push around.’

That’s probably why even the servants had looked down on her.

Not only was her appearance soft, but her personality had been too. She had just smiled quietly, no matter what people said about her.

But.

The current Lindsey exuded a strange aura.

Han Ji-Yu’s unique cynical vibe combined with Lindsey’s gentle face, creating an air of mystery.

The maids from the Kesion Marquisate, who had come with her, were startled by Lindsey’s appearance.

“Oh my, I never imagined it could be like this.”

“I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

“It’s like you’re glowing, Lady Lindsey. It would’ve been great if you had dressed like this sooner.”

The maids often used to flatter Lindsey with empty compliments to please her.

But now, their words were filled with sincerity. They were captivated by her unique charm.

“Mikhail has arrived.”

Lindsey slowly turned around. She saw Mikhail, expressionless and dressed in formal attire.

Unlike his usual casual appearance, he was impeccably dressed.

“You’re here?”

Lindsey spoke as she extended her hand. She looked at Mikhail with curiosity.

He remained motionless, simply standing there.

‘Do I look bad? Is that why he doesn’t want to escort me?’

Though she knew that wasn’t the case, Lindsey was confused by Mikhail’s reaction.

At that moment, Mikhail carefully took her hand. His touch was so delicate, as if he was afraid she might break.

⋆★⋆

Bianca glared at Flute, who was standing in front of her. He must have felt her sharp gaze, but he continued to smile as if in a good mood.

He probably thought he had managed to get one over on Mikhail.

‘How pathetic that insecurity is.’

The nobler the bloodline, the stronger a transcendent becomes. Flute wasn’t weak either.

It’s just that Mikhail was too powerful.

Flute was furious about that fact. He couldn’t accept that someone like Mikhail, who didn’t even have a high status, could be superior to him.

‘But to take it out on Lady Lindsey? How disgraceful.’

It was the same at this banquet.

Flute had been going around, spreading rumors about Lindsey.

However, in a way, Bianca felt sorry for Flute.

‘He has no idea how extraordinary Lady Lindsey is, and he’s acting so disrespectfully.’

Bianca placed a hand over her pounding heart. She still hadn’t forgotten the healing she received when she left the Radian household.

Flute would surely be at a loss for words if he were to experience Lindsey’s healing.

‘But I also don’t want someone like him near Lady Lindsey…’

She couldn’t allow someone who might turn into a sycophant after receiving Lindsey’s healing to stay by her side.