How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 39

Around Bianca, transcendent followers who admired her gathered in numbers.

“Lady Bianca, may I have a moment of your time?”

“I’ve missed you so much.”

Bianca gave a faint smile to the others, but her attention was completely elsewhere.

‘When is she coming?’

It was the first time seeing Lindsey since leaving the Radian family.

In the letter Lindsey had sent recently, she mentioned wanting to speak with Bianca again.

She wanted to revisit the conversation they had when leaving the Radian household.

‘It must mean she needs my help.’

Though the words were indirect, Bianca understood immediately. Lindsey had many debts to repay.

The mere thought that she could be of help to Lindsey was enough to satisfy Bianca.

At that moment, Flute and Rosalyn approached Bianca.

“Lady Bianca, you’ve met *that* person before, haven’t you?”

“Prince Flute, who are you referring to as *that*?”

“You know exactly who I mean.”

“Surely, you can’t be talking about *her*, can you?”

At Bianca’s words, Flute smirked maliciously.

“Well, we’ve all seen her at banquets before, haven’t we? She’ll probably show up looking miserable again.”

Rosalyn chimed in, agreeing with him.

“I was late, so I didn’t get to help Lindsey. I do feel sorry that she might appear looking so shabby once again.”

“……”

“At the very least, she should show some decorum.”

Hearing their mockery of Lindsey, Bianca’s face hardened.

“Am I wrong, Lady Bianca?”

“Outward appearances aren’t what matter. I believe it’s the heart that’s important.”

Flute was about to sneer at her, but before he could, Lindsey appeared at the banquet.

⋆★⋆

Before leaving for the imperial palace.

Crain spoke to Rosalyn.

“Rosalyn, go and show off your brilliance.”

“And it wouldn’t hurt to help Lindsey as well.”

Rosalyn understood what Crain meant. He was telling her to assist Lindsey in preparing for the banquet.

‘That’s why I deliberately arrived at the palace late.’

She had no intention of helping Lindsey with the banquet.

Her role in the Kesion Marquisate was not only to demonstrate her divine power, but also to dominate the social scene.

At any party, she was always the center of attention.

That’s how it had always been…

But now, Rosalyn’s eyes widened as she looked at Lindsey’s attire.

She had heard the rumor that Lindsey had her dress made at Laris Boutique.

‘She’s still just impure blood.’

No matter how beautiful the dress, if Lindsey was wearing it, she was sure it would look unimpressive.

No matter how well-made the outfit, it wouldn’t suit the person if they weren’t a good match for it.

‘I used to dress Lindsey often in the past.’

Whenever Lindsey wore the clothes she no longer cared for, people laughed at her.

What looked beautiful on Rosalyn would appear clumsy and awkward on Lindsey, and she took pleasure in that.

Every time, it reaffirmed her belief.

‘I am better than Lindsey Kesion.’

So it was only natural that people loved her more than they did Lindsey.

This banquet should have been no different.

It should have been like that!

But contrary to her expectations, Lindsey looked so confident. The star of the party wasn’t Rosalyn, but Lindsey.

The realization hit Rosalyn with an overwhelming sense of humiliation.

“How dare she, how dare…!”

To make things worse, Mikhail was standing by Lindsey’s side, looking more dazzling than ever.

Rosalyn glared at Lindsey with fury.

That spot beside Mikhail should have been hers.

Just then, Mikhail stepped away from Lindsey.

Seizing the opportunity, Rosalyn moved toward Lindsey, wine glass in hand.

‘I’ll show her what truly suits someone like her.’

Rosalyn was skilled in the subtle battles of the social world. Spilling wine or stepping on someone’s dress to make them trip were common tactics.

She intended to teach Lindsey the price of stepping into high society.

“Lindsey, you look absolutely beautiful tonight.”

Rosalyn said with a seductive smile, sensing Lindsey’s indifferent gaze upon her.

“Thanks. You seem to have arrived at the capital later than expected.”

“I had some matters to attend to.”

“……”

“But I suppose you’d be devastated if something happened to such a lovely dress.”

Lindsey smiled as if amused.

“Are you suggesting something might happen to my dress?”

“I’m just warning you to be careful. You never know what might happen at a banquet.”

Saying this, Rosalyn waited for the right moment. She was glad she had worn high heels.

Now.

Rosalyn pretended to stumble, aiming to spill her wine on Lindsey.

But someone stopped her before she could.

In a daze, Rosalyn looked up at the person who had grabbed her.

‘Princess Rebecca!’

No, why was she here?

A playful voice echoed.

“This is quite a peculiar experience.”

Rosalyn began trembling uncontrollably, her face turning ghostly pale.

She had definitely been aiming to spill the wine on Lindsey. So how did Princess Rebecca end up here?

Wine dripped down her radiant red hair.

The wine meant for Lindsey had instead soaked Princess Rebecca.

“Are you Lady Rosalyn of the Kesion Marquisate?”

“P-Princess… this wasn’t my fault…”

“But it seems to me you’re the one who spilled wine on me, Lady Rosalyn.”

Rosalyn took a step back under the cold gaze of the princess, biting her lower lip.

All eyes in the banquet hall were now fixed on Rosalyn and Rebecca.

“I will discuss your conduct with the Marquis of Kesion before making any decisions.”

Rosalyn’s face turned pale.

She knew exactly what that meant. If this incident reached Crain’s ears, it wouldn’t end with just a reprimand this time.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably, unable to take any further action.

⋆★⋆

Lindsey let out a sigh.

The banquet had been overwhelming.

After taking the wine spill in Lindsey’s place, Princess Rebecca had winked at her.

‘Did she help me because of Mikhail?’

It was well-known that Princess Rebecca cherished Mikhail.

Perhaps she couldn’t just stand by while the person rumored to be Mikhail’s dedicated cleric was humiliated.

‘Thanks to her, the banquet ended smoothly.’

Not just smoothly—after that, the way the other nobles looked at Lindsey had completely changed.

Now Lindsey Kesion was seen as someone under Mikhail’s protection and favored by Princess Rebecca.

Her status had risen significantly.

‘Though she didn’t really need to help.’

All of it felt tiresome to Lindsey. If Rosalyn had spilled the wine on her, she had planned to engage in a brawl.

The dignity of high society didn’t mean much to her.

‘That aside…’

She now had to ride in the same carriage with this unpleasant person. Flute certainly had malicious intentions.

‘There isn’t a single transcendent unaware of the rift between Kenyan and me.’

Kenyan was sitting across from her.

As a part of the mission, Flute had assigned Kenyan to be Lindsey’s escort.

‘And he even sent Mikhail on a mission elsewhere.’

Lindsey recalled what Mikhail had said to her before departing.

“Wait for me.”

What difference would waiting make?

‘He’s not planning to come to the lawless territories, is he?’

No matter how much he cared, he wouldn’t do something that reckless.

“I didn’t want to ride in the same carriage with you either.”

Lindsey snapped out of her thoughts at Kenyan’s voice. He was glaring at her with sharp eyes.

“I could’ve ridden with Lady Bianca.”

“It was an imperial order that we share the same carriage.”

What a strange way to use imperial authority. Lindsey grumbled as she sat down in the carriage.

She didn’t feel like arguing over an imperial decree.

Inside the carriage, she closed her eyes.

She liked the sensation of the carriage swaying.

‘At least I managed to finish Mikhail’s guiding session before leaving.’

Contrary to Crain’s intentions, they hadn’t done the guiding during the banquet.

The chaos caused by Rebecca getting hit with the wine had turned the banquet into a mess.

‘Thanks to Rosalyn’s stupidity, I now have plenty of excuses to offer Crain.’

It was a fortunate outcome for Lindsey.

The gentle rocking of the carriage made her feel drowsy. Maybe it was because of the guiding session with Mikhail the night before.

⋆★⋆

Ah, it was that dream again.

The dream she always had after guiding Mikhail. And, as usual, Baek Ji-Hyuk appeared.

“Can I really meet that person again?”

An S-Class Esper had told Baek Ji-Hyuk that Lindsey’s soul had crossed over to another dimension.

“If that’s the case, I’ll go and find her.”

He began searching for a way to perform dimensional travel. After a long time, one day, Baek Ji-Hyuk encountered an Esper who could help him.

The Esper spoke to Baek Ji-Hyuk.

“Dimensional travel is possible.”

“……”

“But it’s extremely dangerous. You could die in the process.”

The Esper created a portal to another dimension for Baek Ji-Hyuk.

“Your body and soul could be shattered, and you might end up wandering through dimensions for eternity. Dimensional travel comes with a heavy price.”

“……”

“Do you still want to go through with it?”