How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 49

Raysis, too, wanted to speak to Lindsey.

He wanted to offer her his hunting prize as well.

But knowing what her response would be, he said nothing.

‘It’s fine. Lindsey isn’t going anywhere anyway.’

Lindsey would remain here.

There would be plenty of chances to beg for her forgiveness. Thinking this, Raysis gazed at Lindsey.

His earnest eyes made Lindsey frown in discomfort.

The transcendent hunters began to move, signaling that Raysis, who had been standing by Lindsey’s side, had left to join them.

“Lindsey, it’s been a while.”

Lindsey turned at the sound of the familiar voice calling her name.

There stood Sylvia, who was said to have gone to a distant region to recuperate.

Sylvia looked haggard.

It was hard to imagine that this was the same woman who had once dominated high society just months ago.

But her eyes were as vicious as ever.

“You seem to have been well. You look much better,” Sylvia said.

“Well, thanks to you,” Lindsey replied coldly.

Sylvia’s lips twisted into a bitter smile.

“I have something to talk about. Would you walk with me for a bit?”

“Talk? About what?”

“Yes, just a little way into the forest. It won’t take long.”

“I don’t think we’re close enough to have a private conversation.”

“It’s something you’ll be interested in. Aren’t you curious about what happened in the lawless territories? Why things turned out the way they did?”

How did Sylvia know about that?

Lindsey glanced around briefly.

Most people were too preoccupied with discussing the transcendent hunters to pay any attention to them.

“Alright.”

Lindsey nodded, intrigued. She wondered what Sylvia had to say that couldn’t be spoken in front of others.

The two walked into the forest.

They reached a spot out of sight from the rest of the crowd, and only then did Sylvia speak.

“Crain Kesion knew you were going to die and did nothing. He knew everything and still sent you there. He could have stopped it, but he didn’t.”

Lindsey looked up at the sky.

From the overcast heavens, raindrops began to fall, one by one.

Sylvia frowned and opened the parasol she had been carrying.

“Rain during the hunting competition—what bad luck.”

She turned to look at Lindsey. Her face was unsettlingly expressionless as she stared back.

‘What’s with that look? It’s creepy.’

Sylvia felt a wave of discomfort. She wanted Lindsey to suffer. She wanted her to realize that her father had completely abandoned her.

‘It’s irritating that she still thinks she’s loved.’

She had intended to make that clear to Lindsey. But Lindsey’s reaction was far from what Sylvia had expected.

Lindsey was calm.

She didn’t even bother to avoid the rain. Sylvia had expected her to be shocked, but Lindsey’s composed demeanor was so unnerving that it made her feel uneasy.

Sylvia had thought Lindsey would crumble, but instead, Lindsey smiled elegantly.

‘Is she smiling?’

Sylvia felt a chill run down her spine.

‘Has she finally gone mad?’

How could she smile in a situation like this? Sylvia couldn’t understand.

“Aren’t you curious why he did it? Crain wanted to prove his loyalty to Prince Flute.”

“…”

“If he let you die, that alone would have been enough to prove his devotion.”

Sylvia’s lips curled into a mocking grin.

“But what kind of trick did you pull?”

“What do you mean?”

“Now even Prince Flute wants you for himself. Did you seduce him the way you did my son? How do you manage to make every transcendent fall for you like that?”

Sylvia had been utterly shocked when she first learned of this.

A prince who wants Lindsey for himself!

But despite the absurdity of the situation, Sylvia couldn’t hide her amusement. If Lindsey were gone, there would be no one to heal Mikhail.

And as expected, Crain came to Sylvia, sharing his plan.

“I’m planning to send Lindsey to the prince as his plaything.”

Initially, Sylvia had no intention of ever forgiving Crain.

But the enemy of her enemy is her ally.

The moment she heard Crain’s words, she decided to join forces with him.

She knew well enough what the fate of guides sent to serve the prince as his toys was like.

‘It’s a fitting end for someone like her.’

There was more than enough reason to ally with Crain. Sylvia despised Lindsey.

How dare she arrogantly claim to love her son?

‘And now she’s manipulating Kenyan.’

There were plenty of reasons to hate Lindsey. The humiliation Sylvia had suffered because of her also resurfaced in her mind.

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

“I expected as much.”

“What?”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“…”

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped calling me for such trivial matters.”

With that, Lindsey turned her back on Sylvia. Sylvia looked at her in disbelief.

‘What a cold-blooded woman.’

Even after being told that her father had abandoned her, Lindsey showed no sign of being shaken. The thought of that cold expression gave Sylvia chills.

She watched as Lindsey walked away.

‘It doesn’t matter. I won’t see her again anyway. She’ll return to her rightful place soon.’

Sylvia had a reason for speaking to Lindsey.

She watched the spot where Lindsey had disappeared with cold eyes.

⋆★⋆

After walking for a while, Lindsey realized she was alone in the forest. If it weren’t for her responsibilities, she would have vanished right there, cutting ties with the Kesion household for good.

But at that moment, someone grabbed her wrist tightly.

“Lindsey Kesion!”

Lindsey turned to see who it was. Raysis stood there, his face filled with shock as he held onto her.

Why was he here?

He had said he was going off to hunt.

‘Well, that’s not really the point.’

Lindsey thought as she looked at Raysis.

‘Did he hear everything?’

He must have overheard Sylvia’s words.

But even before hearing her, he probably already knew.

That Crain Kesion had planned to kill her.

‘It’s laughable. Why are you so shocked?’

Even if Raysis had heard everything, there was no reason for him to be so shocked.

At least Raysis wouldn’t be abandoned by Crain.

He was, after all, the most talented transcendent among Crain’s children.

‘Was I just useless?’

Lindsey didn’t really care either way.

‘Crain is still trying to use me to the very end.’

A cold smile spread across her face.

“Are you alright?”

Raysis looked anxious. Lindsey tilted her head, puzzled by his concern.

“I never had any expectations from Crain, that man.”

Raysis gazed at her, his face drained of color.

“I wasn’t hurt. I expected this. So why are you asking if I’m okay all of a sudden?”

Raysis didn’t know what to say.

The fact that she hadn’t been hurt at all by her father’s actions only pained him more.

He couldn’t even tell her that their father wasn’t like that.

Because their father really was that kind of man. A man who pursued his own benefit, using any means necessary.

Crain, their father.

Lindsey’s childhood—he remembered how he had looked at her during those rare moments when they crossed paths.

“Useless.”

His eyes had been so cold.

It was a harsh thing to say to a young daughter.

That’s the kind of man he was.

A man who didn’t care what happened to his daughter, born without pure noble blood.

Whether she starved, was beaten, or even died, it didn’t matter to him. After Lindsey awakened her divine power, he had pretended to be kind, but Lindsey had never trusted him for even a moment.

The rain poured down on Lindsey’s face. She stood there quietly, letting it soak her.

It didn’t hurt. The fact that Crain was such a man didn’t wound her either.

‘I always knew.’

That’s why she had tried to escape.

It just felt empty. What was she in this world, after all?

Why was she struggling so hard to survive like this?

She had been abandoned by her parents, surrounded only by repulsive people. She knew that her healing abilities were a powerful weapon.

If she went to the imperial palace right now and used her healing powers, people would line up to keep her locked away, begging for her abilities.

There would be no end to those who wanted her by their side, desperate for her healing.

Knowing this, Lindsey deliberately held back. Even when she did use her healing power, she only used the bare minimum.

‘Because I know how they would exploit me.’

That’s why Lindsey only showed her full abilities to Bianca and Mikhail. When it came to other transcendents, she purposely limited herself.

‘I can’t let people like Kenyan or Raysis happen again.’

Lindsey’s hair was drenched, the weight of the wet strands heavy.

‘Crain must have decided that my usefulness only extends that far.’

A cleric who can heal Mikhail.

That’s all she was to him.

But Prince Flute had already seen how she healed Mikhail.

‘And he’s also seen the changes in Bianca, Kenyan, and Raysis.’

At first, it might have just been curiosity. How she survived Count Luan, and how the powerful transcendents around her were drawn to her.

Even a fool would eventually notice.

‘That my divine power is something special.’