How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 58

Lindsey bit down hard on her lower lip.

Even when she first realized she had returned to this world, she hadn’t felt this sorrowful.

If it weren’t for her goal of finding Baek Ji-hyuk, she felt she would have collapsed from despair.

Mikhail slowly reached out and patted her shoulder.

At his touch, as if offering comfort, Lindsey crumbled.

In truth, she was angry.

She had been living a hellish life, yet her family seemed happy—that was something she couldn’t bear.

Lindsey couldn’t even understand why she was still alive.

She had the goal of finding Baek Ji-hyuk, but even that felt unclear, like looking through a fog.

When she was in the Kesion Marquisate, her goal was to escape.

But once she left, and the search for Baek Ji-hyuk began, fear set in.

Specifically, she feared confirming his death. What if Baek Ji-hyuk, in his attempt at dimensional travel, had died?

What if there was no way for her to ever see him again?

She remembered once asking Baek Ji-hyuk what he would do if she disappeared.

He had smiled and answered Han Ji-yu.

“Silly, you worry too much about unnecessary things.”

“Do you really think I wouldn’t come find you?”

But those words had been meant for Han Ji-yu.

‘I’m not Han Ji-yu anymore.’

She couldn’t accept the fact that she was alone in this merciless world.

Mikhail spoke to Lindsey.

“The Duke of Riken didn’t hate you.”

“How do you know that?”

Mikhail handed her a letter. With trembling hands, Lindsey took it.

“I found it in Crain’s study.”

Lindsey opened the letter with shaky hands.

Will you ever be able to read this letter?

I don’t have much time, and it pains me that I can’t write more.

I never wanted to send you away.

I still remember the moment you were born.

I can’t put into words how radiant and precious you were.

I love you, my child.

Lindsey carefully folded the letter. The old paper looked like it would crumble if she applied even the slightest pressure. Her eyes wavered as she gazed at it.

But at the same time, she couldn’t understand.

If she was loved that much, couldn’t there have been at least some contact?

If there had been, maybe she could have endured life in the Kesion Marquisate.

“How did you get this…?”

“It took time to take it from Crain.”

Lindsey looked at Mikhail with a face full of confusion. She had always thought of him as someone who only followed Crain’s orders.

But now, it seemed he had no loyalty to Crain. Rather…

‘It feels like he’s acting for my sake.’

Lindsey looked at Mikhail and asked.

“Why are you helping me?”

Mikhail remained silent.

“Now that I think about it, it’s very strange. If it were just about healing, that would make sense. But you always say you don’t need healing.”

As she spoke, Lindsey grabbed his hand. She felt his body tense up. She started guiding him.

Mikhail’s expression didn’t change.

Normally, when transcendent beings received her healing, they would be overwhelmed. But he maintained his composure.

‘His self-control is remarkable.’

As he said, it wasn’t for the purpose of healing that he was helping her.

Then, what was the reason behind his kindness?

She wanted to know. Who Mikhail really was.

Why he was helping her.

“Do you like me?”

He tilted his head, his expression unreadable.

“I don’t know.”

Lindsey frowned.

‘What a stupid question to ask.’

She let out a small laugh.

He was the type of person who, when asked if he liked someone, would respond with “I don’t know.” Did he even understand what it meant to like someone?

Could he comprehend sadness, pain, or even joy?

It seemed like he didn’t know what emotions were. Even the anger he occasionally displayed seemed like an act, matching the situation.

Lindsey’s hand slipped away from Mikhail’s. His gaze followed her hand, but Lindsey didn’t notice.

“Then why are you helping me like this?”

“Because you’re bothersome.”

Bothersome?

In the Kesion Marquisate, she had lived as if she didn’t exist. If she bothered him, then everyone in the Marquisate should have bothered him.

“You won’t have to see me anymore. There’s no reason for you to come looking for me.”

For some reason, Lindsey was angry with Mikhail.

“What have I done to bother you? I was just trying to live quietly there. I didn’t do anything.”

Lindsey suddenly realized something strange.

Mikhail’s gaze never left her, not even for a moment. It was as if they were the only two people in the world.

He didn’t respond to Lindsey’s question. Instead, he left her with different words before disappearing.

“I’ll help you fully escape from the Kesion Marquisate.”

⋆★⋆

Raysis’s words had stirred Kenyan into action. Staying idle was meaningless, just as Raysis had said.

At the very least, he needed to find out who was responsible for Lindsey’s unjust death and take his revenge.

‘That Prince Flute is suspicious.’

At some point, Crain had begun to support Prince Flute.

The most likely successor to the throne was Princess Rebecca. Although the Emperor favored Prince Flute, he was an incompetent man.

The only reason Crain would support him was if there had been some kind of deal between them.

‘I can see right through him.’

To Crain, the incompetent Prince Flute must have seemed more appealing than the capable Princess Rebecca.

Prince Flute could be easily manipulated, and Crain would want to win his favor. Some kind of exchange must have taken place.

Crack.

Kenyan looked down at the sofa he was sitting on. The armrest had broken apart under the pressure of his grip.

“Finally come to your senses?”

He looked at the mission order in his hand. Azhet was watching him with a bright expression.

Kenyan had sought out Azhet to tell him he was ready to take on a mission after such a long time.

Azhet was relieved, thinking that Kenyan had finally pulled himself together.

It was becoming difficult to delay the mission any longer. As a transcendent, Kenyan was obligated to fulfill the duties assigned to him by the imperial family.

If not, he could be imprisoned for failing to carry out the duties of a transcendent.

‘Thank goodness.’

Azhet had thought. But the moment his eyes met Kenyan’s vacant gaze, he realized he had been mistaken.

Kenyan stared coldly at the mission order as he spoke.

“The Riken Duchy?”

“It’s a mission from the imperial family. They’ve ordered an investigation of the Riken Duchy.”

“Why there?”

“I don’t know either. Who can say what His Majesty is thinking?”

Kenyan squinted.

His heart began to race for some reason. His transcendent senses were warning him.

If he went there, something new would unfold.

⋆★⋆

“Where have you been?”

Felia’s words snapped Lindsey out of her thoughts. After Mikhail had left, she had returned to the Riken Duchy, drenched in cold sweat.

“The Duke even summoned the soldiers to search for you.”

Lindsey looked ahead.

She saw the knights and soldiers.

In front of them was Kalia, her expression filled with worry.

It was an excessive number of people to be searching for a single cleric.

“Cleric Roana, are you alright?”

The woman standing before her was her mother. Lindsey’s gaze shifted slowly.

She saw Kalia’s sons.

Unlike her, they seemed to belong naturally in the Riken Duchy.

Unlike her, they had received full love. Lindsey thought of the letter in her pocket.

I love you, my child.

Lindsey wanted to ask. She wanted to scream and cry.

If you love me, how could you not come for me?

What is love?

What do you know that makes you look at me with such tender eyes?

Lindsey slowly approached Kalia. She saw the questioning gazes of the others watching her.

She no longer cared about what anyone else thought.

“Do you not know who I am?”

Kalia’s head tilted slightly in confusion. Her expression was one of innocence, as if she knew nothing, and it twisted something inside Lindsey.

You know. You must know.

The truth was, Kalia was likely blameless. Crain had held the family registry as leverage.

It wasn’t hard to imagine that he had used Lindsey’s life to threaten Kalia.

But still.

The resentment welled up. Couldn’t she have sent someone just once?

If she had known that her mother loved her, the time she endured in the Kesion Marquisate might not have been so unbearable.

She felt bitter. Angry.

Some might say her actions were childish if they saw. Didn’t she know Kalia was a victim too?

‘I’m used to holding it in.’

It would have been easier to smile and treat Kalia kindly.

Using Kalia would certainly make things easier for her in the future. But she didn’t want to do that.

With a voice filled with sorrow, Lindsey spoke.

“You say you love me, so why didn’t you come for me?”