Episode 67
Episode 67
As soon as she arrived at the Riken Dukedom, Lindsey headed straight for the underground prison.
“My lady, this place holds only the most severe offenders,” the knight cautioned.
Lindsey shook her head.
“It’s fine. I came to see the intruder captured today.”
“But…”
“Hurry.”
At Lindsey’s insistence, the knight reluctantly nodded. Lindsey turned to Felia, who was about to follow her in.
“I want to go in alone.”
Lindsey knew this would eventually reach Kalia’s ears. She had told Kalia that Kenyan was someone who had tormented her. Yet, here she was, seeking him out. It was an action that would undoubtedly raise Kalia’s suspicions.
Even so, Lindsey had come to find him.
Her gaze drifted toward the underground prison, where a special iron cell crafted to confine a transcendent lay before her.
Inside, she saw a man with disheveled hair. He appeared battered and worn, suggesting he had endured much hardship.
The once-proud Kenyan now looked so pitiful that he was almost unrecognizable.
Even as she looked at him, Lindsey felt not a trace of sympathy.
“You look ridiculous.”
At her words, Kenyan lifted his head. Lindsey couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle.
The empty look in his eyes lit up the moment they fell upon her.
Kenyan no longer tried to conceal his emotions. He looked straight at Lindsey and asked,
“Why does your face look like that? Did something happen?”
Lindsey tilted her head. He was the one in the worst shape, not her.
Yet, Kenyan spoke as though she were the one who had been hurt.
He wasn’t wrong.
Lindsey was exhausted.
Even though she had found a transcendent who knew about dimensional travel, she still hadn’t attempted it.
Baek Ji-hyuk had managed it, yet she couldn’t bring herself to follow through.
‘Because I met my family?’
It was a mystery to her.
She had never had a family in Han Ji-yoo’s life either. So Lindsey couldn’t quite grasp what the word “family” truly meant to her.
She felt foolish for not being able to abandon everything and attempt dimensional travel.
“Kenyan Radian. Do you want to keep looking at me?”
She tilted her head as she spoke. Kenyan watched her as if entranced.
Lindsey smirked.
Kenyan, who had always looked down on others with his haughty expression.
Seeing him now, utterly broken, was nothing short of amusing.
“Do you know about the Kesion Marquisate’s registry?”
“…”
“I want my name erased from the Kesion family registry.”
At her words, Kenyan’s eyes flickered.
“I don’t want anyone in that place to know I’m alive.”
A heavy silence followed.
Kenyan continued to stare at Lindsey’s face. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke.
“In that case, if I erase your name from the registry…”
Lindsey was curious about what he would say next. This was the proud Kenyan Radian, after all.
Would he really obey her command so easily?
“…would I be able to stay by your side?”
To Lindsey, the situation felt almost like a farce. She held back her laughter and shook her head.
“No, I can’t promise that. But I’ll consider it.”
Her words were as if she were offering a small mercy. Lindsey expected him to curse at her.
But he remained silent.
“Now, leave.”
With those words, Lindsey opened the iron door. There wasn’t a shred of warmth in her gaze as she looked at Kenyan.
⋆★⋆
At Kalia’s summons, Lindsey arrived at her office.
‘I’m ready for whatever she has to say.’
Kalia was sure to be suspicious. Lindsey already knew Heis doubted her.
Even though the results of the paternity test had confirmed the truth, her decision to release Kenyan could only be seen as suspicious.
When Lindsey entered the office, she was met by Kalia and Heis.
Lindsey took a seat in front of Kalia.
“Did you return safely, Lindsey?”
Lindsey fell silent at the unexpected question.
“Are you feeling tired? You don’t look well.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Was that it?
Lindsey lifted her head to meet Kalia’s gaze. She was smiling without asking any further questions.
Lindsey turned toward Heis, but he, too, said nothing.
Instead, he looked at her with an unreadable expression. Their lack of questions made Lindsey feel uneasy.
“Why aren’t you asking me anything?”
“What do you mean?”
“I released Kenyan Radian.”
“I know.”
Even though they knew, why didn’t they scold her? She had braced herself for criticism, but no one held her accountable.
The entire situation felt foreign to Lindsey.
“You must have had your reasons for releasing him.”
“…”
“Of course, I don’t like him either.”
For a moment, a cold light flashed in Kalia’s eyes as she spoke.
A murderous aura briefly emanated from her, but it was so fleeting that Lindsey, not being a transcendent, couldn’t perceive it.
“He’s someone who caused you pain, so I can’t like him. But I respect your choice.”
Kalia spoke gently, carefully taking Lindsey’s hand in hers. Her touch was surprisingly warm.
In that moment, Lindsey thought of Crain.
She couldn’t understand why, but the memory of Crain came to mind. Whenever she did anything, Crain would criticize her.
“You never do anything right.”
“Pathetic. You always disgrace my name!”
So, Lindsey had expected criticism this time, too. Especially since there was a justifiable reason.
Kenyan had been imprisoned for trespassing on the Riken estate.
Releasing him without permission was clearly Lindsey’s mistake. Yet Kalia simply smiled playfully.
“You’re my daughter.”
“…”
“You’re free to do as you wish. You might not know this, but I can be quite the tyrant.”
Kalia’s tone turned firm.
“So do whatever you want, however you wish. No one will dare criticize you.”
⋆★⋆
Azhet stared at Kenyan.
It hadn’t been long since his brother returned from his mission.
It wasn’t a particularly important task—just observing the state of the Riken Dukedom, something a transcendent like Kenyan could handle easily.
The imperial family had likely assigned him the mission to give him a break, a chance to clear his head. How had that break affected Kenyan?
After returning from the Asen Empire, Kenyan was different. He no longer wandered around aimlessly, nor did he constantly drown himself in alcohol.
At times, his eyes even held a bright light. He seemed much better than the man who had once abandoned all hope.
‘Good. Maybe things will turn out easier than I thought.’
While Kenyan was on his mission, Azhet had completed what he’d been planning.
“Your fiancée has arrived.”
At Azhet’s sudden remark, Kenyan frowned.
“A fiancée?”
“It’s time you got engaged. You can’t keep putting it off.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. A fiancée, all of a sudden?”
Kenyan tilted his head.
“Is that what the procession I saw entering the estate earlier was about?”
“She’s a lady from the Eastern Empire. Her status is no less than that of our family.”
“Interesting. Do you remember when Lindsey came here?”
Azhet felt like he was losing his mind.
Lindsey. That damn Lindsey!
Azhet had thought that Kenyan had come to his senses after completing his mission. But he was still obsessed with Lindsey Kesion.
Why was he bringing up a dead woman now?
“Don’t be disrespectful to her. You understand how important this engagement is, don’t you?”
“…”
“Go and meet Lady Reina.”
“When Lindsey came, she had only a shabby carriage. No one from the family even went out to greet her.”
“That’s the treatment she received from the Kesion Marquisate. Lady Reina Kesey is on a completely different level.”
Kenyan’s expression turned cold. The pressure radiating from him rendered Azhet speechless.
Kenyan was now openly displaying his hostility.
“Don’t speak of Lindsey so carelessly.”
“What on earth are you—”
“Do you really think I’ll just go along with your order to get engaged?”
Kenyan turned away, his face showing a complete lack of interest. Azhet realized that Kenyan had no intention of meeting Lady Reina.
Lindsey. That damn Lindsey!
Nothing had gone right since her death.
Sylvia had ended up confined in a monastery, and Kenyan had lost his sanity.
It felt like everything that had once been perfect about the Radian family was falling apart.