How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 79

Lindsey let out a sigh.

‘What’s wrong with him? He looks terrible.’

She hadn’t noticed earlier, but now it was clear that something was off about Raysis’s condition.

‘There’s a strange smell…’

It was a scent she recognized—a thick, suffocating stench of death, one she had encountered countless times on the battlefield.

But why was someone like Raysis, fresh from the Marquisate, reeking of blood?

“Forget it. You can keep that title for yourself,” she said.

Her words were meant to provoke him, nothing more. Once, she had fleetingly entertained the thought of becoming the Marquis of Kesion, but only because it was the thing Crain would despise the most.

The idea of Lindsey—someone with “dirty blood”—taking over the Marquisate would surely have been Crain’s worst nightmare.

But that thought had been brief.

Taking over the Kesion Marquisate just to torment Crain would have been nothing but reckless and foolish.

“I don’t need it. I don’t even want to stay here,” she added.

“…”

“You know what I want, don’t you?”

Her goals were clear. She wanted to witness Crain’s downfall and then leave.

Raysis’s suggestion felt like a trap—a way to tie her down to the empire, to bind her to a place she no longer wanted to be. And perhaps, sensing her resolve, Raysis didn’t press further.

“I’d rather see this entire Marquisate crumble. It wouldn’t be so bad if it disappeared completely.”

“…”

“You, Crain—both of you deserve nothing but misery. I hope you suffer for the rest of your lives, clawing in agony at the bottom.”

Lindsey shook her head. The destruction of the Kesion Marquisate felt like a far-off fantasy.

She had no real expectations.

The head of the Kesion family wouldn’t be replaced so easily. Even if the Council of Elders acted, even if Crain was thrown into the dungeon, he would inevitably claw his way back to power.

“Don’t worry, Lindsey. I already told you,” Raysis said softly.

He stepped closer, brushing a strand of her hair between his fingers. Lindsey’s face twisted in discomfort, but he gazed at her as though even that expression was endearing.

“Things will turn out exactly the way you want them to.”

“…”

“No one here will ever find happiness.”

Raysis seemed determined to fulfill Lindsey’s wishes, no matter what it took.

In truth, he had long since guessed what her answer would be.

Ever since he had believed her dead, he had been preparing for this moment.

It was a moment he had dreamed of countless times in his imagination, a fantasy he had longed for with desperate hope.

Now, that fantasy had become reality, and Raysis felt an overwhelming surge of emotion.

The thought of showing Lindsey the plans he had worked so tirelessly to set in motion filled him with a deep, twisted satisfaction.

⋆★⋆

Raysis made his way to the underground dungeon, where the disheveled figure of Crain came into view.

Crain glared at Raysis and muttered, “A foolish decision.”

Raysis responded with a calm smile.

“And what exactly was the foolish decision?”

“Do you really think you can take the position of head of the family?”

“Well, I don’t particularly care about that position,” Raysis replied nonchalantly.

“…”

“I only locked you in here to buy some time.”

Raysis shrugged casually, his expression composed.

“I know you won’t kill me so easily.”

Since gaining the support of the Council of Elders, Raysis had come to understand a new truth.

“If you want to kill me, Father, it’ll come at a cost.”

“If you try to kill me, boy, it’ll be you who dies. That’s the power of the Kesion family’s registry. You have no choice but to obey my commands! The authority of the head of the family is absolute!”

The family registry was forged with ancient magic, and with ancient magic, there was always one unbreakable rule:

Equivalent exchange.

For Crain to kill his own son, the cost would be steep.

‘I can’t afford to die outright,’ Raysis thought.

The authority of the head of the family was absolute.

Unless Crain was dead, Raysis couldn’t take his place. And Raysis couldn’t kill Crain himself—if he tried, the magic of the registry would kill him first.

“Do you think I won’t kill you?” Crain spat, his voice trembling with fury. “Even if it costs me years off my life, I’ll see to it that you’re destroyed!”

“…”

“Did you forget? I have plenty of other heirs to replace you with. The power of the registry can be used here as much as I like. Once I’m out of this dungeon…”

Raysis chuckled quietly, almost mockingly, at Crain’s words.

Crain wasn’t wrong. He had created countless transcendent heirs to ensure his lineage would continue, no matter what. Raysis had always been a replaceable existence.

As a child, that knowledge had terrified him. His siblings in the Kesion Marquisate were ruthless, and Raysis knew he could be eliminated at any time.

Crain had made it a point to whisper these truths to his children, almost as if brainwashing them.

“Only the most exceptional among you will survive,” he would say.

What had made it so frightening?

Crain had promised that only the child who fought and survived until the end would be allowed to live.

This belief had shaped Raysis’s entire childhood, forcing him into a life of constant vigilance and fear.

To claim the position of head of the Kesion Marquisate, one had to eliminate all other direct descendants.

‘I only sped up the process.’

Raysis leaned closer to Crain and whispered softly, “Father, there are no other transcendent heirs left. I’m the only one remaining now.”

As he spoke, Raysis shrugged casually, as if the weight of his words were insignificant.

“What?” Crain’s expression twisted in disbelief. For a moment, he couldn’t comprehend what Raysis had just said.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared for this?”

Raysis lowered his gaze to his hands, stained with the metaphorical and literal blood of his siblings.

While Crain had been locked away in the dungeon, Raysis had methodically eliminated all the other transcendent heirs of the family—his brothers and sisters who had once been his rivals.

Locking Crain in the dungeon had been a means to buy the time necessary to finish the job.

Even after so much blood had been spilled, Raysis felt no guilt.

“Perhaps it’s because they were all garbage. I hardly feel any remorse,” he said with a cold smirk.

“You… you’ve gone mad,” Crain growled through clenched teeth, his voice trembling with rage.

Raysis, unbothered by the accusation, reached out and opened the cell door.

He had every intention of fulfilling Lindsey’s wish.

“Go ahead, Father. Try to kill me if you want.”

Raysis stood there, inviting Crain to act.

But Crain wouldn’t kill him. Without creating new heirs, eliminating Raysis would mean the end of the Kesion Marquisate’s bloodline.

For someone as prideful as Crain, allowing the family line to die was an unthinkable outcome.

⋆★⋆

Flute was in disarray.

Ever since the revelation of his illegitimate child, he had been confined to his chambers.

He gingerly touched his swollen cheek, the mark left by the Emperor’s furious slap.

“You are a disgrace to the imperial family!” the Emperor had roared.

The words had been a shocking blow to Flute.

While the Emperor often regarded him as incompetent and foolish, there had always been a sliver of affection—or so Flute had thought.

‘How could Father do this to me…?’

Flute now fully understood the gravity of his situation.

As the Emperor had struck him, Princess Rebecca had stood by with a serene, almost smug smile.

He recalled the words she had said, mocking him.

“Things would be better if Flute weren’t part of the imperial family.”

Flute’s face flushed with anger as he remembered her taunts. His gaze shifted to the man sitting in front of him—Crain, whose haggard appearance reflected his own turmoil.

“W-What on earth is going on? The rumors about the Marquis being imprisoned in the underground dungeon are everywhere! Surely the Marquisate isn’t in danger?”

Crain glared at Flute, but his scornful expression soon softened.

Flute might be pathetic and idiotic, but Crain still had reasons to keep him close.

“Danger to the Marquisate? What nonsense,” Crain said evenly.

“Then why were you imprisoned in the dungeon? I’ve heard the council of elders is on the move.”

“Do not worry, Your Highness. Nothing has changed.”

“…”

“After all, if Your Highness is to become Emperor, overcoming Princess Rebecca is an inevitable challenge, isn’t it?”

“But the nobles are whispering! They’re saying I should be cast out because of that filthy illegitimate child!” Flute exclaimed, his fists clenched in frustration.

Crain’s own fists tightened as well. He had received Kalia’s message earlier that morning, confirming the results of the paternity test.

“It seems the boy I have is indeed Prince Flute’s illegitimate child. The Emperor appears to be furious,” Kalia had taunted him, her message dripping with mockery.

Crain’s expression darkened further.

“That filthy thing is really my child?” Flute spat, his voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and rage.

“Calm yourself, Your Highness,” Crain said, though his tone was anything but soothing.

“How can I remain calm? Kalia Riken is obviously scheming something! I took care of everything cleanly—I eliminated all the women who might have been pregnant. So how is this child still alive?”

Crain clicked his tongue, his disdain for Flute’s indecisiveness growing.

Fixing his cold gaze on Flute, he finally spoke.

“So, are you just going to sit back and let this happen?”

“Then what do you suggest?” Flute asked, his voice shaky.

“If they threaten our lives, we strike first,” Crain said, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light.

The corners of his lips curled into a wicked smile, his gaze sharpening like a predator closing in on its prey.