Chapter 24: TPSD

Chapter 24

“What... what is that?”

Milena stared at the person lying stiffly on the bed like a corpse and asked.

Not “Who is that?” but “What is that?”

The figure looked so unnaturally rigid that it sent a chill down her spine.

Why is something like that lying on the bed?

Anything that reminded her of Lariette was enough to make her stomach churn.

“Hm? Ah.”

Lexion answered as if it were nothing.

“The original owner of this room.”

“What?”

His tone remained completely casual.

“The real Hubert.”

The real Hubert?

Then had the knight Lexion had been impersonating all this time actually been here the entire time?

Fluffy ash-gray hair covered the man's eyes completely. He looked exactly like the appearance Lexion always disguised himself as.

“You knocked him unconscious?”

“You could call it a kind of sleep state. Even if he wakes up, he won't remember anything. In fact, he'll probably be in better health than before, so don't worry.”

After hearing the brief explanation, Milena let out a sigh of relief.

“At least you didn't kill him. That's a relief.”

Had she really thought he had murdered a knight and stolen his place?

It was a far more violent assumption than he had expected.

Seeing the genuine relief on her face, Lexion swallowed a laugh.

“Get dressed. We need to move before the servants wake up.”

As he obediently changed clothes under Milena's urging, he asked casually,

“So where exactly are we going?”

While waiting for him, Milena had been looking around the modest knight's quarters.

As soon as he pulled on his shirt, she walked closer.

Was it supposed to be a secret?

Unable to figure out her intentions, Lexion gave her a meaningful smile.

“Hm, how did you know? My specialty has always been extremely secretive and shady business.”

“Leave out the shady part. You're really a magician, aren't you?”

She lightly smacked away the hand he had tried to use to stroke her cheek.

Looking at the hand that had been coldly rejected, he clicked his tongue inwardly.

“Well, something like that.”

The same answer again.

Either yes or no. What was something like that supposed to mean?

Still, the fact that he could use magic was enough.

Everything she planned to do from now on involved magic.

“Let's go.”

Milena held out her hand.

Lexion carefully placed his hand into the same hand that had rejected him moments earlier.

This time, she grabbed it without hesitation.

She truly was impossible to understand.

Even as she led him away, Lexion couldn't take his eyes off the hand holding his.

Until now, he had never understood women who seemed happy simply because they were holding someone's hand.

Yet now, this simple contact brought him a strange sense of peace.

Is it because our magic resonates?

Normally, physical contact felt suffocating to him.

Why did this feel so comfortable?

Was it because of the white magic suppressing his power?

Or was it simply because she was special?

The place Milena confidently led him to was certainly somewhere that required secrecy.

A hidden chamber known only to the dukes throughout history.

Even Asid, the current heir of the ducal family, was unaware of its existence.

Only Milena knew of it because she had been acting in the duchess's place instead of Lariette.

Regardless of her reputation as a villainess, she was exceptionally intelligent and had handled much of the duchy's affairs.

As a result, she had quietly gained access to even the most classified information.

“Well then.”

A grin spread across her face.

“Shall we rob the treasure vault?”

Standing before a door infused with magic, Lexion's heart pounded.

Could the jewel he had searched for so desperately be inside?

If there was any place likely to contain it, it was here.

Watching Milena hold the stolen key in her hand, he found himself looking at her anew.

The hidden chamber lay beneath the tomb of a former duke.

Behind the ducal mansion stood the family cemetery.

Beneath the grave of a long-dead duke was a staircase leading downward.

The deeper they descended, the more unpleasant the damp air became.

Click.

Milena inserted the key into a slot in the stone door and turned it.

Vwoooom—

Magic spread outward, sweeping away the stagnant energy surrounding them.

Without making a sound, the massive stone door swung open, revealing an enormous chamber.

Lexion had worried there might be defensive spells or security enchantments guarding the place, but the duke's key in Milena's possession rendered every protective measure useless.

“This is...”

Following her inside, Lexion fell silent.

Calling it a treasure vault had not been an exaggeration.

The vast chamber was overflowing with artifacts of every kind.

Since only successive dukes had known about this place, it had never been systematically organized.

An inventory probably existed somewhere, but unless someone personally checked, there was no way of knowing what might disappear.

That was precisely why Milena had chosen this place.

Generations of accumulated treasures meant there would surely be magical artifacts among them.

Their value was beyond imagination.

How much is all of this worth?

Statues.

Paintings.

Weapons.

Armor.

Everything was piled around like warehouse stock, yet preservation magic had kept the passage of time from touching any of it.

Milena's eyes darted rapidly around the room, searching for anything worth taking.

Hmm. Isn't there a bag or something?

Originally she had planned to pocket a necklace or bracelet.

But at this rate, maybe she should take more.

Financial compensation was always the best remedy for emotional damage.

“Lexion, do you know any kind of spatial storage magic?”

“......”

Because she was too busy staring at the gold coins scattered across the floor, she didn't immediately notice something was wrong.

“Lexion?”

His crimson eyes were sweeping across the chamber, following a familiar trace of magic.

Then, at last, his gaze stopped on an empty patch of air.

“It's gone...”

The magical residue was definitely still there.

But the source of power he had spent so long searching for was nowhere to be found.

He had risked everything to sneak into this place.

It felt as though someone were mocking him.

The power that should have returned to its rightful owner had vanished.

Even when he had confronted the duke, he had secretly searched him from head to toe and found nothing.

Where the hell did they hide it?

There wasn't much time left.

His anxiety transformed into anger.

And his dark magic began spiraling out of control.

He gritted his teeth and tried to suppress it, but it wasn't easy.

The violent power struggled to burst free.

He was just about to lose the battle—

“Lexion!”

A soft yet firm hand grabbed his.

His blood-red eyes slowly lowered.

Their hands.

Intertwined.

“Are you okay?”

His face had turned pale.

Cold sweat covered his skin.

His breathing came in rough, uneven gasps.

Slowly, he blinked.

“…Ah.”

Now he understood.

Why her touch felt so comforting.

The reason.

The magic he had desperately struggled to suppress—

Was afraid of her.

He didn't know how such a thing was possible.

But the moment she took his hand again, the rampaging power settled as though it had all been a lie.

Lexion let out a low, hoarse laugh.

“Lexion?”

“I told you not to grab me so easily...”

His rough voice was dangerously alluring.

Suddenly embarrassed, Milena quickly let go.

“Sorry. You looked like you were in bad shape.”

“…I didn't tell you to let go.”

His gaze lingered on her hand with obvious regret.

Then, almost pleadingly, he spoke.

“Milena... can I hug you?”

“What?”

“I'll really just hug you this time. I feel like I could collapse any second... Milena. Just for a moment.”

What's this scheme now?

Milena remained wary, but his face genuinely looked as though he might faint.

Maybe it was because he was wearing Hubert's appearance, but he looked especially pitiful.

Cold sweat rolled beneath his disheveled gray hair, tracing the sharp line of his jaw.

“…Just this once.”

She didn't know why he had suddenly become so unwell.

But no matter what, she couldn't ignore her future husband.

As she cautiously opened her arms—

Lexion didn't hesitate for even a second.

As if he had been waiting for permission all along, he pulled her tightly into his embrace.