Even when he was strangling the princess, the earrings responded to his power.
“What trick did they use?”
If someone had forcibly removed the earrings, he would have known immediately. How did they manage to remove them without him noticing?
“Leticia, Leticia, Leticia! Leticia ruined my plan again!”
In truth, the method did not matter. What mattered was that Leticia ruined his plan again. She took his wings, took Josephina, whom he had painstakingly raised, and now she had ruined his plan again!
“I will kill her! I will kill her! I will definitely kill her!”
He felt like he was going crazy with anger. His whole body felt like it was melting from the rage. Rehir gasped with bloodshot eyes. He felt like he could give anything to kill Leticia now. He even thought it would not matter if he gave up all the power he had accumulated and returned to ‘darkness.’
“Killing her is not enough! I will destroy everything Leticia has! I will kill everyone she knows! I will kill them brutally in front of her!”
Right then, there were people related to Leticia right in front of him. The doctor and his daughter, ordinary people who would die with just a flick of his finger. The weakest of Leticia’s people!
“Della, go in there right now. Drag the doctor and his daughter out. Kill them too!”
Rehir shouted in rage.
“Then write next to their bodies that they died because they followed Leticia! Let everyone who follows Leticia know that they will meet the same fate!”
Leticia, upon hearing the news, would surely be shocked. That weak woman would not be able to shake off the guilt of thinking that the father and daughter died because of her.
Additionally, fear would spread throughout the city! Those who held torches for Leticia today would be crushed by the fear that they could die at any moment.
“I will kill, and kill again. I will kill everything I see! I will offer the lives of these humans to the law of causality. I will also offer the chaos and fear that will spread throughout the city!”
Killing just a few would be enough. Being chased by the wings now, there was no more efficient evil than this.
“If necessary, I will use ‘that’ too.”
Wanting to check the state of ‘it,’ Rehir made a hand seal. Darkness as black as ink wavered in the air. The center split open, letting out a faint light. It was a white stone lying in the darkness. It was the soul of a deceased person he had stolen from a dying body a long time ago.
“Heh, the light is still clear. For a human, still!”
He had obtained this soul years ago. It was when he had just started to twist fate in earnest. After being born from darkness, he had killed countless humans. But it was the first time he had seen a soul shining so brightly.
Feeling its value instinctively, Rehir stole the soul before the law of causality could consume it. He was certain he could use it someday. Just like now. With a bizarre laugh, intoxicated by the light of the soul, Rehir reached his hand into the darkness.
***
“Dad?”
Irene rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up. She looked around the unfamiliar place, tilting her head in confusion.
“Where is this place?”
It was a room decorated with quite luxurious wallpaper and furniture. Irene got off the bed and started looking for the doctor.
“Dad, where are we? Where did you go?”
Then, she discovered a half-open travel bag in the corner. The doctor’s precious medical bag was also there. It seemed he had stepped out for a moment; a scarf hung on the coat rack. Irene closed the travel bag with her tiny hands and murmured to herself.
“Did a patient come?”
The doctor often left suddenly for urgent patients. Irene thought nothing of it and headed to the table. Carefully, she climbed onto a chair and tilted a water bottle to pour some water. She drank cautiously to avoid dropping the large cup. She then returned to the bed and covered herself with the blanket.
As she tried to fall asleep, her mind became clearer. She closed her eyes and counted sheep, but soon she got up, hugging her knees and resting her chin on them.
“I can’t go back to the Saintess, can I?”
She would never see the brothers and sisters again. Her nose tingled with sadness. If she had known, she would have said goodbye. Kailas and Julia cherished her so much. Knock, knock.
“Dad? Are you back already?”
Irene jumped off the bed with joy and hurried to the door. She reached for the doorknob but paused.
“Why is Dad knocking? Why isn’t he using the key?”
Something felt off. Irene slowly lifted her head. Her big eyes reflected the thick wooden door. She instinctively shrank her shoulders.
“Dad, did you lose your key?”
There was no answer from outside.
After a moment, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock, knock! Her heart sank. A chill ran down her spine. Instinctively, Irene let go of the doorknob and stepped back. Her heart pounded louder than the knocking.
“It’s not Dad!”
For a long time, the doctor had always warned her to be cautious of strangers. He told her never to open the door for someone she didn’t know. He even emphasized that she might have to leave him forever, like her mother, if she wasn’t careful.
“Could it be a guest who found the wrong room?”
Trembling, Irene leaned against the door. She used all her strength to press against it, hoping the person outside would go away.
Click! Bang!
She barely stifled a scream and backed away from the door. Click, click! The screws on the doorknob began to twist and come loose. Terrified, Irene forced herself to speak.
“D-Dad, you lost your key, didn’t you? Hold on! I’ll open the door! But the latch is too high! I’ll get a chair!”
The noise outside abruptly stopped. Taking the opportunity, Irene dashed to the window. She climbed onto the cabinet with all her might. There was no time to put on a coat. As soon as she opened the window, a cold blizzard rushed in. Her braid came loose and flapped wildly.
“It’s too high.”
She could barely keep her eyes open because of the wind. When she looked down, her heart pounded. Irene’s room was on the second floor. For young Irene, it felt like jumping from the top of the sky.
Click, click, click, click!
The sound of the doorknob turning grew louder. The door rattled violently. It sounded like the chariot from hell she had read about in books. Irene barely held back her tears. There was no time to hesitate. Whether it worked out or not, she had to jump.
“Irene.”
At that moment, someone who hadn’t been there before stood in the white snow below.
“Don’t worry and jump. I’ll catch you.”
He smiled gently, extending his arms. His black eyes shone warmly.
“Let’s go to Leticia.”
Irene’s eyes widened. At that moment, bang! Reflexively turning back, she gasped. The handle had broken. The door was about to open.
“Ack!”
The wind blew again. Her vision blurred, and her body tilted sideways. Her grip on the windowsill slipped.
Irene fell without a sound. She shut her eyes tightly, bracing for the imminent pain.
But something was off. No matter how long she waited, she didn’t feel any pain. Irene cautiously opened her eyes. The man she had seen earlier had caught her perfectly.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Dietrian. I’m very close to Leticia. But we don’t have time. We’ll have a proper introduction later.”
Dietrian tucked Irene’s disheveled hair behind her ear, then adjusted his hold on her and ran into an alley. At the same time, bang! A tremendous explosion sounded. It was from the room she had been in. A black shadow leaned out the window.
“Damn it! The little rat escaped!”
The lodging house disappeared behind the wall. Irene clung tightly to Dietrian’s neck, not wanting to fall. Even in the midst of this, she pondered Dietrian’s identity. Dietrian? She was sure she had heard that name somewhere. As she thought hard, her eyes suddenly brightened.
‘The Saintess mentioned him. He really knows her!’
Irene’s small heart pounded. She recalled something else. When Dietrian had tucked her hair behind her ear, she had seen a ring on his finger.
‘It was just like the Saintess’s wedding ring!’
Bright Irene finally figured out Dietrian’s identity.
‘He is the Prince!’
* * *
“No!”
Della let out a piercing scream. The wide-open window rattled violently. A terrible fear swept over her. She had lost the child. She had failed Rehir’s command!
‘Rehir will kill me!’
He might offer her as a sacrifice instead of the child. Knowing Rehir’s nature, he would never let her die easily. Della immediately jumped from the second floor. The child had been in the room just moments ago. She couldn’t have gone far.
“Footprints?”
But something was off. There were no child’s footprints on the white snow. Instead, there were the tracks of an adult male’s shoes. Della gritted her teeth.
“Who is this bastard? Who dares interfere with my work!”
Della hurriedly followed the footprints. Thankfully, they were clearly marked on the snow. She ran through the alley, and after a while, the surroundings brightened. Della’s eyes gleamed sinisterly as she recognized the place.
‘Foolish idiot. To hide here!’
It was the temple where Della had served as the captain of the knights for years. Now, catching that person was just a matter of time. Della quickly rushed into the temple.
