Angie met the butler she hadn't seen in three years, and her eyes met the sergeant behind him. She heard footsteps running down the stairs behind her. There was no time.
She ran straight to the boatman and grabbed his hand, clinging to him. Maybe the boatman was a villager who didn't know anything. He was completely ignorant of Remedy and thought he was just providing manpower for the mansion.
“Hey, give me a lift! Please! Just give me a lift to the shore...”
“Angie.”
A heavy breathing sound was heard right behind her head. Then the boatman stepped back, seemingly embarrassed, out of Angie's grasp. It was a polite but firm gesture.
“I apologize. I am a servant of the Blackwell family and must follow the orders of the temporary head of the household.”
Angie's eyes were soon filled with despair. Mrs. Dunst came over and tried to say something, but she couldn't hear anything. She just couldn't stand on her own two feet.
She sank to the spot. The sturdy shadow of Michael, approaching her, seemed like a dark monster. No matter how much she closed her eyes and kept it out of her sight, she felt like she could never escape it. Michael opened his mouth as if he was sighing. At first glance, his tone sounded calm and gentle.
“Angie. It’s no use. You’re not getting out of here.”
"Monster..."
A deep breath flowed out of Angie's mouth. Michael was out of his mind. For the first few days, she tried to understand him and tried to persuade him somehow. But now, the madness in his purple eyes that was flashing was far from normal, no matter how she looked at it. It was different from when Kyle had locked her up in the annex and treated her roughly.
It was a different kind of ferocity. Something more savage and raw, something gruesome and horrible to the core, something that lurked inside. The shock of seeing something that looked human but was utterly inhuman set off alarm bells in her brain.
“Monster. You are a monster, Michael!”
Michael's pupils fluttered. He stared blankly at Angie, who was slowly backing away while sitting down. He, too, seemed quite shocked this time.
“I think I understand now. Three years ago... back then, you weren’t your real self. The Michael Randall who was always kind and gentle to everyone was actually just a made-up persona.”
“...”
“Your inner self... was a monster in your true nature. I don’t know if that was innate or a side effect of Eternity, but one thing is certain. You are... the same kind of person as the late Duke John Fitzroy Blackwell.”
Now she thinks she knows the monster that lurks inside. Black Mass, that Eternity had no interest in it and was thinking of abandoning the Helpers. It was all a lie. A damning lie.
“You brought those girls to Remedy... to Remedy. Right?”
Mrs. Dunst then approached the distant boat and hurried the girls out the back door, intending to cover their ears before Angie could say anything.
“Yes, hurry up and go in. There’s a patient inside the house right now, but she suddenly came out.”
“Huh? Patient... I haven’t heard anything like that.”
“There’s a maid in charge, so you won’t have to do anything. She just occasionally has sleepwalking episodes during the day. Now, let’s go in.”
The girls followed Louis's orders and walked far behind the mansion, glancing back. Between the boatman and the tall man, who had their backs turned a woman who was so beautiful that she caught their eye was sitting on the floor. The man knelt before her and seemed to be trying to comfort her, but the woman shook her head hurriedly and licked her lips.
“Oh my, it must be her. Could she be the next Duchess? Poor thing, she’s so pretty....”
“What? That girl? She looks like she’s around our age.”
“Oh my, how did that happen..."
Her long blond hair was disheveled, and she looked like she had just jumped out of bed, wearing a robe over her nightgown. Her green eyes were wide open, and her face was pale and trembling as if she had seen a monster. She was definitely not in her right mind.
“Heinrich. I’ll take care of this, so you can just step back.”
“Yes, Michael. See you later.”
The boatman returned to his ship. The friendliness he had shown him as if he were his nephew was still the same, but his title and gestures had become more formal and dignified. Anyone could tell that it was the attitude he was taking toward the next Duke.
“No! Don’t go! Take me to the shore...”
Angie screamed. She could see with her own eyes that the boatman was already on Michael's side, but her instincts did not stop her desperate plea. When Michael saw that they were alone on the dock, he reached out to her. Angie violently shook his hand away and staggered to her feet, leaning against the wall of the stairs.
“Don’t touch me...”
“Angie, please listen to me first. They’re not Remedy. That’s not...”
"Monster..."
Angie gasped and shook her head vigorously.
“You are a monster. Just like your grandfather, the Duke of Blackwell.”
“...”
“Kyle can’t be free from the sins of his predecessors either. But at least... Kyle is different. Kyle isn’t a monster like you. He truly repented for his family’s sins and said he would plot the end of Eternity, and I believe that...”
Angie couldn't continue. For a moment, there was a flash of light and she couldn't see. Only after a burning pain spread across her cheek did she realize she had been hit. She looked up at him. Michael had taken off his gentle mask and was glaring at her with fierce eyes.
“Kyle, Kyle... I don’t want to hear it. It’s boring.”
Angie didn't have time to come to her senses. The moment she saw his other hand, her other cheek also caught fire. A scream escaped her mouth. When she was hit once, twice, and several times in a row, she couldn't even speak. Her face turned bright red, and it felt like it was burning.
“He’s going to die soon. He’s going to be hanged!”
A fierce kick was felt here and there. The moment the heavy boot tip hit her stomach, Angie lost consciousness. She could not endure the indiscriminate violence that she had never experienced before.
Michael stopped moving only after she sagged. He lifted his arm and wiped the sweat from his forehead, catching his ragged breath. For a moment, he couldn’t control his emotions and almost stepped on her neck with the heel of his shoe, but he was lucky that he passed out before that.
After a few seconds, he regained his senses and carefully brushed Angie's clothes, her bruised face, and the dirt and stains here and there. Then as if it were the most precious treasure in the world, he carried her slender body up the stairs.
Louis Dunst watched her new master from behind a pillar until he disappeared at the bottom of the stairs. There was no particular agitation in her eyes, which were beginning to wrinkle.
The days of anxiety and nervousness on Rubenville Street and Armitage Street in Citadel were endless. The cheerful atmosphere of the holiday season leading up to Christmas was nowhere to be found inside Martin and Bryn's house.
The warmth was still there while the two angelic babies, Patricia and Noah, were awake, but there was no shelter at night. Willem van Armitage and Martin had been running around trying to find Angie's whereabouts, even postponing their long-term business trips. However, there were many obstacles.
To investigate the disappearance of their citizens overseas, Angie's identity had to be restored to its original state. When she escaped from Cullinan Island and came to Vintergar, Willem and Martin created a false identity for her, and she has been living under that name and false identity ever since. This was to avoid the Duke's pursuit.
“There’s nothing we can do. They said it would take at least a few days for administrative procedures.”
Willem crossed his arms and looked back at his daughter and son-in-law. The three of them were gathered in the study despite the late hour.
“It’s so frustrating. If I had known this would happen, I would have changed her identity back to what it was! How long would it take to change from Angie Ridsdel to Amber Wynn? She's not even a criminal...!”
Bryn groaned loudly as if she was frustrated. Martin also sighed, repeatedly rubbing the back of his neck. He was still having trouble sleeping at night due to worry and guilt. If only he had noticed Michael Randall a week ago. Bryn also scolded herself several times for not sending Angie to the train station so suddenly.
“Don’t worry too much, as soon as her original identity is verified, we will submit a search request to the Vintergar royal family and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“I’m going crazy. I’m worried about Angie... I wonder if she’s in the capital right now, or if her safety is threatened somewhere else.”
Martin bit his lip nervously. At that moment, the housekeeper Helen knocked on the door. It was a message that a long-awaited guest had arrived. Martin opened the door with a start, and a man in a frock coat took off his hat and greeted everyone. It was Theodore Finlay, the Vicentine consul in Vintergar.
“I apologize for the late hour.”
“What are you talking about? We asked for it, so thank you for coming!”
She ran straight to the boatman and grabbed his hand, clinging to him. Maybe the boatman was a villager who didn't know anything. He was completely ignorant of Remedy and thought he was just providing manpower for the mansion.
“Hey, give me a lift! Please! Just give me a lift to the shore...”
“Angie.”
A heavy breathing sound was heard right behind her head. Then the boatman stepped back, seemingly embarrassed, out of Angie's grasp. It was a polite but firm gesture.
“I apologize. I am a servant of the Blackwell family and must follow the orders of the temporary head of the household.”
Angie's eyes were soon filled with despair. Mrs. Dunst came over and tried to say something, but she couldn't hear anything. She just couldn't stand on her own two feet.
She sank to the spot. The sturdy shadow of Michael, approaching her, seemed like a dark monster. No matter how much she closed her eyes and kept it out of her sight, she felt like she could never escape it. Michael opened his mouth as if he was sighing. At first glance, his tone sounded calm and gentle.
“Angie. It’s no use. You’re not getting out of here.”
"Monster..."
A deep breath flowed out of Angie's mouth. Michael was out of his mind. For the first few days, she tried to understand him and tried to persuade him somehow. But now, the madness in his purple eyes that was flashing was far from normal, no matter how she looked at it. It was different from when Kyle had locked her up in the annex and treated her roughly.
It was a different kind of ferocity. Something more savage and raw, something gruesome and horrible to the core, something that lurked inside. The shock of seeing something that looked human but was utterly inhuman set off alarm bells in her brain.
“Monster. You are a monster, Michael!”
Michael's pupils fluttered. He stared blankly at Angie, who was slowly backing away while sitting down. He, too, seemed quite shocked this time.
“I think I understand now. Three years ago... back then, you weren’t your real self. The Michael Randall who was always kind and gentle to everyone was actually just a made-up persona.”
“...”
“Your inner self... was a monster in your true nature. I don’t know if that was innate or a side effect of Eternity, but one thing is certain. You are... the same kind of person as the late Duke John Fitzroy Blackwell.”
Now she thinks she knows the monster that lurks inside. Black Mass, that Eternity had no interest in it and was thinking of abandoning the Helpers. It was all a lie. A damning lie.
“You brought those girls to Remedy... to Remedy. Right?”
Mrs. Dunst then approached the distant boat and hurried the girls out the back door, intending to cover their ears before Angie could say anything.
“Yes, hurry up and go in. There’s a patient inside the house right now, but she suddenly came out.”
“Huh? Patient... I haven’t heard anything like that.”
“There’s a maid in charge, so you won’t have to do anything. She just occasionally has sleepwalking episodes during the day. Now, let’s go in.”
The girls followed Louis's orders and walked far behind the mansion, glancing back. Between the boatman and the tall man, who had their backs turned a woman who was so beautiful that she caught their eye was sitting on the floor. The man knelt before her and seemed to be trying to comfort her, but the woman shook her head hurriedly and licked her lips.
“Oh my, it must be her. Could she be the next Duchess? Poor thing, she’s so pretty....”
“What? That girl? She looks like she’s around our age.”
“Oh my, how did that happen..."
Her long blond hair was disheveled, and she looked like she had just jumped out of bed, wearing a robe over her nightgown. Her green eyes were wide open, and her face was pale and trembling as if she had seen a monster. She was definitely not in her right mind.
“Heinrich. I’ll take care of this, so you can just step back.”
“Yes, Michael. See you later.”
The boatman returned to his ship. The friendliness he had shown him as if he were his nephew was still the same, but his title and gestures had become more formal and dignified. Anyone could tell that it was the attitude he was taking toward the next Duke.
“No! Don’t go! Take me to the shore...”
Angie screamed. She could see with her own eyes that the boatman was already on Michael's side, but her instincts did not stop her desperate plea. When Michael saw that they were alone on the dock, he reached out to her. Angie violently shook his hand away and staggered to her feet, leaning against the wall of the stairs.
“Don’t touch me...”
“Angie, please listen to me first. They’re not Remedy. That’s not...”
"Monster..."
Angie gasped and shook her head vigorously.
“You are a monster. Just like your grandfather, the Duke of Blackwell.”
“...”
“Kyle can’t be free from the sins of his predecessors either. But at least... Kyle is different. Kyle isn’t a monster like you. He truly repented for his family’s sins and said he would plot the end of Eternity, and I believe that...”
Angie couldn't continue. For a moment, there was a flash of light and she couldn't see. Only after a burning pain spread across her cheek did she realize she had been hit. She looked up at him. Michael had taken off his gentle mask and was glaring at her with fierce eyes.
“Kyle, Kyle... I don’t want to hear it. It’s boring.”
Angie didn't have time to come to her senses. The moment she saw his other hand, her other cheek also caught fire. A scream escaped her mouth. When she was hit once, twice, and several times in a row, she couldn't even speak. Her face turned bright red, and it felt like it was burning.
“He’s going to die soon. He’s going to be hanged!”
A fierce kick was felt here and there. The moment the heavy boot tip hit her stomach, Angie lost consciousness. She could not endure the indiscriminate violence that she had never experienced before.
Michael stopped moving only after she sagged. He lifted his arm and wiped the sweat from his forehead, catching his ragged breath. For a moment, he couldn’t control his emotions and almost stepped on her neck with the heel of his shoe, but he was lucky that he passed out before that.
After a few seconds, he regained his senses and carefully brushed Angie's clothes, her bruised face, and the dirt and stains here and there. Then as if it were the most precious treasure in the world, he carried her slender body up the stairs.
Louis Dunst watched her new master from behind a pillar until he disappeared at the bottom of the stairs. There was no particular agitation in her eyes, which were beginning to wrinkle.
***
The days of anxiety and nervousness on Rubenville Street and Armitage Street in Citadel were endless. The cheerful atmosphere of the holiday season leading up to Christmas was nowhere to be found inside Martin and Bryn's house.
The warmth was still there while the two angelic babies, Patricia and Noah, were awake, but there was no shelter at night. Willem van Armitage and Martin had been running around trying to find Angie's whereabouts, even postponing their long-term business trips. However, there were many obstacles.
To investigate the disappearance of their citizens overseas, Angie's identity had to be restored to its original state. When she escaped from Cullinan Island and came to Vintergar, Willem and Martin created a false identity for her, and she has been living under that name and false identity ever since. This was to avoid the Duke's pursuit.
“There’s nothing we can do. They said it would take at least a few days for administrative procedures.”
Willem crossed his arms and looked back at his daughter and son-in-law. The three of them were gathered in the study despite the late hour.
“It’s so frustrating. If I had known this would happen, I would have changed her identity back to what it was! How long would it take to change from Angie Ridsdel to Amber Wynn? She's not even a criminal...!”
Bryn groaned loudly as if she was frustrated. Martin also sighed, repeatedly rubbing the back of his neck. He was still having trouble sleeping at night due to worry and guilt. If only he had noticed Michael Randall a week ago. Bryn also scolded herself several times for not sending Angie to the train station so suddenly.
“Don’t worry too much, as soon as her original identity is verified, we will submit a search request to the Vintergar royal family and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“I’m going crazy. I’m worried about Angie... I wonder if she’s in the capital right now, or if her safety is threatened somewhere else.”
Martin bit his lip nervously. At that moment, the housekeeper Helen knocked on the door. It was a message that a long-awaited guest had arrived. Martin opened the door with a start, and a man in a frock coat took off his hat and greeted everyone. It was Theodore Finlay, the Vicentine consul in Vintergar.
“I apologize for the late hour.”
“What are you talking about? We asked for it, so thank you for coming!”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment