You, Who’s Kind Only To Me - Chapter 16

The mainland was as diverse as the sea. Just as the restless waves felt uncomfortable, the land appeared bustling. It was the hub where everything from the world converged and dispersed.

Ren watched as porters, carried hefty oak barrels nearly the same size as herself on their shoulders and chatted animatedly.

Some set up stalls with curious items, while others threaded iridescent fruits onto skewers and enticed wide-eyed children. And then there were those…

“Step right up! Not just any day! Behold, the giant mullet, the size of a nobleman’s forearm! One mullet for 1 gold!”

The fish, gasping for air due to a lack of water, was mercilessly shaken upside down. When Ren’s eyes met the merchant’s, she instinctively hid behind the carriage wall, her heart pounding.

‘Humans can be so cruel…..’

She remembered having the same thought before, and now, as she calmed her racing heart and brushed away the past, Lucas was in conversation with the First Knight Commander, Gillian Hector.

“Your Excellency.”

“Hmm? As expected of the First Knight Commander. I’ve heard that you had to call an emergency council meeting and mobilize the entire army because I was absent for a while.”

“…That.”

The Knight Commander cleared his throat awkwardly. The Duke chuckled.

“But has it really been two days since I disappeared?”

“Yes.”

“It’s fascinating… I thought it had been about three hours.”

After forcefully breaking the barrier with his power and arriving on land, he found that two whole days had passed.

The time on the island, which didn’t seem to last very long, swiftly slipped away without notice. Perhaps, it was due to the influence of the barrier….

The Duke gazed in the direction of the island and spoke. Gillian watched the Duk’s elegant profile of the Duke and then cautiously asked,

“Your Excellency, but what about the person in the carriage…?”

“Ah.”

Lucas quietly turned his head towards Ren, who was sitting in the carriage.

“It seems she was used as a sacrifice at the altar.”

“…..are you saying they really used a living sacrifice?”

“That’s right.”

The Knight Commander, who had been through countless battles, sighed softly. Lucas looked at Ren, who couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the sea even after arriving on land, and spoke quietly.

“For now, the trauma will be severe so I plan to show her to the High Priest and have her watched. There’s a lot to investigate about how she ended up there, but I won’t allow any interrogation for the time being. She’s the only witness, but she’s also a guest of the castle, so be careful in your dealings with her.”

“A guest….. Yes, I understand.”

“And perhaps…”

Rarely did the Duke not finish his sentence and seemed lost in thought. Gillian looked at him with a puzzled expression. Lucas shook his head.

“….No, let’s just leave it at that.”

“Very well, I’ll inform the coachman.”

Even after the Knight Commander left, the Duke couldn’t take his eyes off the enigmatic woman from the island. She had been used as an offering at the altar, yet she had survived, and her silhouette was eerily similar to the woman in his dreams. And…

The owner of the voice that echoed throughout the entire island.

As if to represent his complex emotions, the lion emblem of the Daverid family fluttered vigorously above the prosperous harbor.

Ren was caught between the boundaries of dream and reality.

‘Ren, my proud daughter.’

A faceless entity reached out towards her. Though Ren didn’t know who this figure was, she felt extremely uncomfortable, so she swatted away the reaching hand.

Tak!

It was a resolute rejection. However, in response, the entity began screaming as if it were angered by Ren’s refusal.

[Kyyaaaakk!]

Despite having no eyes, nose, or mouth, it somehow managed to scream. Ren blocked her ears to shield herself from the terrible noise, ignoring the pitch and tone completely.

‘It hurts!’

Her ears were in pain. She plugged her ears and huddled down, but the endlessly stretching arm wrapped around her body like it was mocking her.

Her breathing became difficult.

She desperately tried to break free from the restraining arm, but it mocked her, gradually sapping her strength.

Layer by layer, it tightened around her…..

The surrounding scenery stretched and vanished behind the ever-lengthening arm. She struggled for breath.

‘No, I have to escape.’

Just as she thought that, she saw a tiny glimmer through a crack in the tightly wound arm. It was small but radiantly bright in the darkness, almost blinding.

Instinctively, she reached out towards that spot. She strained with all her might to catch the light, jamming her hand through the gap.

But…. the more she struggled, the more her strength drained away. Small bubbles burst from her mouth. In her dimming vision, she suddenly saw water filling her surroundings.

Deep darkness.

‘It must be the end.’

She thought listlessly. Then, she felt an unjust sense of frustration.

Why?

Why did it have to be her?

As she made one last effort, her hand touched something. Tak! She felt something in her fingertips. Without time to ponder what it was, she pulled it toward her in an instant, and her body was abruptly dragged above the surface.

Fwah!

She opened her eyes.

“…..Are you alright?”

Ren blinked in confusion. There was a man very close to her whose collar she had gripped, peering down at her from a distance that seemed almost too close for comfort.

Their lips almost brushed against each other.

Outside, it was quiet, and Ren had moved from her crouched and leaning position against the wall to lying horizontally on a carriage seat.

The man whose collar was caught had one arm gripping the chair to ensure their bodies didn’t overlap.

“I thought you were having a nightmare, so I tried to wake you.”

Every time he spoke, it felt like their lips almost touched.

The air around them felt tingling.

Still trying to make sense of the situation, Ren, whose red eyes shone brilliantly in the darkness like vibrant coral, shakily raised her hand. Only then did she realize her wrist was grabbing something.

“…..Ah.”

Only after fully waking up from her dream did Ren let go of the man’s collar she had been holding. She looked at the man who was on top of her and apologized awkwardly, taking in the strange atmosphere.

Lucas chuckled softly in response.