# Chapter 59
However, the Duke’s action did not follow through to the end. As if he had only intended to frighten someone, he flashed a sinister smile and slid the sword back into his cane.
“There’s no need to soil my hands with blood. Just keep him alive. If possible, I’d prefer to have his limbs broken.”
It was practically an order to turn him into a half-cripple. Honestly, in this situation, cutting out his tongue would make it difficult to determine Asher’s whereabouts, so Rune bowed his head. The Duke accepted the handkerchief Rune offered, wiped the blood from his cane, and then tossed it to the floor before leaving.
“As a fellow knight, I don’t wish to cripple you. So please speak honestly. If you do, I’ll at least leave your hands intact as a gesture of goodwill.”
Rune spoke as if giving Toms one last chance, but Toms looked straight at him with a self-deprecating smile.
“Loyalty to one’s master… I believe we share the same sentiment. Even if my life cannot withstand the torture and I die, my heart will remain unchanged.”
As if saying he wouldn’t speak even if he knew, Toms expressed his loyalty to Asher and lowered his eyes. Thinking that even breathing might be his last, Toms thought of Asher.
‘I’m sorry, Young Master. It seems I won’t be able to keep my promise to serve by your side until the end.’
Even in this situation, Toms bit the inside of his mouth in agony, feeling guilty for not being able to protect him. Rune looked at Toms with a regretful expression, walked over to a brazier he had lit beforehand, and picked up a heated poker.
“Please don’t resent me too much.”
As if this were the fate of a knight who had pledged loyalty to his lord, Rune approached Toms. But soon, with a ‘bang’ as the door opened, a man appeared through the gap accompanied by guards.
“Stop that hand right now.”
Shaki Anest. The second son of the Ducal family and a man who had earned the Duke’s full trust. Rune widened his eyes in surprise at Shaki’s appearance, but quickly moved to burn Toms’s hand with the poker, as if determined to carry out the Duke’s orders.
“I apologize. I’m only following His Grace’s orders.”
At Rune’s final words, Shaki jumped down from the stairs and kicked away the poker Rune was holding. He kicked it with such force that Rune’s hand throbbed with pain, but sensing danger, he tried to draw the sword at his waist. However, Shaki was a split second faster, drawing Rune’s sword and pointing the blade at his throat.
“Didn’t I clearly tell you to stop?”
“How did you find this place, my lord?”
“Wouldn’t it be quicker to beg for your life rather than asking how I found this place?”
“As much as you are favored by His Grace, young master, I would appreciate it if you respected certain boundaries.”
Despite his plea, Shaki paid no heed. Instead, he applied more pressure to Rune’s throat, drawing droplets of red blood with the blade.
“If I were going to do that, I wouldn’t have come in the first place. So step aside. Unless you have two lives to spare.”
“I refuse.”
“Do you truly believe you can win against me?”
Shaki and Rune engaged in an intense standoff, as if there would be no more concessions, but Rune knew. He knew that Shaki, a renowned swordsman in the Empire, could easily kill him if he wished. Rune let out a pained groan.
“…Ugh.”
“You know it too. That if I wanted to, killing you would be nothing to me. So go back and tell my father. Tell him I’ll be taking Toms.”
Judging that the knight’s pride wouldn’t let him retreat, Shaki revealed his killing intent and issued his command. As a result, Rune had no choice but to make a tactical retreat from the underground chamber. Only then did Shaki throw the sword he was holding to the floor and approach Toms.
“…Young Master.”
Seeing Toms coughing up blood, Shaki hurriedly unfastened the restraints binding his hands and feet.
“I have many questions, but treatment seems more urgent right now, so I won’t ask.”
“If you’re asking about Young Master Asher’s location… I don’t know either.”
“Even if you knew, you wouldn’t tell me. But I didn’t come here to ask you about his location. So trust me and be at ease. From now on, we need to cooperate to ensure Asher doesn’t come to harm. The timing is critical.”
Shaki called Arian, who had been following him, and ordered him to move Toms to the villa, then instructed another follower to summon a priest. ‘From now on, my father the Duke and Ember might try to trap me over this. I need to plan my strategy carefully,’ thought Shaki as he turned away, while Toms expressed his gratitude.
“…Thank you.”
“It’s too early for thanks. So don’t think about escaping and quietly receive treatment. That’s the way to help both Asher and me.”
Toms watched Shaki answer without meeting his eyes, then left the underground chamber with Arian’s help. Shaki might face harm from the Duke for smuggling him out. But for now, the urgent matter was to recover quickly with his help, so Toms gritted his teeth and muttered to himself.
‘I will come to find you soon, Young Master. Until then, please remain safe and well.’
*
Recently, the movements of the Ducal family had been unusual. Naturally, there was no reply to the letter sent to Asher, and the Duke was avoiding meeting with Luke. Luke called for Saint, instructing him to find out about the situation at the Ducal residence, then sat down and became lost in thought.
“A subtle scent like the sea…”
Luke couldn’t forget the scent he had detected from Asher when he bid farewell. Usually, pheromones from an omega who wasn’t his own were repulsive, but the pheromones he smelled from Asher that day were more irritating than repulsive. Perhaps it was because they triggered the alpha’s possessiveness.
“So my patience has reached its limit.”
Luke recalled the incomplete memory of his rut, uncertain whether it was a dream or reality. Although the fragments of memory weren’t continuous, in the memories he could recall, he was clearly having sex with Asher. But when they met again, Asher looked at him as if without the slightest lie and answered that he had been at Shaki’s villa at that time.
Faced with this unbelievable reality, Luke had ordered Saint to investigate, but nothing changed. The emptiness he felt then. It was clear that he had gone mad with sexual desire that he had suppressed for so long. If he was mistaking dreams for reality. Luke clenched his fist painfully and coldly stared at the pile of documents on the table.
“If I’ve truly gone mad…”
Luke had tried to suppress the emotions that surged after his rut. But the more he tried, the stronger his possessive desire for Asher grew. As the impulse to keep him close intensified, Luke focused on his paperwork to divert his mind elsewhere.
“Your Majesty.”
Saint, who had completed his investigation, hurriedly approached Luke. Luke, still holding his pen, gestured for Saint to report.
“…Young Master Asher has disappeared from the Ducal residence.”
“What?”
“It’s been about three days since he disappeared, and the problem is that he vanished from the Ducal residence without a trace, not even a strand of hair has been found.”
Luke frowned as if he’d heard nonsense. To begin with, it made no sense that Asher’s whereabouts would be unknown at the Anest house. At a time when an important engagement was approaching, Poltic would not sit idle during Asher’s absence.
“They’re trying to keep it from leaking outside, but despite sealing off the capital, no traces have been found, so everyone is thinking the worst…!”
“Enough!”
As if he didn’t want to hear any more, Luke silenced Saint and snapped his pen in half. It was supposed to be the sturdiest item made in the Empire, yet Luke easily broke it in two, revealing his murderous intent.
“Even if it’s someone I cherish, I will not tolerate careless words.”
“I spoke out of turn.”
Saint realized he had misspoken and bowed deeply in apology.
“Send people to the Empire without anyone noticing. We must find him before the Duke does, no matter what.”
Saint quietly responded to the calm yet weighty tone and bowed. Normally, when angry, one would shout or raise their voice, but Luke was different from such people—he remained quiet. Only the broken pen betrayed his disturbed state of mind.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t angry. Though he said nothing, Luke’s eyes flickered with an eerie madness, and a dark aura swirled around him, making it hard to breathe.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
