NOVEL WEB Chapter 34
His eyes were like a still ocean—calm, yet unfathomably deep.At that moment, Elsez felt the knight’s presence drawing near.Two more steps.Swiftly, she pulled the man’s arm, positioning him so that he faced the knight with his back to her, using his body as a shield.One more step.Sensing the knight approaching even closer, Elsez wrapped her arms around the man’s neck.The sudden motion drew them even closer, his dark blue hair spilling over the edge of his mask.Before he could react, his face was pressed dangerously close to hers.If not for the mask, they would be breathing the same air.Yet, even at this proximity, the only thing visible to her was the pair of violet eyes beneath the mask.For a fleeting moment, the still waters of his gaze rippled.‘These eyes… I’ve seen them before.’Just as the familiarity of his eyes sent her thoughts spiraling, the sound of a knight clearing his throat interrupted them.“Ahem. Pardon me, but you should not be here. Please return to the main building.”Mistaking them for a pair of lovers sneaking away from the banquet, the knight gave a brief warning before retreating.Only when Elsez saw him disappear beyond the corridor did she loosen her hold on the man’s shoulders.She let out a quiet sigh, lowering herself from the tips of her toes.At the same time, the man’s strong arms uncurled from around her waist.As his warmth faded, the night air suddenly felt chillier against her back.But his violet gaze remained, fixed upon her with unwavering intensity.Meeting that gaze, Elsez finally remembered who he reminded her of.‘…Rashiel?’The name surfaced in her mind before she could stop it.But she quickly shook her head.This man had dark blue hair like the midnight sky, while Rashiel’s hair was silver.More importantly, if he were Rasihel, he would see her as a spy for the imperial family—there was no way he’d react like this.‘He must be a noble attending the banquet.’Perhaps he had simply stepped outside for fresh air and wandered here by chance.Though… wearing a mask at a banquet that wasn’t a masquerade was odd.Regardless, if he wasn’t affected by the mind-control magic, then she couldn’t afford for him to suspect her.‘The safest way to deal with a witness… is to eliminate them.’But if he had barely escaped being brainwashed, then he was just another innocent victim.She couldn’t kill him for that.Instead, she decided to play along—as if she were just another noblewoman at the banquet.“Thank you. Well then… I’ll take my leave.”Offering a polite nod, she turned toward the banquet hall.Her silent footsteps carried her farther away from him.Even after she had vanished from his sight, the man did not look away.Finally, he slowly lowered his gaze to his palm.There, resting in his hand, was a small floral ornament.It had fallen from Elsez’s hair when they had been pressed together, and he had picked it up.For a long moment, he simply stared at it, his expression unreadable.Then, turning away, he touched his earring.At that instant, his calm violet eyes bled into a vivid, blood-red hue.As the chill of the night wind brushed past, his hair—now caught in the silver glow of the moonlight glimmered faintly. **** Elsez pretended to head back toward the main building but changed her path, circling around to the front of the annex once more.As she approached the structure, Astaire’s urgent voice crackled through her earring.-Lady Elsez, can you hear me? Answer me if you can.“I hear you now. The connection is clear.”-The signal kept cutting off. I was worried.Relief was evident in his voice.Elsez quickly explained the situation.“The entire main building is under a mind-control spell. I think the interference was caused by the dark magic.”-A mind-control spell?“Yes. The count and countess are using the banquet as a trap to lure nobles in and brainwash them into followers.”-Are you alright? Where are you? I’ll come to you immediately—“I’m fine. Completely unharmed.”-…“But more importantly, Count Lort is heading your way. You need to hide.”-…“Your Highness?”Suddenly, Astaire’s voice cut off.Elsez’s heart dropped.‘Did the count find him?’She pressed her back against the mansion wall, ready to scan the area—“So this is where you were.”The voice came from above.Startled, Elsez looked up.There, standing on the second-floor balcony, was Astaire, disguised in his servant attire, looking down at her.Before she could even react, he gracefully jumped down, landing beside her.The first thing he did was examine her closely.“Let me see—are you hurt anywhere?”Following his gaze, Elsez looked down at herself.Her bare feet, dirty from running.
The tattered hem of her dress, stained with dirt.Astaire knelt before her, one knee to the ground.Feeling guilty, Elsez wiggled her toes and murmured softly,“You spent a fortune on this dress, and now it’s ruined. I’m sorry—”But before she could finish, Astaire’s hand gently took hold of her foot.His warm touch sent a soft healing light over the small cuts and scratches.“The dress doesn’t matter. You not being hurt is what’s important.”The gentle tingling of healing magic washed over her feet, making it feel as if new skin was forming.Still focused on his task, Astaire asked,“But why did you come all the way here? It was dangerous.”Though his tone was gentle, there was an unmistakable hint of reprimand in his voice.Elsez explained,“I only resisted the mind-control magic because I had a status-recovery potion. But I didn’t have much left. I couldn’t stay there any longer.”If she had just tried to walk out of the banquet alone, she would have immediately drawn suspicion.Astaire listened carefully, then nodded in understanding.Elsez hesitated for a moment, watching him kneeling in front of her, before asking,“Did you find any clues?”“No, not yet.”Finishing his treatment, Astaire cast a protective spell over her feet before standing up.“There’s a strong ominous energy here. But it’s too widespread—I can’t pinpoint an exact source.”“Ah…”“I searched this part of the annex, but nothing seemed out of place. That leaves the other building.”The annex consisted of two separate structures—one appeared to be a living space, while the other resembled a storage facility.Astaire had already searched the mansion-like building.Just as the two were discussing their next step—They suddenly sensed multiple people approaching.Reacting instantly, Elsez and Astaire hid behind the building.A moment later, Count Lort and his knights arrived.“That crazy woman—why did she suddenly come to preach to me? She should be recruiting new followers, not wasting my time.”The Count grumbled in annoyance as he walked toward the annex.The knights standing guard at the entrance bowed respectfully.“Has our guest arrived?”“Yes, my lord.”Without hesitation, Count Lort entered the annex.‘A personal guest, during a banquet?’Something about this felt highly suspicious.Astaire turned to Elsez.“While the count is occupied with his guest, let’s search the storage building.”Elsez nodded.The problem was the two knights guarding the entrance.After scanning the area, Astaire grabbed onto a structural ledge and pulled himself up onto the second-floor balcony.From above, he reached down to Elsez, who had stepped onto a wooden crate for support.Since she was wearing a dress, jumping down had been easy—climbing up was a different story.“Excuse me for this. Hold on tight.”With that, Astaire firmly grasped her arms and pulled her up, wrapping his arm around her waist as he guided her safely onto the balcony.‘He’s stronger than I thought.’She had never noticed it before, but now she could tell—his body had become far more solid.Just as that thought crossed her mind, she felt something shift against her chest.A strange sensation.Then—A thin black mist slithered out, creeping up her neck toward her earring.“Ugh, I hate this!”Reti’s whiny voice rang softly in her ears.Elsez giggled, amused by how scared Reti was of Astaire’s presence.Astaire, who had been carefully setting her down, raised an eyebrow.“Did something funny happen?”“No, nothing at all.”Elsez hid her smile, playfully fidgeting with her earring as if to soothe Reti.Now safely inside, the two of them surveyed the room they had entered.It was mostly empty, aside from a few closets—and even those looked unused.Even stranger, there were no guards inside.After checking for movement outside, Astaire spoke.“I’ll search the first floor. You take the second.”With that, he descended the stairs while Elsez explored the upper level.The building itself wasn’t large, so there were only a few rooms—all of them practically bare.But then—At the very last room on the second floor—‘Huh?’At the far end of the room, beside the fireplace, was a stairway leading underground.Elsez’s eyes widened.‘A hidden passage.’The fireplace wasn’t even concealed—the entrance was left completely open.Which meant—‘Someone is already down there.’Keeping her back against the wall, she tapped her earring.“Your Highness, I found something.”