Chapter 64
Kaiden kept looking back even as he left, checking on her safety.
His attitude, like watching a child left by the water, made her smile.
‘I handled it well on my own.’
She wanted to quickly tell Kaiden about today’s events.
Having overcome the most frightening mountain, confidence surged within her.
“I miss you.”
Startled by the words that slipped out of her mouth, Reina flinched.
Piu piu.
At that moment, Ritsi stuck out its tongue and frowned.
Feeling like her inner thoughts were exposed, her face flushed.
For some reason, her heart was pounding.
* * *
Kaiden returned to Crencia Castle before the stone banquet as planned.
Upon learning through Dive that Michael had requested a private audience with Reina, he hurried to the bedroom.
“Reina.”
Reina, who happened to be reading a book in the bedroom parlor, spotted him and stood up.
“You’re back?”
Reina’s face, welcoming him gladly, was calm.
But knowing she was accustomed to hiding her emotions, he couldn’t relax.
He rushed to her, grabbed her shoulders, and scanned her all over.
“I heard you had a private meeting with the young lord of Fromga. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Do you think Michael would harm me or something?”
“One shouldn’t trust the imperial family.”
Kaiden answered nonchalantly, then realizing, changed his words.
“……I didn’t mean that about you. You’re always the exception.”
“It’s okay. I think the same as you, Kaiden. The imperial family can’t be trusted. Because of what happened to my brother too.”
Reina mentioned her brother and gave a bitter smile.
There probably wasn’t an imperial family member who antagonized the imperial family as much as her. Because she had her only family taken away.
Reina cautiously brought up the words she most wanted to say when he came.
“I think I successfully deceived him.”
“Really?”
“Yes. No need to worry anymore.”
As Reina, filled with a sense of liberation, smiled brightly, Kaiden felt a tightness in his chest.
Even before marriage, she had wanted to escape from the Emperor.
He still didn’t know why she was so desperate to that extent.
But if this made her heart a little more at ease, that was enough.
Kaiden touched her cheek and said.
“Yes. Now you can just stay comfortably by my side, Reina.”
“Thank you.”
Reina smiled bashfully and held his hand.
Their meeting gazes were soft. At the same time, an inexplicable tension lingered.
From some point, a strange atmosphere had formed between the two.
But neither one mentioned it.
Because the moment they talked about it, they didn’t know how this relationship would flow.
A moment later, Kaiden let out a low sigh and slowly released his hand.
Following that, he talked about what happened outside today.
“Upon checking personally, it was definitely Medusa’s doing.”
As the topic shifted, Reina naturally began to focus on that subject.
“What happened to the people turned to stone?”
“It was already too late to reverse it. The problem is that the bereaved families are opposing the disposal of the bodies.”
“I suppose so. They were once their family.”
Reina quietly sank into thought.
People affected by Medusa become statues and slowly wither away to death.
Usually, it ends there, but the problem was that this Medusa was a variant.
If the bodies are left like this, they would turn and attack their families.
“By any chance, were there no women who disappeared from the village?”
“Well. Medusa usually only attacks men.”
“Then what about women who newly moved to the village?”
“I can narrow down a few women who newly moved. Why? Do you have something in mind?”
Kaiden asked seriously, sensing that she knew something.
As if waiting, she told him what she knew.
“Perhaps this Medusa isn’t a typical isolated species.”
“You mean it’s a variant?”
“Yes. It can wear a human skin and pretend to be a person. Precisely, it’s a monster that uses a human body as a host to move.”
The variant Medusa moved from young woman’s body to body, building its forces.
It would engrave its subordinates everywhere and wait for the time to establish its own kingdom.
‘Because of Medusa, some areas in the north became cursed lands.’
It had to be stopped before that happened. Reina said.
“Perhaps Gomel isn’t the first. We need to tally how many women or men have gone missing across the entire north.”
“Got it.”
“Please move as quietly as possible. In case an innocent woman suffers witch-hunting.”
Before the regression, men fearing Medusa’s existence captured suspected women and burned them at the stake.
It was a large-scale massacre that occurred everywhere. Many women died unjustly at that time.
“If there’s a suspected woman, please protect her first. The woman who became the host was originally human.”
“I will.”
Kaiden did not treat Reina’s words as nonsense.
Because he already knew her abilities.
Moreover, since he had already received help, her words were even more trustworthy.
“Is there a way to confirm the host?”
“There will be a core in the host’s body. If you remove that core, the host can live too. Bring the suspected person to me. I can see the core.”
As Reina pointed to Ritsi and spoke, Kaiden immediately agreed.
The power to see invisible supernatural energy was essential in the north.
Especially in this time when monsters could appear at any moment.
“I’ll try to proceed with the meeting as naturally as possible. As you said, innocent people shouldn’t be harmed.”
Kaiden often felt that Reina was like a gift sent by God.
A divine agent who saves the north from danger.
And his one and only companion.
The one and only woman he must protect with his life.
With a warm gaze, he added.
“But don’t overdo it. Your safety has become the most important to me.”
For some reason, those words were too sweet.
Reina nodded deeply, busy hiding her flushed face.
* * *
With the appearance of Medusa, Gomel village was gripped by fear.
It was something hushed, but those whose families had turned to stone already knew.
At this rate, rumors might spread in no time.
To make matters worse, conflict arose with the bereaved families during the body disposal process.
Their eyes flipped at the upper directive to cremate the bodies for safety reasons.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand their feelings, but as the village chief, he had to think about the safety of the remaining villagers.
The village chief entered his home, clutching his head from the pouring complaints.
His young granddaughter approached and massaged his shoulders.
“Grandfather, you must be very tired, right?”
“Yes. I don’t know what all this fuss is about.”
The village chief looked at his granddaughter with a tired expression.
Glossy black hair, skin with a healthy color like the symbol of youth, and red eyes.
His precious young granddaughter had come of age this year.
And due to this incident, she lost her fiancé whom she was about to marry.
With pity for his granddaughter’s unfortunate fate, the village chief said.
“It’s probably harder on you than on me.”
“For me, as long as I live with you like now, that’s fine.”
The granddaughter spoke calmly while continuing the massage.
“So don’t worry about me. I’m really okay.”
“Rather, I’m the one getting comforted. Thanks to you, I feel energized.”
The village chief didn’t know. That his granddaughter’s gaze was shining differently from usual.
In fact, contrary to his expectation, the granddaughter wasn’t sad at all.
Because she was the one who killed her fiancé.
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By Anna 💓
