After seeing the two of them with Brother, I returned to my room to take a short nap.

Staying up at night had become a routine, and thanks to that, taking frequent naps had also become a routine.

Since I started dozing off before lunch, it was Jane who would wake me up to have lunch.

However, it wasn’t Jane that woke me up. It was the cold air and the bustling atmosphere.

“Uuhm……”

Rubbing my numb arm, I lifted my heavy eyelids.

Through my blurred vision, I saw a familiar ceiling… or not. It wasn’t my familiar cream-colored ceiling with golden patterns.

Oh no… it was not gray bricks.

I was so startled that I jerked my body upright, causing my head to throb from the sudden movement.

Ugh, darn low blood pressure. I pressed my ringing temples with my fingers and slowly looked around.

“This…..?”

“Are you awake?”

The voice of a stranger sent shivers down my spine as it came from behind me, almost like scraping metals

Strangely enough, I could easily tell who the owner of the voice was.

“High Priest.”

I turned around to address him. As expected, the owner of the voice was indeed the High Priest.

“So, you’ve decided not to speak respectfully now, huh? That’s a shame.”

The High Priest burst into hoarse laughter, his laughter causing the rough fabric of his priestly robes to sway strangely.

Wait, were those really priestly robes? Weren’t priestly robes supposed to be white? Those looked more like a reddish-brown… I could piece together how his attire had ended up like this.

Honestly, in times like this, I couldn’t even remember if the title of this novel was ‘The Crown of Dawn’ or ‘Detective Selena.’

Anyway, one thing was certain. That was blood. Whether it belonged to the High Priest or someone else, I couldn’t tell.

Leaning against the wall, he continued to chuckle, but suddenly, his body twisted in agony. It was as if he could hear something through his closed ears, like hallucinations.

I can only hope that these hallucinations are benign hallucinations. That’s why I suddenly seemed remorseful. Even if it lacks coherence, it’s more peaceful and preferable that way.

Anyway, at this moment, I looked around, wondering if I could escape.

No, what I needed to figure out first was where I was. It wasn’t a place I recognized, but it felt vaguely familiar. Gray bricks, cold air, and… the bell tower.

It was the bell tower.

It seemed to be inside the estate. Why, I had climbed up here myself once, and then fell into Lucas’ embrace.

If it was here, escape seemed difficult.

There were two possible ways to get out for now….. One was to sprint down the long staircase, and the other was to jump out that window.

Of course, both options were impossible.

“These… these infuriating things! I’ll… I’ll kill them!”

The High Priest had been writhing in agony with his ears plugged and suddenly began to curse and swear, rolling his eyes.

It was as if he were an enraged locomotive, openly expressing all of his anger without restraint.

It seemed like these hallucinations weren’t delivering pleasant messages after all.

“Quick…find…Sel!”

“Must….help….!”

Voices from outside were murmuring. Judging by the word that sounded similar to my name, it seemed they were looking for me, the missing person.

Or perhaps, that villain had abducted me quite dramatically while I was asleep.

The High Priest, instead of expressing his anger, remained silent. Judging by his smirk, it appeared he rather enjoyed the situation he had created.

Anyway, one couldn’t understand the emotions of a madman. It seemed he had gone completely insane. I had never imagined he could be such a person, thinking he was just benevolent all this time.

“They’re looking for you from the mansion.”

High Priest spoke as he gazed out the open window. His voice, uttered almost as a mutter, carried a sense of satisfaction.

“Why did you bring me here?”

I didn’t care about the how or why of my arrival or kidnapping. After all, once the water has been spilled, what did it matter how it was spilled?

“Well, why do you think?”

But it’s strange, the conversation is unusually brief.

I knew my position well. Being daring as a hostage was something that only happened in movies.

“Do you dream of escaping with me as a hostage?”

“Yes, I once considered such thoughts.”

The High Priest slowly tilted his head. His gradual, swaying motion made it seem like his head was performing an eerie dance.

“But now, I’ve had a change of heart. I brought you here because I want to see you die before I get caught. After all, you’ll die once the flower blooms… I need to wait until then.”

Oh my, this is completely insane. And a flower?

I die when a flower blooms? What is he talking about… I’ll figure that out later. Right now, the urgent matter is getting away from this lunatic who wants to kill me.

I staggered to my feet.

Not long after waking up from my nap, my legs felt weak. Nevertheless, I had to move. Like someone facing a fierce beast, I slowly rose to my feet with deliberate and cautious movements.

The High Priest looked at me with a calm expression.

I gulped once.

Gulp. The sound of my swallowing echoed in the empty silence.

“Running away?”

Hesitating, my foot took a step back.

I took about five steps. If I ran back about five steps and rushed down the stairs, I’d be in the mansion’s courtyard.

Of course, the probability of getting caught before that was 99%, but this man had come to kill me anyway.

If I were to die here or there, it didn’t matter… there was some value in trying.

I stealthily took one more step back. The High Priest remained in place, still staring at me with an unwavering gaze.

“Don’t run.”

The High Priest said with an almost courteous smile. It only added to the eeriness, thanks to his bloodshot eyes.

“Instead, when you leave, you’ll release monsters in the Duke’s residence.”

“……What?”

“While I’ve been here, I planted one underground. If it were to surface, this mansion would turn into quite a battlefield. It would be worth watching.”

As he spoke, the High Priest began to move slowly.

Thud, thud, thud.

With each step he took, the feeling of suffocation seemed to grow. He pressed against the window and peered down. It was clear that he couldn’t be seen from below because of the wall.

“Ah, look, there’s your mother and brother down there. Shall we release the monster there? Even if the knights come running to subdue it, it could probably kill those two.”

I couldn’t move. It seemed he was right; I could hear the voices of my mother and brother from below the tower.

As I remained still, he chuckled once more.

“So, are you still going to run away?”

His shoulders were trembling, not out of fear but from excitement.

I quietly looked at that and closed my eyes. In the dim darkness, the faces of my family, along with those dear to me, appeared vividly. They were standing by the lakeside, waving to me, and smiling.

‘Selena! Come on!’

Just remembering that sight made my heart feel warm.

It had been an amusing life.

In my past life, I had given up everything.

My life didn’t belong to me, and I had jumped off without leaving any emotions inside me, whether it was happiness, sadness, or anger.

I had thought nothing would change.

No matter how much I became Selena, and even though Eunji wished for my happiness… I had thought it wouldn’t change easily. I had believed that I would live like this for the rest of my life.

But that wasn’t the case.

In my dry and unfeeling life, they became the rain and sunshine. They were the ones who finally made me smile genuinely.

After all, it was a life I had already lost.

For the sake of my family, I would willingly choose to live an eternity in hell, no matter how many times.

I longed for love from them, and they gave me love in return.

In this life, that was enough for me.

I opened my eyes. I didn’t shed any tears.

Doing a good deed, why would it bring tears?

Taking a step forward, the High Priest’s mouth curled upward.

Yes, I should smile. Whatever happens, in the end, I, too, will face the final moments with a smile.

Let’s smile together and end this story.

* * *

“I’ll take care of this!”

Lucas gazed at the young knight speaking with determination. With confidence shining in his eyes, Lucas nodded and took a step forward.

He headed toward the wolf monster that was wreaking havoc. The claws on the large head-sized palm were swiping indiscriminately.

Chaeng.

Lucas deflected the claws with his broad shield and then thrust his sword into the creature’s toe, sliding the blade between its toes. The creature writhed in agony, losing control and shaking its body.

“Damn it.”

His left arm, holding the shield, felt weak. Since the day he was grazed by the snake’s venom, the sensation in his left arm had not been the same as before. Fortunately, the venom had been neutralized, and there was no lasting effect on his life. But for a knight, not being able to use one arm as well as before was something that couldn’t be dismissed lightly.

‘I really want to get back to the Duke’s residence soon.’

Ian would be there, and he would find a way to treat it.

Lucas twisted his shield to deflect the wolf’s claws.

He drove his sword into the creature’s collapsing center, sliding it under the torso. There was only one opportunity.

He gripped the sword firmly and thrust it into the wolf’s chest.

Kwoong. Finally, the beast collapsed. Lucas wiped away his sweat, leaving it to his subordinates to dissect the creature and retrieve the marble from its heart. Then he assessed the situation.

“It hasn’t been that long since we dealt with them, and yet they’re swarming like this.”

It was quite literal. It had been just about ten days since the day of the monster attack.

The battle had raged on all night that day, resulting in many injuries.

However, it seemed the damage on the other side was significant as well, as they hadn’t seen a single monster for several days.

But now, they are pouring out once more.

“Nevertheless… each one seems to have grown weaker.”

That was the only consolation. It seemed they had expended a lot of their strength the last time, and this time, although there were many monsters, they lacked power.

“Now, there are only seven left! The monsters have significantly weakened! Let’s finish them off in an instant!”

The Duke’s voice rang out. His commanding tone encouraged the knights, and a resounding ‘charge!’ echoed from various directions. Lucas, too, smiled as he tightened his grip on the hilt.

Yes, let’s finish them off in an instant, with that determination in mind.

And as he tightened his hold, there was a slight creaking sound. The end of the shield that had faced the wolf’s claws was slightly bent. It was an undoubtedly sturdy shield.

Lucas examined the shield with a puzzled look.

“…What.”

A small dent was noticeable. However, it wasn’t enough to warrant replacing the shield. He lowered his head and continued his path, into the midst of the monsters with their mouths agape.

But strangely, a corner of his heart was filled with unease.

__