RHFTY chapter 55

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Chaeyi glanced outside, a little worried about the situation.

“Is this okay?”

“Yes. We don’t have anything to worry about.”

Enoch smiled reassuringly. Just then, one of the Monark soldiers raised his voice again.

“This is Monark territory! Present your transit papers and state your reason for passage!”

One of their knights climbed out of the carriage and approached the soldiers, showing them something.

From inside the carriage, it wasn’t clear what it was, but it was likely the transit papers they had prepared in advance.

As soon as the soldiers confirmed it, they were visibly shocked and quickly bowed, allowing the group to enter the territory.

Their reaction was similar to the soldiers they had encountered when entering the Clencus estate with Leonard.

As Chaeyi wondered about the reason, Enoch explained quietly.

“The Lancaster family helped the Count Monark during a difficult time. So they’re always friendly to Combest people.”

“I see.”

“Well… Lancaster’s power and influence in the empire is unmatched, so there’s also a desire to stay in their good graces.”

Chaeyi suddenly felt the weight of the power Lancaster had built up over the years.

The carriage crossed the border into a deep valley that cut through towering cliffs.

Though it was called a valley, the path was quite wide.

The real issue was the uneven ground that made the carriage shake violently.

“Ugh…”

Enoch, looking pale, leaned out the window, his arm resting on the sill. It seemed the ride was making him nauseous.

“Enoch, are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’ll manage.”

“Do you want me to ask them to stop?”

“No….”

As Chaeyi gently rubbed Enoch’s back to check on him, the carriage suddenly began to slow down.

But since he hadn’t asked for it to stop, it couldn’t have been because of Enoch’s condition.

‘What’s going on?’

Just as Chaeyi raised his head in confusion, the driver’s shout rang out from the front.

“Move! It’s dangerous ahead! Get out of the way!”

It seemed like someone had blocked the path of the carriage procession.

They had already crossed the boundary of the estate, so who would be bold enough to do such a thing?

Curious about the situation, Chaeyi quickly leaned out the window.

There, standing tall and unmoving, was a man, obstructing the way.

“Ah.”

Even from a considerable distance, his platinum-blonde hair blowing in the wind stood out.

Despite the coachman’s repeated warnings, the man remained unmoved.

“What on earth is he trying to do?”

Frustrated, the coachman muttered and pulled on the reins, slowing the carriage further.

The unknown man suddenly raised his head, and his deep blue eyes locked onto the coachman, eyes so strikingly blue that they reminded Chaeyi of Leonard for some reason.

“…Ra.”

The man’s lips moved as if saying something, but Chaeyi couldn’t make out the words and frowned in concentration.

Suddenly—

Neigh!

The coachman collapsed to the side, as if he had lost consciousness.

The reins twisted in the commotion, and the startled horse bolted off to the side.

“Watch out!”

“Lord Chaeyi!”

The rope tying the horse snapped, and the tilted carriage was thrown against the rocky cliff.

A short scream from Enoch was heard before everything was engulfed in darkness.

It all happened in an instant.

“…Ugh.”

Had he passed out for a moment?

Regaining his senses, Chaeyi tried to sit up, only to feel dizzy.

His hand brushed against something sticky and warm — blood.

He must have gotten injured somewhere during the accident.

“What on earth…”

Dumbfounded by the sudden disaster, Chaeyi looked down.

Enoch lay motionless in his arms, seemingly unconscious.

Panic washed over his at the thought that he might be seriously hurt.

“Enoch… Enoch!”

Shaking his shoulder, Chaeyi checked for signs of life.

Fortunately, he was still breathing.

Relieved, he looked around, intending to exit the carriage.

The carriage had tilted against the rocky cliff at an angle, so he figured the door facing the sky might be intact. However…

‘Climbing out that way won’t be possible.’

The door had been damaged, likely from the collision after the carriage overturned, and wouldn’t open easily.

Chaeyi turned his attention to the other door, the one he was leaning against, and kicked it hard.

Ironically, the carriage’s upper section had hit the cliff, creating enough space for this door to remain intact.

Thud!

The door fell off, revealing a gap big enough to crawl through.

Adjusting Enoch’s position to prevent him from falling, Chaeyi crawled out through the opening, intent on setting the carriage upright.

“Ugh…”

Her entire body ached from the impact, and he grimaced as he endured the pain, managing to get out of the carriage.

He then noticed that the following carriages had also overturned, all tangled in chaos.

Even the knights who had managed to get out of their carriages were now lying still on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

‘What is going on?’

It was a strange and unsettling sight.

Then, Chaeyi realized that the man who had blocked the procession was nowhere to be seen.

“So, you’re the ‘Beta,’ are you?”

A voice spoke, and Chaeyi saw a pair of black boots appear in front of him.

He slowly raised his head to see the man with platinum-blonde hair and piercing blue eyes gazing down at him.

“……”

He spoke as if he already knew him.

At that moment, Chaeyi realized this wasn’t a mere accident — this was intentional.

“What’s your motive?”

Chaeyi asked calmly. The man raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that he wasn’t trembling in fear.

However, he quickly masked his emotions, his face returning to an unreadable expression.

He didn’t bother answering his bold question.

And for some reason, Chaeyi couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Why did Leonard keep coming to mind when he looked at him?

‘They look alike.’

Yes. He resembled Leonard.

That’s why his face kept overlapping with Leonard’s in his mind.

As Chaeyi pondered this strange resemblance, the man’s lips moved again.

“Fall unconscious.”

Chaeyi was taken aback.

Who in their right mind would pass out just because they were told to?

But before he could react, a heavy, pheromone-filled atmosphere enveloped him.

His head grew dizzy, and in an instant, his consciousness began to fade.

He really did lose consciousness, just like that.

“……”

The man gazed at Chaeyi’s unconscious form for a moment before slinging his over his shoulder.

Just as he was about to leave, he sensed someone approaching from behind.

“Wait… Who are you? What are you planning to do with Lord Chaeyi?”

It was Enoch, who had crawled out from under the carriage, having regained consciousness.

His eyes flashed with sharp determination as he saw the man carrying Chaeyi, ready to risk his life to protect him.

But he quickly froze.

“……!”

The man stopped and turned around, revealing his face.

Enoch, recognizing him, was shocked.

“Oh… I almost forgot.”

The man muttered as he approached Enoch.

Enoch’s lips moved as if to say the man’s name, but before he could, the man’s fingers touched his forehead, and Enoch collapsed, losing consciousness again.

“I’ve left your location. If that person is so precious to you, you’d better come find him.”

Muttering to himself, with no one there to hear, the man carried Chaeyi and disappeared.

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Chaeyi slowly woke up to the sound of rustling.

Dazed, he sat up, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

It felt like he had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep.

‘Did I… pass out?’

As ridiculous as it seemed, it appeared he had indeed passed out simply because he was told to.

Chaeyi touched his forehead with the back of his hand and realized the blood from earlier was gone.

Someone had cleaned and disinfected his wound.

“……”

He paused for a moment, then surveyed his surroundings.

‘Where am I…?’

It was hard to see in the dark, but the damp, moldy smell suggested he was in a place where light rarely reached — like a storage room.

Soon, his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he could make out piles of construction wood and stone stacked in a corner.

Just as he was about to get up and search for an exit, he heard a voice.

“Awake now?”

Chaeyi flinched and turned toward the sound.

Despite the darkness, he could see the faint blue glow of a man’s eyes, sitting casually on a pile of stones.

“……”

So, there he was.

The kidnapper who had brought his here — and who had, oddly enough, taken care of his wound.

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