* * *
The abandoned Second Prince, Harca. His voice was definitely a little deeper than the one she had heard before, but Anakin knew who it was.
She tried to lift her head to confirm Harca’s face, but his hand gently pressed down on her head, preventing her from looking up.
“Stay still.”
It was definitely Harca. Why was Harca at Pasadian?
All sorts of questions surged inside her, but her body was pressed so closely against his that she held her breath.
He must be an Alpha, but his scent was a little different from the Alpha scent she knew.
She wasn’t sure how to describe it—refreshing yet not uncomfortable.
“Eup…”
The situation seemed to be mostly resolved, and in the silent hallway, only the thumping of Anakin’s heart echoed.
When she finally stirred, as if asking to be released, Harca at last removed the arm that had been restraining him.
As soon as he uncovered her mouth, Anakin asked, as if he had been waiting for that moment.
“Is that really you, Harca?”
“It’s dangerous here for now, so let’s move.”
Harca looked around, then grabbed Anakin’s arm and led him somewhere.
Even as he was being dragged along, Anakin just blinked, watching the back of his swaying head.
He had clearly been tired, but the moment he met Harca, he felt a rush of dopamine and was wide awake.
True to his tall character, he was tall, and his physique, just like in the original novel, felt masculine.
He was different from the Harca she knew, making her feel as if she were facing a strange, unknown person.
Harca walked with Anakin for a long time, finally arriving at an old building along a footpath far from the annex.
It looked like a secluded place, but the worn-out grass and sparsely plucked flowers suggested it was a neglected area that hadn’t been well-maintained.
However, the overall feeling was a little warmer, different from the atmosphere of Pasadian.
It looked like a back garden, but it was smaller and cozier than a typical garden.
And Harca stood in front of a small building in that garden.
An old, worn-out building.
As Harca turned the doorknob, the door made a horrifying screech as it revealed the inside.
The interior was filled with traces of past research everywhere.
Unidentified potions, artificial scents, and piles of paper.
“This is a research lab that was recently shut down. It’s also called the Blue Sanctuary, but contrary to its name, some crazy person failed while researching something trivial, and so it was quietly closed.”
Some crazy person?
The disordered documents, recorded by date, confirmed that it must indeed be a research lab.
“Spirit Summoning Magic…”
“It was ultimately a failed study. Spirits can only be handled by the chosen, so how could someone forcibly pull them out?”
To become a Spirit User, one must be able to see spirits from birth.
People who couldn’t usually never saw a spirit in their entire lives.
Anakin, who had been quietly looking around the lab out of curiosity, turned back to Harca.
At the same time, their eyes met directly.
Was he watching me?
His jet-black eyes were like a vast, unfathomable abyss, like the night sky.
His reddish-gold hair shone beautifully, like fragments of the sun.
The moment Anakin saw Harca’s face, her memories of the Imperial Palace came flooding back.
But she couldn’t approach him as easily as before.
He was very different from the Harca of the past.
The immaturity of a boy still remained, but the particularly cold gaze made her feel as if she were facing the Harca from the original novel.
And the moment she saw that look, Anakin felt a strong premonition that the story would inevitably proceed exactly as it had in the original.
The Imperial Palace turned into a sea of blood, and the man sitting on the throne, covered in gore.
The tyrant who would flee in terror just from making eye contact.
A scene description from the novel flashed through her mind, and Anakin swallowed hard.
His appearance was beyond her imagination.
The original novel mentioned it, but she hadn’t expected this degree.
He was a handsome man whose future was highly anticipated.
She didn’t know why the author had put so much effort into his looks, even though he wasn’t the Male Lead in the novel.
It would be fine if the villain were a bit ugly.
Then again, charming villains are the trend these days.
While Anakin was lost in her useless thoughts, Harca twitched one eyebrow and opened his mouth.
“No one comes here.”
Anakin just blinked at Harca’s words.
…What does he mean?
Does he want me to take off the robe?
Anakin carefully pulled back his robe.
Instantly, her pale face, which had been hidden inside the robe, was revealed.
A prominent nose bridge, skin so white it was almost transparent, pure and mysterious eyes like a clear lake, and lips that seemed to hold a red rose.
She exuded a vitality that made it feel as if the whole world revolved around him.
The slightly upturned corners of her eyes gave her a proud yet dainty charm, making her so memorable that it would be hard to forget her after one look.
As Anakin carefully tucked her stray hair back into the robe, Harca spoke.
“You’re just the same.”
His gaze remained fixed on Anakin, thick with intensity.
When Anakin raised her head to look at Harca, Harca also gazed deeply at Anakin.
About ten seconds passed like that, and since Harca didn’t avert his eyes, Anakin was the one who became flustered.
Usually, when she stared intently at someone, the other person would avoid eye contact.
Anakin was flustered by the cold look she had never seen before, and she blinked her eyes slowly.
“Uh…”
Strangely, she couldn’t meet his eyes properly.
She wasn’t sure if it was because it was awkward or because Harca had become so handsome.
Just as the silence was about to settle, Harca spoke first.
“Why did you come to Pasadian? I knew you were learning magic.”
“…Yeah, I came to learn magic. I thought Pasadian seemed strong and cool…”
Though she didn’t think so now.
Harca also tilted his head, as if he had heard something bizarre.
“And I was also surprised to find you here, Harca. Why are you here, exactly?”
“It’s a long story. Someone made a doll identical to me in the Imperial Palace and spirited me away. The Empress, who is ignorant about such things, naturally wouldn’t know, and she might have lost interest by now.”
“Can I ask who it was?”
“It’s nothing you’d want to know.”
Harca didn’t seem to want to talk about it.
Anakin didn’t want to force an answer from him.
More than that, the guilt of leaving the abused Harca alone in the Imperial Palace and returning to the mansion was greater.
Was that why she couldn’t meet his eyes properly?
Who was it that took Harca out of the Imperial Palace?
Since he was in Pasadian, they seemed to be someone from Pasadian.
Come to think of it, she vaguely remembered that there were mages who helped Harca in the original novel.
They always operated in the background and didn’t achieve any practical merits, so her memory was hazy.
On the surface, the rebellion was when ministers who opposed the Crown Prince’s tyranny gathered their forces and staged a coup.
But it wasn’t explained in detail how Harca was suspiciously able to gather such a large military force.
She had just assumed it was possible because he was the strongest being in the world.
“I’m glad you escaped… the Imperial Palace.”
Anakin gave a self-deprecating smile and avoided Harca’s eyes.
Then, with an expression that seemed to find something displeasing, Harca abruptly lifted Anakin’s chin.
Anakin, startled by the sudden lift of her face, widened her eyes and blinked her eyelashes several times.
He spoke with a chilly face.
“Seeing that reaction, you were just one of the hypocrites after all.”
The moment their bodies touched, a refreshing Alpha pheromone began to fill the small space.
“…”
“You said you wanted to save me, but then you ran away to the mansion and abandoned me.”
Anakin’s pupils wavered momentarily.
He pointed out what she had been avoiding, leaving her speechless.
Even if she had collapsed due to her sudden presentation, it was ultimately just an excuse.
Even after returning to the mansion, she was the one who deliberately avoided the memory of Harca because she couldn’t handle the immediate situation.
She thought she would go see Harca again someday…
But it was only a thought.
Even now, hadn’t she entered Pasadian, leaving him behind?
“You shouldn’t have left without a word, even if you couldn’t protect me.”
“…”
“I waited endlessly for you there, when you had said you’d come tomorrow…”
“…”
“I was foolish.”
Anakin stood rooted to the spot, pinned by his deep, persistent gaze.
Her seized jaw ached, and the pressure from the overpowering pheromones made her dizzy.
But none of that mattered.
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
In fact, the time Harca spent after meeting her must have been even lonelier, harder, and more painful.
“For leaving you alone…”
“Is that hypocrisy again?”
“…”
As Anakin’s drooping eyelids trembled at his words, Harca sighed and finally took his hand away.
“I heard you were sick. Are you better now?”
“…You knew.”
Harca nodded.
“I found out later. I couldn’t leave the palace during the banquet.”
“Harca…”
Anakin stroked Harca’s cheek and let her eyes droop at the corners.
“It’s true that I ran back to the mansion in a rush, but it’s also true that I avoided you. That’s why I’m not making excuses. This is my fault.”
Harca’s expression remained stern, and he snatched Anakin’s wrist with his own hand and said.
“…Then this time, you won’t be able to run away.”
* * *
