The Obsessive Maniac Is Trying To Confine Me – Chapter 239 – Side Story Chapter 29

Author: Asternkm

The next day.

Argen, who had sent me away quickly the day before, came to see me again with a perfectly normal face.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

As if he didn’t remember anything that had happened the day before, he calmly asked about my night.

The impatience on his face was gone.

“Thanks to your consideration.”

I answered calmly as well.

For now, I planned to go along with him as much as possible so as not to upset him.

“Did you sleep well too, Marquis?”

After all, what I wanted was to avoid conflict.

Richard would return peacefully, and I would go my own way.

If Argen didn’t cooperate willingly…

‘Things will get messy.’

Richard was waiting for me even now, but the longer it took, the more reckless he would become.

“Unlike the south, the Piette territory is quite chilly. So you should dress warmly too, Marquis—”

“Rosie.”

There was a subtle but displeased look on Argen’s face as he called me.

What’s wrong?

“It feels strange seeing you act so polite.”

“…….”

“You used to call my name so casually.”

I was taken aback by his sharp words.

It was true—two years ago, at some point, I had started treating Argen without formality.

I spoke to him freely, joked around, and after things went wrong, I even called his name carelessly and spoke informally.

I had acted like I had no future.

…So is he criticizing me for that now?

“Well, about that time…”

I hesitated, unsure how to continue.

“You’ve become much gentler, Rosie.”

“…….”

I had been hearing that a lot lately.

Back in Korea, this had been my original personality.

But after falling into this world and being pushed into desperate situations, I had become much more sensitive.

“I’d like it if you stayed this gentle. But you’ll try to bite me again whenever you get the chance, won’t you?”

“Why would I do that?”

I avoided his intense gaze as I replied.

As long as Argen didn’t harm me, I planned to cooperate for now.

My plan had been to negotiate calmly with him…

But it didn’t seem like it would go smoothly.

Still, I had found a way.

…Because now I knew what Argen wanted.

****

This was the dining room of Piet Castle.

I had breakfast with Argen.

Because that’s what he wanted.

Unlike how I was dragged here like a criminal, the second morning in Piet Castle seemed to pass rather peacefully.

As I cut a piece of steak, I carefully looked around the dining room.

There were only two people here—Argen and me.

‘Where is the lord?’

Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen even a glimpse of the lord of Piet since arriving here.

‘Coincidence?’

No way.

“What is it?”

When I kept looking around without eating, Argen asked quietly.

“Why… are we the only ones here?”

I decided to ask honestly.

It wasn’t a question I couldn’t ask.

“The lord and his wife stepped out for a while.”

His answer made me feel puzzled.

A guest had come, yet they left?

And not just any guest.

The Evantes family was among the most powerful of nobles.

It reminded me of when I stayed in the north before—everyone came just to get Argen’s attention.

The lord of Piet wouldn’t be any different.

“They said they were going on a family outing.”

“…An outing?”

At a time like this?

It hadn’t even been a few days since the tornado stopped. Even if it happened in the cursed land, the atmosphere in Piet territory was not normal.

“You didn’t chase them away, did you, Marquis?”

I asked lightly, but I meant it.

Argen shrugged calmly.

“Perhaps I did.”

“…What?”

He lazily swirled the glass of red wine, drawing a smooth arc.

“Chase them away? I simply suggested they take a walk for their much-needed rest.”

“….”

That only confirmed it even more.

I stared at him with disbelief as he leisurely drank his wine.

He drove out the lord of someone else’s land and didn’t even try to hide it.

‘…At least try to hide it.’

Why did he even send them away?

“It’s not a bad situation for you either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I got rid of an uncomfortable gaze that would’ve bothered you while you stayed here.”

…That makes no sense.

It was true that it felt more comfortable without the lord and his wife. Argen alone was already more than enough to deal with.

But… the problem was that Argen had basically taken over Piet territory for now.

This place was his stronghold.

‘If things went wrong, I thought about running away…’

That was impossible.

No… I didn’t really plan to run anyway.

I would find a way to resolve this situation somehow.

“Marquis, how will you spend your afternoon?”

I asked Argen in a friendly tone.

He replied with a slow smile that was hard to read.

“I was thinking of going to see a beast I locked up in the basement.”

…That’s not Richard, right?

His green eyes curved slightly.

‘It is!’

I wanted to ask what he planned to do after locking us up.

But I held it in—for the sake of my plan.

“Really? That’s a shame.”

I turned my head lightly, as if I didn’t care.

“There was somewhere I wanted to go with you.”

“Somewhere you wanted to go? Where?”

Argen leaned closer to me. He reacted.

“I wanted to show you something interesting.”

“Tell me.”

“Well… it’s more fun if you don’t know, isn’t it?”

I put the piece of steak I had cut into my mouth, chewing it for a while as if to end the conversation.

But Argen waited.

“I’ll make time in the evening.”

“Really?”

I smiled brightly, as if I was happy.

His gaze didn’t leave me.

For now, I planned to act very kind toward Argen.

…Just like I did with Yurtha.

I wouldn’t let him act recklessly like he did two years ago.

*****

The Marquis Hertas household in the capital.

A few years ago, Hertas gained unprecedented glory due to a man who had newly inherited the count title.

Through Dylan Hertas’s consecutive victories, he was granted the title of marquis, and with the spoils of war, he built immense wealth for the family.

It was the golden age of the Hertas family.

However, despite the dazzling chandelier, the tightly shut room was filled with deep darkness and the heavy smell of alcohol.

Expensive liquor bottles were scattered messily across the floor.

On a top-quality leather sofa, a half-dressed man lay collapsed.

Only faint breathing came out from between his messy brown hair, as if he were dead.

Knock knock.

A careful knock broke the heavy silence.

“My lord, are you inside?”

At the servant’s voice from beyond the door, the man’s brow furrowed in irritation.

The brown-haired man shifted irritably and grabbed his pounding head.

“…Shut up.”

His voice came out dry and cracked.

After pouring strong liquor like water the night before, a terrible hangover pounded in his skull like it was splitting in half.

His eyelids felt heavy like lead, and his stomach twisted as if he might vomit at any moment.

“Get lost. If you don’t leave right now…”

“The search party has found Lady Rose.”

“…What?”

In that instant, Dylan’s eyes snapped open.

Who did they find?

“Ha…”

Dylan let out a mocking laugh.

Am I still dreaming?

After tormenting himself with that nightmare countless times over the past two years, it now even appeared in the form of his butler.

“This is the search party you organized to find Young Master Yurtha. Recently, someone resembling him was seen in Piet territory, so they headed there…”

Even knowing it was a hallucination created by his drunken mind, Dylan pushed himself up.

“…They witnessed Lady Rose being taken to Piet Castle.”

…Rose was taken?

Even for a hallucination, it was annoyingly specific. Who would take Rose?

That’s impossible.

Rose… had returned to her own world.

It had already been two years.

Back then, Dylan sent her away while crying miserably.

He didn’t shed a single tear in front of her, but the moment she left, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

‘Damn it. I sent her off like a man.’

Like a real man, without regrets…

But no matter how he tried to think calmly, his heart burned and split with unbearable pain.