Rashiel was satisfied seeing Elsez worry over him.
But he didn’t want to lose his sight.
The mere thought of not being able to see her—of never again witnessing how her eyes shone in different hues depending on the light—was unbearable.
He silently gazed at her worried expression, then reached up and touched his earring, deactivating the color-altering magic.
“I’ll live a little more in the way that you prefer.”
Elsez met his gaze, now a vivid red.
The familiar violet was gone, replaced by something that still felt somewhat unfamiliar.
But the answer was obvious.
“They’re both beautiful.”
“…….”
“No matter what color your eyes are, you are still you.”
Holding his gaze, she continued,
“But if you’re okay with it, I’d rather you live with your natural eyes. I want to keep looking you in the eyes—just like this, now and always.”
A deep, unwavering heat flickered in Rashiel’s crimson eyes.
Then, he clasped her hand with his large palm and brought it to his ear.
“Then take it off for me.”
As he whispered, his face tilted ever so slightly against her hand.
Startled by the unexpected gesture, Elsez hesitated before reaching for his earring—
THUD!
A heavy impact struck the carriage roof, making it shudder.
‘…An ambush?’
Instinctively, Elsez steadied herself, shifting into a defensive stance.
Rashiel reacted even faster, pulling her protectively into his arms.
But the next thing they heard was Cassian’s unmistakable voice.
“That crazy bastard!”
The carriage door suddenly swung open, revealing a dark silhouette.
‘Tezette?’
Elsez barely registered how he had gotten there before her mind reeled.
‘Wait. This carriage is moving—?!’
Had he just jumped from one moving carriage to another?!
No ordinary human would even consider such an insane stunt.
And yet, despite having performed what could only be described as a death-defying feat, Tezette appeared completely unbothered.
Aside from his slightly tousled hair, he was the picture of composure as he took a seat directly across from them.
Casually, he propped his foot up between Elsez and Rashiel, physically cutting off their proximity.
Rashiel’s brow twitched ever so slightly.
Tezette calmly met his gaze and said,
“Get lost.”
“You two broke off your engagement, didn’t you?”
At the word engagement, a distinct chill emanated from Tezette’s green eyes.
Rashiel, unfazed, smirked slightly as he continued,
“A man who clings to an ex-fiancée is incredibly unattractive.”
“I have no interest in impressing you,” Tezette replied flatly.
“I was talking from your ex-fiancée’s perspective.”
“She’s not my ‘ex-fiancée’ yet.”
Rashiel’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Tezette pressed on, his tone as cold as ever.
“We haven’t signed the annulment papers. And I have no intention of signing them.”
“…….”
“So you get lost. Stop hovering around my fiancée.”
Rashiel scoffed.
“Shouldn’t we hear her thoughts on that?”
Even as Tezette’s aura darkened with a lethal edge, Rashiel remained perfectly at ease—mocking, even.
“As much as you might want it, marriage isn’t something that can be forced by one person’s will alone.”
Turning slightly, Rashiel directed his gaze toward Elsez, waiting for her response.
Elsez, however, remained silent.
Instead, she rose from her seat and knocked sharply against the carriage wall—twice.
The signal for the driver to stop.
The tension between Rashiel and Tezette escalated instantly.
Was she getting out?
Their gazes grew sharper, their hostility momentarily forgotten in their shared concern.
Finally, the carriage came to a halt.
Both men opened their mouths at the same time—
“Elsez—”
“Elsez—”
But before they could speak, Elsez opened the door and simply said—
“Get out.”
She smiled as she tilted her head toward the open door.
It was a sweet, gentle smile.
But both men instinctively understood the unspoken warning behind it.
‘Before I throw you out myself.’
Tezette shot one last cold glare at Rashiel before stepping out first, reluctantly obeying Elsez’s command.
Rashiel, confident that Elsez would sit beside him once Tezette was gone, leaned back—waiting for her return.
But a few moments passed.
The carriage door remained open.
And Elsez… had not sat back down.
Something felt wrong.
Lifting his gaze, Rashiel found Elsez still standing, watching him expectantly.
When their eyes met, she gave him the same small, expectant tilt of her head—gesturing toward the open door.
“What are you doing? Not getting out?”
“…Me too?”
“Or should I get out?”
At that, Rashiel exhaled sharply and stepped out of the carriage.
Just like Tezette, he was promptly directed toward the other carriage.
The moment he entered, he was greeted by the sight of Cassian, Tezette, and now Astaire, who had been forcibly teleported earlier.
Left with no choice, Rashiel sat beside Tezette.
The journey resumed.
Astaire, now sitting across from both men, sighed.
“This isn’t even that long of a trip. It would be nice if we could just go quietly.”
His voice remained as polite as ever, but the weight behind his words was very clear.
Rashiel leaned back, arms crossed, shutting his eyes as if to block out the sight of the others.
Cassian, on the other hand, openly scowled at the deeply frustrating situation in front of him.
Just looking at these guys was making him feel suffocated.
With an irritated sigh, he yanked the window curtain open and muttered,
“I swear, I don’t even want to breathe the same air as you lot.”
****
“Ah, spacious, quiet, perfect.”
With all the unwelcome guests gone, Elsez sprawled out comfortably in the now-empty carriage.
The moment peace settled, a rustling sound came from her inner pocket—then, Reti popped out.
“Too loud. Woke me up. Why do those idiots fight so much?”
“Because I raised them wrong.”
“You raised them wrong?”
“I have exactly two professions I deeply respect in this world. Wanna guess what they are?”
Reti tilted his head, confused by the sudden question.
Elsez, still lounging against the seat, lifted her hand and folded down her thumb.
“First—teachers.”
Then, she folded down her index finger.
“Second—parents who raise at least two sons.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“You don’t need to know. It’s better if you don’t know.”
Still utterly lost, Reti just tilted his head further.
Elsez, watching his plump ears bob along with his movement, suddenly remembered something.
Sitting up, she turned to him with a thoughtful look.
“Reti. Aren’t you sick of staying in my pocket all the time?”
Reti blinked at the abrupt question, then nodded.
“Yes. I want to be able to eat cookies whenever I want, wherever I want.”
“Hmm… looks like the time has finally come.”
Elsez murmured under her breath, as if coming to a decision.
Reti, still bewildered, stared at her.
More cryptic words.
****
“The hell is this?!”
A massive, serpent-like water dragon loomed before her, its gaping jaws stretched wide in a deafening screech.
‘This was supposed to be the portal to the Holy Kingdom!’
Elsez barely had time to process what was happening before—
WHOOOSH!
A powerful wave of water surged toward her.
Instinctively, she twisted her body mid-air, narrowly avoiding the blast as she landed on solid ground.
Her boots splashed against wet stone.
Cold wind whipped against her skin, and the scent of salt filled the air.
‘Where the hell are we?!’
Just moments ago, she had been stepping into a teleportation portal meant to take her to the Holy Kingdom.
Now, she was standing on what appeared to be the ruins of an ancient temple, surrounded by a vast, endless sea.
She wasn’t alone.
Nearby, Rashiel, Tezette, Cassian, and Astaire had also landed safely—though all of them looked equally stunned.
Except for Rashiel, who, as always, seemed completely unbothered.
Elsez heard a frantic rustling near her shoulder.
“Where are we?! Why is there a monster?!”
Clinging tightly to her collar, Reti trembled in alarm.
Elsez had no answer for him.
She turned sharply toward Astaire.
“Did something go wrong with the teleportation?”
Astaire’s brow furrowed as he scanned their surroundings.
“This… shouldn’t be possible.”
Magic circles weren’t meant to misfire like this.
Portals, especially ones leading to the Holy Kingdom, were meticulously maintained and reinforced with divine protection.
For them to be redirected to an entirely different location…
Someone had tampered with the teleportation.
And considering the timing—
“Brace yourselves,” Astaire said grimly. “I don’t think we were brought here by accident.”
Elsez followed his gaze, her body tensing.
Beyond the raging sea and the ruins surrounding them, figures began to emerge.
Hooded, faceless, and radiating an unmistakable air of hostility.
A group of unknown individuals had been waiting for them.
An ambush.
Tezette unsheathed his sword without hesitation.
Cassian cracked his knuckles, his smirk widening despite the situation.
“Looks like someone went through a lot of trouble to set up this warm welcome,” he mused. “Shame for them—we’re not exactly polite guests.”
Rashiel let out a low chuckle, his red eyes gleaming ominously.
“Good. I was starting to get bored.”
Elsez tightened her grip on her dagger.
She wasn’t sure who had orchestrated this, but one thing was certain—
Whoever had messed with their teleportation was not going to enjoy the consequences.
Comments (0)