Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

—I was running away.

From afar, I heard a voice calling me. Every time, I changed direction and kept fleeing from the presence of others.

Granado Castle was vast, and there were few servants. Hiding in the darkness of night wasn’t difficult, but all the gates were sealed shut—I couldn’t go outside.

I continued running without any destination. Away from any sign of people... running, hiding, and fleeing. When I realized how hard it was to run, one of my shoes had come off without me noticing. Holding the remaining shoe in my hand, I wandered again.

I thought I had the layout of the castle memorized, but gradually, I lost track. The night deepened; exhaustion overtook me, and my mind began to blur.

Barefoot, I simply wandered aimlessly through the ancient city.

...It felt as if I were the one who had died, becoming a ghost.

Still, the darkness was terrifying. I hated the cold stone floor, shivering in the chill, craving warmth and relief.

...I wanted something warm. I wanted peace. Where should I go? I didn’t know.

Even as my vision blurred, I searched for something and headed somewhere.

—Then, a nostalgic scent wafted to me. This was it; I was certain this was the place I had been searching for. Leaning my back against the wall, I slowly slumped down. I bent my knees and buried my face in my folded arms. Then, I closed my eyes.

How much time had passed?

The sound of hard footsteps approached — tapping steadily.

Still with my face down, I became alert. I wanted to run away but my body wouldn’t move.

—I stayed still, waiting there.

But no matter how long I waited, that person didn’t shake me awake.

When I lifted my head, he was right in front of me. He crouched down, folding his large frame to my level. His green eyes glittered.

“...Lord Cyrus.”

At my voice, his solemn brows furrowed.

“Finally, I found you.”

One of my shoes rolled from my limp hand, and he let out a heavy sigh.

“I never thought... you would come here, of all places...”

Hearing that, I looked around. The only thing illuminating the ancient city’s stone walls was the lantern Lord Cyrus held, and I couldn’t tell exactly where I was. I asked him,

“Where is this?”

“My room.”

When I looked where he pointed, sure enough, a familiar black door was right beside me. He sighed again.

“After you disappeared, I searched the whole castle, even rifled through the stables’ feed troughs... Mio told me to take a break for at least an hour, so I came here.”

“...I’m sorry...”

“For what are you apologizing?”

Unable to answer, I stayed silent. This time, Lord Cyrus didn’t sigh. Instead, he let out a soft breath as if smiling slightly and gently grabbed my shoulder. Not to pull me close, just briefly touching my skin before frowning.

“You’re terribly cold. Let’s go inside. I’ll make some warm tea. Drink it and then go straight to bed.”

He whispered kindly, opened the door, and invited me in.

Still motionless, he waved his hand with a playful gesture.

“Ah, don’t worry, I’m sleeping in the mansion. I just want you to rest.”

“...No...”

“The servants were worried too. Because I caused such a fuss. Thomas was supposed to be off today, but he dashed out in plain clothes and stuck by the gate, saying he’d defend it to the death.”

“...Lord Cyrus. I’m sorry... but I—”

“Mio’s incredible, too. She was on the roof—turns out she can climb walls; I just found out. Toppo pulled all the pots out of the kitchen and started cooking. He says he’s trying to lure Marie with delicious smells, haha, not to catch wild boars—”

“Lord Cyrus.”

“Ceri was crying and screaming, hitting me, saying I did something wrong. And Wolf—”

“Lord Cyrus, please listen. I can’t stay in this castle anymore.”

Lord Cyrus grabbed my arm and pulled me sharply. The strength was so strong it startled me, and my entire body was dragged along.

Before I could even scream, I was thrown inside the room. The door slammed shut in front of me. I lunged for the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge, neither pushing nor pulling. He must have been holding it from the other side.