CH 12

I already knew how it would end. Collen will be hit with a poisoned arrow tonight. He will suffer for a long time and will lie in a coma for a whole month.

The poison will be very powerful indeed. Collen, even as a physically strong magician, will still balance on the brink.

And although Collen will be in a coma after being poisoned, Jade will also face all sorts of adversity.

‘Jade will be disappointed in people over this. A lot.’

At this moment, Duke’s family will be betrayed from all sides and they will try to take advantage of the situation.

‘Why did I remember this only now?’

This is the last chapter I read. Perhaps the last future I know. And the biggest crisis I know of.

I grabbed Collen’s arm.

“Don’t go, Duke!”

“Why?” Collen glanced at me.

What if Collen gets hurt today because I gave him a clue about a fortune teller?

Will it be my fault? When I thought about it, tears came to my eyes.

“Please, don’t go…”

I sobbed and grabbed onto Collen. Despair overtook me.

“It hurts so much. Stay by my side. I’m scared, Duke.”

Even if he eventually considers me a spoiled child, I have no other choice. There is nothing I can do, even if they hate me for this behavior now.

I am glad that I lived such a comfortable and happy few days. Even if Collen ignores me tomorrow, that’s okay.

I wanted to respond to the kindness of the people in this house.

“Only tonight, okay?”

How nice it would be if I could tell him more.

‘I can’t believe it.’

If so, I really would be suspicious.

“Someone wants to kill Duke. An arrow will hit him, he will bleed. My dream described it all to me in detail. I’m not lying. I’m so scared.”

Tears flowed without stopping. I slowly raised my head.

Collen, Jade, and Zion stared at me like they were being nailed down.

‘What, why?’

Are you all angry with me? Did I do something wrong? Collen raised his hand slowly. Reflexively, I closed my eyes.

‘It might be right.’

Collen lifted my chin gently.

“I really don’t know. At first, I thought it was something. Now you’re crying out to me not to go.”

“…”

“Do you know something? Come on, tell me. I won’t be angry.”

Collen’s voice was soft. I sighed, rubbed my eyes and shook my head.

“Nothing. I just don’t feel good.”

“Hmm. Okay.”

I opened my eyes carefully. Collen’s expression was odd.

But he didn’t seem angry.

It looked a little awkward. Wherever his flirtatious appearance goes, he is smiling strangely. It’s a kind, but also a little awkward expression.

“Yes… Really.”

“I like to solve such mysteries. Now I’m really wondering, who are you really? All that you have just said, these are your considerations…”

Is Collen suspicious? I swallowed nervously. Collen pointed out to Zion:

“Hurry up and bring some medicine to calm mind.”

“Yes.”

Zion ran out of the room as briskly as he could. He even stumbled along the way.

Am I not scolded?

“Aren’t you angry?”

“I’m not angry,” Collen said. He ran his fingers over his lips. “Okay. I’ll be at home today. Get some sleep. Your condition seems to be stable.”

Jade hesitated and stroked my head softly.

“Don’t cry,” he said.

Hearing those words, a feeling of relief welled up in my heart.

Thank you really. Thank you for being more mature than me. Thanks for letting me do something like this.

‘Sympathy? Or is it just a whim?’

Whatever it was, it was good. Soon Zion came.

“My lady, please, take your medicine.”

“I don’t want. It’s okay now. As long as the Duke stays by my side.”

I shook my head.

Jade took the medicine from Zion. Warm medicine in a cup just warmed up.

“Drink. How many times have you vomited? If it goes on like this, you will have a stomach ailment.”

“…”

“And then you have to cut your belly and have an operation. Do you want this?”

“…Operation?”

My eyes trembled.

I hate this word. I don’t want to have surgery in this life.

“Okay. Come on, drink.”

I nodded.

When I finished, Zion wiped my mouth with a tissue. I felt like a very small child.

“I can do it myself…”

“Can’t you sleep alone?”

“No! I’ll sleep with Duke tonight.”

I jumped up. Collen smiled. It was the most sincere smile I have ever seen.

“You’re really cute. What should I do with this? You’re not even a child of my blood…”

“I’m curious too,” Jade nodded coolly.

‘What is this atmosphere?’

This awkwardness arose again.

“Go to bed, lady,” Zion said tenderly. I shook my head.

“But I’m not sleepy.”

“You will fall asleep quickly if you lie down. You need to sleep so that you feel better in the morning.”

“Come on,” Collen said.

He put me to bed. Zion covered me with a blanket up to my chin. I looked at the two a little sulky.

“I’m not going to sleep.”

“So you will get better sooner.”

I stared at Collen. He smiled at me and lay down next to me.

“Now everything is щлфн?”

My cheeks turned red.

“Jade, come here,” Collen said.

Jade sprawled a little awkwardly to my left. We were side by side, three lying on the same bed.

Zion laughed with a strange expression.

“…I’ll be waiting nearby, so if something happens, ring the bell.”

“Yes, go away.”

Zion bowed politely and left. I stared at the ceiling.

“If you feel sleepy, then just sleep,” Jade whispered. “It’s normal for people to feel sleepy after taking this medicine.”

I yawned deeply. It’s because of the medicine.

I was tricked.

I wanted to sleep more and more.

” Where are you going? Don’t leave me alone.”

“Okay,” Collen said with a chuckle

‘It’s just like a real family…’

I don’t remember anything about my family from my past life.

But I remembered for sure that my mom and dad loved me very much. In those meager memories, they always cried or laughed because of me.

‘…Collen is scary. But, if you continue to be nice to me…’

My eyes were tightly closed.

‘Can I really have a family?’

How far are the adopted daughters from the family? Is it a position where you can secretly think of it as a real family in your heart?

“Please stay by my side.”

I whispered through my sleep.

“I promise.”

And I fell asleep.

‘Maybe we can send a note to the police. An anonymous witness has appeared, and he will send the police on the trail. You don’t have to catch the fortune teller yourself… So, you want to go to a meeting with Marianne, or you want to go hunting…’

It was the last thought I had before I fell asleep.

* * *

“Hunting.”

Collen whispered.

“Let’s start hunting.”

“The lady will cry when she wakes up.”

“That will be decided tonight. Whether it’s a trap or not,” Collen whispered.

“But if I can safely find the evidence today, Lee is just a miracle child. If not…”

“She must be a spy,” Zion replied.

“Alas, yes.”

One of the two. His thoughts are always unmistakable. It will be like that this time too.

* * *

I suddenly opened my eyes and felt that the place next to me was empty. Jade, covered with a blanket, slept on a chair in the corner of the room.

“Collen?” my eyes trembled I jumped up.

“Jade! Wake up!”

“Uh, what?” Jade rubbed his eyes.

“Where is Duke?”

“He waited for dawn and left. He said he had something to look into.”

I looked out the window. The time of dawn. I looked at the clock and it was 4:00 in the morning. I barely calmed my startled heart and said.

“Jade. You know how to ride a horse, right?”

“Of course.”

Jade’s expression softened.

“Please listen to me. Later I will repay you a favor for a favor.”

Jade looked at me as if he were amazed by these words.

“What the hell are you going to do?”

“Just trust me once. Please…” I said sincerely.

Jade stood up, brushing his hair.

It looked troublesome, but it moved quickly.

“Okay, but only this time.”

“Let’s go to the stable! This is urgent!”

I grabbed his hand and ran to the stable. Jade didn’t even call the stable keeper and brought out a horse. It was a pitch black horse.

‘Are real horses so big?’

I was scared.

Jade jumped into the stirrup without a stand. It was like magic. He held out his hand to me.

“Let’s go.”

Jade really drove the horse forward, without a second thought.

The wind whipped me on the cheeks. My body trembled from top to bottom. Everything around was blurred. Jade was trying to tell me something.

At first I didn’t even hear. When he screamed, I understood Jade’s words.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes!”

“But why are we going into the slums?”

I was too scared to speak.

Finally I got to the place I was looking for.

“Here it is, the third alley!”

The alley where I lived. In the basement of a house with a red roof was the fortuneteller’s lair. I grabbed Jade’s arm and screamed.

“Come on, drop me off! Jade!”

Jade pulled on the reins. The cry of a horse rang out in the middle of the peaceful dawn.

Gulp. I swallowed dry saliva.

‘Is… Collen here?’

It was just that moment. A sound came into the building. The scream of a human, or something breaking.

Thud! Thud!

A loud sound of something crashing echoed from the basement.

My left arm started to hurt again.