“Lucian.”

Pedro immediately noticed that his son’s condition was unusual but called him out as if it was no big deal. Nonetheless, Lucian did not answer. In addition, his eyes staring blankly into space were also unusual.

He was also used to it.

Now, when he remembered the past, some time had passed.

Was he like that to himself when he had to abandon Liam? Still, Pedro, who decided not to look back on the past anymore, slowly approached Lucian.

“Lucian, look at me.”

“….”

Despite his calls, his son just stared into space and did not respond. Pedro took a step closer, feeling his chest heaving.

“First, let’s go back to the Duchy and find out Ray’s whereabouts.”

Lucian turned his head as if reacting to the word ‘Ray.’ The sight seemed so bizarre that it seemed more like an animal than a human.

“…Father.”

Only then did he call him.

Pedro’s mouth went dry at the sound of his son’s imperiled voice. It was as if he had created this whole situation out of his own foolishness. Even though it was late, he had to take responsibility now.

“Let me help you, so let’s go back to the mansion first.”

“…What if she doesn’t come back to the mansion?”

It was a voice like the howling of a wounded animal.

Pedro approached him, swallowing dryly.

“There’s no way Ray would leave you behind.”

It was because he had heard about the situation from Camilla for some time that Pedro was able to answer in a firm voice. The Rachel he knew was not the kind of girl who would abandon Lucian. The child had been the same since childhood.

In fact, it was Rachel who followed him more intensely than his son.

“What if someone stole her?”

Lucian knew, too.

If it was Rachel, she would definitely come back to him. Nevertheless, there was something wrong with her body. What would happen when Rachel, who had become like other possessors, was taken away from his hands forever…?

Just thinking about it took his breath away, and he couldn’t breathe properly.

It felt like someone was covering his mouth, squeezing his heart, and shaking it as if they were going to tear it out. His eyes and ears were covered, and he felt fearful and lonely at the same time, as if she would disappear without leaving a trace.

…Lonely.

The world without her was such a lonely and cold place.

He couldn’t wait for her to come back. He was out of breath, and cold sweat began to trickle down. It was even more so because Rachel hadn’t been away from him for a moment since he returned to the mansion.

At the moment when his heart shook violently as he felt extreme anxiety, Enzo, who had not shown any reaction so far, spoke up. He, who had been so quiet as if he had disappeared when Lucian had longed for it, whispered in a voice mixed with joy.

— Would you like me to help you?

Even though he was whispering in a very deceitful voice, Lucian could not notice anything unusually suspicious.
He was just glad to hear his voice.

“Enzo…”

— So, keep your promise.

“What?”

— Only once.

A heavy voice took over his entire mind. He could no longer hear Pedro’s voice in his ears.

“Just once?”

— The promise to lend your body.

Lucian recalled what Enzo had said when he was hiding Rachel, and he remembered the current situation. It was difficult for him to go everywhere by himself. Even if he had the Duchy’s knights, it would be difficult for him to find Rachel, who had disappeared.

And what if he made a mistake and never found her?

…It was something that should never have happened.

He was caught up in the illusions and delusions that he might lose her, and although he was not aware of it, his eyes began to shine with moisture.

His eyes grew wet in a gloomy and sorrowful way, like a rain cloud that appeared to block the intensely shining sun. At the same time, his heart was pounding and glowing with anxiety and fear. It felt like it was going to tear open from his chest and pop out, so much so that the area around it was sore.

Standing still like an old tree with firmly rooted roots, he felt as if his whole body was wrapped tightly.

The blood all over his body was writhing as if it were going crazy, but his muscles were so contracted that he couldn’t move. Enzo’s help had never been more desperate than it was now. He had been wary of Enzo for so long, but he couldn’t do it now.

Lucian answered irritably in a wet voice that contradicted his dry expression.

“…Keep your promise. Make sure you find Ray.”

— Kuk, don’t worry. I will give you peace.

As soon as he gave permission, Enzo was delighted that the moment he had longed for had arrived. He waited with bated breath for this moment for a long time. The Lucian he had seen had a quiet personality, but his true self was wary, self-righteous, and arrogant.

Lucian treated his ancestor like a servant, though he did not rely on him.

It meant being on guard.

Enzo, who had already noticed this before, persevered for the important moment. If he kept tempting a highly wary person by giving them candy, it would only make them more wary. So, he only came forward when he wanted to, and it was all thanks to Rachel that the frequency of those moments could increase unintentionally.

Amazing child.

The Rachel Enzo was looking at was that kind of child.

His body, which always seemed to be floating in the air, was suddenly pulled up as if someone had grabbed him and pulled him down.

Enzo stumbled for a moment like a child learning to walk for the first time but then straightened up.

Lucian’s body, which was superior to his original body, regained its balance with reflexes faster than he thought.

“…Hoho.”

The feeling was so ecstatic.

Enzo couldn’t help but laugh before he felt something wet on his face. He slowly moved his hand and swiped it with his fingers.

…Tears, both hot and cold, appeared on the fingertips that moved according to his will.

He wiped it from his eyes and then slowly brought it to his mouth. It was sweet and disappeared as soon as it touched his tongue.

Whatever he tasted for the first time after being possessed would taste sweet.

“It’s sweet…”

Once he tasted it, he was hooked and found himself tasting it again. A trembling voice reached his ears as he repeated the same actions like a person trapped in his own space.

“…Lucian?”

Enzo burst out laughing at the familiar voice he often heard while staying by Lucian’s side.

In the meanwhile, Pedro had been feeling uncomfortable with his son talking to himself for a while. Lucian was talking to himself but continued as though was having a conversation with someone. Still, he was the only one by his son’s side. They had dismissed all the knights, so they were the only two people currently in this bookstore.

…Though with whom?

He got goosebumps for a moment. It was because he had done his own research that he knew relatively well about possessed people.

A baron rumored to have mental problems was actually a possessor. He was tormented by his ancestors and eventually had his body taken away. The traces of his struggles before that were seen by others as bizarre and crazy.

However, why did the Baron come to mind when he looked at Lucian now?

Who on earth was Lucian talking to?

And as if in their final conversation, his heart sank when he heard his son asked to find Rachel. Was it an illusion that at that moment, his son’s brilliant golden eyes, which he hated because they resembled his father, seemed to turn black for a moment?

The son’s insensitive expression changed subtly. The expression that seemed to be filled with despair soon changed to one filled with joy. He was so scared of that change, so he had no choice but to call Lucian.

Nonetheless, the answer that came back was not the son’s usual blunt words.

“After neglecting and abusing Lucian for so long, do you even want to act as a parent now?”

It was as if the lungs had been stabbed deep into the lungs with a sharp sword. Pedro could not come up with any answers.

Because that was true.

He was shamelessly thinking that way.

A sneer appeared on Lucian’s face as if he knew without having to hear Pedro’s answer.

“Well, it’s blood. It’s not that I don’t understand. I also could not kill my brother.”

“….”

“I should have killed him then. I kept him alive out of pity, but it left behind such a tough bloodline. Insolently.”

The voice that had been blowing like a cold wind soon turned cold and sharp like ice. Enzo, with the face of Lucian, slowly approached Pedro, who was unable to say anything. Although his skills were inferior to Lucian’s, Pedro, who was not far behind, could not move.

Enzo was more intimidating than anyone Pedro had ever met as if everything he had faced so far was nothing.

“How dare you bow down to the bat-like, vile Leon family. I raised my brother wrong. Really, if it weren’t for the blood, I would have just killed him.”

Pedro, who couldn’t breathe and was only pursing his lips, barely managed to get his voice out.

“…Who are you?”

He let out a short laugh at those words. Enzo, who was staring into space, closed his eyes to trace the past and the air and temperature he could feel with his whole body.

It was the only thing that had kept him going so far without going crazy.

He was able to endure everything with that single purpose. Like a person waiting for dinner with a loved one, he eagerly waited for the next one.

Enzo, who was smiling deeply with his eyes closed, slowly lifted his eyelids.

Golden eyes looked directly at Pedro. Instead of the insensitive eyes he often saw, he was met with golden eyes filled with madness, and he was unable to move. Enzo then raised the corners of his mouth so far that they could tear apart.

He muttered grimly as he flashed his teeth.

“Why does my name matter? This is a world that will all disappear anyway.”

__