“Sir Kyle…” Fey muttered the man’s name in a daze. Obelus was also in his grasp, and Fey’s face turned pale. The handsome red-haired man gave a pleasant smile. “You don’t know how worried I was when I heard you were missing.”

Marquis Kyle Moret Vellot, the Imperial Adviser. The man who could utter such insincere words as if they were genuine was a confidant of the Emperor, well-known throughout Tighalst.

“You are the Imperial Adviser of the Brimfe Imperial Family, aren’t you?” Vega also seemed to vaguely remember his face, and spoke cautiously while remaining guarded.

Kyle looked intently at the beads of sweat forming on Vega’s forehead and grinned. “Yes, I am. Thank you for remembering. I respect you quite a bit, you see.”

“I would have been honored to hear that under different circumstances.” Vega said, gesturing at the dozens of swords and spears pointed at him.

Kyle burst out laughing. “It is regrettable that my sincerity did not get across. But sir, I did not want things to turn out this way either. If only you had not kidnapped Marquis* O’Bellie.”

*TL/N: I forgot how I translated this before but I had just realized I haven’t put a footnote about this. Fey is called Marquis O’Bellie because she alone inherited the title. It was used to emphasize her standing as the head instead of Marquise or Marchioness.

Kidnapping.

Fey’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning at the word that so easily rolled off Kyle’s tongue. She tightly gripped the hem of Vega’s cloak and spoke with difficulty.

“Sir Kyle. I’m sorry, but this is not a kidnapping.”

“Marquis O’Bellie, please calm down. Just stay there, and I will save you. I will rescue you, so please return to Tighalst with me.”

Kyle ignored her and continued to fan the flames of Fey’s confusion.

Kyle Moret Vellot. In the game, he was merely an extra who made a brief appearance. That was why his existence was hazy to her, but on the other hand, Kyle Vellot’s presence was extremely vivid in ‘Fey’s’ memories. He was a man with such loyalty to the Emperor that even ‘Fey’ was impressed. He was also a famous figure in social circles, and ‘Fey’ would often see him whenever she attended a party. They had never danced together, though.

“Kyle. Did you come here to find me?” Fey gulped and slowly revealed herself from behind Vega. Vega belatedly grabbed her wrist to stop her, but Fey reassured him that she was alright. She tried her best to stay calm.

Honestly, she knew it was all pointless. But she wanted to buy some time, just in case. She didn’t know why Kyle had suddenly appeared here, and she couldn’t make sense of it. She needed to find some way, however small, to understand the current situation.

“If not, why else would I be here?” Kyle replied, still smiling. There was a sense of sarcasm in his voice.

“Is it the Emperor’s orders?”

“Do I need to repeat what I just said? Marquis O’Bellie. If not, why else would I be here?”

“….”

The cry of a crow could be heard in the distant sky.

So that’s it. That man came to capture her on the Emperor’s orders. With this many troops, and probably using teleportation magic as well.

‘Why?’

The more she thought about it, the less she could understand the situation. Something was definitely amiss.

Normally, the Imperial soldiers wouldn’t be able to catch up to Fey. If they had been chasing her since she left Tighalst, she would have been caught right away. Furthermore, the guards standing at the entrance to Ronan Bridge hadn’t thoroughly searched the identities of the people passing through, and they hadn’t shown any signs of being wary of unfamiliar travelers. In other words, they didn’t know that Marquis O’Bellie had gone missing. They probably also didn’t know about the situation currently unfolding in the middle of the bridge.

Kyle Vellot and the Imperial soldiers had clearly just arrived here using teleportation magic.

Fey couldn’t help but laugh hollowly as she realized this.

“Sir Kyle, Marquis Kyle Vellot.”

“What is it?”

“It’s just that a mere lord has run away. Why did you use a teleportation spell?” Fey O’Bellie asked, her voice heavy with accusation. Brimfe’s teleportation magic was a top-tier spell that could only be used with the Emperor’s permission. Not just any ‘royal’ or ‘member of the Imperial family’, but the Emperor himself had to give the go-ahead. Using teleportation magic meant that the situation was a national emergency.

“Run away? Marquis O’Bellie, you were kidnapped.”

Instead of answering her question, Kyle fixated on something else entirely. “If we had been a moment later, it could have turned into a national issue between Gashal and the Empire. Fortunately, it seems we can resolve this peacefully here.”

Kyle’s gaze, now tinged with amusement, turned slowly toward Vega. Vega’s emerald green eyes met Kyle’s piercing blue ones.

“When you capture a fugitive lord, you have to punish them. It’s easier to handle things if they claim to have been kidnapped.”

“Wh- what are you talking about?”

Kyle cocked his head to the side, tugging at the edge of his glove. His bangs fell forward, brushing against his cheek. “Did you know? This Ronan Bridge, always shrouded in fog, has another name.”

“Sir Kyle, wait a minute.”

“The Bridge of Silence.”

“Listen to me!”

“They say that nothing that happens here can be seen, heard, or believed.”

Kyle had no interest in what Fey had to say. All he cared about was fulfilling the Emperor’s orders and ensuring his safety.

“The Empire will recover the kidnapped lord, but we don’t want to make a big deal out of it. We also don’t want Saintess Lia to hear about this. So, Sir Thanatos, you’ll have to die here.”

* * *

Fey O’Bellie’s location was discovered at dawn, two days before her apprehension. A homing pigeon flew through the window of Kyle’s office, carrying a note in its beak. Kyle had been working late into the night in the Imperial office instead of returning to his mansion and was relieved that the pigeon had at least found the right place.

The note was fixed with a lead seal stamped with a butterfly. Kyle recognized it as the seal of the Emperor’s faceless guard dog, ‘Delphis Kaitos.’

The simply worded note was filled with unbelievable information.

‘They’re faster than I thought.’

It seemed that Delphis Kaitos had discovered Fey O’Bellie’s location, and Fey O’Bellie had reached Gwen Forest, both sooner than Kyle had anticipated.

‘Is Delphis Kaitos skilled in magic? Or does he have a subordinate who is?’

It was probably the latter.

Kyle tossed the note into the fireplace and left his office. He quickly walked down the corridor, adjusting his clothes as he went. He was headed to the Lily Palace, where the Emperor resided.

As he reviewed the contents of the note sent by Delphis Kaitos, he let out a hollow laugh.

“Gwen Forest and Vega Thanatos. I wish Kaitos was joking.”

“Pardon?”

The attendant following behind him asked, confused, but Kyle had no intention of repeating his comment.

The first problem was Gwen Forest, where Fey O’Bellie had been found. The location itself was suspicious. It had been a little over two weeks since Fey O’Bellie had disappeared. Normally, it would take a month to travel from Tighalst to Gwen Forest on a single horse. In other words, it was too soon for Fey O’Bellie to be found in Gwen Forest.

However, if Delphis Kaitos wasn’t lying, then Fey O’Bellie was definitely in Gwen Forest.

‘After I visit the Lily Palace, I should stop by the Department of Magic. Sir Vega Thanatos might have used some strange magic. No, that must be it.’

The second problem was Vega Thanatos himself. To be honest, Kyle felt a wave of dizziness when he saw that name on Delphis Kaitos’ note.

If memory serves me right, Vega Thanatos was the name of the captain of the Knights of Gashal.

Vega Thanatos, according to the report, is an associate of Fey O’Bellie.

In other words, it was easy to see why Vega Thanatos would be assisting Fey O’Bellie’s journey.

Who in the world would hire the captain of the Knights of Gashal as a mercenary to escort them?

Then Kyle suddenly remembered.

‘Come to think of it, Vega Thanatos briefly worked as a servant of the O’Bellie family, didn’t he?’

So he’s helping the Marquess of O’Bellie escape?

In that case, when did Fey O’Bellie start planning her journey?

‘Why would she suddenly want to run away in the first place?’

He felt a headache starting.

Apparently, a few days before Fey O’Bellie disappeared, Kyle had received a report that she had visited the tower where the Crown Prince was staying.

It was well-known throughout Tighalst that Fey O’Bellie was obsessed with Crown Prince Altair.

For a woman like that to suddenly abandon the Crown Prince and run away….

Kyle couldn’t understand Fey O’Bellie’s motivations based solely on the information in hand.

Even if he didn’t understand, the purpose of traveling through the Gwen Forest to Gashal seemed simple.

‘The Great Transcontinental Train.’

It was nearly impossible for an outsider to settle in Gashal without first obtaining citizenship.

Of course, riding the Great Transcontinental Train, which was created as a means of transportation for the Saintess, was no easy feat either.

However, with Vega Thanatos’ help, that shouldn’t be a problem.

To summarize, Fey O’Bellie is attempting to flee to another country aboard Gashal’s Great Transcontinental Train.

It was a method that only ‘O’Bellie,’ who had a connection with Vega Thanatos, could employ, something that would be unthinkable for other nobles.

Fey O’Bellie must be apprehended before she boarded the train as tracking her would become difficult.

Kyle wanted to avoid confronting the Saintess as much as possible.

Of course, if he sent a request for extradition to Gashal, the Saintess would immediately expel Kyle instead.

However, it was uncertain whether the letter would arrive in time, and he wanted to resolve the matter before it got to that point.

To avoid causing the Emperor any unnecessary distress.

—