Chapter 2 Part 3: A Delusion for the Sake of Delusion

‘Will you come with me?’

A hand clad in black gloves.

‘I’ll make sure you’re never lonely.’

Words that left no choice but to be captivated.

Fragmented memories flashed by quickly.

There were scenes that looked familiar, but none lingered long in my mind, melting away like snow.

Drip.

Drip.

The first thing to leave a clear impression was the sound of water droplets striking the surface.

“Already tired, Rudan?”

A man filled my brightening field of vision.

“Huh…….”

Before I could even form a proper thought, the man kissed me.

Our lips naturally pressed together, and a tender kiss followed.

Out of habit, I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him.

The man supported my back and pulled my body downward.

“Hnn, ngh, mm…….”

The water that had been lapping beneath my thighs rose to my chest.

Warm water surrounded us on all sides.

It was a bathroom far too ornate to have been made for just two people—more like a swimming pool in scale.

Only then did I realize that I had been sitting on the edge outside the water and had now been brought inside.

“Hah…… hah…….”

As our lips parted, the man chuckled lowly at my breathless state.

“You need to breathe properly.”

It was a voice I’d heard often in the tangled fragments of memory.

His sharply defined face was beautiful.

This was exactly the impression of a ‘prince’ that young girls imagined.

His platinum blonde hair, darkened slightly by the water, and his deep blue eyes seemed ready to swallow you whole.

A dull pulse throbbed inside my chest.

I couldn’t tell if it was from the breathlessness of the kiss just now, or from having a gorgeous man in front of me whose thin, loose clothes were soaked through, leaving him practically naked.

I was so distracted that I didn’t even notice I was wearing similar attire……

‘Me?’

As if doused with cold water, I snapped awake.

At the same time, I felt myself detaching from the sensations I had perceived as vivid until now.

I am not Rudan.

I am not a wizard with a tragic past, nor a fool easily swayed by others.

With that realization came understanding.

This was Rudan’s memory.

Whether it was because the immersion that had made me identify with Rudan was broken, I was now able to observe the two of them as a spectator.

It was hardly a pleasant situation.

“You’re still relaxed and soft.”

“Ugh…….”

I hadn’t wanted to witness someone else’s intimate affairs this way.

Throughout the arduous act, Rudan kept staring at the man’s face with an expression like he was under a spell.

His flushed face could have been explained away by anything, but those eyes were unmistakably those of someone in love.

Abaddon.

The leader of Nieta, the man who had picked Rudan up from a back alley.

It seemed Rudan had loved that man.

And it appeared Abaddon felt the same—at least, from this scene alone, they looked like an unshakeable couple that nothing could tear apart.

After Rudan, exhausted, drifted off to sleep, the man bathed him meticulously and dressed him in soft, new clothes.

He laid him on a plush sofa and even offered his own knee as a pillow.

My, my.

The hand stroking his cheek was as careful as if handling something fragile.

It even made me, the observer, feel a tickle inside, as if I were peeking at something I shouldn’t.

“You’re at it again.”

Just then, a clear voice tinged with youthfulness rang out.

“I’ve advised you countless times—if you can’t bear to keep him restrained, it’s better to kill him.”

“…….”

Abaddon pressed his lips into a thin line and remained silent.

“If you can’t do it, shall I take care of it for you?”

“……Ezekiel.”

“If killing isn’t an option, there’s always the method of breaking his mind.

Turning a wizard who’s practically a newborn into an obedient doll is no challenge for me.”

Only then did the man speak.

“You remember the oracle.

If we destroy Secreta’s favored child, we may incur her wrath.”

The other let out a hollow laugh.

“It’s not as if you’ve been playing nice for that reason, though.”

The man replied firmly.

“Don’t misunderstand.

I keep him by my side because he has sufficient value.

Whether it’s to avoid losing the god’s favor or for the sake of our power, he’s a talent we cannot afford to lose.”

“What use is that talent if Imera takes him?”

“That won’t happen.”

Twitch.

I saw Rudan’s fingertips tremble ever so slightly.

It seemed he had a faint sliver of consciousness.

The two, absorbed in their conversation, didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ve trained him to come back to me no matter how many times it takes.”

A voice devoid of any trace of emotion rang out coldly.

***

Startled.

When I opened my eyes, I was back on that goddamn bed.

“Ugh…….”

The headache that picked at my skull whenever it felt like it was still there.

The only consolation was that I’d managed to pick up at least a small clue.

Based on the scene I’d seen in the dream, it seemed clear that—whether it was acting or not—Rudan had loved Abaddon.

So following the cliché, the father of the baby would be Abaddon, and Rudan, having realized the man didn’t love him, ran away……

The pieces fit roughly, but something felt hollow in the middle.

“The motive is weak.”

Of course, since I’d never lived as a weak-willed person in my life, there was a significant gap between Rudan’s standards and mine.

“What is?”

“Just that kind of reason…….”

……I almost answered that risking hardship and danger over that was a bit much.

I propped my hands on the bed and shot up.

Dizziness washed over me, but my vision cleared when I saw the bastard who had brought over an ornate chair, sat nearby with his legs crossed, and was brazenly watching me.

“Good morning.”

So being the Tower Lord was a job with nothing to do, huh.

“What are you doing here?”

“Watching you.

You were sleeping so well.”

Killian smiled, his eyes curving delicately.

“But my darling, why have you gotten so frail since I last saw you?

I made sure to feed you well so you’d grow strong, but your condition is utter garbage.”

If we were going to play, you’d need to be much sturdier than this.

Killian kept muttering incomprehensible things to himself, not even demanding a reaction.

After a long while, he finally said something resembling a conversation.

“For now, rest a bit more.

I’ll have a meal brought to you.”

“No, I’ll go eat there myself.”

My body felt heavy and moving was a bother, but I couldn’t imagine eating anything on this bed.

Even a cup of coffee would probably sit heavy.

I figured it was better to move my body a bit than to go through unnecessary misery.

With that judgment, I immediately slipped out of bed and tried to set my feet on the floor.

But I was suddenly pulled by something and nearly lost my balance.

As if expecting it, Killian caught my tottering body and gently sat me back on the bed.

Soon, I looked down to find my left ankle elegantly bound with a ribbon tied to the bedpost.

That damn ribbon.

Wasn’t he sick of it?

“……What is this?”

“You keep wandering around doing foolish things if I leave you untied.

How can I feel at ease leaving you be?”

What the hell was this bastard saying?

“Then put iron shackles on me.

Why a ribbon?”

“Iron shackles aren’t beautiful.

This is enough.”

Anyway, the guy was still out of his mind.

Just in case, I tried to undo the knot, but unsurprisingly, it wasn’t an ordinary ribbon—the knot only grew tighter the more I tried.

This was a problem.

I didn’t want to waste time stuck here.

“I’ve thrown all the incompetent fools who failed to properly assist you into prison.”

Killian said it lightly, as if it were a source of great amusement.

Ah, right.

I’d been so preoccupied with the dream’s content that I’d forgotten.

On the way back from meeting Gideon, I’d suddenly heard that tinnitus-like sound and lost consciousness.

There was no way I’d returned on my own two feet while unconscious, so the three there must have somehow brought me here—whether the wizards Killian had assigned or that little brat I’d been dragging around.

This was getting troublesome.

“What are you going to do?”

Killian drew close as I was lost in thought.

He grabbed my knee with his delicate hand and blinked slowly at a distance that felt almost touching.

His red eyes sparkled with excessive vitality.

“If you soothe my wounded heart, I’ll untie that ribbon for you.

I could even overlook those imprisoned ones just once.”

I held back the scoff that nearly escaped at his cloying whisper.

His intentions were plain to see.

He wasn’t wounded at all—he’d just found a good opportunity and wanted to use it to toy with me.

What happened to those in prison didn’t matter much to me, but it seemed Killian had no intention of untying this f*cking ribbon if I didn’t accept his proposal.

If that was the case, my answer was already decided.

“How would you like me to soothe it?”

f*ck.

Nothing was going my way.

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