Published at 24th of January 2021 10:40:27 AM
Chapter 27
The barrier shattered in an instant, and its remnants fluttered to the floor . It was the same as what had happened that night . But this time, there was no sword in the boy’s hand .
He didn’t give her time to yell for Sid before he grabbed Apollonia’s wrist and pushed her against the wall .
He must have been gifted with immensely strong magic for this to be possible not just once, but twice .
“I can defeat your barriers even without a sword . Although I’ve never seen anyone else who can use this technique . ”
He leaned forward as he spoke . Their foreheads were almost touching . She tried to pull away her hand, but it wouldn’t budge . He was holding her hand firmly enough that it was difficult to get away, but also softly, so it wouldn’t hurt her .
“Let go of me . ”
At her command, the boy immediately let go of her hand and took several steps back .
Slap!
Apollonia slapped his cheek with all her strength once he’d stepped away . His head snapped to the side .
“If you ever do that again, you’ll experience more pain than you’ve ever felt before . Don’t ever touch me, unless you want to be sent back to the Leifer family to die a miserable death . ”
Apollonia’s eyes glowed cooly . The boy didn’t say anything . His cheek began to swell .
“Good job . ”
“…What?”
“You could have avoided my hand, but you stayed still . If you don’t want to die, keep doing exactly that . Even if you could manage to subdue me, there are still several layers of barriers outside the door, then Sid with his crossbow . If you somehow managed to get through all that, then there are the Imperial Knights . But you can’t even deal with Sid, the man who pierced your shoulder with a dagger . ”
The boy closed his eyes, and took another step back . He did seem to regret having been so bold towards Apollonia, but he didn’t seem scared of her threats .
“The second delusion…”
He spoke again . This time, a bitter smile crept across his lips .
“Is that you can keep me alive . ” He laughed .
“What does that mean?”
“It’s impossible to get away from Leifer . ”
The boy surveyed the room, and slowly lifted his hand to gently touch his neck .
“Because they don’t need to know my face to find me . ”
On his neck, a small blade-shaped tattoo glowed faintly red .
“This mark is bound by a magic spell . It’s normally invisible, but it can be revealed if the owner wants it to . Since you can see it, that means they’re looking for me . As the light shines brighter, the pain becomes greater . ”
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Apollonia reached out and softly touched the mark . The light shone slightly more when her fingers touched it .
“Once the owner activates the mark and makes it grow stronger, I have to return to them . If I don’t, the pain becomes so much that it’d be better to die rather than to experience that pain . Those are my two options: to die, or to go back . ”
With Apollonia stroking his mark, he almost looked like a big dog . It didn’t suit the situation at all .
“That means… I can never have a new identity . They’ll always be able to find me . ”
Apollonia pulled back her hand . Actually, she’d known about the mark for a long time .
“So, Princess, I can’t be your man . I’d appreciate it if you’d kill me quickly… or if not, you might as well just send me back to Leifer so I can beg for my life . ”
He finished his speech with gritted teeth . Apollonia considered him . His frankness about the situation must have meant that he really had no will to live .
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But what if the situation was different than what he thought?
Apollonia raised her head . “Do you mind if I speak now?”
The boy, who’d been about to go back to bed, swiveled towards her in surprise .
“Do you still have something to say?”
“You didn’t listen to all the terms of my offer . ” She gestured at him, and he turned to face her . He stared at her, waiting .
“If you decide to follow me, I expect you to obey me . But I’m not the same as my aunt . ”
“What?”
“I’m not going to carve brands into your body, nor will I torture you to force you to follow my commands . If there ever comes a time when you truly cannot obey my orders, I’ll grant you a clean death, just like you wished . ”