Chapter 15

At Varkan’s low voice, Matilda frantically shook her head.

“I-It’s unfair! I never did anything to Lady Bianca. I only did it because I wanted what was best for her. I don’t know what Diena told you, but it’s all lies…!”

“How much longer are we going to keep having this boring conversation? Even you have to realize how ridiculous this is.”

“…”

“Who would believe that? Seriously. Why are you acting so stupid?”

His tone was light, but the pressure behind it was anything but.

Matilda felt like she might faint.

“I’ve been wronged…”

Before she could finish speaking, Varkan grabbed her by the throat.

His shadow flickered under the light in the darkness.

A thick darkness that looked capable of swallowing even the torchlight stretched from beneath his feet and writhed like a living creature.

Fear filled Matilda’s eyes as she stared at the grotesque shadow.

“If you tell me the truth before my patience runs out, I might even let you live.”

As Varkan’s grip tightened, Matilda trembled like a leaf.

Her eyes darted around wildly.

‘What do I do?’

If she betrayed the Duke of Rothwell, only death awaited her.

But if she suffered at the hands of Varkan’s Ability, something worse than death might be waiting.

He was a shadow Ability User.

It was common knowledge that anyone touched by his shadow felt as though their soul was being torn apart.

“…I-I’ll tell you. The truth is Ro…!”

The moment she tried to confess that she worked for the Duke of Rothwell.

“Ghk…!”

Before she could finish, dark red blood poured from her mouth.

Without even managing a scream, she collapsed to the floor.

Her convulsing body soon grew cold.

One of the knights standing nearby checked the corpse before speaking in a heavy voice.

“Whoever they are, they’re ruthless. It seems they placed a curse on her that activates the moment she tries to confess.”

Varkan shook the blood from his hand and hardened his expression.

“Keep the Head Maid’s death secret. Spread the word that she’s merely imprisoned. And investigate her background again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And replace every servant attending Bianca. Assign Diena as her dedicated maid.”

“Understood.”

“Make the rest of the maids follow Diena’s orders.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Varkan left the underground prison, his shadow stretched long behind him.

He gripped his head tightly.

He felt awful.

So awful that he wanted to destroy everything around him.

It was because he had used his Ability after going so long without taking a suppressant.

The moment he returned to his room, he would have to use one.

At the same time, Diena’s collapsed figure flashed through his mind.

Ah… seriously.

“So annoying.”

Muttering under his breath, he headed toward where Diena was.

* * *

When Varkan arrived at his room, Hasen was standing outside with a flustered expression.

“What? Why are you back so soon?”

“Didn’t you say you were worried? So I hurried and bought everything as quickly as I could.”

“You didn’t just grab random things, did you?”

“No. I told them I wanted everything from here to here.”

“You bought every piece of clothing in the shop?”

“Yes. So technically I didn’t buy random things.”

“Good work.”

Hasen, who had answered without thinking, suddenly threw up his hands dramatically.

“No, more importantly, what happened here? Why is the estate in chaos? And why is Lady Diena in your room?”

“…”

Without answering, Varkan opened the door and walked inside.

Hasen followed with a puzzled look.

Varkan ran a hand through his hair irritably and looked down at the sleeping Diena.

Her expression was peaceful.

Asleep, she looked unbelievably harmless.

“I heard Lady Diena collapsed. Surely Lord Varkan didn’t…”

Suddenly, Hasen looked at Varkan as though he were some kind of criminal.

“I knew you were ruthless, but this is too much. No matter what terrible mistake Lady Diena made, what did you do to someone this fragile?”

“I didn’t do it.”

“Right. No matter what, you’re not the sort of trash who’d do something like that.”

As Varkan frowned, Hasen dropped the joke.

Then he looked at him with concern.

Normally Varkan would’ve been glaring at him by now, but his mood seemed far worse than usual.

“You don’t look well. Didn’t you sleep last night either? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you sleeping at all these past few days.”

Varkan grimaced and nodded.

Hasen was right.

He hadn’t gotten proper sleep in days.

He occasionally managed to close his eyes for a little while, but that was all.

The relentless pain trapped him in endless insomnia.

“It seems the Magic Tower’s suppressant is becoming less effective. Even after injecting dozens of those awful things…”

“It can’t be helped. Don’t worry about it.”

“How can I not worry? You can’t even sleep properly. Are you at least sleeping once or twice a week?”

Varkan smirked.

“I sleep just fine.”

Hasen looked at him sadly.

No matter how powerful an Ability User Varkan was, he was still a young man.

The trial he endured was far too cruel for someone his age.

Then it happened.

A splitting headache struck Varkan with overwhelming force.

It was familiar.

And just as horrible as always.

“Hasen.”

Varkan’s voice dropped low.

“Bring me a suppressant.”

“I-I’m on it!”

Hasen’s face turned pale as he rushed out of the room.

The pain Varkan had endured since childhood was enough to make an ordinary person scream and lose consciousness.

To keep hold of his fading awareness, he drew the sword at his waist and slashed deeply into his own arm.

Blood flowed from the wound.

But compared to the agony caused by the darkness, it was little more than a sting.

‘It’s not enough to trigger a Rampage.’

Varkan had already experienced a Rampage once.

He knew his own condition.

This level of pain wasn’t enough.

Yet despite that, fear crept into his heart.

‘Probably not. But what if it happens anyway?’

His gaze shifted toward Diena.

The moment his power was unleashed, her fragile body would be destroyed.

Varkan remembered the day he had become unable to approach Bianca.

During his Rampage, he had lost control of himself.

Because of that, Bianca had fallen into Darkness Corruption.

It was all his fault.

Forcing his unresponsive body to move, Varkan tried to leave the room.

At that very moment.

Diena suddenly grabbed his hand tightly.

Startled, Varkan turned around.

At some point, she had opened her eyes.

“What? Since when were you awake?”

“Since you came into the room.”

“Then why were you pretending to sleep?”

“…I missed the right moment to get up.”

Varkan raised an eyebrow.

But that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“Let go. I need to leave.”

“To take the Magic Tower’s suppressant?”