Chapter 72

Maybe it was the strange tension in the air, but Evelyn felt a chill creep down her spine for reasons she couldn’t quite explain.

The man, his eyes filled with unmasked hostility, quietly began to murmur an incantation.

Whoosh—

In the next instant, golden chains infused with magic whipped through the air and coiled tightly around the young man’s body.

“Argh—! Aaagh!”

Evelyn looked on in alarm as the man in front of her suddenly cried out in pain without warning.

‘What’s happening to him all of a sudden?’

As if reading her thoughts, Axion answered in an emotionless tone.

“It’s illusion magic. He’ll feel as though his entire body is engulfed in flames.”

“Are you really going to just leave him like that?”

Her voice held a trace of concern, her expression uneasy. If the investigation department were to catch wind of this, things could become far more complicated. What if they accused him of excessive force…

Axion gave a faint, sardonic smile, his voice laced with indifference.

“Who knows? I’ve been more than generous, all things considered.”

In that moment, his gaze dropped to her pale wrist. There, faint reddish marks left behind by the young nobleman’s rough grip were still clearly visible on her skin.

At the sight of them, Axion’s brow furrowed deeply.

“On second thought, killing him outright—”

“Don’t even say it!”

At the very least, don’t commit murder while I’m present.

Evelyn, her face stricken with alarm, hurriedly covered her fiancé’s mouth with her hand. Moments later, as he gently pulled her hand away, a strange gleam flickered in his crimson eyes.

“Were you worried about me?”

“Th-that’s…”

…I just didn’t want to be at a murder scene.

Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to deny it. In that moment, it felt as though the menacing tension that had surrounded them moments ago had completely vanished.

It was just as she bit down on her lip, struggling against the indescribable atmosphere pressing in around them…

Ahem—

At the sudden sound of someone clearing their throat, she slowly turned her stiffened neck. Beyond the balcony curtain, several knights of the city guard stood watching them, their expressions caught somewhere between awkwardness and concern.

Seeing them arrive at such a timely moment, Evelyn quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She had no idea what she would’ve said to her fiancé otherwise.

“We received a report and came to investigate.”

It seemed nearby nobles had overheard the young lord’s screams and summoned the guards. Axion addressed the wary knights in a calm, composed tone.

“I’ll be taking this young lord with me, once I’ve secured permission from the investigation department.”

“Pardon…?

As one of the knights blinked in surprise, Axion tilted his head slightly with a cool gaze.

“Must I repeat myself?”

“N-No, Your Grace!”

Sensing the dangerous shift in air, the knights bowed their heads respectfully. Then, following Axion’s command, they dragged the young lord, still bound in magic chains, out of the balcony.

Now alone with her fiancé, Evelyn finally voiced the question that had been weighing on her mind.

“Axion, was that issue with the new guild resolved?”

The man furrowed his brow slightly, then gently took her swollen wrist and wrapped it with his handkerchief.

“That’s hardly what you should be worried about right now.”

“But it’s still important! What happened in the end?”

As she pressed him for an answer, he let out a long, weary sigh.

“It’s been resolved. Thanks to you.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that!”

He watched her radiant smile quietly for a brief moment, then spoke in a voice low and subdued.

“Go back and get that treated first.”

“…Okay.”

For some reason, she found herself shrinking under his gaze and she nodded slowly. Those with healing abilities couldn’t heal themselves and always needed external treatment.

Time passed, though she wasn’t sure how much. A heavy, lingering silence settled between them. Evelyn tried to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come. At that moment, Axion, his eyes dark as though they had sunk into some unseen abyss, lowered his head gently onto her delicate shoulder.

‘He must’ve been worried about me.’

It seemed that beneath that cold and ruthless exterior, there still lingered the faintest sense of responsibility toward his fiancée.

Feeling guilty for having caused him needless worry, Evelyn deliberately spoke in a bright, spirited tone.

“Axion, I’m fine. You came for me, didn’t you?”

But maybe those words didn’t sit well with him, because what came from the man was a voice cold enough to chill the air.

“Why do you always say you’re fine?”

“Well…”