Chapter 71

In the end, Bianca never saw Dexter. She had stood waiting for an hour, yet there was no response.

In the end, the attendant watching over her pleaded in desperation, saying that if she didn’t return, he might lose his life. She couldn’t bear the thought of another dying because of her, and so she turned away. She also waited for the maid who had promised to inquire, but the answer that came back wasn’t the one she had longed to hear.

‘It seems the awakening fever has finally passed.’

Even though her body had improved noticeably, there was no joy in it. If it really had been his hand that saved her, then she resolved to endure without taking any medicine, even if it meant suffering.

If he didn’t wish her to die, he would come to her, at the very brink of her last breath.

If there was but one way to draw him out, then she would have to feign it. He was the sort who would never reveal anything until the end was certain.

It was no doubt his way of binding her here.

Bianca’s blue eyes glimmered softly. If she herself were the bait to ensnare him, then it was actually rather simple.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, an abnormal reaction is occurring where Lady Bianca is staying.”

“I know.”

Had she finally gone mad? He had thought she had given up and returned, but her scent first bloomed vigorously throughout the quiet palace before soon overflowing.

“I thought the awakening fever had passed. Was I mistaken?”

“From what I know, ever since Lord Asilian gave Lady Bianca the medicine to suppress the awakening fever, her condition has improved rapidly.”

“Then it can’t be that she has lost control because of the fever.”

Even so, ignoring it wasn’t a simple matter. While he could endure without losing reason only because of the suppressant he had taken faithfully these past five years, for others, it wasn’t the same. Among the knights residing in the castle, there were Espers as well, and the lower their rank, the more easily they would be swayed.

Dexter ran a hand through his hair.

“What is the situation near Lady Astri’s chambers?”

“They are filled with those who have lost their senses and gathered there. The majority of them are affiliated with the palace.”

“So I can’t just kill them recklessly.”

To drive others into such peril, what a troublesome way of acting. Above all, if that door were to open, her fate would be all too clear. And yet, knowing this, she had dared to make herself the bait. The boldness of it drew a laugh from him, unexpected as it was.

He hadn’t thought she would act so recklessly. But then again, it was precisely because it was her.

Dexter glanced at the clock.

“How long has it been?”

“About half an hour, Your Highness. At this rate, more will surely gather.”

“To think they would lose their reason, driven mad by pheromones.”

Although he spoke with irritation, even he could feel his own heart pounding under the swell of her intoxicating scent. Bianca’s scent was heady enough to strip reason away. Not only was her class high, but their compatibility was excellent, making it easy for him to assimilate it.

Dexter shrugged into his jacket and stepped out of his chamber. In the corridor, he saw figures wandering aimlessly, failing even to recognize him as they drifted, entranced, toward Bianca’s room.

“Tsk.”

He used his power on every person he encountered.

“Ah! Your Highness the Crown Prince. Do you require something?”

“No. I would rather you return and get some sleep.”

“…Huh? Why did I come out here?”

Only then did the attendant finally come to his senses, tilting his head in confusion before turning back toward his quarters.

And he wasn’t the only one. On his way, Dexter encountered dozens more in the same state. By that point, concern for Bianca had begun to take root within him.

‘What is she thinking, letting her pheromones spill so recklessly?’

The more he used his power, the heavier the fatigue that pressed upon him. Still, Bianca’s pheromones surged and churned as though on the verge of a frenzy, and his stride quickened, lengthening with each step.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

“Haah, ah.”

Her breath came in ragged gasps. The pheromones she had loosed as though abandoning reason made her vision spin.

Guides couldn’t rampage, Bianca knew that well enough. However, what would happen if she drew out and used every last shred of power in her body? She intended to drive herself to the very edge, even to death itself, if that was what it took to bring him to her.

If she tried to guide another, it would mean ruin not only for herself but for her family as well.

So, pressed to the floor, she forced out every ounce of power stored within her body. Like a signal flaring into the night, the waves spread wider and wider, drawing more and more people inexorably toward her, expanding without end.

Thump, thump, thump.

Thump, thump, thump.

She didn’t falter, even as fists pounded furiously against the door.

Bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

Soon after, the blows came as though they meant to break the door down entirely. The newly appointed handmaiden, trapped inside with her, clung to Bianca’s arm in panic, her voice trembling with tears.