CHAPTER 33

Kaedin and I stood in front of Sevrik's door.

We had come to say the same thing, but a strange silence stretched between us.

I was pressing my aching shoulder; he was adjusting his hair—each of us trying to look "tired" in our own way.

"Ready?" I asked.

"No. But this wasn't my idea," he said, nose in the air.

"You were the one shouting 'I'm exhausted' yesterday. It wasn't me crying on the grass."

"I was merely explaining the reason for my exhaustion!"

I knocked on the door.

A second later, Sevrik's voice rang out. Cold. Clear. Commanding:

"Enter."

We opened the door.

Inside... perfection.

Documents aligned on the desk, symmetrical crystal orbs, mission charts pinned on a board.

No dust. No chaos. Just tension.

Sevrik looked up.

Kaedin stepped forward.

"Honorable Director, Elysia and I request a short leave due to mental fatigue from recent assignments."

"Mental fatigue?"

Sevrik's pen stopped. He stared at Kaedin.

"Are you dead?"

"…No?"

"Hallucinating?"

"Uh… I don't think so?"

"Hands chopped off?"

He turned to me. I showed my hands.

"No, Director."

"Good. Then no vacation."

He turned back to his file. "All three senior mages are out on missions. Don't come to me with 'mental fatigue' during a security gap. Dismissed."

I looked at Kaedin. Kaedin looked at me.

His eyes screamed, "Told you so."

We left. As the door shut, Kaedin muttered with a defeated sigh:

"Apparently, no vacation unless you die."

"Or lose your mind completely."

"Hmm. Maybe I should go a bit crazier."

"No. You've used up today's quota for attacking me."

Kaedin let out a short laugh. Then went quiet.

But my mind was still on someone else.

Cassian.

I had no idea what it meant to max out romance with someone I hadn't even met… and I didn't want to know.

Things with Lucian and Kai were already complicated enough.

I'd broken one's trust.

With the other… I kept crashing into his walls until I learned—painfully—what lay behind them.

I just wanted to live the rest of my life without more chaos.

But this world had no intention of granting me that luxury.

—

Nina and I started packing our bags.

I was quiet for a few seconds before I asked without meaning to:

"So… where's Lucian?"

Nina adjusted her glasses, hesitated a moment.

"I don't know," she said a little too quickly. "His name wasn't in the registry. Maybe he's on another mission?"

Maybe.

But seeing him so absent… was annoying.

I mean, it's fine.

But also… it's not.

Packing didn't take long. I had a few potions, a seal stone, and the mission scroll.

My face fell when Nina said we'd be riding horses.

"You… don't know how to ride?" she asked in surprise.

"I do… I mean, I had ridden before I fell off," I said awkwardly.

If only I was skilled enough to teleport. But I wasn't.

Nina rolled her eyes. "Fine. You're coming with me. Same horse."

"Seriously?"

"Unless you want to walk. Your choice."

As she got on the horse, she pulled me up behind her.

I grabbed her waist without thinking as I tried to balance.

"Not so tight," she said with a laugh. "I still need to breathe."

Just then, Orren rode by.

He grinned. "Same horse? You two are cute lovebirds."

Nina shot back immediately:

"Yeah, but you're not getting a wedding invite."

And I… was still trying not to die on horseback.

This mission wasn't going to be easy.

The possibility of meeting Cassian… would be the hardest part.

⸻

As we traveled toward Brimshore, rocks, pine branches, and thoughts of Cassian scattered along the roadside and my mind.

This mission… would be a long one.

Ahead of us, two more riders: Kaedin and Lior.

Both silent. Then Kaedin leaned in and said something to his brother—Lior rolled his eyes, but then laughed.

Kaedin smiled too.

The big, silent warrior looked… softer when talking to his brother.

More human. Being away from Cassian seemed to be doing Kaedin good.

I was holding onto Nina, sharing her horse.

For someone like her, this might be a thrill—but for me, it was a herniated disc.

Two-person horseback rides might qualify as ancient torture.

Maybe I should add it to magical history.

"You really don't know how to ride a horse?"

Nina's voice came through the wind.

"Well… theoretically, I do," I said.

"Great. Then you could've bounced all the way to Brimshore on theory. Luckily, you have me."

She grumbled a bit:

"Although riding double… might be crushing some of my internal organs."

"I'm happy… to be of service."

Orren was watching us from his horse.

"Be careful in Brimshore," he said suddenly. "Any action outside the mission scope gets written straight to the tower."

"It's that serious?" I asked.

Nina sighed.

"Right now, being a 'mage' means knowing everything, being guilty of everything. While dark magic is loose, people want someone to blame. The court is guiding that fear."

Orren added without turning his head:

"And that makes the proud mages bow even lower."

After a while, Nina broke the silence.

"Um…" she said suddenly. "Did something happen to Lucian? After the last mission, I mean."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you asking?"

"Because he didn't say a word to anyone for a whole day. Sure, he's usually cold, but that day… it was different. Like something hurt him too."

"My fault," I said quietly. "I should've trusted him. But things… got messy."

Nina lowered her head. "Breaking Lucian's heart is pretty hard to do. Congratulations."

"That's not funny."

"I wasn't joking."

⸻

When we arrived at the hunting grounds, everything changed.

Stone-paved roads, embroidered tents, gleaming armor.

Even the sky seemed calmer here.

Mages and knights were lined up in order.

Disciplined. Uniform.

And not just them…

Even the nobles stood straight as if given a command.

I was placed in my patrol zone before I could wander.

I pulled the hood of my cloak up and hid in the shadows.

But my eyes… kept moving.

This was the closest I'd ever been to an imperial family.

In the modern world, royalty was just a TV show.

Here… it was blood and bone.

I saw the queen.

Short brown hair. A heavy crown around her head.

Her dress covered in jewels—but her face…

Her face was like a wax statue behind glass.

She didn't even seem to breathe.

Even if a dragon appeared, she wouldn't blink.

Everything inside her seemed… silenced.

And that… was terrifying.

Because when a person feels nothing, it means they've lost everything.

Next to her stood a young prince. Prince Aurel, son of King Althar by another consort.

He tried to look calm. But his eyes…

Were afraid.

Cassian wasn't there.

Strangely, I felt relief.

Maybe he wasn't part of this scene.

Then… King Althar arrived.

Even from afar, he was imposing.

Hair snow white, face deeply lined.

But his stride… was youthful.

No heaviness. No hesitation.

And that was unsettling.

No eighty-year-old man should walk like that, no matter how well preserved.

Althar climbed the podium.

His voice tore the sky:

"To bear royal honor is not merely to be born into noble blood.

Nature… punishes the disobedient.

This hunt shall test not only your courage… but your loyalty."

His words echoed like a sermon.

Then a pause…

And a smile.

Cold. Long. Calculated.

"This year's hunt… will be different.

I've made a contribution to nature."

Silence.

"I changed the beasts.

Gave them back the fangs nature forgot.

They won't just hunt. They'll choose.

And I… will watch."

No one spoke.

Nobles exchanged glances, but no one moved.

Then someone stepped forward.

Hands trembling, but voice firm:

"Long live King Althar!"

And then the others:

"Long live!"

"Long live…"

But those voices… were like corpses clapping.

Forced. Empty. And chilling.