Chapter 110

Elise instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes from the blinding light. Beyond the glare, Ivetsa’s scream pierced the air, fleeting amidst the chaos.

As her vision cleared, Elise watched in astonishment as the magic circle she had meticulously laid out began to whirl with unrestrained energy. Tiny gears interlocked and spun in intricate patterns, while indecipherable glyphs danced across its surface, rewriting the very fabric of the spell.

Simultaneously, the veil of concealment draped over the cabin shattered under the intense pressure, exposing them to the outside world. Recognizing the impending danger, Elise hastily summoned her magic back into her body.

Before she could react further, a thunderous crash echoed through the cabin as the door was violently kicked open by an intruder. Though her attention was torn, Elise remained fixated on the unfolding spectacle beneath her feet.

The magic circle is moving! she realized in shock. Coordinates were being inscribed at the top of the previously empty incantation. The homing pigeon had finally found a safe place to land. She didn’t understand why the magic was pouring out explosively, but there was no time to think.

“Ivetsa! Here, take my hand…” Elise called out, her voice trembling with urgency as she scanned the room for Ivetsa. Suddenly, she glimpsed something strange and surreal, a fleeting vision that vanished like a mirage.

Elise shook off the disorientation and firmly grasped Ivetsa’s hand, which was weakly reaching out. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus amidst the chaos. Through the swirling smoke, a fierce voice pierced her consciousness, calling her name with an intensity that felt almost hallucinatory.

“Elise!”

The voice was sharp, like a beast’s growl, filled with a mixture of desperation and fury. She could feel the raw anger in the magic, prickling her skin. Suddenly, a rough hand breached the magic circle, reaching towards her back.

Just a little more, faster…!

Despite sensing the imminent threat, Elise refused to turn around. She had made a vow not to look back once she set her course. There was no longer any reason to hesitate, and no justification for anyone to stop her.

Elise surrendered herself to the powerful force pulling her forward, trusting in its transcendent strength to guide her to safety.

***

The cabin, concealed in the dense underbrush, revealed itself with a thunderous crash. Rezette pushed through the swirling vortex of magic that clawed at him, his expression grim.

Once the magical barrier shattered, the cabin materialized, almost unrecognizable. The roof had caved in completely, and the decaying log walls had splintered and collapsed. The acrid dust in the air could not mask the lingering scent of something unplaceable.

“Elise!”

Rezette kicked aside the debris blocking his way and took in the wreckage. There were no signs of life, only the still-warm, flickering air and the faint scent of fresh flowers, evidence she had been there moments ago.

From the moment he had called her name, he knew he had lost her. The faint presence he had sensed had vanished as swiftly as it had trembled.

The vibrations of magic were so intense they distorted his vision. It was unmistakably Sameshita’s magic. She had summoned the dragon here, and Sameshita had answered.

This confirmed that Elise had known how to wield the dragon’s magic all along. More than just knowledge, it was possible she had been in league with the dragon from the beginning.

“Your wife often calls for me.”

“I didn’t realize I should have suspected you,” Rezette muttered coldly as he meticulously searched the cabin. His heart, still racing from the chaos of the collapse, pounded as if it might burst.

The disarray suggested she had intended to use this place as a temporary hideout. Essential items were strewn about, some left behind in her haste. Small bundles lay abandoned, hastily packed but incomplete.

Rezette stood motionless where Elise had been just moments before. He had seen her silhouette through the collapsing beams, but not her face. She hadn’t looked back at him, even though he had called out to her.

The woman who had answered him every time he called the night before had run out of glances for him now. His throat and chest felt constricted, as if he had swallowed stones. He tore open the buttons at his collar, struggling to breathe, and turned toward the back of the cabin.

Something caught at his feet. He looked down and saw strands of shimmering silver hair scattered across the floor.

Rezette slowly knelt and gathered the silken strands that lay in a heap on the floor. Pure silver and soft to the touch—it wasn’t thread but Elise’s hair. He had indulged in the sensation of these strands between his fingers every morning; he couldn’t fail to recognize them. More than half of it had been cut off.

Nearby, he spotted a dagger lying in a corner. Its blunt blade still clung to a few strands of hair. She had cut it herself.

He couldn’t even muster a bitter laugh. Confirming her determination to leave him so thoroughly filled him with a profound sense of desolation.

She was determined from start to finish.

Elise must have sensed his presence approaching the cabin. She had deliberately released her magic for him to notice, a final attempt to offer him a sliver of hope. But the sight of her cutting her hair and fleeing, as if severing their bond, shattered even that fragile hope.

“…I like you.”

Those words, which continued to haunt him, were all she had left behind as she departed without a backward glance, aided by someone else. In the end, all he could hold onto was this mercilessly severed lock of hair.

Rezette pressed his palm firmly against his eyes, now shadowed with dark circles that had deepened overnight. His once bright blue eyes now glimmered with a bloodshot hue.

“Haha…”

When was the last time he had felt this consuming rage? A decade of carefully cultivated composure shattered in an instant. The metallic tang of blood lingered on his tightly clenched lips. Elise had dismantled him, piece by painstaking piece, after years of careful construction.

Regardless of her true intentions, Rezette couldn’t deny that she had manipulated him with uncanny precision. No words she could offer now would assuage the emptiness, fury, and profound sense of betrayal gnawing at him.

He shouldn’t have allowed himself to drop his guard. He shouldn’t have placed his trust in her so readily. He shouldn’t have indulged her every whim and desire. If this was to be the bitter conclusion, then there was no need to suppress his own selfish desire to possess her completely.

It was, after all, a contractual marriage, as she had reminded him. He should have adhered strictly to the terms from the outset.

The veins in Rezette’s hand bulged as he clutched the limp lock of hair tightly.

Ruben, who had been anxiously pacing outside the cabin, cautiously approached. “What are your orders, Your Highness? What do we do now?”

Elise’s trail had vanished without a trace from this place. However, tracking Sameshita’s magic would lead them to her without difficulty.

“She deliberately sought refuge in the mountains…” Rezette muttered, his brow furrowed in contemplation. He hadn’t anticipated her fleeing into the rugged terrain without so much as a change of clothes. From this moment onward, Elise’s actions would defy Rezette’s expectations. Having felt the determination in her escape, Rezette found himself with no choice but to pursue her wholeheartedly.

It was fortunate to have witnessed her departure. If she could wield such immense magic with ease, it suggested her physical condition was not as dire as he feared. However, it also meant that the pursuit would be arduous.

You must have foreseen this, Elise, he thought bitterly. She had orchestrated her escape meticulously, even while carrying his child, resorting to outrageous actions and colluding with the very being he despised most.

The thought of Sameshita’s insatiable greed towards Elise made Rezette’s blood boil. The image of that mad dragon revealing himself to her, expressing his vile desires, filled him with rage and disgust.

There was no time to waste. With resolve hardening in his heart, Rezette rose to his feet.

Elise’s decision to seek refuge in the mountains indicated she couldn’t teleport directly to the southern regions at the moment. This limited her teleportation range to just beyond the borders of Rotiara territory. In response, blocking all routes from the north to the south, especially those leading to the southwestern Regal Kingdom, became imperative.

In Rezette’s mind, the map of the Grandel continent split in two. Two primary routes emerged: the desert path traversing the continent’s center and the sea route from eastern Norella towards the Van Yela border.

The desert and wasteland were predominantly under the control of the Ugel Kingdom. Beyond lay nomadic tribes, known as barbarians, making it an unwise choice unless Elise was prepared to risk facing torment or death at their hands.

However, to cover all possibilities, they decided to divide their forces into three groups. One would head towards the desert and wasteland, another towards the eastern coast of Norella, and the last would track down anyone likely to have contact with Elise.

A perfect bait presented itself in the form of the leader of the rats they had apprehended during the patrol of the Tene River, Elise’s trusted “friend.” Rezette had received recent reports on this individual’s movements.

“Barnon Conrad. Increase surveillance on him,” Rezette commanded. “Monitor his contacts closely, and if there’s any indication of him attempting to flee, handle him firmly. I don’t care if he’s left crippled, just ensure he remains alive.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” came the dutiful reply.

Yet, Rezette remained unsatisfied. Rotiara’s forces alone were inadequate for the task at hand. The expanse of Van Yela posed a logistical challenge, and even with haste, he couldn’t simultaneously search multiple locations. While they focused on one area, Elise could easily slip through another route, as she had just demonstrated.

They needed to tighten every thread of their search net, leaving no room for escape.

“And those imperial dogs sniffing around Rotiara,” Rezette continued, his tone frigid.

“Yes, Your… What? Imperial knights in Rotiara?” Ruben’s shock was palpable, his voice betraying his surprise.

“Send them all back to the capital,” Rezette ordered without hesitation. “Instruct them to report to His Majesty without altering a single word.”

“What…? Report what?” Ruben’s confusion deepened.

“The Princess of Argan has fled while pregnant,” Rezette stated matter-of-factly.

The revelation stunned Ruben and the knights into silence. To report such a grave error to His Majesty meant inviting blame and wrath upon Rotiara. Rezette, who had always bristled at royal interference, was now voluntarily acknowledging a mistake?

As the implications sank in, Rezette’s cold voice cut through the stunned silence.

“Therefore, we request cooperation from the Van Yela royal family and the Irrien of Norella,” he declared. “Issue a nationwide warrant in Van Yela to ensure the princess never crosses the imperial border.”