VFAI 20

Chapter 20

“I said I would come find you.”
2022.09.08.

The sound of the wind shattering against the cliff struck my eardrums violently.

Protruding rocks and branches along the cliff face mercilessly scraped against my skin.

‘Am I going to die like this?’

Even while endlessly falling, a dry laugh escaped me.

Ever since I regained memories of my past life, I had realized I would eventually die in the future, and I had struggled desperately to survive.

I saved up funds to become independent, invested money, did everything I could.

All of it was meaningless. In the end, I was going to die so absurdly like this anyway.

Even as such pointless thoughts filled my mind, death drew closer with every passing moment.

There was a ground beneath that distant cliff after all—strewn with large and small rocks and jagged stones, rising up toward me as if to swallow me whole.

Just as I thought, So this is really it,—

“…!”

For some reason, my falling speed suddenly felt strangely slow, as if time itself had stretched.

Thud.

Instead of crashing into the ground as expected, a firm pair of arms caught me.

A familiar scent brushed past my nose.

Through my fading consciousness and blurred vision, I saw the face of the one holding me.

It was a face I felt like I had seen somewhere before.

“You… are…”

Before I could finish speaking, I slipped into unconsciousness.

“Rest.”

Darkness, utterly still, engulfed me.

The news that Karlo and Elodie had been ambushed soon reached the ears of the Duke of Perdía.

As did the fact that Elodie had fallen off a cliff during the confrontation with assassins.

Listening to Karlo’s report as he returned in a battered state, the Duke’s expression turned cold.

Silence fell.

Thud.

Karlo dropped to one knee.

“It is my failure. I failed to properly protect her. Please issue my punishment.”

The Duke did not rebuke him. Instead, he asked coldly,

“Location?”

“On the road leading to the South Tower on the outskirts of the capital—there is a cliff there.”

“Lead the way, Karlo. Have your wounds treated as we move.”

“Yes.”

Karlo clenched his fists tightly and stood.

He had been cut repeatedly by blades, bleeding heavily, and there were even signs of paralysis spreading through his body—likely from poison—but he did not dare speak of his condition.

This was not the time for weakness.

Even as they rode toward the site of the ambush, Karlo could not stop thinking.

It kept replaying in his mind.

The faint strength of her arm pulling him toward her.

Her face as she withdrew her hand in resignation.

Her final moment, falling into the abyss like she was being swallowed by darkness.

It was burned into his mind and would not disappear.

While he had been fighting the two assassins, if she had fled alone, she might have survived.

But Elodie had instead forced a reckless escape to save him—and fallen off the cliff.

That was not like Elodie Perdía.

Wasn’t it natural for her to run alone and save herself?

Then suddenly, Karlo’s expression twisted violently.

No.

Do I even really know what kind of person Elodie Perdía is?

He had never even tried to know.

A bastard child. An outsider to the family. The cause of her parents’ strained relationship, perhaps. A troublesome daughter of the household.

That was all she was to him.

He had always ignored her—curled up and crying where no one could see, or silently turning away even when he heard the servants whispering behind her back.

His hands began to tremble.

He felt like he wanted to cut off the fingers that never reached her.

She’s probably dead.

Falling from such a steep cliff, survival would be nothing short of a miracle. And she had no special powers as a Perdía—she was surely dead.

Yet an unwanted emotion surged up again.

She didn’t even ask to be saved, and now she goes and dies on her own—who would ever thank me for that?

And yet, he found himself desperately wanting to believe otherwise.

That she was still alive.

So she could blame him for failing to protect her and scream at him again.

Eventually, the Duke, Karlo, and the knights of the house arrived at the scene.

At the ambush site near the cliff lay an abandoned carriage, the dead coachman, and scattered corpses of assassins.

The Duke ordered several knights to secure and investigate the area before heading toward the cliff himself.

Soon, they reached the edge.

The assassin who had fought Karlo lay dead there.

The Duke stood at the very edge.

Rustle—

Small stones kicked by his feet tumbled down into the abyss.

The cliff was so deep that the bottom could not be seen.

He calmly issued search orders.

“…Deploy search teams. Find her as quickly as possible. Report immediately if you find even the smallest trace.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The knights formed search units and began combing the area where Elodie had fallen.

An hour later—

The search teams returned with somber faces.

The waiting Duke asked first,

“Have you found nothing?”

“No. There is… no trace at all.”

They did not say it outright, but the meaning was clear.

Not even a body.

One knight asked Karlo,

“Young master. Is this the correct location?”

“…It is.”

There was no river below the cliff, so she could not have been swept away.

Then where had Elodie gone?

At that moment—

“Your Grace. Please look at this.”

A knight handed over a torn piece of dress fabric.

The thin cloth was speckled with blood.

“It was caught on a rock midway down the cliff.”

It was of a high-quality fabric not worn by commoners or impoverished nobles.

So it had to be Elodie’s.

With this evidence, it was certain she had fallen.

The Duke tightened his grip on the cloth until his veins bulged, then issued another order.

“Expand the search radius. Is there any village nearby?”

“Yes. There is a small settlement at the base of the area.”

“Include it in the search.”

“Yes, sir!”

The knights dispersed again.

One of them glanced at the Duke in admiration.

As expected of His Grace… so calm.

Even after his own daughter had fallen off a cliff and gone missing, he remained composed.

But no one there knew.

That the Duke’s hand, gripping the bloodstained fabric, was trembling with restrained force.

Outwardly calm—but not inside.

Elodie.

He thought of his daughter, who always stiffened whenever she stood before him, and frowned.

Time passed.

Yansi and the Duchess arrived late after hearing the news.

The moment Yansi dismounted, he strode straight toward Karlo.

The knights nearby widened their eyes at his aggressive steps.

Yansi grabbed Karlo’s shoulders and shook him violently.

“Karlo Perdía!”

“…Brother.”

“What do you think you were doing as her escort?!”

“…”

“Do you even understand what you’ve done?”

Yansi’s voice rose sharply.

His furious gaze seemed like it could kill Karlo on the spot.

Karlo trembled in extreme fear.

Yansi, who never lost his temper, was actually enraged.

Between them, the Duchess stepped in.

“Yansi. That is enough.”

“Mother.”

Yansi glared as if telling her not to interfere, but she ignored him with a graceful smile.

Her sharp gaze swept over Karlo.

“Hm. You’ve been poisoned, Karlo.”

“…”

“Leave the search to your father and go get treated.”

Karlo shook his head.

“I… I will help with the search as well. This is my failure. Please allow me to fulfill my duty.”

He spoke with trembling voice, fists clenched tightly.

To those who knew how much he despised Elodie, this was unbelievable.

The Duke spoke firmly.

“If you insist on searching, then finish your treatment first.”

“But—”

“If you collapse from insisting you’re fine, you’ll only hinder the search.”

“…Understood.”

Karlo lowered his head and stepped back from the cliff.

A faint, foolish hope began to grow because no body had been found.

Maybe she was alive.

Maybe she was still alive…

Yes. She’s alive.

She had to be.

So she could blame him for failing her…

“Ugh…”

I frowned as I opened my eyes, feeling sore muscles and a lingering feverish heat throughout my body.

What greeted me was an unfamiliar sight.

A simple bedroom furnished only with the essentials felt spacious yet empty.

Where am I?

I tried to sit up but immediately winced.

“Ugh…”

A severe pain shot through my right shoulder. It seemed I had been injured when the carriage was attacked.

Holding my shoulder with my left hand, I stepped down from the bed.

That man…

The man who had suddenly appeared during my outing, murmuring my past life’s name before disappearing.

Black hair darker than night, crimson eyes—an unbelievably beautiful man.

I had tried to find him through my maid, but I failed to uncover his identity.

He caught me just as I was falling…

Does he have goodwill toward me? Even so, I couldn’t fully trust him. I knew nothing about him.

At any rate, I had no intention of staying in an unknown place for long.

Just as I reached for the doorknob—

It turned on its own.

“Ah…”

Through the open door stood the man.

And strangely, he looked surprised too.

He froze with his hand still on the doorknob, not even breathing, just staring at me.

“…Hey.”

“….”

“Hey?”

“Yes.”

Only then did he seem to regain his senses. He entered, then closed the door behind him.

Click.

The realization that we were alone made my throat feel dry.

“You’re injured. You should stay seated.”

“Okay.”

Since I wasn’t exactly in a condition to move properly anyway, I obediently sat back down on the bed.

Perhaps he had gone to fetch medicine—he held a bottle in his other hand.

“May I treat your wounds?”

“Yeah.”

Even from a glance, I was covered in countless scratches.

As I offered him my left arm first, he carefully took my hand.

His reverent manner somehow made me feel awkward.

But that feeling didn’t last long as I studied him coolly.

Why did he feel so familiar, as if I had known him for a long time, even though we had only met recently?

As he applied medicine to my wounds, I asked,

“You’re a mage?”

“No.”

Yet my falling speed had clearly slowed earlier. If it wasn’t magic, it was impossible.

Otherwise, he might be from the imperial family or one of the four great houses, using a special power.

Even collateral branches could use such abilities.

“Aren’t you from Angellois, Severes, Willentia, Perdía, or Krundel? Which one is it?”

“None of them.”

There was no hesitation in his voice—he wasn’t lying.

Tsk.

I corrected myself. Maybe he was just too handsome for me to doubt him properly.

I cleared my throat.

“How did you catch me in that situation?”

“Because I said I would come find you.”

“…?”

“That I would come find you soon.”

It was what he had said before disappearing.

It was not the answer I had wanted.

Actually, it had been like that from the beginning. Whatever I asked, he never gave me the answer I wanted.

It doesn’t seem like he intends to tell me anything.

And yet he answered everything seriously, which irritated me.

“I can’t keep calling you ‘you.’ Tell me your name.”

At that, the man—who had been focused on my arm—raised his head.

Our eyes met.

“Reian.”

“….”

“You may call me Reian.”

I unconsciously held my breath.