Chapter 189

Chapter 189

She wore a bracelet made of his magic; he could feel her any time. He hadn’t set such a function on it, but it felt like she was desperately calling him for some reason. It felt that way. It wasn’t just because of Dalia’s black magic that was sucking in broken remnants of time magic in the air. It was because he could feel that she was in pain and struggling, even from afar.

At the place he transported, he saw Dalia standing blankly under people’s sharp gaze. She looked like she was at risk of collapsing.

Kaichen couldn’t stay still as she burst into tears. Without thinking, he moved to hug her. He never wanted to let her go.

Never say you’ll do anything for me.

He should’ve stopped her even if she was being stubborn. Just like that day two years ago, Kaichen hugged Dalia tight, trembling with regret. Her cold body clung onto him as if she had been waiting for him.

“Huuh…Ugh…Huk…”

Seeing her cling onto him, rubbing her cheeks and forehead while crying like a child, made Kaichen clench his teeth until his jaw became stiff.

It was agonising, painful and tough. Dalia’s sobbing seemed to say all that.

“I’m sorry, I came late… I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Heung… Huk…Ugh, huk…”

“It’s okay. It’s okay now…”

Kaichen patted Dalia’s back and supported her firmly so she could relax. Finally, he held her as she collapsed in his arms, exhausted from crying. Julius, who arrived late, shut his mouth as soon as he saw Dalia’s tearful face.

‘What did you see? What appeared before you?

Dalia, what else did you handle alone?

I know you won’t tell me again, but it breaks my heart just being able to watch you like this.

I wish you would tell me.

I want to share the pain together.

If I could ease your pain, I would do anything.

Beloved Dalia, my Dalia.

When will I be able to save you?’

*

Julius met the lord, Viscount Hoiore, in place of Kaichen, who looked soulless.

After Dalia lost consciousness after destroying the magic, they weren’t able to know the details. However, the atmosphere in the Castle was bad because the son of the Viscount, Walter Hoiore, had died.

‘The esteemed son must’ve been the medium.’

Julius managed to put the pieces together quickly.

The people thought that Dalia had murdered the esteemed son because she was with him, but when they heard about the situation in Hoiore, they couldn’t say anything. Hoiore was full of confusion. They could hardly believe that three months had passed since time in Hoiore had stopped.

Since they broke the rocks and magic could be used again, and time magic was destroyed, movement and communication magic could work in Hoiore once more. People would come from the palace. Julius wanted to talk to the Viscount before that.

“Do you remember communicating with me?” he said.

“…Yes, it was just yesterday.”

The Viscount held his head, looking forlorn. The air in the drawing room was warm, as if the flames of the roaring fireplace had been burning for a long time. There were traces of guests being entertained, and there were thick cushions and blankets in the corner of the drawing room.

They could tell where the medium ‘Walter Hoiore’ had stayed at the Castle.

Julius sighed. “We investigated why the relief supplies didn’t reach the North on time. After sending additional supplies, we did some research, but it took some time to figure it out,” he said.

The viscount didn’t reply.

“Of course, no additional supplies arrived in Hoiore. As you know, there was a snowstorm in the North and we lost contact after our last communication,” Julius continued.

“In the earlier parts of the snowstorm, all the northern territories rushed into the city. Everyone would have starved to death because the supplies didn’t arrive on time,” the viscount said.

“I thought the additional supplies had already reached the North. So, I was busy searching for the people who stole the first batch of supplies. I was a little late in finding out about Hoiore’s unusual situation.”

“… Her Majesty must’ve restricted information to prevent news about the North from leaking out.”

Julius nodded quietly. It wasn’t easy to guess how many spies were hiding under her power. But to be certain, it was at least enough to limit information to this extent, blocking their eyes and ears.

It was clearly his own mistake to focus more on finding the culprit in fear of losing public sentiment from the stolen supplies. But what would have changed even if he had noticed it earlier?

Their plans were meticulous, to the point that he wouldn’t be able to notice. So, even if he had noticed earlier, he wouldn’t have been able to prevent all of this from happening in the first place. Kaichen seemed to have noticed something about this, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk.

“You shouldn’t feel sorry for the esteemed son. Touching forbidden magic and holding Momalhaut’s hand… It’s not a good idea to announce it.” Julius felt it necessary to tell the truth.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

“This isn’t your fault.”

Just like Dalia’s situation, Walter had fallen to Momalhaut’s temptation. If he was on Momalhaut’s side, he would’ve made another territory, other than Hoiore, a scapegoat for time magic. Or did Momalhaut treat mediums like something to discard after being used?

What if that was possible? The horror in Acrab made it plausible.