Chapter 284
The interrogation seemed to be going smoothly. It had been a few days since Sebelia last used her ability, so she fumbled a little at first, but quickly found her rhythm again.
She focused on memories just after the ones she had previously examined, tensing as she pushed deeper. As the blue light at her feet grew more intense, the number of visions increased—echoes and fragments swirling around her.
“Bella, are you overdoing it?”
“I’m fine for now.”
She quickly skipped past irrelevant memories—until she suddenly frowned and took her hand off Nathan’s shoulder.
“This is…”
A new figure had appeared, facing Nathan in the memory, hat pulled low over his face. Sebelia tried to move closer for a better look just as the stranger lifted his hat.
The moment his face was revealed, Dehart muttered under his breath.
“Roden Aldraite.”
Sebelia looked at him in surprise. The apothecary standing against the wall flinched, recognizing the name.
“Roden… you mean—”
“Yes, the very one you’re thinking of.”
He had been Dehart’s former doctor, the one who created illegal truth serums for the Wheddon family. After Silas had pinned everything on Nathan, Roden was now one of the key suspects held at Inverness estate.
Sebelia’s eyes turned cold as she looked at him. Drawing a steady breath, she turned away from Nathan, heading to the side table where the reports were stacked.
Among the documents Dehart had brought were records of Roden’s interrogations—information not yet handed over to the security, but possibly useful for today’s session.
Sebelia quickly found the log of Roden’s visits to the capital. It looked like he had met with someone on a regular cycle every three or four months.
All right, let’s see…
Just as she turned back to Nathan to delve deeper, a wave of dizziness hit her. Her knees buckled.
“Ah…”
The upright wall seemed to tilt alarmingly. In that blurry moment, she caught a flash—what she thought was sunlight, but realized was actually the glint in Dehart’s eyes.
“Oh.”
Dehart said nothing, simply studying her face as he checked her temperature. His warm hand swept across her forehead and cheek, and Sebelia could only stare up at him, dazed.
“You don’t want me to tell you to stop here, are you?”
He asked quietly, sounding worried as he gave a faint smile. Thankfully, it seemed she wasn’t in bad shape.
Instead of nodding, Sebelia blinked, and Dehart sighed, gently guiding her to the plush sofa he’d had them place in the tower.
“Let’s take a short break. We have plenty of time today.”
After a little while, Sebelia felt her strength returning. She coaxed Etira, who was restlessly fidgeting inside her sleeve, back to sleep, then stood up.
“I’m fine now.”
Facing Nathan again, Sebelia placed her hand on his head, this time focusing her dwindling energy for accuracy.
A dazzling brilliance, like a spill of starlight, washed over the two of them. Cool blue light swept the room, pushing back the tower’s darkness through the small window.
Thud. An odd, heavy sound broke the spell—an incongruous noise amid all that radiance. Instinctively, Sebelia looked for the source.
It was Nathan.
“…!”
Their eyes met—her blue gaze locked with his. In that instant, Sebelia froze. Her hand, still resting on his shoulder, wouldn’t move.
No… something’s wrong.
She realized Nathan was gripping her hand. The sound she’d heard was his restraints snapping.
How did he—?!
Cold air rushed in through her parted lips. Nathan rose to his feet, lifting his free hand toward her.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. Sebelia clenched her jaw and gathered what strength she had left, ready to bind him with her illusion magic.
But then a familiar voice rang out by her ear.
“Bella!”
Her vision went black, and a split second later, a tremendous crash sounded in the room. There was a dull thud and a muffled groan, as if someone had been hit.
The next thing she knew, she was being held in someone’s arms.
“Are you all right?”
It was Cahill. Turning her head, Sebelia saw Dehart struggling with Nathan, wrestling him back.
“That bastard dares lay a hand on—!”
Somehow, Nathan was holding his own against Dehart.
What is going on…?
He didn’t seem to be himself at all.
“Sebelia! Sebelia!”
He kept shouting her name in ragged breaths and chilling tone
“What the—”
“For now, we need to get you to safety.”
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