The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 189

※ This book contains depictions of coercive/dubcon/noncon acts, violence, and immorality. Reader discretion is advised.

“…Ethan?”

She was too surprised. She felt her heart pounding strongly. Roina covered her mouth with one hand.

The man standing before her looked very unfamiliar. It was perhaps natural, since they hadn’t had such a long relationship in the first place. He had a large scar across his face, and his dark skin and sturdy physique were the same, but he looked a little leaner than before, giving him a sharper impression.

His eyes were dry, and his lips were tightly closed. If not for the gaze that seemed like he would devour her, she probably wouldn’t have been able to feel any vitality from him.

The moment she thought that, the light in his eyes subsided again. Like a doll with its strings cut. As if he had never hated or loved her, the focus disappeared from his eyes. And he turned his back on her again.

“Ethan?”

Roina called him again in a clear tone, but he didn’t move. It was as if it was a lie that emotions and vitality had briefly surfaced; he was just silent again. The energy of death lingered around him once more. Roina bit her lip.

“Were you alive? Why don’t you say anything? I was able to escape thanks to you. I wanted to thank you. I wanted to come and save you, even if it was late.”

She continued to ramble. But he couldn’t answer anything. This was more heartbreaking than the look of hatred he had shown her. When she expanded her senses and sensed his energy again, she felt the central axis of the magic circuit in this room from him once more. This was not something that a living person should have.

“…What on earth happened? Say something, anything. Just now, you spoke so clearly, why can’t you speak now?”

Roina gritted her teeth and poured energy into the iron bars. When she had the will to destroy rather than explore, the iron bars made of the energy of death did not obey her and raged wildly. She hurriedly took her hand away from the bars, which were about to turn red.

Even during that time, Ethan remained silent.

It seemed that he had been modified by the Crown Prince’s dark magic, just like she had been, or like the original Veronica had been.

But the magic circuit was within Ethan. She needed Ethan to get out of this place.

‘I don’t have time.’

The ceremony would begin soon, and she didn’t know what would happen if she lingered here. The attempt to kill the Archmage at the New Year’s Banquet was the future she had seen in the original story. There might be variables, but it was said to be the foresight left by the previous Roina, so she had to prepare for it.

She took a deep breath. To use the small amount of golden energy shining within her.

It wasn’t intentional, but she had accepted the energy of many men, and they were moving separately within her. But it seemed possible if she used the new golden energy she had acquired.

‘It’s moving properly.’

Roina raised her energy and moved the iron bars. The energy of death, which had initially resisted, moved smoothly according to her will. A golden light flickered in Roina’s eyes. The iron bars bent, creating a passage for her to exit.

Roina stepped out of the iron cage. At that moment, as soon as she stepped out of the cage, Ethan turned his head. Yes, just like a golem that only moved according to commands.

‘Is he really turned into a golem? How can they do this to a living human?’

Roina dodged and threw herself aside to avoid Ethan, who was rapidly approaching her. After rolling once on the floor, she turned around and saw Ethan looking down at her with emotionless eyes. He reached out his hand and grabbed her wrist. Her slender wrist was caught in his large hand, encased in metal armor.

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped her involuntarily from the immense grip. Roina frowned and looked at Ethan. He seemed to have only one goal: to put her back in the cage. He moved towards the cage, dragging her by the wrist. With each of his movements, the armor clashed against itself, making a metallic sound.

Roina tried to gather her energy and approach Ethan, but she felt that her approach was hindered by his armor.

‘No way.’

The golden energy was rapidly fading. In this situation, there was only one way. Roina bit her lip. She mustered all her strength to pull Ethan’s arm and used magic to levitate her body.