The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 27

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

‘What… is this…’

Just like before, she pulled back the fabric and placed her hand on the pillar. A refreshing sensation spread through her fingertips as geometric patterns lit up in a blue glow across the surface.

Once again, she was drawn into a new world. It felt as though she were surrounded by a dense yet refreshing and unrestrictive body of water, soft and fluid, moving organically as if forming a vast, singular entity

Even though she had never learned it before, Roina instinctively understood.

This was magic.

An ancient magic that wrapped around the Imperial Crown Prince’s chambers, shielding it from outside intrusion.

Roina, filled with awe, reached out and touched that magic.

This pillar was both its center and its circulatory system. Slowly, she came to understand its essence. While one of its functions was to keep her from leaving, the magic itself subtly bowed its head to her.

Like a servant meeting its master, the blue magic watched her hesitantly.

She instinctively realized—

‘I can control this magic.’

The black choker around her neck was another story, but this blue magic—this was something akin to her kin. She didn’t understand the precise mechanics, yet it felt natural.

And within that magic, she noticed a small crack—

A tiny seed of magic, as if deliberately placed there, subtly creating a breach.

She stared at the seed, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

“Ah.”

A soft exclamation escaped her lips.

This seed—

It had been left behind by that golden-eyed man. She could feel his energy within it.

Naturally, her hand reached out to touch it.

As if responding to her touch, the seed sprouted, sending out small tendrils that widened the gap in the room’s magical barrier. Through that breach, the faintest whisper of air drifted in from the outside.

‘It worked.’

A thrilling realization struck her. A way out. It was here, within reach.

She had a feeling—no, a certainty—that by making contact with that breach, she would be able to perceive everything beyond this room.

The blue magic was intricately connected to every part of the Imperial Crown Prince’s palace, and this seed had created an opportunity for her to reverse that connection.

Clutching the choker around her neck with barely restrained contempt, she took a step forward, yearning for freedom, reaching out toward that breach—

—‘Roina.’

Again.

That voice.

Roina’s eyes widened at the familiar, inexplicably nostalgic presence. And then, he appeared once more—

The man with golden eyes.

—‘Do not be afraid. Every existence in this world belongs to you.’

A firm-set mouth, cold, pale skin—him.

Every time Roina faced him, it felt as if her heart would burst, a throbbing ache spreading through her chest. As if she had just reunited with someone infinitely precious after an unbearably long separation. Unfamiliar, yet deeply familiar.

A wistful longing wrapped around her.

‘W-Who are you?’

—‘Lutan.’

She trembled.

Those two syllables, as if they were the very reason for her existence. Tears welled up in Roina’s eyes before she even realized it.

—‘I will come for you soon.’

Roina nodded, quickly wiping her tears. The knowledge that somewhere in this world, someone was on her side settled deep within her, a comforting warmth.

She parted her lips, wanting—needing—to say something. Questions swirled inside her, an overwhelming storm of uncertainty and longing for the man called Lutan.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

It happened in an instant. A hand wrapped around her waist, yanking her away from the magic.

The warmth that had embraced her retreated, shrinking back as if fleeing.

Roina, startled, turned sharply—only to have her chin caught in a firm grip. Blazing blue eyes locked onto hers, their brilliance almost piercing.

A face sculpted with ruthless perfection.

A slight furrow in his brow.

Lips pressed into a hard line.

The Imperial Crown Prince.

For a brief moment, she had been so immersed in magic that she had forgotten.

But of course—

The Imperial Crown Prince had been on his way here.

His lips curled at one corner, a lopsided smirk tugging at his mouth. The hand gripping her waist slid downward, skimming over her thigh. A cold shudder ran down Roina’s spine.

His touch felt like a snake slithering over her skin. Frozen—trapped, like a mouse beneath the paw of a predator. And then—without hesitation—He dragged her roughly to the bed and threw her down. A silent scream tore from her lips.