Chapter 65
The truth isβ¦
She was a woman who hadnβt called him by his nickname since the age of fifteen. So why was she suddenly calling him by his nickname again? And in such a desperate voice.
βI said move aside!β
βLady Haisley.β
Calix pushed Zion aside and approached the bed where she was lying. He wanted to hear whatever it was she called him to say.
When he first came here, Calix had shamelessly called her βSisterβ, but standing before Lea now, he addressed her coldly and formally. As if telling her to speak if she had something to say. But there was no response.
βHaisley.β
He called her name, shorter and in a lower voice, and Leaβs body flinched.
ββ¦Iβm sorry, it was my fault.β
βWhat?β
βIβll neverβ¦ showβ¦ up, againβ¦β
Her mumble was so faint it was almost lost, but Calixβs keen hearing caught every word.
Iβll never show up in front of you again.
Slowly comprehending her words, he clenched his jaw in a sudden, unexplainable surge of anger. He couldnβt even understand why he was so furious, but everyone present could sense the shift in his mood.
Everyone except Lea, who was still unconscious.
βHahβ¦β
This wasnβt the kind of apology he wanted. Not since sheβd changed, five years ago.
βAnd now, after all this time, she says thatβ¦β
But his anger didnβt last long, because suddenly Lea began to convulse.
βMilady!β
Rose was the first to rush over and grab her arm. Then Zion used his body to shield Leaβs upper torso, just in case traces of her werebeast form surfaced again unconsciously.
At least this one secretβher most hidden oneβhe wanted to protect from being seen by the other Espers.
Only then did the court physician, who had been summoned, arrive in a hurry and quickly assessed the situation. Calix, drained, stepped back and watched as the physician treated her wounds.
By now, any trace of drunkenness had vanished, replaced by a shock so great that his mind was reeling. He bit his lip as he watched, but the scent of blood that reached his nose snapped him out of his daze.
That strange smell. Heβd smelled her blood before. Back then, too, it was bizarre. Blood should have reeked of iron, but hers was strangely sweet, enough to drive him mad.
A sickening thought crept in.
Would her blood taste sweeter than the wine heβd drunk tonight?
The idea made him feel nauseous. Calix got up and left Leaβs palace at once. He just wanted to go back to his own palace.
By this time, his fox would surely have returned to his palace. For five years, sheβd come back to him every night without failβhis one and only.
He was sure that this strange urge would vanish once he held his fox and stroked her in his arms.
βYour Highness!β
Behind him, Ilion came hurrying after. But Calix didnβt look back and walked quickly.
βYour Highness?β
Returning to his own palace, he ignored Daisyβs call and went straight inside, shouting,
βLuna!β
But there was no answering cry. He checked that the balcony window was open and went into his bedroom to call again.
βLuna?β
Surely, at this hour, she should have been back by now. Why wasnβt she there?
A restless anxiety and desperation crept in, and Calix tore off the cravat that was choking his throat and threw it to the floor.
His heart churned like a raging sea. An inexplicable anger consumed him.
He wanted to know. Why had that woman apologized to him?
And how dare she say sheβd disappear from before his eyes.
If that woman wanted forgiveness, she should have stayed and begged for it at his side.
Instead of apologizing so rudely, she should have come properly, knelt in front of him, and pleaded desperately for forgiveness.
Then, and only then, would he consider forgiving her.
βDamn it!β
Maybe it was because of the alcohol, but he couldnβt keep his power in check. Each time he burst with anger, the room trembled, and without a sound, the furniture vanished in black flames.
It wasn’t an ordinary fire, but a strange black flame that flared to life. Like liquid fire, it swallowed everything in an instant.
Each time Calix recalled Leaβs lacerated back, everything around him was swallowed up by the flames and disappeared one by one.
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