For You In The Cage - Chapter 59

Canaren covered her face with her two hands. No wonder. She thought that Yulif was too rough for that, but now she understood. The most embarrassing thing about her was that in the corner of her heart, there was a desire for that obscene act to be reality, not a dream. Even though she believed it’s a nonsensical dream, she wanted Yulif to want her enough to lose his composure… 

“Really… Crazy!”

Canaren slapped her own cheek. She dreamed that not long ago she confessed to Yulif affectionately. Her delusions were getting worse day by day. She laid in bed for a while and slapped herself on the cheek whenever she remembered the strange dream of the night before.

*******

It was a peaceful daily life, in which nothing happened. Pionia’s mild weather and the life without anything lacking melted Canaren’s body and mind, which had hardened in the pain she had received from the imperial palace.

“Miss Canaren, are you bored? Shall we go for a walk?”

“Isn’t it Roana who’s bored?”

“Ding ding, that’s the answer! Miss Canaren is a genius!”

Roana, who slid down on the sofa like a sloth, shook her head.

Even a three-year-old child couldn’t help but laugh when she says something like that with a lazy posture. Canaren grinned.

“I am going to go outside the castle today, how about you? I’ll show you the market. It’s the day the flower market opens.”

“A flower market?”

“Yes. One of the specialties of Pionia is flowers. Once a month, a flower market is held in the central shopping district. I think today was the last day…”

When she imagined the colorful petals and the scent of flowers everywhere, Canaren became excited. She stood up and took Roana by the arm.

“Let’s go quickly!”

“I thought you would like it too. Me too, but…”

Roana, who spit out any words without hesitation, hesitated for some reason. Canaren looked at her with her head tilted.

Roana asked, stroking her frizzy hair for no real reason.

“Why don’t you ask about the news about the lord these days?”

“Ah…”

“What happened the day the lord showed you the castle? Did you just say something like that?”

“No. Yulif never did that.”

“Really? No way… Are you tired of the lord?”

“What?”

Canaren blinked in surprise.

Tired. She had never thought of it like that.

In the first place, Canaren had never been tired of anything or anyone. Her favorite food since she was a child, who she had loved so far, and Yulif…

Much better than the first one. She liked him. She liked him so much that she even had such an embarrassing dream.

‘Oh my God.’

Her face burned with fire. She lowered her head to hide her burning face, and in Roana’s eyes it seemed to be a nod of the head. Roana hit her chest with her fist.

“Oh, my. Oh, my. I knew this would happen. I knew that blunt person would make it happen!”

This couldn’t be! Roana, who had been drooping like a liquid, sprang to her feet. Then she ran out of her room without Canaren catching her.

Canaren was left alone in an instant, and she sat on the couch and rubbed her cheeks.

Roana wouldn’t summon Yulif, right? Her heart raced just by putting Yulif’s name in her mouth, and she was worried that it would explode if she met him.

‘I hope to see you anyway.’

Canaren smiled softly as she felt her heart beat through her body.

*******

“Something has happened, my lord. It’s an emergency. emergency!”

“Wait a minute, Miss Roana. Now…!”

“Move. It’s an emergency!”

Roana pushed the servant out of the office doorway and rushed in like a bull.

‘Dear Canaren, what the hell have you done to that good man!’ She was about to shout, but she bit her mouth.

There were three other people in the office besides Yulif. One of them was a person Roana knew well. Count Enderk. The emperor’s closest aide. Judging from their outfits, the other two looked like they were knights escorting the count.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh. I didn’t know you had guests. I’ll tell you later. Sorry.”

Count Enderk’s gaze swept over Roana. Roana bowed her head politely, but she did not avert her eyes.

The count pulled up his thin lips and smiled as if he knew that.

“Are you the wizard rumored to be the only one who survived Robelheim?”

“Yes, well. It’s not that I survived because I was good. The lord saved me. Wait, I didn’t say thank you. Thank you, my lord!”

“Aren’t you thinking of working in the Imperial Palace?”

‘What do you mean, this bastard?’

Roana reflexively tried to pretend to pick her ear with her pinky finger, but she could barely hold back. If she touched the emperor’s closest confidant, trouble would arise.

She looked at Yulif. Sitting in an upright posture, he had a face that did not show what he was thinking today as usual. Roana was more upset by Yulif’s expression than the nonsense Count Enderk was saying.

Now was not the time to be carefree. Miss Canaren was tired of that!

‘I would get tired of seeing that expression too.’

“The wizards residing in the Imperial Palace were annihilated because of the monster attack that the Duke claims was an accident. A skilled wizard is desperately needed.”

“Therefore.”

“The Duke has several capable wizards, so please send some of them. Then His Majesty will no longer take this incident as an issue. Be sure to include that wizard whose skills have been proven.”

Yulif crossed his legs. He placed both his hands on his muscular, firm thighs and lifted his chin at an angle.

“Count Enderk.”

“Yes.”

“Does the Count know more about magic than I do?”

“Not really.”

“Then, is there a wizard better than me in the Empire?”

Count Enderk did not answer. It was a question with a definite answer, but it was clear that if he answered that question, he would get nothing.

Deltinus was running wild in the Imperial Palace. He was beaten by a monster and his left arm was broken, yet he cut and slashed people. Two days ago, he tried to cut down even the empress, who came to talk to him.

For the count to preserve his own life, he had to get something from Yulif.

Yulif gave the count a look of ridicule. The air sank heavily and weighed on everyone in the room.

“Eck….!”

First, the two knights knelt down. Then Count Enderk couldn’t control his shaking legs and sat down too. His blood-drenched mouth opened and a painful moan escaped.

An invisible hand seemed to grip his lungs. His breath suffocated, and the blood flowed back from his body. Count Enderk lay down with his hands on the floor. He strainedly lifted his eyes and looked at Yulif. The only thing he could see with his back to the light was the blue glow in his eyes. The moment the light and his gaze met, his body trembled at his physiological fear.

Why the hell has this monster been obeying the emperor’s orders until now?

“It was an accident.”

Every time Yulif’s slow voice sounded, the count got goosebumps.

“An accident that occurred due to a mistake by the wizards hired by His Majesty himself.”

“Eup, ku-heuk…!”

Blood gushed out of Count Enderk’s mouth, unable to withstand the pressure.

“If I say so, it is. Do you understand?”

The count shook his head. At that moment, Yulif reaped the power he had sowed in the room.

“Pionia has a severe manpower shortage. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”

“…No, it’s not.”

“I hope His Majesty is well.”

Yulif motioned for him to leave. The knights supported the staggering count and disappeared in a hurry.

Roana thought as she looked at the blood-stained carpet.

‘That’s terribly expensive. I know. Calm. Oh, are you already? It’d be nice if you are. It feels like I got in trouble too.’

“It’s been cleaned up, so report to me.”

Roana’s body trembled at the tone that seemed to have removed trash.

‘It’s a piece of trash. That’s right! But he can make it less obvious! That’s why Canaren gets sick of it.’

Roana shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

“Finally, that day has come.”

“What day?”

“What day is it, it’s the day the lord is abandoned by Canaren!”

Yulif’s face, which had not changed even when dealing with Count Enderk, was terribly distorted.

*******

“Why isn’t she coming?”

Canaren pulled her neck long and peered here and there.

With her hair in a high ponytail and wearing a white shirt, brown vest and auburn trousers, she looked more energetic than usual. Since she wanted to visit the market, Roana said that it was good to wear simple and plain clothes, and it was Roana who picked these clothes.

Canaren learned today for the first time that there’s not just flashy dresses in the dress room. As she looked at the dressing room with all the clothes in the world smashed into it, Roana seemed to murmur, “That’s a bit too much…”

She waited at the gate, as she would prepare herself anyway, but Roana was nowhere to be seen.

Hadn’t she done this before? Canaren shook her head violently as she recalled the day Yulif showed her around the castle. Making her face red again.

“Aren’t you Miss Canaren?”

While she was too bored to wait for her, someone spoke to her. The brown haired man… He seemed familiar, but she didn’t know his name. He was the person she saw often next to Yulif.

Canaren thought hard, but she eventually gave up.

“Why are you here alone?”

“I decided to go to the flower market with Roana. She told me to wait here…”

“What? Roana? Roana was laughing really hard on her way to the dining room though?”

The two looked at each other’s faces and exchanged suspicious glances. The brown-haired man, Derek, soon realized that something was wrong.

‘Damn Roana! No matter how bored you are, what kind of joke are you…!’

“Hey, would you like to go to the dining room? I will guide you.”

“Roana told me to wait here… She told me to wait because she would definitely come. She even promised…”

‘Damn Roana! Do you want to play pranks on someone like this!’

“Hahaha. You’re not going anywhere else because you’re waiting for Ronan. Do you know who I am? The lord’s lieutenant, De…”

At that moment, Derek felt a tremendous force piercing through the back of his head. A chill pierced through his bones and cold sweat dripped down his cheeks.

As she looked at Derek, who had hardened like a stone, Canaren’s eyes gleamed like jewels in the sunlight.

“Yulif?”

‘Damn it!’

Pit pat. As his footsteps drew nearer, Derek felt as if his lifespan was shortening by a year.

Eik, a big hand grabbed Derek by the shoulder.

“Who are you?”

“Ahhhhh!”

“I asked who it was.”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Derek screamed and bolted it out like lightning.

Canaren stared blankly at Derek’s back, which disappeared in an instant, and then came to her senses. Because Yulif was looking at her.

“Where are you going?”

“Ah, flowers… Flower market. Roana said today was the last day.”

“Go with me.”

“Yes?”

“Do you not like it? If you want to go with Roana, I’ll call Roana.”

“No… No! I like to go with Yulif.”

Canaren grabbed Yulif’s hand before he could summon Roana.

The eyes of Yulif, which had a sharp edge as if to catch and kill anyone who was caught in it, loosened.

She didn’t know if it was because of those eyes or because of the warm hand she was holding, but Canaren’s heart was pounding. The sweet scent of flowers seemed to pass through her nose.