However, after Leo shrunk himself, we no longer stood out a lot, so no one noticed us. Surprisingly enough, they seemed to have really forgotten what had happened earlier just like Lakis commanded.

“L-Lord Crawford. I felt something strange just now, is it just me?”

“No, me too.”

Kalian looked around, seeming a little confused as well. However the sharp murderous intent that had been in his eyes till now had disappeared without a trace. He seemed to feel an unknown sense of discomfort but soon got himself together and ordered his men to arrest all the slave traders.

All who were kidnapped, including the children, seemed to be in a safe place already.

I left the place with a limp Siren who had fainted, and Leo who was floundering from being tied up in the air.

Part 10: One difference between melodrama and angsty romance. [1]

–

After the events at the slave trading ring was over, things surprisingly returned to their ordinary daily routine. Maybe it was the effect of Lakis’ power but there were no longer any suspicious underworld guys lingering around Leo’s hideout or Yuri’s house.

Just thinking about what happened at the slave ring that day made Yuri speechless.

First of all, whatever good feelings Yuri had towards the male lead, Kalian Crawford, had hit rock bottom. To think he was a bastard who would attack someone blindly because they was a test subject. Until now, she had a somewhat favorable impression of him but after he grew hostile for no particular reason, she was considerably pissed.

It seems those with the power of the ruins were called heretics in the east. Kalian’s beloved Anne-Mare wasn’t even an experiment, but she had the power of the ruins so technically speaking, was she not a heretic?

It wasn’t included in the novel, but it made you wonder if Kalian was aware of this fact or not. If he knew, then maybe that was really true love.

But as a matter of fact, Lakis was the one who caught Yuri’s attention more, not Kalian. The power Lakis used back then, wasn’t it a complete cheat? It was the ability to brainwash and control a large number of people. Even Siren and Leo didn’t seem to remember seeing Lakis there.

Of course, Yuri didn’t know the strength or range of his power, but this alone was enough to rank it as an amazing ability. Could it also be a power from the ruins?

‘But why’s my memory still here?’

Yuri wanted to ask Lakis why he appeared there and with Leo on top of that, but naturally, she couldn’t. Lakis seemed to believe her memory had disappeared as well, and she felt it was in her best interest to just act like she didn’t know.

So sometimes, when Lakis stared at her with a sharp gaze like he was searching for something, she would just feign ignorance.

‘I can’t sleep.’

Many thoughts were going through her mind so she couldn’t close her eyes at all. Her senses naturally focused on what was beyond the door.

Lakis was as quiet as usual. It was late into the night so he might be sleep but for some reason, she didn’t think he was. Siren, who she saved from the slave trading ring was living in Leo’s hideout for now. Of course, Siren was very unhappy with this, but she seemed to have realized something from this incident and didn’t complain at all. Instead, she just sulked and quietly attended to her feathers. Yuri used her ability as Arachne to create traps around the hideout so if someone intruded like before, she would get a signal right away. Siren seemed relieved to know this fact.

More importantly, Yuri was getting worried because she hadn’t heard any news from Odin. He hadn’t shown up on their appointed day as well. She was starting to think he might have gotten caught by those looking for mutants like Siren so if she heard nothing by the end of this week, she would have to move out personally.Bang,bang,bang!

Right then, someone banged on Yuri’s front door.

‘What the.’

Yuri frowned at the dull sound. Her senses had developed just as much as her physical abilities, so her ear could pick up more which meant the noise in the quiet night felt more like a bomb.

“Honey…! Open the door, honey!”

Someone drunk out of their mind probably had gotten lost and now they were screaming nonsense in front of her door.

Yuri got up, swallowing her annoyance. Unsurprisingly, Lakis was also awake. His blue eyes shone brilliantly in the dark.When Yuri opened the door to her room, Lakis turned to look at her. He was standing by the window holding the curtain.

“I’ll go out. Just rest.”

Yuri walked past him and went straight for the door. However, Lakis quickly caught up and grabbed her arm. Yuri stopped and looked back at him. Then he looked down at her and began to speak.

“It’s dangerous.”

A low whisper tickled her ears. The soft moonlight coming from the window cast a shadow on Lakis’ face. As expected, the atmosphere around Lakis was very different, like day and night.

Right now, Lakis gave a sharp and dangerous feeling, like a beast crouching in the darkness waiting for prey.

‘No…I think the real danger is you, not that drunkard.’

Those words were about to escape her mouth, but she swallowed it down.

“How can love change like this~! We were happy together!”

Outside, the senseless drunk was still busy screaming his love ballad at the top of his voice. If they left him alone, he might as well wake up the whole neighborhood. Most of all, all that screaming was bothering Yuri.

“It’s not dangerous.”

Yuri spoke firmly and began moving again. She didn’t know what Lakis was thinking but he let go of her hand.

Creak…

Finally, Yuri opened the door. And she faced the existence that had been tormenting her ears for a while. As soon as the man saw her, he looked stunned.

“Eh…? Honey, your face changed?”

He seemed dazed by Yuri’s abrupt appearance at the door then he soon began to giggle.

“You’re even more beautiful! Come here, honey! Let me hug…”

However, the man couldn’t finish his sentence. Because that very moment, the temperature dropped sharply, and he was hit with a dreary chill like winter had come.

“If you drank…”Following that, Yuri’s lips quirked slightly.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to just crawl back home?”

Her voice was quiet and low, like the stillness of the night. But upon hearing the voice, the drunk trembled and froze like he’d been struck with ice.

“You don’t go to someone’s house and make a racket like this.”

Vivid red eyes gleamed with obscure depth under the moonlight.

Instantly, the man began to hiccup like a mouse before a cat. Then a black shadow appeared behind Yuri. It was Lakis.

The surprise midnight visitor held his breath with a gasp. A man with a more dangerous atmosphere appeared behind the woman giving off an eerie chill.

His piercing blue eyes were locked on him, like his gaze alone could kill and he felt numb from head to toe. Soon, the man who appeared moved his hand behind the woman. And slowly entangled his fingers with hers. Instantly, the air around the woman changed.

The man pulled her into a hug from behind then he finally faced the uninvited visitor.

“Get lost.”

And a cold warning split the night air.

“And shut up.”

Slam!

The door slammed shut right after. The man had sobered up completely at some point. Now he couldn’t even hiccup; he was just standing there in a daze.

Then he abruptly came to his sense and quickly fled Grey Ferret. After that, he never came to Ferret again.

* * *

Slam!

As soon as the door was shut, the moonlight seeping through was also shut out. Lakis and Yuri were cloaked in darkness like they were absorbed into it.

“Mr. Lakis…”

“It was an uninvited guest.”

A low voice akin to the evening air reverberated in the silent room. Lakis interwove his fingers even more with Yuri’s. Yuri stepped back to avoid the flood of emotions rushing into her once again.

But her back was up against the wall so she couldn’t retreat anymore. Lakis who was in front of her drew a bit closer.

“I’m not sure why but…”

A quiet whisper carried by the moonlit air flowed into her ears.

“It annoys me when there’s some strange guy around you.”

A thrilling sensation surged from the hand touching hers. Maybe she had grown familiar with the feeling from touching Lakis because this time, she didn’t cry nor did she lose control of herself.

Translate Corner:

[1] The more precise terms is makjang and angst. Makjang is usually referring stories with unbelievable plot. This is where the amnesia, crazy mother-in-law, etc come in.