Valencia stared at Eldrich’s eyes and bit her lower lip.

  “Why? Why are you telling me this?” she asked.

  Eldrich took a deep sigh and averted his gaze.

  “If anything… I would prefer the only remaining thing of Eureon to live on…” he answered solemnly.

  She swallowed her guilt and nodded hesitantly.

  “I don’t have anywhere to go, though…”

  Eldrich jumped. He scrambled around his room, searching for… a bag! He smiled and quickly handed the bag to her.

  “This is all that I saved… take it and find a place outside.”

  Valencia glanced at the bag, opening it slowly—

  “Two coins?”

  Eldrich turned pale, mortified. He snatched the bag and flipped it upside down.

  Two coins. Enough to buy one potato.

  “I… I thought I had more…”

  Valencia pouted as she pressed her hands down.

  “I won’t even get anything for that much…” she muttered.

  Eldrich chuckled awkwardly.

  “I… Oh!” he remembered. He pointed at her. “Young Duke Kael Izekiah!”

  She gasped, shaking her head.

  “No way! I would rather obliterate his home than live with him!”

  Eldrich smiled and kneeled before her.

  “Miss Luvoise… if anything, Young Duke Kael will be able to protect you from the Royal Family. If I have you here with me, they will find out immediately that you’re a Void Esper…” Eldrich stated. Valencia gulped and looked at him, horrified. “But with him… they won’t unless he claims that you are.”

  “And why do you think that?” she asked.

  “Young Duke Kael and his family are part of the Royal Family by blood, but… because he was the one with the Light, the Royal Family sees him as a threat to the throne. And I know that Young Duke Kael wants nothing to do with the throne…”

  “Like I care… he’s still a royal—”

  “And!” Eldrich interrupted her. He paused. “Without proof of anything, the Royal Family will not do anything to harm you.”

  Valencia tightened her jaw as she locked eyes with Eldrich.

  “I was told… that a guide, who was supposed to match him, died…” she said, worried.

  Eldrich held her hand and took a deep breath.

  “I know… I heard the story. She got kidnapped, and her aura overflowed—”

  “How do you believe that I will survive with Young Duke Kael? How do you expect me to believe that you’re trying to help me by acting like this?!” she questioned, trembling.

  Eldrich stared at her and smiled faintly.

  “I may have thought your father was naive…” he expressed, remembering the day Eureon stepped into his Tower. “Before I could realize it, I got attached to him. He wouldn’t stop visiting and befriending me, even as many others were afraid of me. My immortality led me to watch so many of my friends die… I thought if I stopped knowing anyone, I wouldn’t care about anything or the world, but your father just wouldn’t stop telling me the world was dark…”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Eldrich stopped and cried. He looked at his hands.

  “But being darkness itself is also lonely. He told me that he had wished he had never told anyone that he was a Void Esper…”

  Valencia looked down and sobbed silently. She sniffled and clenched her fists.

  “Then why did you let my father go and die by himself if you cared about him? Why?! My mother and I wouldn’t have to run for our lives to hide me!” she argued.

  Eldrich’s heart ached as he stared at her, reminding him of Persai when she begged him to help Eureon. His mouth opened, but no words came. He closed his mouth and wiped his tears.

  “Your father refused to let me…”

  “What do you mean?!”

  “If I had taken a step out of the Magic Tower and helped your father, your mother’s life would have been gone in an instant…”

  Valencia turned pale as a tear fell from her widened eyes.

  “Y-You… mean?”

  “The Royal Family heard the news that Persai was pregnant with Eureon’s… they schemed to get rid of him, and as soon as you were born, you were about to be taken away from your mother’s hands.”

  Valencia rubbed her nose and wiped her tears. She frowned and looked at him.

  “Then why won’t you take me in?” she wondered.

  He smiled faintly and sighed.

  “I wish I could… but they are watching me closely. If you live with me, they will automatically label you as Persai’s daughter,” he explained.

  “But… the journal already marked me as her daughter…”

  “Yes… but only the Young Duke knows since he has the book…” Eldrich claimed.

  “You mean… you told him?!” Valencia demanded.

  “Well, yes… but because he had the book.”

  Valencia glared at him, withholding a fist that was about to swing across his head.

  “How did he get the book?” she muttered.

  “He told me that he stumbled upon it while fighting a monster.”

  Valencia groaned, slapping her head. She straightened and sat.

  “Okay… if I go to the Young Duke’s place, what do I need to be careful about?” Valencia wondered.

  Eldrich smiled and patted her head. She froze—she had never felt anyone do that to her.

  “Well, what does he want? He was so desperate to find you.”

  “He…” she pouted. “He thinks I’m a Guide who matches him…”

  Eldrich’s face fell as the words scattered in his head.

  “He really thinks you’re a Guide?”

  “Yes… being Persai’s daughter means being an S-rank Guide hiding in the system…”

  Eldrich cackled as he covered his face.

  “Oh, Athesia… you created a young duke, a Light Esper, but he couldn’t even differentiate a Void Esper and a Guide…” Eldrich chuckled. He took a deep breath before locking eyes with her. “Then Goddess Athesia is on your side right now. You must reside with Young Duke Kael.”

  Valencia puffed, squinted, rolled her eyes, and blushed. I must go back to that annoying arrogance. She sighed in frustration.

  “Fine… I will go now…” she declared.

  Eldrich beamed and nodded. As Valencia stood, he stopped her.

  “Yes?”

  “Just remember that a Guide must guide an Esper. And that requires physical touch. But, if you ever need help, my door is always open to you, Miss Luvoise,” he said calmly.

  Valencia bit her lower lip, nodding hesitantly. Eldrich placed his hand in front of her.

  SNAP.

  Valencia almost fell as she looked around.

  “Wait… where am I?” she asked, looking up at the ceiling, then at the back of her head. The bed? “Wait… that bed looks familiar…”

  She walked toward it.

  DRIP.

  Without her realizing it, the door on the side opened behind her. A foot stepped out.

  She gasped, covering her mouth.

  “Eldrich, you fucking idiot! He teleported me into Young Duke’s bedroom!” she whispered. Then she turned around—

  BAM.

  Valencia fell onto the bed, eyes wide and mouth open.

  A firm wall?

  No…

  Kael.

  He looked down at her with a smirk and a towel on his lower half. Water dripped from his hair. He had just finished his bath. He tilted his head and placed his hand on his towel, grinning.

  “What brings you to my bedroom after leaving so soon?”

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