If You Conquer Me - Chapter 8
Flicker, flicker.
I’m alive. I’m safe.
In the darkness, the faint yellow light flickered on and off. Then,
Flicker, flicker, flicker.
I might leave this area soon.
If she accepted Hugo’s offer, she would have to leave for the capital of Yerhalt.
Twice, then three times.
After signaling five times, Ophelia cast a cold gaze out the window. She believed that Christian, the Christian she knew, would be on high alert ever since she infiltrated as a gladiator slave. He was probably keeping watch over this mansion as well.
He will surely understand this signal.
Ophelia was confident of it.
* * *
A quiet night with no moon in the sky.
The surroundings were engulfed in darkness.
Christian couldn’t hide his anxious expression as he stared at a lavish mansion. It was the mansion of Count Cornelli, the place Ophelia had infiltrated as a gladiator slave. The mansion’s lights were mostly off, meaning that most people had gone to sleep.
“We will keep watch.”
“That’s right, Sir Toledo, you should rest.”
Seeing his distress, other comrades urged Christian to take a break.
Sir Toledo. The title pierced his heart.
Please, Princess. Are you safe?
Christian unconsciously squeezed his eyes shut. He had always preferred the title “Sir Toledo” over “Young Viscount.” It was only natural. No position was greater than his role as Ophelia’s one and only guard.
‘Christian.’
A warm voice mixed with laughter, gently brushed against his ear. Ophelia’s face, looking up at him with sparkling eyes, was so vivid in his mind.
If only I had guarded the princess properly… would this have happened?
Christian felt a tightness in his chest. Ophelia was his pupil, and he knew well the responsibility she felt toward Ascanior. He should have made sure she didn’t throw herself recklessly into her hatred for Grand Duke Morgana.
But then.
“Wait, look!”
“Look over there!”
Suddenly, his comrades’ voices lowered as they shouted excitedly. Christian came out of his thoughts, blinking his eyes open.
In the dark mansion, from the window on the left side of the third floor, a yellow light flickered on and off in a regular pattern.
Flicker, flicker.
Alive and safe. Christian felt the tension ease from his body upon confirming the message.
“Ha…”
Christian swayed, leaning against the wall, while his comrades quietly cheered in relief.
“Thank goodness, the princess is safe!”
“I’m so glad!”
“Now we just need to find a way to bring her back!”
But the light, which they had expected to go out, continued to blink.
Flicker, flicker, flicker.
Three flashes of light.
That meant…
She’s probably leaving this area soon.
“What?”
Christian’s eyes widened in shock.
* * *
The next morning,
Ophelia made up her mind to meet with Hugo. With Christian and her comrades’ lives at stake, she had no choice but to accept his offer.
If I remove my emotions, it’s not a bad offer.
Hugo Estor del Morgana.
He was the only Grand Duke of the Empire and one of the highest-ranking nobles. Moreover, Grand Duke Morgana had been a key figure in carrying out several strategic operations with the Imperial Army.
Staying close to him might provide opportunities to gather valuable information in the future.
She might even find a way to expose the weaknesses of the Yerhalt imperial family and seize the chance to make Ascanior independent. However, there was something odd about it.
His attitude toward the Yerhalt imperial family.
Grand Duke Morgana was publicly known for his loyalty to the imperial family. However, what Ophelia had felt from him yesterday was intense hatred.
“Ugh…”
The effects of the painkiller she had taken the night before seemed to wear off, and even rising from the bed made her body creak. Ophelia groaned, tearing open a new packet of medicine and swallowing it.
Struggling to get up, she clung to the staircase railing and slowly made her way downstairs.
In the distance, she saw Hugo sitting in the living room, bathed in bright sunlight. His posture, lounging casually on the sofa, exuded an unsettling pressure.
…Like a wild beast, untouchable by anyone.
