“Help me?” Chuckled Somiret. He knew his sister’s personality well. “And what gain is there for you? What have you designed for her? An olive branch in one hand and a snare in the other.”

No answer. She had no response for that. She merely shrugged her shoulders and stood up, the goblet of wine still in her hand as she moved for the door. Her free hand lingered on the doorknob before she turned back to face her brother.

“Brother, it is beyond my desire to think of taking your woman away. But I dare hope you won’t let Hughesin take all the fun. And her fated, Elric? I wish you good luck in finding your courage to get past him, hm?”

The door closed behind her.

In another corner of the city, Elric sat with Hughesin in a nicely-decorated coach. Only a while ago did he learn the blond’s name and that he was a duke. It didn’t surprise him. Karth had plenty of dukes, young marquises, or whatever nobility that existed here. Karth, like many other nations, had more nobles than was needed. Nobles that held titles, drink, and plate, but no power. The luxurious lives they lived had no concerns other than to find the next trend or fashion before it was too late.

In Elric’s opinion, there wasn’t much different about Duke Hughesin than any of the other pompously-dressed pillowcases out on the streets or in their own coaches. His very own coach had it all: rich-looking, smooth, and comfortable. A little too comfortable, almost. Elric was almost amazed at just how different it was to Kebrilio’s coach. Even the interior of Hughesin’s coach was impressively bigger, not that Elric thought so. He never felt so crowded in his life with how Hughesin was constantly trying to get near him. 

Retreating to the right corner of the coach, Elric turned his head out the window to stare at the streets of Waldsk. Even at night, the streets were busily-lit and noisy in a beautiful manner completely unlike the daytime scene. It was this scene that caught Elric’s interest more so than the loathsome companion next to him.

He looked away to the line of houses on one side of the street. How far did Kebrilio live? The coach ride was already taking longer than expected and Elric had yet to hear anything about getting close to the bear’s nest. 

Never would Elric also imagine that perhaps the duke was taking him elsewhere. Like with many times before, Elric would be subjected to having others guide his fate. Victor, Crazy, Charle, and Flania, everyone could only bully Elric to such a degree because of his pushover personality.

So engrossed was he in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the tremendous manor coming into view. It was as beautiful as it was large compared to the villa they left before. Elric only realized his whereabout when the multicolored colors of the manor came into eyesight. 

Was this where that bear lived? There were so many rooms that Elric didn’t even think he’d be able to see all of them if he slept in a different one for the three-hundred and twenty days in a year! Or did Kebrilio have that many family members that necessitated having this many rooms?

The coach came to a stop. Hughesin stepped out first so he could help the still-thinking Elric down.

Walking on top of the paved roads, the two traveled past the many trees planted on both sides of the courtyard. The manor they were headed for, an estate shaped like a rectangular ‘U’. The receiving room was located at the very bottom of the ‘U’ while the two sides were primarily for residential purposes.

Elric could hardly see the estate in its full glory due to the night. Only barely could he see the small sculptures, statues, and other decorations placed all over and around the estate.

Why would Kebrilio have so many grandiose additions to his residence? He had far too many of them added than necessary, and most of them were even tackier than the skirt Elric was wearing. But ultimately, Elric did have to admit the decorations were more beautiful and pleasing to the eye than what he was wearing. Seeing these art decorations made Elric realize one thing: Kebrilio had to have been the one to buy this abominable-looking dress. He’d definitely take revenge on the man when he had the chance.

The entire world lit up the moment Elric stepped into the lounge. The twelve illumination crystals around the place had all lit up at once when they stepped in. Silhouettes of the lotus flowers around the crystals shone all over the walls, illuminating the place with a nice glow. 

Servants lined up across the lounge as if they were waiting for an order. There were two staircases, each one hugging the left and right sides of the lounge. And at the center of both stairs was a single crescent-shaped platform, one made from the same snowy-white marble as the stairs. A single wall hung at the back of the platform with two giant portraits hanging off of it. 

One portrait, Elric realized, much to his shock, had someone of the same likeliness as Hughesin. As naive as he was, Elric was no simpleton. He knew he had been tricked and that Hughesin probably had something dastardly in mind. 

Goosebumps appeared all over Elric’s skin at once. This was an extremely discomforting situation he had yet to find the words to explain. The only thing he 

did

 know was how much he wanted to get away from here.

He was deep in trouble, but that didn’t mean he was going to follow Hughesin deeper into it. Immediately steering away from the blond, Elric moved back toward the entrance only to realize the door was already closed.

“I thank you for your kind invitation, lord Hughesin, but the day is getting late and my uncle must be getting worried. I bid you a good night.” Elric managed to force a smile to his lips. Turning back to face the door, Elric pressed both palms onto them as if attempting to push them open.

But surprisingly, the doors didn’t budge. Not even with him pushing with his hands and legs as hard as he could. The doors were locked!

Elric was trapped. Trapped like a fly in the spider’s web and with no place to even run.

One of the many warnings Charle taught Elric surfaced in his mind then. A long time ago, Elric listened to Charle talk about situations in which one was trapped. In this lecture, Charle mentioned that there were hardly ever any escape scenario ideal for a mercenary. In these situations, Charle said, one had to wait for the most optimal time to use the most optimal method at the most optimal location to escape.

In this case, Elric had to ascertain his surroundings. Eyes sweeping left and right, he began to scan the place to see what he could do or where he could go to try and escape.

He rushed for the nearest window and opened them at once to leap out. As a magus, Elric had some confidence he’d be able to escape as long as he had enough distance between them.