How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 74

As soon as she heard Kenyan’s final words, Lindsey clenched her coat tighter around herself.

Meeting him had left a sour taste in her mouth.

‘What did he mean by that last comment?’

Would he really bring Crain’s downfall, perhaps even take his head, as he’d implied?

Lindsey shook her head. There were more pressing matters on her mind than Kenyan’s cryptic promises. Today, Kalia was scheduled for a secret meeting with Princess Rebecca.

“I’m going to strike a heavy blow against Crain. I’ll cut away the rotten lifeline he’s clinging to.”

Kalia hadn’t given her all the details, but Lindsey had a sense of what she intended to do.

‘It must have something to do with Prince Flute.’

She knew Crain had allied himself with Flute. The mere thought of Crain’s frustration when his plans unraveled was enough to lift her mood.

⋆★⋆

Crain ground his teeth as he glared at Kalia. Throughout the banquet, she had maintained a regal poise, not once sparing him a glance.

It was as if she deemed him beneath her notice. He had anticipated their eventual encounter, but not in a setting like this.

‘If only…’

Once again, his resentment toward Lindsey surfaced. She had died without understanding the debt she owed him for raising her. Her absence emboldened Kalia to look down on him, he thought.

Crain stared at her with growing irritation as she rose from her seat and moved toward him.

‘What’s she up to now?’

A sudden sense of unease crept up on him. He became acutely aware of the weight behind the name Kalia Riken.

Kalia Riken, the Duchess of the mighty Riken Duchy from the Asen Empire. Even in the Rohan Empire, few nobles would dare to cross her.

Crain had once taken great pride in being able to manipulate her, relishing the control he thought he had over her.

But now, Kalia passed by him with a serene smile, casting him a dismissive glance—like a person might when stepping over an insect.

Crain stood there, frozen, as he watched her make her way across the hall.

“Your Highness Flute, it has been a long time.”

An ominous feeling gripped Crain’s heart as Kalia stopped in front of Flute.

‘That foolish boy…’

Flute, oblivious, seemed quite pleased with himself, even smiling broadly. He had already forgotten the earlier embarrassment of being turned away by the cleric Kalia had backed. Now that Lindsey was gone, he seemed content with the intriguing new cleric he had found.

“Duchess Riken, it’s good to see you again. I hope your journey here was uneventful.”

Flute beamed, enjoying the power he now felt with Crain backing him. For the first time, great nobles who once ignored him were offering him greetings and wary glances.

‘They say Duchess Riken has a soft spot for Crain, so she should be inclined to favor me as well.’

But Kalia’s next words defied his expectations.

“Your Highness Flute, do you remember what happened when you visited the Asen Empire ten years ago?”

“What are you talking about?”

Kalia leaned in closer to Flute. He looked at her with a bemused curiosity, waiting to hear what she had to say.

At that moment, Flute had no inkling of what was to come. He vaguely recalled a visit to the Asen Empire a decade ago, but the details had long since faded from his memory.

‘She’s probably going to praise me again. No matter how prestigious a noble is, they’re all the same in front of someone destined to be emperor.’

With this thought, he shrugged casually.

“There was a commoner who carried your child back then, Your Highness.”

Kalia’s voice was low, just enough for Flute and Crain to hear.

As soon as the words left her lips, Crain shot up from his seat.

“That’s absurd!”

There was an unspoken taboo within the Rohan Empire’s royal family.

No member was allowed to marry outsiders from another empire. It was forbidden to let royal blood flow into another nation, especially not to a commoner!

Crain’s eyes widened in panic as he realized the implications of Kalia’s words. If they were true, his entire plan to elevate Flute to the throne would be ruined.

And it wasn’t just that.

‘If this is true, the consequences for me will be severe.’

Crain had already thrown his support behind Flute. The other nobles’ friendliness toward Flute at this banquet was solely because they knew Crain was backing him.

Now that they were in the same boat, Crain couldn’t afford to let Flute’s downfall happen without a fight.

He turned his sharp gaze toward Kalia.

“What… what are you saying?”

Flute stood there, stunned, unable to formulate a response. Crain swallowed down his frustration, irritated by the prince’s cluelessness.

After taking a deep breath, Crain attempted to regain his composure.

“Duchess Riken, can you take responsibility for such a claim?”

“You ask if I can take responsibility?”

Kalia’s amused smile made Crain’s unease grow.

She wouldn’t make such an accusation without solid proof, especially not when it involved the royal bloodline. Crain realized she knew about Flute’s illegitimate child.

‘Damn it!’

Kalia must have known about Flute’s child for years.

If Lindsey were still alive, Kalia wouldn’t have dared to reveal this secret.

Crain gritted his teeth, glaring daggers at her.

“In our empire, we have very advanced methods of verifying parentage.”

Kalia’s eyes gleamed with a cold light.

“Shall we confirm it? It wouldn’t hurt to seek certification from the temple.”

“A paternity test, you say….”

Kalia responded with a mysterious smile.

“You’re starting to get it, Crain Kesion. You’re too cunning not to grasp the situation. I wonder what that twisted mind of yours is coming up with to escape this.”

Her scornful words made Crain’s face flush with rage.

“You… how dare you spout such nonsense…”

“Go ahead, speak up. I’m curious to hear what excuse you’ll come up with.”

As she gazed at him with eyes burning with fury, Crain felt a chill run down his spine.

Kalia then leaned in close, whispering menacingly into the ears of both Flute and Crain.

“How dare you do such things to my daughter?”

Flute stumbled backward in fear, struggling to comprehend what she was saying.

Kalia Riken had a daughter?

He would have known if she did.

“A daughter… What do you mean by that?”

“Prince Flute, Lindsey Kesion, the woman you killed—she was my daughter.”

“That woman had impure blood…”

“Don’t you dare speak of my daughter with those words.”

“…”

“The woman you called impure was my daughter, born of me and that man.”

Flute staggered, struck by the weight of her revelation. Kalia’s reaction made it clear she knew exactly what he had done to Lindsey.

And the implication was obvious.

He had crossed a line that should never have been crossed, involving a family that was far beyond his reach.

The difference between Lindsey Kesion, whom he had derided as a woman of impure blood, and Lindsey Riken, was immeasurable.

He couldn’t even atone for his sins—Lindsey had already died because of him.

‘I’ll make sure you understand just how heavy the price is for daring to harm someone from the Riken Duchy.’