How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 94. Side Story

The day Lindsey departed for the Riken Duchy.

Raysis came to see her off. His face looked pale and gaunt.

Even though he had achieved the position he desired most—becoming the Marquess of Kesion—there was a hollowness about him.

He looked like a man who had lost everything.

Raysis wanted to say something to Lindsey. He wanted to ask if she would stay in the Kesion Marquisate with him.

But he had seen her with Mikhail.

During the days she spent at the Kesion estate, Lindsey looked truly happy.

For a year, he had watched her as she lay unconscious, constantly torn by his own thoughts.

In the end, he had always come to the same conclusion: letting her go, disappearing from her life, was the happiest ending for her.

Lindsey climbed into the carriage, her hand held firmly by Mikhail.

Raysis asked a question he already knew the answer to.

“Will you come back?”

Lindsey glanced back at him. It was the same question Kenyan had asked her.

And she gave him the same answer.

“Well, I might come here again someday. Who knows when that will be, though.”

The carriage carrying Lindsey began to move.

She left behind the name Lindsey Kesion in this place as she departed.

For a new and happy life.

* * *

When Lindsey arrived at the Riken Duchy, her eyes widened in surprise.

A flower-covered path stretched out before the grand Riken Castle.

Kalia stood there with her arms wide open, welcoming Lindsey warmly.

A radiant smile never left Kalia’s face, and Lindsey’s two younger brothers were just the same.

However, Heis spoke up, glaring at Mikhail with dissatisfaction.
“Sir Mikhail, you seem to be standing too close to her.”

Gerard nodded in agreement and stepped between Mikhail and Lindsey.

“That’s right. Since you’re not married yet, it would be best to maintain a proper distance.”

Lindsey shook her head in disbelief at her brothers’ antics.
Mikhail, on the other hand, looked at her with a helpless expression, silently pleading his case.

Still, Lindsey chose not to intervene. It had been a long time since she’d seen her brothers, and their behavior, though exasperating, was endearing in its own way.

Kalia, who had been watching her children with a fond smile, finally embraced Lindsey tightly.

“Lindsey, was the journey here difficult for you?”

Lindsey nodded slightly, feeling a sense of completion at last.

It felt as though everything that had once bound her, all the chains that had weighed her down, had finally disappeared.

She could smell Kalia’s familiar scent.

This was a place filled with people who cherished her.

Finally, she was home.

* * *

Life in the Riken Duchy was exactly as Lindsey had dreamed.

Every morning, she had breakfast with her family, and whenever she had free time, she would take walks with Felia.

Living alongside Mikhail was also a new experience for her.
Whenever he had time, Mikhail would visit Lindsey, and the two would spend peaceful moments together.

When Mikhail practiced with his sword, Lindsey would sit nearby, knitting. Sometimes she sang, and other times she drew. One day, she decided to sketch Mikhail as he wielded his sword.

It was then that Lindsey came to a realization.
I really have no talent for drawing.

What appeared on the paper was not Mikhail, but some strange, unrecognizable creature. She tried to hide the drawing, not wanting Mikhail to see it. But, of course, Mikhail discovered it at just the wrong moment.

“Is this… me?”

The drawing didn’t resemble Mikhail in the slightest. In fact, it barely looked human.
Even so, Mikhail laughed brightly as he looked at the picture.

“To think I’m the only one who gets to see such a masterpiece…”

“It’s just a doodle!” Lindsey protested.

“An abstract depiction of me, then?”

“Stop it. Don’t take it with you!”

Lindsey smiled at Mikhail’s playful expression, despite her embarrassment.

Her days were full of joy.

Living as a noble lady in a duchy felt like an entirely new experience.
Afternoon tea with other noblewomen was a common occurrence for them, but for Lindsey, it was something extraordinary.

Everything about her life in the Riken Duchy felt fresh and unfamiliar.

It was strange.

Sometimes Lindsey would confide in Kalia with a distant expression.
“This life doesn’t feel real. It’s almost like a dream.”

Kalia would always respond with a gentle smile.
“This was always meant to be yours, my dear.”

Every time Kalia said those words, Lindsey didn’t feel regret or sadness. Instead, her thoughts turned to a future that hadn’t yet come.

She and Mikhail were only dating; they weren’t engaged yet. But someday, she knew they would marry and have children.

Lindsey often thought about that future.
I want my children to experience all of this—everything I never had.

The memories of her time in the Kesion Marquisate felt hazy now, as though they had happened in a different life. Even the fact that she had once worked as a guide and faced death no longer felt sharp.

Her pain had been buried beneath the joy of her new life.
What once felt unfamiliar now felt like home.

On a morning like any other, Lindsey woke up feeling unusually cheerful.

“Lady Lindsey, you seem to be in such a good mood today,” Felia remarked.

“Could it be that Mikhail is returning?” Lindsey asked.

Mikhail had left the Riken Duchy a while ago to take care of something important.

“Well, he should be back soon,” Felia replied, and Lindsey nodded in agreement.

It was an unusually good day. The sun was bright, and the breeze was cool.
Beautiful flowers danced in the breeze as Lindsey glanced down at the invitation in her hand.

“Looks like I’ll be attending a tea party today.”

After dressing up, she left the duchy. A small tea gathering was being hosted by the young lady of the Lilliat Marquisate.
Since coming to the Riken Duchy, Lindsey often enjoyed tea parties with other noble ladies.

When she arrived at the tea party venue, she immediately noticed an unusual buzz in the atmosphere.

The young ladies’ faces were flushed with excitement. The host, the young lady of the Lilliat Marquisate, spoke to Lindsey in an exhilarated tone.

“There’s news of the Blue Diamond appearing in the Rohan Empire!”

Another noble lady seated nearby chimed in, just as animatedly.

“Not only that, but the owner of the Blue Diamond has been decided!”

“I heard Princess Rebecca personally bestowed it upon someone!”

“There’s even a rumor that a gentleman purchased the Blue Diamond at an astronomical price for a proposal!”

“Oh my, how romantic!”

The young ladies were all swept up in their excitement, but Lindsey barely paid attention.

Her thoughts were entirely focused on whether Mikhail would return to the duchy today.

“Lady Lindsey, what do you think?”

“Pardon?”

“The Blue Diamond! If my fiancé were to offer me a diamond and propose, I would accept it immediately!”

Lindsey paused, lost in thought for a moment.

What if Mikhail proposed to her with a diamond…?

Her cheeks turned red at the thought.

Lindsey felt a tinge of melancholy as she stood by the window, gazing outside.

But as she spotted a familiar figure, her expression lit up with a bright smile.

“Mikhail.”

Mikhail was sitting in a tree near the window.

“When did you get back?”

It had been a long time since she’d seen him.

“Did you finish everything you needed to take care of?” Lindsey asked, her expression full of concern as she reached for his arm.

Lindsey now understood that Mikhail no longer needed her to survive. He had told her the truth.

She thought back to the moment Mikhail had confessed to her.
“I don’t want to lie to you,” he had said.

Though the situation had been serious for him, Lindsey had laughed.

After all, she had known for quite some time that Mikhail’s condition had stabilized.

“I struggled without you,” he said as he clasped her hand tightly, then gently cupped her cheek.

“Do you know how many years we’ve been in this land?” he asked.

“How many?”

“Over two years,” Mikhail replied.

Lindsey was genuinely shocked. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed.

Unlike the past, when each day had felt unbearably long, time in the Riken Duchy seemed to fly by.

“Do you know where I went this time?”

“Where? Leaving me here all alone,” she teased.

“The Rohan Empire.”

As he spoke, Mikhail opened his hand, revealing something he had been holding tightly.

“This is…”

“It’s the Blue Diamond.”

Lindsey blinked, staring at him with a dazed expression.