How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 96. Side Story

While everyone else was filled with joy, Lindsey wasn’t the only one feeling a sense of worry.
Mikhail, too, was grappling with the same concerns.

Knowing that they shared these feelings brought Lindsey a peculiar sense of relief.

Mikhail rested his head on her shoulder, his warmth calming her restless heart.
“This is the first time for both of us. It’s natural to feel anxious. I’m scared too.”

Lindsey recalled the expression Mikhail had made when he first learned she was pregnant—a mix of shock and bewilderment.
But she also remembered the way his face lit up with happiness moments later, his smile radiating pure joy.

“But we’ll do well,” he reassured her, his voice steady and full of conviction.

Perhaps it was his warmth, or maybe it was his words, but Lindsey felt her eyes slowly beginning to close.
Mikhail was right. They could become good parents. The unease that had gripped her heart began to fade, replaced by a calm certainty.

Her eyes closed fully, and before long, the sound of her steady breathing filled the room. Lindsey had fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Mikhail looked down at her lovingly as she rested in his arms.

Their first child was a girl, with black hair like Lindsey’s and golden eyes like Mikhail’s. She was a darling little girl, and they named her Dana. Around the same time, Mikhail was officially granted a title by the Asen Empire, and so their daughter’s full name became Dana Lrsen.

Despite all of Lindsey’s early worries, she and Mikhail raised Dana with boundless happiness and love.

The one who was most overjoyed by Dana’s presence was Kalia. Having never seen Lindsey as a child, Kalia often found herself on the verge of tears while looking at Dana, who reminded her so much of a young Lindsey.

After Dana, Lindsey gave birth to twin sons: Royden and Derrick. The twins couldn’t have been more different in personality, but they were equally adored by their family.

Lindsey’s days with her family were filled with happiness. The only thing that weighed on her mind was the matter of her children’s abilities.

With Mikhail being a powerful transcendent and Lindsey one of the most gifted clerics, it was only natural for the empire to take a keen interest in their children.
As transcendents and clerics, their destinies were far from ordinary, and Lindsey secretly hoped her children would be born without abilities.

A life without powers meant a life free from the burdens and risks unique to transcendents and clerics. Without a compatible cleric, transcendents lived in constant pain, and the same fate awaited clerics without a matching transcendent.

But life, as always, didn’t follow Lindsey’s wishes.

The first of her children to manifest an ability was Royden, the younger of the twins.

Lindsey could sense the immense power swirling around Royden, lingering near him like a quiet storm.

Mikhail was a transcendent so exceptional that he was often called a monster.

Royden, the younger twin, had inherited abilities nearly as extraordinary as his father’s. But that wasn’t all.

Derrick, the older twin, awakened as a cleric.

Just as the world desired, the children were swept into a powerful vortex of abilities.

Dana, however, showed no signs of awakening any power.

Lindsey felt a pang of worry. While her younger siblings were discovering their abilities one by one, Dana remained powerless.
‘Wasn’t this exactly what I wished for? That they wouldn’t awaken any abilities…?’

Yet now that Dana hadn’t, it brought back memories of her own childhood.

Of course, Dana’s circumstances were entirely different. Unlike Lindsey’s experience, no one criticized or blamed Dana for not having powers.

It was around this time that Karen moved from the Riken Duchy to the Lrsen household. Raising Dana, who hadn’t awakened any powers, alongside Royden and Derrick, who were a transcendent and a cleric, was no easy task.

Royden, in particular, struggled to control his immense abilities.

“I’ll help Royden learn to manage his powers,” Karen offered.

Recognizing Karen’s exceptional talent as a transcendent, Lindsey accepted his proposal.

“Sir Karen, you’re here for that reason, aren’t you?” Lindsey asked, giving him a suspicious look.

Karen hesitated for a moment, clearing his throat before nodding. Her doubt wasn’t unfounded—since some time ago, Felia had always been by Karen’s side.

Karen awkwardly averted his gaze, while Felia’s face turned red as she looked elsewhere.

Lindsey couldn’t help but feel relieved. Unlike her own childhood, when she had been utterly alone, her children had many people to support and guide them.

* * *

Lindsey truly believed everything would be fine.

One sunny day, she took Dana for a walk.

“Mom, am I strange?”

“Dana?”

Dana’s sudden question caught Lindsey off guard.

“Who told you that you were strange?”

“People say I’m strange. They say my siblings are gifted, but I’m just a powerless person.”

“Who dared to say that…?”

“They said they feel sorry for Royden because he has to control his power just because of me. If I had awakened proper abilities, Royden wouldn’t have to struggle so much…”

Lindsey pressed her lips together tightly.
No matter how much she tried to keep people’s words in check, she couldn’t control everything.
And now, those careless words had hurt Dana.

Hearing Dana’s words brought back memories of Lindsey’s own childhood.
A powerless child born into the Kesion Marquisate. A failure.

But never once had Lindsey thought of her daughter that way.
To her, Dana was precious and lovable just as she was.

Lindsey spoke firmly, her expression resolute.
“You are not strange. Not even a little.”

She leaned down and kissed her daughter on the forehead.
Dana blinked in surprise, her big round eyes filled with wonder.

“You’re perfect just the way you are,” Lindsey continued.

Tears welled up in Dana’s eyes at her mother’s words.

Lindsey’s own childhood came flooding back to her. She had always believed she was flawed, that she was somehow wrong. She had thought of herself as pathetic for failing to meet Crain’s standards, blaming herself for everything.

‘Is Dana feeling the same way?’

Fury ignited in Lindsey’s chest. She wasn’t going to let anyone get away with saying such nonsense to her daughter.

“Even if you don’t awaken any abilities, I love you. Just being by my side is more than enough,” Lindsey said softly.

It was the phrase she had longed to hear most as a child—the words no one had ever said to her.

At her mother’s reassurance, Dana threw herself into Lindsey’s arms, clinging tightly to her.

After a moment, Lindsey started walking again, holding Dana close. She noticed her daughter’s excited face as Dana pointed toward the stables.

“Mom, please ride a horse with me today!”

“Dana…”

“You promised, remember? You said I could ride one by myself today!”

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to wait until your father’s here to watch over you?”

Dana pouted, her lips sticking out in protest. Lindsey sighed and nodded, knowing she couldn’t refuse.

Allowing Dana to ride a horse on her own had been a request she made on her recent birthday. Lindsey couldn’t go back on her promise.

The horse Dana was riding was a specially chosen, gentle one that Mikhail had personally selected for her.

In noble households, learning to ride horses from a young age was common, and Dana had already proven herself to be quite skilled at handling them.

Even so, Lindsey couldn’t help but feel uneasy as she watched her daughter.
Though she was riding alongside Dana, the worry gnawed at her.

“Don’t worry, Mom! I’m really good at this now!” Dana said cheerfully, her confidence evident.

“Just take it slow, okay? I’m still nervous,” Lindsey urged.

“It’ll be fine, Mom!” Dana said with a bright smile, then gave her horse a strong kick.

That’s when it happened. Dana’s horse suddenly started running faster—far too fast.

“Kyaaa!”

“Goodness, Dana!”

Lindsey panicked and immediately urged her own horse to chase after Dana, but the frightened horse only ran faster, out of control.

Lindsey had no choice. She had to act. Dana was an ordinary child with no awakened abilities—she couldn’t afford to let her fall. If she did, she’d be seriously injured.

Determined, Lindsey leaped off her own horse toward Dana, ready to shield her at all costs. She braced herself for the inevitable impact, willing to endure any pain to keep her daughter safe.

She wrapped her arms around Dana mid-air, preparing for the hard landing that was sure to follow.

But the expected impact never came.

Lindsey slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.

Dana was staring at her with a wide-eyed, startled expression. Lindsey, too, was stunned.

Looking around, she realized they were floating in the air, as though they were flying.

“Dana…? How is this possible…?” Lindsey asked, her voice trembling in disbelief.

“I… I didn’t want you to get hurt, Mom…” Dana stammered.

It wasn’t uncommon for abilities to awaken in moments of life-threatening danger. Many transcendents awakened on the battlefield for that very reason.

But in this case, Dana wasn’t the one in danger—Lindsey was.

Dana must have understood that Lindsey had been trying to save her.

It wasn’t her own peril that triggered her awakening. It was the sight of her mother in danger that brought out her hidden power.