The journey to Anniston was painfully silent.
Neither Dylan nor I said a word as the carriage rolled forward.
The air between us felt heavier than usual, thick with everything that had happened the previous night.
The memory of his hand around my throat…
The darkness in his eyes…
The blood on his lips…
Even now, just thinking about it made my chest tighten.
I didn't know what to say.
And apparently, neither did he.
So we stayed silent.
The sound of the wheels against the rough road was the only thing keeping the silence from swallowing us whole.
At last, the carriage came to a stop.
I blinked and looked up.
We had arrived.
The gates of Anniston Village stood before us like a warning.
The carriage rider turned back, his face pale.
"This is as far as I go."
Without waiting for another word, he hurriedly stepped down and drove off the moment we got out.
I frowned.
That alone was enough to make my skin crawl.
Dylan stepped forward without hesitation, and I followed after him.
The moment we crossed into the village and walked only a few meters—
We were surrounded.
I froze.
Men appeared from all directions, closing in around us like shadows taking shape.
They were huge.
Tall, broad, heavily built men with bodies that looked carved from stone. Their presence alone was enough to make my heart pound.
Then one of them stepped forward.
He stood out immediately.
His gaze was sharp, his smile mocking, and there was something about him that felt even more dangerous than the others.
Before I could react, Dylan moved.
He stepped in front of me and slightly pulled me behind him in a protective manner.
My eyes widened for a second.
Then the man laughed softly.
"Well, well…" he drawled. "What business does the powerful Lord Dylan have in the village of Anniston?"
Dylan's expression didn't change.
"We seek Lady Isabel."
The man burst into laughter.
The kind that made my skin crawl.
"And why," he asked, "do you seek her?"
"That is for us to discuss with her," Dylan replied coldly.
The man's lips curled.
"You will not be seeing Lady Isabel."
I frowned.
Then the man tilted his head slightly and said,
"I should introduce myself, shouldn't I?"
His eyes gleamed.
"My name is Easten."
He spread his arms dramatically.
"And I am the brother of Isabel Wells."
I stiffened.
Isabel's brother?
Dylan's gaze sharpened, but his face remained unreadable.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Dylan turned slightly, as if he had already made up his mind.
"We'll take our leave."
I blinked.
Just like that?
But from the look in his eyes, he had already understood something I hadn't.
This village was not normal.
And forcing our way through would only make things worse.
But Easten laughed again.
A dark, mocking laugh.
"Who said you could leave?"
I stopped.
Dylan slowly turned back to face him.
Easten's smile widened.
"It is easy to enter Anniston," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "But very hard to leave."
For the first time, Dylan let out a small laugh of his own.
Cold. Unbothered.
Easten narrowed his eyes.
"I've heard about you, Lord Dylan," he said. "Your reputation has traveled far. Your arrogance has reached even our ears."
His smile sharpened.
"If you insist on leaving…"
He stepped back.
"Then find your own way out."
And in the next second—
He vanished.
Just like that.
The men around him vanished too.
I gasped and looked around wildly.
"They're gone?"
Dylan didn't answer immediately.
His eyes scanned the area once, then he lifted his hand, clearly about to use his powers.
The next second, I expected us to disappear.
But nothing happened.
His hand lowered slowly.
His expression darkened.
My stomach dropped.
"What's wrong?"
He looked at me.
"We're trapped."
I stared at him.
"What do you mean trapped?"
"There's a spell over this place," he said calmly, though I could tell he was irritated. "A barrier. We can't leave until we break it."
My eyes widened.
"What?!"
Panic hit me instantly.
"What do you mean we can't leave? Are you saying we might be stuck here forever?!"
Dylan didn't answer right away.
And that silence only made my panic worse.
"Dylan!"
He sighed, then suddenly flicked his fingers.
A small burst of magic appeared, and a folded piece of paper materialized in his hand.
He opened it and glanced over it, his brows slightly furrowing.
"What is that?" I asked nervously.
"According to what I've heard," he said, "there are certain spells that can be broken by revealing the truth of one's heart."
I blinked.
"What?"
He looked mildly annoyed.
"Apparently, if a hidden truth is spoken, the spell can weaken… or break entirely."
Then he looked at me.
"Choose."
I frowned.
"Choose what?"
He held the paper out slightly.
"You ask me a question."
I stared at him.
"Any question?"
"Yes."
His face remained calm, but I could tell he was expecting something serious.
Something important.
Maybe he thought I would ask about last night.
Or why he had reacted that way.
Or what exactly happened when the poison entered him.
Or maybe even about my own memories.
Instead…
I looked at him and asked,
"Have you ever had a girlfriend before?"
Silence.
Complete silence.
Dylan stared at me.
For the first time in what felt like forever, he actually looked caught off guard.
His expression didn't completely break, but I saw it.
That tiny flicker.
That tiny moment of shock.
I folded my arms.
"Well?"
He remained quiet.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Answer."
His gaze stayed on me for another second before he finally said, flatly,
"Yes."
My mouth fell open.
"WHAT?!"
He looked away.
And somehow, that made it worse.
"You actually have?!" I gasped. "No way!"
He didn't answer.
I rushed closer.
"Tell me about it!"
Still no answer.
I blinked.
Then I looked around.
Nothing happened.
The spell hadn't broken.
I pointed accusingly at the empty air.
"It didn't work!"
Dylan had already started walking away.
"Wait!" I hurried after him. "That's it? Just yes?! You can't just say yes and leave it there!"
He ignored me.
I pouted.
"That's unfair! Even I've never been in a relationship before!"
That made him stop.
He turned to look at me.
I blinked.
Before I could react, he lifted his hand and lightly flicked my forehead with his finger.
"Ow!"
I glared at him, rubbing the spot.
He turned and continued walking.
"Where are we going?" I demanded, hurrying after him.
"If we can't leave this way," he said, "then we'll go around the village. We might as well see what Anniston has become."
I frowned, but followed him.
We spent the rest of the day moving through the village.
Anniston was… strange.
Too strange.
The place was unnaturally quiet in some parts, yet disturbingly alive in others.
Some people stared at us from dark windows before quickly disappearing.
Some smiled too much.
Some looked like they already knew we were trapped and found it amusing.
The deeper we walked, the more uncomfortable I felt.
And as the sun slowly began to sink, my unease only grew worse.
By evening, I was exhausted.
And still—
We hadn't found a way out.
I looked at Dylan, who seemed completely composed as always, and felt a fresh wave of panic.
"Are we really going to be stuck here forever?"
He glanced at me briefly.
"It's not the worst place to be trapped."
I stopped walking and stared at him.
"Excuse me?!"
He kept walking like he hadn't just said something outrageous.
I hurried after him.
"I am serious!"
"So am I."
I opened my mouth to complain again, but then I paused.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Something I had heard before.
Something ridiculous.
Something absolutely stupid.
I slowly turned to him.
"In novels and movies…"
Dylan gave me a suspicious look.
I pointed at him.
"In situations like this…"
His eyes narrowed.
"Sometimes, a true love's kiss breaks the spell."
He stared at me.
Just stared.
Like he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
But I was already too deep in my own brilliant plan.
My eyes widened.
"I got it!"
He said nothing.
I pointed dramatically.
"That's the solution!"
"Clover—"
Before he could finish, I marched straight toward him.
He actually looked startled for once.
And then—
I grabbed his clothes, pulled him down—
And kissed him.
For one second—
Dylan froze.
His eyes widened in genuine shock.
He clearly had not expected that.
Neither had I, if I was being honest.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would explode right there.
Then suddenly—
He snapped his fingers.
In the next instant—
Everything around us changed.
The air shifted.
The pressure vanished.
The strange suffocating feeling that had clung to the village all day disappeared.
And Dylan vanished from in front of me.
I stumbled forward, my eyes flying open.
I looked around wildly.
Then I gasped.
"I did it!"
I spun around in excitement.
"I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!"
The spell had broken!
My ridiculous plan had actually worked!
I looked around, half shocked, half thrilled.
Then Dylan reappeared a short distance away.
He was completely silent.
Completely still.
And somehow… even more unreadable than usual.
Only then did it hit me.
My entire body stiffened.
Slowly… very slowly… I looked at him.
Then my face burned.
"Ah…"
I immediately took a step back.
"Sorry!"
He didn't say anything.
I panicked more.
"I-I mean— I only did it because of the spell! It was just because of the spell!"
Still nothing.
I nearly died on the spot.
"And it was my first kiss too, so—"
The second the words left my mouth, I wanted the ground to swallow me.
Why did I say that?!
Why?!
Dylan's gaze shifted to me again.
I turned bright red.
"I mean— forget I said that!"
He looked away first.
"Let's go."
That was it.
That was all he said.
And somehow, that made my heart beat even faster.
I quickly followed after him, trying very hard not to think about what had just happened.
Which was impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
After a while, I cleared my throat.
"So… what now?"
His expression had returned to normal.
Mostly.
"We're going to Ashen."
I blinked.
"Ashen?"
"We'll stay there for a while," he said. "And figure out our next move while keeping track of the situation."
I frowned.
"Wait… Ashen?"
He didn't answer.
I looked at him suspiciously.
"What is Ashen?"
Still, no answer.
"Dylan?"
He remained silent.
I narrowed my eyes.
"That means it's something important, doesn't it?"
He simply lifted his hand.
The next second—
The world blurred around us.
And when my vision cleared—
I froze.
We were no longer in Anniston.
Standing before us was a massive city.
No—
A kingdom.
My breath caught in my throat.
The city of Ashen stood tall and magnificent before me, glowing beneath the fading evening sky.
The walls were enormous.
The streets beyond were alive with movement.
And the people—
My eyes widened.
The men moved through the city with their broad chests bare, their lower bodies properly covered, their physiques strong and intimidating.
Everyone looked busy.
Everyone looked disciplined.
And everyone who noticed Dylan immediately bowed.
"My lord!"
I slowly turned to him.
My lord?
Before I could process it, Dylan began walking forward as if this place belonged to him.
Which—
Judging by the way everyone reacted—
It did.
I hurried after him, completely stunned.
Servants rushed toward us the moment we entered the palace.
"My lord," one of them greeted respectfully.
"I'll prepare a guest room for the lady."
Before I could even nod in relief, Dylan said calmly,
"No need."
The servant blinked.
Dylan didn't even hesitate.
"She'll be staying with me."
My jaw dropped.
The servant bowed immediately.
"As you wish, my lord."
I nearly tripped over my own feet.
Wait—
What?!
I whipped my head toward him.
But Dylan was already walking ahead like he hadn't just destroyed my peace of mind.
By the time we entered his chambers, I was still trying to recover.
The room was huge.
Luxurious.
Dark, elegant, and intimidating—just like him.
I stared around in disbelief, touching random things just to distract myself from the fact that I had just heard what I heard.
Then I turned sharply to him.
"There are many rooms in this palace."
He sat down as if nothing was wrong.
"Yes."
I pointed dramatically.
"So why exactly am I staying here with you?!"
His gaze landed on me.
Calm.
Unshaken.
Dangerously unreadable.
Then he said, in that same maddeningly composed tone—
"Because I need to keep you with me."
"What do you mean?" I asked.