How to Run Away from Obsessed Men

Episode 70

Crain scowled as he rose from his seat.

‘Why the hell did I dream about that woman?’

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. His heart pounded, and he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.

It was because Kalia had appeared in his dream.

‘Surely, she’s not accompanying the delegation this time, right?’

He had heard that people from the Asen Empire would be joining the upcoming banquet.

‘Damn it, I should have dealt with her sooner.’

Kalia had been useful to him in many ways, after all.

The mere fact that Lindsey was under his control had been enough for Kalia to devote everything to him.

Crain had taken advantage of everything she offered.

Of course, he never granted her requests.

“I want to see Lindsey.”

“Could you at least give me a portrait of her?”

The more Kalia asked about Lindsey, the more Crain warned her that such curiosity would only put the child in greater danger.

Whenever he spoke of how Lindsey was ostracized within the Kesion family, Kalia would shed tears.

And he found it laughable—her face crumbling in despair.

Crain roughly wiped away his sweat.

Was it because he had only ever seen her vulnerable side over the years?

His memories of Kalia had grown hazy. But in his dream, she had appeared as the woman he once knew in the Asen Empire.

Confident, arrogant, always standing above others.

Even during hunts or at balls, Kalia always drew more attention than he did, stoking his feelings of inferiority.

‘That vicious woman.’

Crain’s expression darkened. He tried to calm his irritation as he made his way to the dining room.

By the time he reached the dining room, he felt a bit better. He intended to have breakfast as usual and then check on the state of the household.

“Kalia Riken will be arriving with the delegation from the Asen Empire,” the butler announced.

Crain felt his appetite vanish immediately.

His unpleasant dream had come true.

‘It’s because she hasn’t died.’

Crain had never wanted Lindsey to die. She was the greatest leverage he had over Kalia.

Yet, Lindsey had gone ahead and died, disregarding his wishes. She was supposed to remain alive.

Crain clicked his tongue.

“Annoying. I just needed her to stay breathing somehow.”

Crain’s head ached already. If only Lindsey were still alive, Kalia would have kept herself in check.

For that reason, he had never intended to take Lindsey’s life, even if he used her. She was the one child he had kept around, despite discarding the rest.

He recalled the fierce glint in Kalia’s eyes. She was a woman who would do anything for her daughter.

If Kalia ever found out what he had done to Lindsey, she wouldn’t sit idly by.

⋆★⋆

The delegation from the Asen Empire arrived at the Rohan Empire’s royal palace.

Lindsey watched Kalia with a curious expression. Her face was unusually rigid, even with Lindsey beside her.

It was clear that Kalia could not hide her emotions.

“Crain is here. That man…”

Kalia’s hand trembled as she held Lindsey’s.

High-ranking nobles of the Rohan Empire had gathered at the royal palace to welcome the delegation. Lindsey grasped Kalia’s hand tightly, her eyes flashing with determination.

In the past, the mere thought of seeing Crain would have terrified her.

But Lindsey no longer feared him.

“I’ve arranged for a private meeting with him. Are you sure about this? You said you wanted to infiltrate the Kesion household alone.”

“I have someone I need to meet there.”

Even as Lindsey spoke, Kalia couldn’t hide her worried expression.

“I know you won’t get caught, but…”

For now, Lindsey had disguised herself as a cleric under the Riken family’s patronage.

As a cleric, she had more freedom of movement than a noble like Kalia.

Never did Lindsey think she would voluntarily return to that hellish place.

‘Yet here I am.’

But after learning about dimensional travel, she couldn’t stop thinking about Mikhail.

Even though she knew it was an impossible thought, she wanted to see him up close.

‘Even if not for that, I want to see Crain Kesion get what he deserves…’

Crain Kesion’s downfall.

Nothing would grant her more freedom than that. No matter what Kalia’s revenge entailed, Lindsey was prepared to face it head-on.

At that moment, a soft knock came from the door, followed by a maid’s voice.

“Lady Kalia, the Marquis of Kesion is here to see you.”

Kalia’s expression turned cold at the maid’s words.

“As expected, the shameless man couldn’t wait and came looking for us.”

Kalia glanced at Lindsey. At her look, Lindsey nodded.

‘It’s fine. I’m not afraid anymore.’

She wasn’t here as Lindsey Kesion.

Even if she were, she wouldn’t feel any fear toward Crain.

Lindsey looked to her side.

Kalia was watching her with eyes full of trust and faith.

“Let him in.”

Not long after Kalia’s command, a man with a sly expression entered the room.

Kalia’s sharp gaze focused on Crain.

Lindsey, too, watched Crain with tense eyes.

When she first thought of meeting Crain in her role as part of the delegation, Lindsey had worried he might recognize her.

After all, Kalia had recognized her instinctively, even after not seeing her for decades.

But Crain glanced at Lindsey and moved on without the slightest reaction.

His gaze only brushed over her briefly before passing by.

“It’s been a while, Crain Kesion. Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“Were we ever on speaking terms?”

“Then why are you here?”

“What is your reason for coming here?”

Lindsey let out a bitter laugh. Her earlier worries had been pointless. Crain was different from Kalia.

He couldn’t even recognize that the person standing before him was his own daughter.

‘Well, of course. My appearance has changed, so it makes sense.’

Lindsey’s gaze turned icy. Memories of the unfair treatment she had endured as a child flooded back.

The man who had stolen her identity and tormented her for a lifetime now stood right before her.

The unexpected truth she uncovered while searching for Baek Ji-hyuk’s whereabouts only left her more unsettled.

Crain had treated her the way he did because of his petty inferiority complex.

Because of that alone, he had buried her entire life in the gutter.

It had been all for his revenge against Kalia.

Now that she knew, Lindsey found Crain even more repulsive. But that wasn’t all.

Crain was a man who knew the whole truth.

He was aware that Kalia believed her daughter to be lost.

And he knew how much he had exploited Lindsey to inflict pain on Kalia.

Yet here he was, shamelessly questioning Kalia’s reasons.

Kalia, too, stared at Crain with an incredulous expression.

“Reason? Did you just ask for a reason?”
“Yeah. There’s nothing left for you in the Rohan Empire, is there?”
“You know very well why that is.”

Kalia’s gaze locked with Crain’s.

“Crain Kesion. I’ve learned everything about what you’ve done.”

“……”

“The things you did to Lindsey.”

“What did I do? I gave her a place to sleep and food to eat all this time.”

“I heard how you hid Lindsey’s identity. How you stood by while your household harassed her.”

“……”

“You even encouraged their cruelty toward her. Don’t you remember the support I provided all these years?”

Crain fell silent, staring at Kalia.

His expression remained stoic, but Lindsey could see the cracks forming underneath. Crain was rattled.

Rattled enough that even Lindsey could sense it.

“You’ll have to pay for all of it, Crain Kesion. Wait quietly where you are.”

Lindsey, too, made a vow as she looked at Crain.

‘I’m sorry, Baek Ji-hyuk. I can’t come to you just yet. Please, wait for me a little longer.’

In that moment, Lindsey realized why she couldn’t follow Baek Ji-hyuk.

She couldn’t afford to die now. She couldn’t throw herself into death as he had done without hesitation.

Was it because she had reunited with her family?

Because she now had people who cherished her?

That might have been part of it.

But above all else, it was because of the shameless man standing before her.

She had tried to forget as Han Ji-yoo, but she knew she could never truly erase Crain from her mind.

She needed to witness his downfall with her own eyes.

Only then would she be able to follow Baek Ji-hyuk.

Lindsey placed both hands over her rapidly beating heart.