Subliminal Wayfarer

“My, my.”

Crunch.

“This is getting interesting.”

Munch.

Heath Serpiente sat on the second-floor balcony of a cafeteria, comfortably distant from Lutein Hospital. He had the entire shaded balcony to himself, snacking on a large bowl of white corn crackers.

These savory and crispy crackers were a must-have whenever Heath enjoyed his leisure time. Imported all the way from Corriano, they perfectly suited his taste.

“Those two women met like that, huh.”

Heath watched the two women who had just collided in front of the hospital through his opera binoculars.

Julius, who had been serving him crackers, handed him a cup of slightly cooled green tea.

“Consuming too much salt is bad for your liver. Stay hydrated.”

Heath sipped the tea, ignoring Julius’s usual nagging.

He had learned earlier that Grace would be going out today, so he had set up a different event in front of the hospital.

If you walk past the well-kept central square and down an alley, you reach the slums. The area was notorious for its unruly and violent residents, making it difficult to maintain.

The alley was filthy, littered with trash.

And in such a place, some unsavory characters had settled.

Vicious, filthy creatures.

“I was curious to see how she would react when chaos broke out. What will she do?”

Should he create a disturbance as planned to observe Grace O’Ellin’s reaction, or…?

“There’s definitely something about that woman. The problem is, she doesn’t even know it herself. I want to be the one to figure it out first…”

He had his suspicions, but it was too early to jump to conclusions.

Most importantly, the nuisance of the ‘black horse’ made it difficult for Heath to act freely.

The reason he was observing from such a distance was because of the security personnel Lucas Blacke had stationed everywhere.

‘There, there, and… there too. That crazy horse. Did he place guards all over the capital? Does he expect her to appear anywhere at any time?’

Well, with a family that had nothing but money, Lucas could easily hire half the city’s population if he wanted.

Because of that, Heath couldn’t approach Grace as he pleased.

If Heath made an obvious move toward her, Lucas Blacke would retaliate even more openly.

“Watching from afar is fun and all… but I can’t just sit back and do nothing forever.”

He hadn’t expected that crazy horse to move up the wedding so drastically.

Once Grace O’Ellin entered Lucas Blacke’s mansion, it would be even harder to get close to her—far more difficult than it was now.

So, before that happened, he either needed to get closer to her or come up with another plan.

It would be nice to get closer, but… that crazy horse wouldn’t just stand by and let it happen.

So, what should he do now?

“By the way, what did those old geezers say?”

Although Heath was the head of the family, there were even more troublesome figures behind him.

The elders of House Serpiente, who referred to themselves as ‘the shadows’, were always trying to manipulate the family from behind the scenes.

“As always, they said that danger must be eliminated.”

“They want me to kill her, huh.”

Heath chuckled as he repeated their words.

This is why the old folks should just stay put. They overthink things without grasping the reality of the situation.

Killing her may sound easy, but we’re talking about the future wife of the black stallion. It’s not that simple.

Even if he was a snake, it’s not easy to invade the land of the horse.

Moreover, there was an unspoken rule of non-aggression between the Seven Houses. They could keep each other in check, but direct interference was forbidden.

“If something goes wrong, I’d be the one to take the fall, not them.”

And then they would simply hatch a new heir.

After all, the ‘household head’ was nothing more than a disposable tool to them.

Heath habitually fiddled with two stones attached to his wrist bracelet, rolling them between his fingers.

Grace O’Ellin.

Even just observing her was fascinating.

She was like a whirlpool beneath a calm surface, subtly stirring the waters without anyone noticing.

Whether those ripples would spread far and wide, or be swallowed up by the surface, he couldn’t say yet.

‘Still… I have this feeling that she’s going to stir up something big.’

Not only in this country but also among the Seven Houses, who had long held secret power.

Clatter, clatter.

The gray stone moved smoothly between Heath’s fingers, polished to a gem-like finish from frequent handling.

As sunlight streamed through the swaying canopy, a cursed symbol shimmered on the surface of the stone.

It was similar to the mark engraved on Grace’s wrist.

At that very moment—

“Oh.”

Heath, who had been observing Grace, suddenly stood up.

The pitiful pink-haired woman had pushed Grace over.

“Shall I go?”

“No. You stay here, Julius,” Heath said, casually throwing on his coat. “This is something I should handle myself.”

It was the perfect time for him to step in.

 

* * *

 

It all happened in an instant.

Grace, shoved by Carol’s force, staggered and fell backward.

The world seemed to spin for a moment, and before she knew it, she was on the ground.

The surprising part was that Ruppell had somehow dashed forward and caught her just before she hit the floor.

“Are you alright, Milady?”

“Oh… Yes, I’m fine. Thank you, Ruppell.”

With Julie holding the baby, she hadn’t been able to help Grace in time.

Furious, she yelled at Carol, who had pushed Grace.

“Pardon me! If you don’t like it, you should just say so! What kind of person pushes someone like that?”

“I-I… I didn’t mean to…”

The pale woman trembled, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Now back on her feet, Grace gently placed a hand on Julie’s shoulder, signaling that it was okay.

The baby, who had calmed down for a moment, started crying again.

People passing by began to stare at them.

“I… I didn’t mean to… I really didn’t…”

Tears welled up in Carol’s eyes.

The baby’s cries, the murmuring crowd, and the worried face of the beautiful woman standing before her all weighed heavily on Carol.

A sharp ringing sound buzzed in Carol’s ears.

Her body trembled, and she collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

“……!”

Grace rushed to Carol in shock.

The woman had fainted.

Grace quickly gave Ruppell an urgent command.

“Ruppell, go and fetch Nottia. Hurry!”

The murmuring voices grew louder.

Amidst the commotion, someone called out the woman’s name.

“Carol!”

Torres, who had been watching from a distance, ran toward Carol with a pale face.

He was overwhelmed with guilt for letting her go in alone. He should have gone with her. Norman had been looking for Carol again over the past few days, and her health had deteriorated.

He had finally managed to bring her to the hospital today, despite her tears and complaints.

But of all days, Grace happened to visit the hospital today.

He had come to the hospital after confirming that Grace had gone to the orphanage.

The moment Torres saw Grace, he had no choice but to hide.

Carol’s existence was a secret.

And bringing her to the hospital in secret was also a secret.

“Grace? Oh, heavens. What happened?”

Nottia, who had rushed over with Ruppell, checked Carol’s condition.

Thankfully, it was just a simple fainting spell, but as soon as Nottia saw the red and blue bruises beneath the woman’s cloak, her expression hardened.

Clenching her teeth, Nottia pulled the hood up to cover the bruises and quickly concealed the woman’s face.

“We can’t treat her here.”

The stares from the surrounding crowd were piercing.

They couldn’t tend to her in the open, nor could they bring her into the hospital. Nottia’s clinic wasn’t equipped with many beds, and she had rushed out in the middle of an appointment.

“We need to move her to a different location.”

“I-I’ll bring the carriage…!”

Torres hurriedly offered to fetch the carriage, but Ruppell spoke up first.

“Our carriage is already prepared. Shall we move her there?”

“No! I-I’ll handle it myself.”

Torres hastily grabbed Ruppell.

Grace fixed her gaze on Torres.

It was a familiar face—someone she had seen just this morning.

“…Aren’t you Norman’s coachman?”

Startled, Torres turned his head away from Grace, trying to avoid her gaze.

But it was already too late.

His hands trembled as he clenched them into tight fists.

“Yes, it’s you. I don’t know what’s going on, but… it would be best if we returned to the mansion.”

Torres looked up in shock.

That was the one thing he couldn’t allow.

No matter what, he couldn’t take Carol to the O’Ellin estate.

If that happened, both she and he would be as good as dead.

“N-No, miss! Please, I beg you… I’ll handle this. I know her!”

Torres pleaded, but neither Nottia nor Grace could trust him.

The woman had fainted before she could recognize him, so they couldn’t be sure if the two were actually acquainted.

And even if he did know her, something didn’t sit right.

The bruises glimpsed beneath her hood made them suspicious that this man might be the cause.

Grace narrowed her eyes and glared at Norman’s coachman.

There were too many things that didn’t add up.

Waaahhh—

“I’m sorry, but…”

The baby’s cries grew louder, and more people began to gather around.

“May I offer my assistance?”

A soft voice cut through the crowd as someone approached Grace and Torres.

“I happen to have an empty residence nearby…”

A man with striking white hair and red eyes reached out and kissed Grace’s hand in greeting.

His eyes curved into a gentle smile, but there was something unsettling about him.

“It’s been a while, Lady O’Ellin.”

It was Heath Serpiente.