I Helped The Imprisoned Male Lead And He Became Obsessed - Chapter 79

Leonard slumped over his desk, his hollow eyes staring blankly at the polished wood.

After countless sleepless nights of relentless work, his pale complexion and disheveled appearance spoke volumes about his exhaustion.

But Leonard wasn’t the only one sprawled out like a corpse in the command office. Every one of Emilian’s aides had sunken eyes and dark circles, their bodies limp as if their very souls had been drained.

Still, their grueling efforts had paid off. After pouring all their time and energy into the search, they had finally uncovered a lead regarding Anise’s whereabouts.

Through their investigation, Leonard had discovered that Anise had interacted with someone in Laghtia.

The moment the report reached Emilian, he acted without hesitation, personally setting off to follow the lead.

Leonard felt a mix of relief and unease. On the one hand, he was satisfied that he had fulfilled his duties. On the other, a nagging sense of foreboding tugged at him.

Raking a hand through his unkempt hair, Leonard pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it, puffing thoughtfully.

With Emilian out of the office, there was no one to cast judgmental glances his way. He could indulge in a little vice without worry.

But still… Emilian won’t kill them, will he?

Leonard exhaled a plume of smoke, his brow furrowing as his thoughts wandered.

Emilian wasn’t the kind of man to kill without reason, but when it came to finding Anise, Leonard knew his superior would stop at nothing. While Emilian wasn’t inherently cruel, his hands were far from merciful when necessity called for action.

Still, Leonard reminded himself, that wasn’t his concern.

He took another drag from his cigar, watching the smoke curl upward and dissipate into the air.

I wonder… have they met by now?

***

“Emil…?”

I blinked, trying to confirm that the man standing before me was really him.

It didn’t make sense.

How had Emilian found his way here?

The thought that he might have been looking for me had never crossed my mind. After all, I knew how I had treated him.

Not only had I rejected his confession, but I had also disappeared without a word. I assumed he would be glad to be rid of me, to have moved on completely.

Then why… why are you here, Emil?

I looked at him with trembling eyes.

Emilian’s gaze swept slowly across the apothecary, taking in every detail before it landed back on me.

His sharp crimson eyes softened slightly as he spoke.

“I went through a lot to find you. You’ve traveled quite far, haven’t you?”

He had to know I wasn’t here simply for a “trip.”

There was so much to say, and yet I couldn’t seem to find the words.

Awkwardly, I turned to Leo, who was still standing nearby, his curiosity evident.

“Leo, could you go upstairs for a bit?”

“Huh? Oh… okay.”

Though clearly intrigued, Leo nodded without question and climbed the stairs.

Once we were alone, I finally managed to speak.

“Emil. How… how did you get here?”

His lips curled into a smile, one that was so flawless it felt almost unnerving.

“Is that what you’re curious about? After a whole month?”

His smile didn’t reach his eyes, which held a weight that made my stomach tighten.

“If you really wanted to escape me, you should’ve thrown away that necklace.”

My chest tightened further at his words.

The necklace he had given me—a gift I couldn’t bring myself to discard. I had taken it with me despite knowing how contradictory it was to my resolve to leave him.

So he had used the divine power within the necklace to track me.

The realization stung with the weight of my own hypocrisy.

Why did you come looking for me, Emil…?

I had left him for his sake. I had rejected his confession to spare him from the burden of my love.

So why?

I swallowed the words that lingered on my tongue and looked at him helplessly as he asked,

“Why didn’t you throw it away?”

“…”

My lips moved soundlessly as I clutched the hem of my clothes.

Because I love you. That’s why I couldn’t discard it.

But how could I say that now, after everything I had done?

Forcing a calm tone, I turned away to organize the medicine bottles on the shelf.

“…The divine power in the necklace was almost gone. It’s just an ordinary necklace now. That’s the only reason I kept it.”

Emilian’s gaze remained fixed on me, his expression unreadable. He glanced slowly at the shelves lined with dried herbs and spoke in a measured tone.

“True, the tracking from the necklace failed partway through. But thanks to her, I was able to find you.”

“Her?” I echoed, my confusion evident.

“The foul-mouthed mercenary.”

The unexpected answer widened my eyes slightly.

“You met Scarlett?”

Scarlett, the mercenary who had escorted me from Laghtia to Petra, had promised never to disclose my destination to anyone, no matter who asked.

“She’s surprisingly tight-lipped,” Emilian continued calmly. “Though not indefinitely.”

His tone was unsettlingly casual, but my heart sank as cold realization dawned on me.

“What do you mean…? Don’t tell me you threatened her!”

My hands trembled at the thought. Scarlett was skilled, but against Emilian, she wouldn’t have stood a chance.

The idea that she might have been hurt because of me sent my heart into overdrive.

“What did you do to her?” I demanded, my voice tinged with fear. “You didn’t… did you…?”

“Relax. I didn’t kill her,” he replied nonchalantly.

His indifference left me momentarily speechless.

The thought that someone uninvolved had suffered because of me made my chest tighten painfully. At the same time, I struggled to comprehend why he had gone to such lengths.

I bit my lip hard.

“Why… why would you do that?”

Emilian let out a soft, mocking laugh, as if I had asked the most ridiculous question.

“Do you really not know?”

He moved closer, past the shelves and deeper into the room. His voice, when he spoke again, was low and simmering with barely restrained emotion.

“You’re the one who made me like this, Anise.”

“…”

I wanted to tell him that wasn’t true, that it couldn’t be my fault. But the words wouldn’t come.

If I hadn’t hurt him, if I hadn’t selfishly left him behind, Emilian wouldn’t have been like this.

He would have remained the gentle man I once knew.

Scarlett might have been hurt because of me. If I hadn’t involved her…

That thought weighed heavily on me as I clutched the hem of my clothes, guilt swirling in my chest.

“You’re kind enough to worry about someone else’s safety…”

Emilian’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and bitter.

“…So why didn’t you show me the same kindness?”

His crimson eyes burned with icy fury, his question laden with the unspoken accusation:

Why did you leave me?

I felt as though a stone had lodged itself in my throat, making it hard to breathe. Unable to meet his gaze, I took a hesitant step back.

The movement brought me up against a shelf, and the soft clatter of a wooden box filled with dried herbs echoed through the room.

But Emilian closed the distance in an instant, leaving me no space to retreat.

As he leaned in closer, his voice was low and steady.

“What do you want me to do with you, Anise?”

He was so near that I could see the faint tremble of his long lashes.

I avoided his gaze and stammered, “…Please, just go. I’m still working.”

Pushing weakly against his broad shoulders, I found that he didn’t budge an inch.

“If I were going to walk away, I wouldn’t have come all this way to find you,” he murmured, his voice simmering with emotion.

His fiery red eyes bore down on me, intense and unrelenting.

The tension in the air was suffocating, and I froze, unsure of what to do.

Then, his hand reached out, and I flinched as his calloused fingers brushed against my cheek.

I wanted to tell him to stop, to pull away—but the thought of hurting him again kept the words lodged in my throat.

His hand moved slowly, stroking my hair and grazing the sensitive skin near my ear.

The light touch sent a tingling sensation through me, as if a spark of static had danced across my skin.

What is this…?

I bit down hard on my lip, trying to suppress the unfamiliar feelings welling up inside me.

In my past life, I had never experienced anything like this.

My heart pounded erratically, as if it had lost all sense of rhythm.

With each touch, warmth spread through me, pooling in my lower abdomen in an unfamiliar, almost ticklish sensation.

“Are you… angry at me?” I finally managed to ask, my voice shaky.

“Of course I’m angry,” he replied.

“Then why are you…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence.

Emilian suddenly lowered his head, burying his face in the curve of my neck.

Before I could process the gesture, a sharp prick of pain bloomed against my skin.

He bit me.

My eyes widened in shock as my body tensed, jerking instinctively like a fish out of water.

“Stop!” I cried, trying to push him away with all my strength.

But he didn’t move—his body was solid, unyielding, like a wall.

He pressed his lips against my neck again, and I felt a soft, warm graze followed by another sting.

“Please, stop… it hurts…”

“Does it only hurt?”

“I… I don’t know… I don’t know…”

The strange sensations blooming from his touch left me at a loss for words.

It was all so foreign—his actions, the feelings they elicited, and even this side of Emilian. Everything was unfamiliar and overwhelming.

I felt utterly powerless, like a trapped animal.

Noticing the faint trembling of my body, Emilian slowly raised his head.

His hand moved gently to my hair, stroking it softly as if to soothe me.

“You should’ve hidden better,” he said in a tender voice, but his eyes burned with intense heat.

“I should have done this sooner—taken you by force if I had to.”

A faint, almost pleased smile played at the corners of his lips.

His hand reached for my mouth, pressing lightly against my trembling lips.

Then, without hesitation, he leaned in closer, his face drawing near.