Linia Took in a Child - Chapter 3: The Man with Red Eyes (1)

The sound of knocking echoed through the room, waking Linia from her sleep. The room was already bright, signaling morning. Before she could gather her thoughts, a sharp pain radiated from her lower abdomen, causing her to grimace.

“Miss, are you awake?”

Sophie’s high-pitched voice came from outside the door. Linia bit back the groan threatening to escape her lips, forcing herself to respond in a calm tone.

“I just woke up,” she said, pulling the blanket tightly around her body. Thankfully, Sophie didn’t enter the room.

“Come down for breakfast with the child,” Sophie added.

“…Sorry, I’ll eat in my room today. Can you leave the food by the door?”

“Understood!” Sophie replied cheerfully, her footsteps retreating shortly afterward.

Linia exhaled a sigh of relief as the tension in her body eased slightly.

The stinging pain in her neck reminded her of last night, where she had been bitten multiple times. Rising slowly from the bed, Linia felt a dull ache flare up in her lower body as soon as she took a step. Stifling a soft groan, she carefully made her way to the mirror.

What she saw made her heart sink. Her neck was in a far worse state than she had expected. The pale white skin was mottled with angry red and bluish bite marks, scattered like bruises from repeated attacks.

If Ruin or Sophie were to see her now, there was no doubt they would be deeply shocked.

Linia used her holy power to heal the wounds on her neck. The marks disappeared quickly, but the act brought her no sense of relief. Standing before the mirror, she stared at the pale woman reflected back at her. She felt like someone whose surface was intact but whose insides had already crumbled.

She could feel it—her life was nearing its end. Lately, every time she closed her eyes, a crushing sense of helplessness loomed over her, as though she might never wake up again. The pain in her chest had vanished, but the amount of time left to her had not changed.

Still, Linia was grateful for the reprieve from the relentless pain. For the first time in a long while, she felt a measure of freedom, however fleeting.

That was why, as much as she feared him, she also felt a sliver of gratitude toward him. Linia vaguely remembered the first night the man had come to her room. She couldn’t recall his face or his voice, but she clearly remembered one thing—he had helped her.

He could have left her to suffer, writhing in agony from the pain in her heart, but he hadn’t. Instead, he had eased her suffering, using some mysterious power to make the pain disappear. It was because of this that she occasionally wondered if he wasn’t entirely as terrible as she feared.

Linia slowly began picking up the clothes strewn across the floor. As she bent down, her long golden hair cascaded over her shoulders. After slipping into her wrinkled dress, she sat down on the edge of the bed.

‘…Why me?’

Her gaze drifted to the empty spot beside her, recalling the man who had slept there the night before. His silver hair had glimmered faintly in the moonlight, his eyelashes neatly framing a strikingly beautiful face. It had reminded her of an angel from an old painting she had once seen—an angel, both exquisite and unreachable.

But when he had been sweating in his sleep, tormented by nightmares, he had seemed so fragile, so human.

Perhaps that was why she hadn’t been able to simply stand by and watch him suffer. She had placed her hand on his forehead and let her holy power flow into him. Almost immediately, he had opened his eyes.

Those eyes—deep, dark crimson—came back to her vividly now. And the way he smiled, his gaze sharp and filled with cruelty as he looked down at her, still trembling with pain. That image resurfaced in her mind, causing her fingers to tighten around the hem of her skirt.

It was then that a knock came at the door.

“Miss, I’ve left your breakfast,” Sophie called from outside.

“…Thank you,” Linia replied, rising to her feet.

When she stepped out of the room, she found a tray of food placed neatly by the door. Sophie had even prepared a portion for Ruin, likely assuming he would eat with her.

Placing the tray on the table, Linia decided to check on Ruin. She walked to his room and knocked gently.

“Ruin?”

There was no answer, even after several moments. Feeling uneasy, Linia opened the door. The bed was empty, the blanket thrown back. She quickly looked around the room, hoping he might be hiding somewhere, but Ruin was nowhere to be found.

It didn’t make sense for him to be downstairs. If he had gone there, Sophie wouldn’t have brought his breakfast upstairs.

A troubling thought entered her mind: What if he had taken Ruin?

The man’s words from the previous night came rushing back. He had mentioned Ruin directly, hadn’t he?

A sharp, suffocating anxiety seized her. Linia’s eyes darted back to the empty bed before she spun around, desperate to seek help. Only one person came to mind.

But just as she stepped toward the door, a low voice echoed in her memory, as though warning her:

“…Don’t even think about asking for help.”

The sticky, oppressive sound echoed faintly in her memory, bringing his voice vividly back to life. The warning he had given her the previous night replayed clearly in her mind: “Don’t even think about asking for help.”

Linia froze in her tracks, her breath hitching as a shiver ran down her spine. A terrifying thought crept in—what if he was watching her right now?

Her hands trembled as they clutched the fabric of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Forcing herself to move, Linia hesitated before quietly closing Ruin’s door behind her. Instead of going downstairs to seek help, she turned and made her way back to her own room.

Once inside, she shut the door firmly, her movements hurried and shaky. As soon as the door clicked shut, Linia slid to the floor, her back pressed against the wood. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying to steady her trembling body.

For a long while, she remained there, curled up on the floor, breathing unevenly as she struggled to regain her composure. Fear clawed at her mind, but she fought to calm the storm within her.

*

Russell arrived at the mansion right on time and made his way to Linia’s door. Through the closed door, she apologized, explaining in a faint voice that she wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be able to go on the outing.

Instead of sounding disappointed or upset, he responded with genuine concern, his warm voice asking about her condition. His lack of blame or frustration only deepened Linia’s guilt, leaving her unable to lift her head.

Later, Linia stood by the window, watching the carriage carry Russell away. Even after he was gone, she was plagued by the thought that she should have discreetly asked for his help.

If her decision not to act led to Ruin being harmed, she knew she could never forgive herself. The day passed in restless worry, with Linia lying on her bed, unable to focus on anything but her fears.

As darkness began to descend outside, Linia lit a candle. Fixing her gaze on the door, she waited for night to deepen. The anticipation stretched unbearably, making every minute feel like an eternity.

How long she had been staring at the firmly closed door, she couldn’t tell. Finally, faint footsteps echoed from outside. Moments later, the door opened, and a tall figure stepped inside. Unlike the previous night, he wore a deep navy coat, its dark fabric complementing his striking presence.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in her body, Linia moved quickly toward him. Afraid he might leave again, she grabbed the hem of his coat.

“…I haven’t told anyone. I haven’t left the mansion, either,” she said, her voice trembling. During the endless wait, her mind had been consumed with countless horrifying scenarios. Now, her suppressed emotions spilled out as she clung to him.

“So please… please bring Ruin back.”

“…….”

“I’m begging you…”

Edwin gazed down at her, watching as she clung desperately to his coat, her delicate fingers crumpling the fabric. Though the coat had been one of his finer choices, now slightly wrinkled, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction.

He wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her slender body close. He felt her flinch, her trembling palpable against him. His lips curved into a deeper smile as he held her tighter.

It pleased him immensely. Not only had she waited for him all night, but now she was the one approaching him, clinging to him in desperation.

“Why don’t you keep behaving this sweetly? If you do, I’ll return the child to you tomorrow,” he murmured, his voice soft as he placed a kiss atop her golden hair.

At his words, Linia’s struggling hands froze. Sensing her submission, Edwin loosened his grip around her waist slightly, creating a small gap between their bodies.

He tilted her chin upward with his fingers, forcing her to meet his gaze. Her head lifted reluctantly, and their eyes locked for a moment before she quickly lowered her gaze, shutting her eyes tightly.

“Open your eyes.”

At his order, Linia slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself staring directly into his crimson irises. Her neck stiffened as his breath grazed her lips, their proximity unbearably close.

Edwin smiled faintly, a quiet laugh escaping him as he held her gaze. The space between them was so slight it seemed as though he might close the distance at any moment.

Edwin supported her chin with his other fingers while moving his thumb gently. When he lightly pressed her lower lip, he could feel her obediently relaxing her lips. Wasting no time, he pressed his lips against hers and slid his tongue inside.

The hot intruding tongue softly rubbed against hers. When he felt her trying to pull away in surprise, Edwin firmly gripped her buttocks as if to tell her to stay still. Then, he eagerly began exploring her mouth.

His tongue delved deeper, pressing down on hers as it clumsily tried to retreat. The two tongues tangled together, creating wet, sticky noises as they moved. The motions of his thick tongue grew increasingly rough.

“Nngh… mmh…”

The hot breath and sensual sensations filling her mouth caused Linia to let out an involuntary nasal whimper. All the saliva pooling in her mouth was swallowed by him, blending together so thoroughly that she couldn’t tell whose it was anymore.

While Linia gasped for air through the narrow gap of their mouths, Edwin leisurely continued the kiss, his hands softly stroking her slender waist and hips.

Only after a long while did Edwin release her tongue. As his tongue withdrew, a sticky thread of saliva stretched between their lips, glistening in the air. Before it could break, Edwin pressed a soft kiss to her lips again.

With a faint smack, he pulled away, lowering his head slightly. His gaze tilted downward, lazily sweeping over the pale expanse of her neck.

“You’ve wiped away all the marks I left.”

A low voice, tinged with displeasure, echoed in her ears. As Linia opened her mouth to offer an excuse, he cut her off.

“I’ll leave marks in places you can’t erase next time. Don’t bother wiping them off.”

“Understood. But more importantly… what about Ruin…?”

“The boy is fine, so stop worrying.”

Edwin smirked as he sat on the edge of the bed. Gesturing with his eyes toward the space between his spread legs, he called her over.

“What are you waiting for? Sit between my legs.”

Though she winced in pain from the soreness below, she obediently knelt in front of him. From above, her chest looked even fuller, and her submissive posture, with her eyes slightly downcast as she awaited his touch, pleased him greatly.

Edwin brought his fingers to her still-moist lips, slipping one between them. Without being told, she began to slowly suck on his long index finger. Watching her, he thought to himself that it had been a good decision not to follow through on his earlier consideration—cutting off someone else’s fingers and pretending they were Ruin’s to torment her.

‘If I had, I wouldn’t be able to see her behaving this sweetly.’

Though playing with her unconscious body might have been amusing, he much preferred seeing her flushed and embarrassed like this. Besides, with her acting so obediently, his desire to torment her had completely faded. All he wanted now was to bury himself deep inside her and adore her.

“You’re doing so well today, Linia. Are you eager to suck on something bigger?”

Edwin chuckled as he withdrew the finger that had been stirring inside her mouth. Her ears, peeking out from beneath her hair, turned a delicate pink from shame.

“I’ll let you take it with your lower mouth. You like that too, don’t you?”

Linia’s face flushed deeply at his words. For a moment, she sat still, staring down at the floor. But her hesitation didn’t last long. Not wanting to upset him, she cautiously stood up and began undressing.

Keeping her head lowered, she finally slid off her underwear. At that moment, two arms stretched forward, wrapping around her slender waist and pulling her in. Linia, caught off guard by the strength of his arms, was swiftly laid down on the bed.

“Should I loosen you up?”

The man, now positioned above her, asked. Linia nodded, spreading her legs wider to accept his touch. Two fingers slowly parted her entrance as they slid inside.

“Ah… ah…!”

Linia gasped, clutching the sheets tightly, already feeling the pain. Each time his fingers pushed inside, a sharp ache radiated through her lower body.

“Shh… Quiet.”

Despite the tenderness of his gesture, his hand showed no mercy as his fingers spread her swollen entrance and thrust in quickly. Linia hurriedly covered her mouth to stifle the scream threatening to escape. Her legs, with toes pointed, trembled uncontrollably as shrill cries climbed up her throat, one after another.

At that moment, the man suddenly withdrew his fingers. As Linia braced herself for what would come next, expecting his length to enter her, she felt his hands move to support her neck and the backs of her knees.

When her body was suddenly lifted into the air, Linia instinctively grabbed onto his clothing with both hands. A low chuckle echoed from above her.

The man stepped out of the room. Even in the darkness, he moved effortlessly, descending the stairs and heading outside. Panicked, Linia lifted her head.

“W-where are you taking me?”

Feeling uneasy, Linia hunched her shoulders. The thought that someone might see her naked made her tense up even more, her body growing stiff with anxiety. She repeatedly asked him to put her down, but no response came from him.

He began walking through the forest behind the mansion, his steps relaxed as though he were taking a casual stroll. Only after they reached the depths of the forest, far removed from the mansion, did he set her down.

As her bare feet touched the ground, she felt the damp soil against her soles. The nighttime forest was filled with an eerie chill, the air thick with an unsettling atmosphere. The cold made the fine hairs on her body stand on end, and she shivered as goosebumps ran up her legs. It felt as though her entire body had become hypersensitive.

At that moment, she felt the heat of his body press against her back.

“Let’s do it now,” he said.