Kaelith is Back?

I waited for a while, but nothing happened. The ritual symbols on the floor didn’t light up like they did when Red performed the ritual in the building that night.

What’s gone wrong? Which method should I try so I can perform the ritual just like I did then?

Should I cut my hand and use blood to activate the ritual symbols?

I’m wasting my time; Kaelith will never come back.

I tried to erase the ritual symbols I’d drawn, but it turned out they’d become permanent. This is mad; even when I tried to wash them away with water, they wouldn’t fade.

“Damn it, what if Mum or Alaric find out about this? What can I use to cover it up?”

I searched the room for some old cloth, hoping to use it to cover up the ritual circle.

I locked the archive room door again with the ancient book I’d brought in secretly; I had to take it to Vaeltharion Corp tomorrow. Perhaps there might be a clue from that fake Kael.

After putting the ancient book away in my room, I returned the archive room key to Alaric.

“You were in there for over an hour. What were you looking for?” Alaric asked me.

I showed him a file I’d picked up at random before locking the door. Luckily, it was a file containing a list of clients working with Haugen Corp.

“I need this for research; tomorrow I’m going to London with Mr Morveth,” I replied.

Alaric simply nodded, then went back into his room.

•••••

The next morning I met that different Kael Morveth; he had a private jet that took us to London. I was puzzled—he was already wealthy himself, so why did he still need support from Haugen Corp?

We left at eight in the morning, accompanied by our respective assistants.

This time I was carrying quite a large bag, as I had an ancient book with me. For the sake of Kaelith’s return, I would do whatever I could.

That man was bound to me; he said I was his chosen girl, yet he even disappeared whilst saving me.

Just as we were growing close and beginning to trust one another, why is fate so cruel?

“Miss Vaelora, have you been daydreaming all this time?”

Kael’s voice startled me slightly; it turned out I’d been lost in thought, thinking of Kaelith.

“Ah. N-no, I was just thinking about a few things,” I replied.

Kael’s gaze was clearly different; even his face looked different. My Kaelith was more handsome and taller than him; I always remember his scent... it’s clearly different from this man’s.

Saga was sitting behind me; his gaze had been wary from the start, but now I could see he was more relaxed.

I had many suspicions about Saga and Alaric; they certainly didn’t seem to remember the Kaelith from before, but their behaviour suggested they were hiding something.

"Hmm, I’d like to ask you something, Miss Vaelora," said the fake Kael to me.

I turned my head and gave a slight nod to invite him to speak.

"I heard from my secretary that Mr Alaric has asked about me several times; he thought I was with you. Has something happened?"

I swallowed hard; it seemed this man was suspicious of me. Or did I look like a girl seeking his attention?

No, Alaric, why is he causing this fuss? He shouldn’t have asked about this man’s whereabouts!

It’s all a misunderstanding; I’ve come across as a girl chasing after him.

“No, it seems Alaric has misunderstood. Sorry for disturbing you both.”

The man raised an eyebrow; his gaze wasn’t piercing, but there was clearly a hint of curiosity there.

Once again, he made me feel uncomfortable.

“The last time we met, it didn’t look like you had that scar on your wrist,” he said, pointing at my wrist.

Did I ever meet him? No. I met the real Kaelith, not this fake version of him!

This is a scar from the binding during that night’s ritual. I have them on both my wrists and my ankles.

I quickly covered them up; he made me a bit nervous, so I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

“There was a bit of an incident a month ago; this scar will fade.”

After a flight of just over two hours from Oslo to London, we finally arrived. We continued our journey by car, heading for the Vaeltharion Corp building on the outskirts of the city.

To be honest, as soon as I stepped onto the company grounds, I felt as though I’d entered another world. The interior of the building felt like a royal castle that had been left untouched for quite some time, yet remained clean and well-maintained.

The grounds were absolutely beautiful... was this really an office?

“This building was indeed a former royal family castle... more precisely, it belonged to my ancestors and has stood for over four hundred years.”

A significant figure, reminding me of Kaelith’s lifespan.

As soon as the car stopped, we got out one by one. Saga carried my bag, as it turned out to be quite heavy with some of my belongings inside.

I could feel the wind blowing quite strongly here, ruffling my long hair down to my neck. My attention was immediately drawn to a small building separate from this office.

It was as if a voice were guiding me to look in that direction.

This fake Kael touched my shoulder, making me gasp.

“That’s the building where my family’s heirlooms are stored. If you’d like to have a look, we can do so once we’re finished in the office building.”

I nodded stiffly; this man’s touch sent a slight shiver through me. It was as though he were forbidding me to look that way, even though he’d offered to show me later.

We walked into the building; our footsteps echoed even as we walked side by side, for this was a vast castle.

The interior retained its original feel, altered only slightly.

As soon as I entered the central area, my eyes were drawn to a large painting. A red-haired man in traditional royal attire, his hazel eyes all too familiar to me.

It can’t be… This is Kaelith Vaeltharion Morveth. The man destined to be with me, according to my family’s ancient book.

My eyes welled up, as if I were seeing Kaelith in the flesh right now.

“Kaelith Vaeltharion Morveth…” I found myself saying his name without realising it.

Saying the name of the man who had been occupying my thoughts for the past few days.

“Well, Miss Vaelora, how did you know my ancestor’s full name?”