The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 601: Caught

Chapter 601: Caught

Deep in the night, a figure clad in dark clothes slipped into Ahren’s guest mansion, concealed by the shadows. The intruder’s goal was clear: to reach the master chamber where Luis was staying.

As the figure navigated the long corridor, he was halfway to his destination when he suddenly heard voices.

"Do not worry, my lord. I will find wherever that witch is hiding."

"Do not disappoint me. If that girl is here, it means she has what we need, and the witch will try to approach her."

"What if the girl doesn’t have it?"

"Then it is with Edna. Use whatever means necessary, but you must find her or..."

"I understand, my Lord."

The intruder froze in the darkest corner of the corridor, unable to move without being detected. A slight shift would give him away.

’He was supposed to be sleeping at this moment,’ the figure thought, frowning but remaining still.

Just then, the man with Luis sensed something and glanced around the corridor suspiciously.

"What is it?" Luis asked.

"The presence of a foreign essence, my Lord" the man replied, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s.

The figure tensed, gripping the handle of his sword, ready to fight his way out if necessary.

"You must be mistaken," Luis said.

"My senses are stronger than that of an ordinary human, my Lord," replied the man with Luis.

The man walked ahead with steady steps while the figure in the dark prepared to attack, but...

"Oh, do not worry, I know where to go. After all, this estate belongs to my father." It was Erin’s voice. The figure stopped moving and glanced at the staircase where she was talking to a guard from Luis’ troop.

"I will take you there, my Lady," the man urged.

"Rest assured, I will find my way. Please continued your work."

The guard listened and allowed Erin to go upstairs. She soon spotted Luis and his companion.

"Lady Erin," Luis said, "What brings you here at this hour?"

"Good evening, Lord Mortimer. I heard Grace is having trouble sleeping as this is a new place for her. My mother has sent an effective essence to burn in her chamber. As you are our esteemed guest, she could not bear to send a servant for this."

Luis smiled, "That’s such a caring thought. Please convey my regards to Lady Ahren."

Erin smiled beautifully, "Of course, Lord Mortimer. I will head to Grace’s chamber and personally burn these essences."

"Sure," Luis said, "Let me guide you to her chamber." He then looked at his companion, "I will see you tomorrow."

The man bowed and left, not detecting anything unusual that he had sensed before, thinking it was Erin’s essence that he had sensed.

"This way," Luis said, leading Erin along the corridor.

"It must be the first chamber on the right ahead," Erin commented. "I will find my way, Lord Mortimer. It’s late; you shouldn’t let your sleep be disturbed."

Luis laughed softly. "I presume you must have things to discuss with my daughter. I wouldn’t want to disturb you young ladies."

Erin smiled. "I feel I might have been rude to Grace this morning, and my parents were upset about it. This is my way of showing a sincere apology. After all, our families are close, and we should be good to each other."

"You are a thoughtful young lady," Luis said. "I am sure you will get along well with my children."

"Of course. I will try my best," she replied. "It’s been a while since I met Young Lord Mortimer. I hope to have the opportunity to meet him next time."

Luis smiled even wider. "David and you will get along very well. Maybe soon you would be able to meet him."

"I look forward to it," she said, her expression as warm as his. "Now, you should head to your chamber."

"Of course. Good night," Luis said, entering his chamber. As soon as the door closed, the smile on Erin’s face vanished as if it never existed. ’Acting sweet is so annoying. I’d rather get a knife and shoo away his son and daughter.’

Erin turned right at the corridor ahead. The figure hiding in the shadows waited, listening for any further movement. There was a sound of door closing and opening. When he realized Erin was gone, he emerged from the shadows and moved towards Luis’ chamber, extinguishing the lamps hanging on the walls as he went, plunging the corridor into darkness.

He reached the door and listened for any activity inside. His hand moved to push it open, but...

Even before his hand could reach the door, a strong grip seized his arm, slamming him against the opposite wall, a knife pressed against his neck.

He was taken aback and prepared to fight back, but then he recognized the familiar face before him and paused. They could not afford to make any noise, as it would attract unwanted attention.

His face, covered by a dark cloth with only his eyes visible, stared at her in disbelief.

"Keep quiet, or I will scream and alert everyone about you," she whispered, the knife pressing against his neck, her other hand firmly planted on his chest, pushing him firmly.

His eyes narrowed, and with a swift, skillful movement, he tackled her. In the next moment, she found herself pressed against the wall, the man standing behind her, holding her firmly in place, her hand that was holding knife, twisted behind her slender back, making her groan a little.

"Your throat will be slit open before you can scream," his low, deep voice reached her ear.

She was not intimidated. Instead, she spoke, "You’ll be in trouble soon if you keep this up."

In response, his knife grazed her skin, a silent warning that he was serious.

Just then, they heard voices. Two guards were ascending the stairs, heading toward the corridor.

"Why is the first-floor corridor dark? What happened to all the lamps? It seems suspicious. Go and call a few more guards," one instructed. "I will go check on Lord and Lady."

"If you don’t want to get caught, you should listen to me," Erin whispered.

They heard the approaching footsteps, signaling that the guards would soon reach the first floor.