The Married Alpha Who Refuses to Be a Heartthrob (A/B/O · Alpha POV) - Chapter 34

By morning, over twenty residents had died. All of them killed in their sleep by the Skinless Ghost. Their families found them horribly murdered in bed, leaving them utterly terrified. Thirty others were injured.

Panic swept through the city. Many fled, while others refused to believe it could happen to them.

Erlan rose and dressed, sitting before his dressing table while a maid tended to his long, curly hair. “I hear Lord Keith encountered a skin-stripping ghost in his dreams and was disfigured,” she remarked.

“Oh?” Erlan raised an eyebrow with interest. He gathered the strands of hair falling across his chest, gazed at his striking features in the mirror, and wore an expression that was almost a smile. “Then I should pay him a visit.”

The maid trembled. “It won’t be my turn, will it? I hope it doesn’t happen to me.”

Erlan snorted dismissively. With so many people in the city and the paper ads being random, he doubted it would come to him.

After a leisurely afternoon tea, Erlan boarded his luxurious carriage to visit his unlucky cousin.

The streets were noticeably less crowded today. Everyone had been frightened and was staying indoors.

Halfway through the journey, beyond the clatter of wheels, Erlan caught a faint, strange sound. Listening closely, he recognized singing.

Erlan’s expression darkened instantly. How could he be so unlucky? He’s heard that only those who received the flyers saw the Human-Skin Ghost in their dreams.

“Halt!” Erlan fixed his gaze on the patterns ahead, daring not to look around, feeling like he was burying his head in the sand.

The coachman stopped and asked, “What are your orders, Inspector?”

“I must disembark.” Erlan could still hear the singing; he couldn’t stay any longer.

The driver approached to open the carriage door. Erlan leaned out to exit, but as he shifted his foot, he felt like he’d stepped on something.

Looking down, he saw Fia’s flyer. Her head was trapped beneath his foot. Only the lower half of her body was moving.

“This… this is a skin-eating ghost! It won’t kill me tonight, will it?!” The driver was terrified. He covered his eyes, then switched to covering his ears, momentarily unsure which to protect.

“Damn it.” Erlan’s face darkened. His heartbeat quickened, knowing escape was impossible. Furiously, he picked up the paper and tore it to shreds.

Feiya’s image was torn into several pieces, and the singing stopped.

“Does… tearing it help?” the coachman stammered, finally lowering his hands after the singing ceased.

The sound of another carriage passing by reached them, stopping not far away.

Erlan looked up and saw Keith inside the carriage.

Keith observed him through the window, his gaze settling on the fragments in Erlan’s hand. “Inspector, tearing it won’t help. Tonight, you’ll fall asleep regardless, and then you’ll meet the skin-eating ghost.”

“…” Erlan clenched his lips in anger, saying nothing.

Noticing the carriage’s direction toward the annex, Keith remarked, “Heading there too? I’m going to see Keith. Want to come along?”

“Fine, let’s go.” Erlan felt trapped. He’d never lost a standoff before. He ordered the driver to continue toward the annex.

…

Spotting the two familiar carriages from upstairs, Keith descended to greet them. He had someone fetch a half-mask to conceal the remaining scars on his face.

“Cousin, what brings you here?” Keith approached Erlan’s carriage first, opening the door.

Kaes’s carriage pulled up beside Keith’s. Watching Keith’s retreating figure, he feigned complaint: “Always thinking about your cousin.”

“What are you jealous of?” Keith turned and smiled at Kaes.

Erlan stepped down from the carriage, adopting a concerned expression as he placed his hands on Keith’s shoulders and studied him closely. “I heard you were injured—your face, no less. Let me see. Is it better now?”

“I’m better. It should heal completely in time. I just didn’t want to scare people, so I put on this mask.” Keith touched the delicate half-mask.

Erlan stared at the mask’s intricate patterns, inwardly lamenting the waste. “As long as it heals, I’m relieved,” he said aloud.

They invited Erlan inside for tea and pastries, discussing how to spend the evening.

Tonight was bound to be a long night. It was the date chosen by the advertising paper, there was no escaping it.

The two accompanied Erlan as they sat in the hall, the air thick with the rose scent emanating from him. Keith instructed a maid to fetch rose tea.

Sitting beside Keith, Keith teased, “Someone might think you’re heading to a masquerade ball.”

“Want to dance with me?” Keith tugged his wrist playfully, as if half-heartedly inviting him to dance.

Kaes smiled without responding. Truthfully, he didn’t know how. Modern people didn’t bother with such things. If Erlan hadn’t been here, he would’ve pestered Keith to teach him.

The maid hurried back with their tea.

Erlan found the pair across from him irritating. He lifted his cup, but the maid whispered a warning: “Sir, the tea is still scalding.”

Erlan rolled his eyes inwardly.

“Let’s talk about the skin-eating ghost,” Keith said seriously.

Erlan couldn’t shake a sense of unease. He feared his own face might be ruined too—after all, he was so beautiful. He couldn’t bear the thought of disfigurement. “How did Keith end up like this?” He thought.

Keith’s heart sank slightly. He remembered Erlan also wielded fire magic. With a cautionary tone, he advised, ” That skin-eater actually reflects damage. Don’t use magic against it. My flames just became its weapon—it’s engulfed in fire that won’t extinguish.“

Kaes gripped the sofa armrest, his anger mounting with every thought.

Erlan leaned back against the sofa, his expression troubled. ”Does that mean I can’t fight back?”

Kaes added, “Maybe you could fight it with a sword… Oh, and we spotted someone in the audience. That must be Adam.”

“Me, with a sword? The Governor must think too highly of me… Which Adam?” Erlan’s expression darkened. What kind of joke was this? He didn’t know how to wield a sword.

“Cousin, you didn’t know? My father isn’t dead. He’s that sorcerer.” Keith explained to Erlan.

Erlan was clearly hearing this news for the first time. He was stunned, taking a long moment to process it.

He knew this mad sorcerer had been sent to the Holy Tower by the Queen. His mother had kept this from him too.

Surely his mother had killed Adam all those years ago… Erlan couldn’t make sense of it.

“Cousin, let’s focus on getting through tonight first.” Keith thought now was the time to figure out how to deal with his father. Adam was acting like a madman who didn’t recognize anyone. He wouldn’t speak properly with them and was pushing everyone to their limits. No one could ask Adam what had happened back then.

How did he come back from the dead?

Erlan pressed his fingertips lightly against his temples. Based on Keith and his own experiences, only those who saw the advertisement paper together entered the same dream.

He and the coachman had seen it together, but the coachman was just an ordinary man. Entering the dream would only mean waiting to die or dragging Erlan down.

“There’s no way… We’ll just have to hold out until the dream ends.” Erlan felt a heavy weight in his chest.

Keith couldn’t think of a solution either. Both were at a loss.

Kaes had an idea. He carefully considered it and decided Erlan won’t be dying anytime soon. He might be able to help Erlan: “If we can find that space in the theater, there might be a way… I can lead people in with the Inspector.”

He then explained the summoning stone’s magic.

He decided to bring the nun’s summoned creature along. Since they were finding a way in, they might as well bring more people to capture Adam.

He planned to take Vansen and Long Shi, along with several subordinates.

Keith wanted to go too, but since he was currently forbidden from using magic, he had no choice but to stay behind. He urged them to be careful.