novelraw Chapter 296: Do you know Marshal Reed?
Chapter 296: Do you know Marshal Reed?
He lifted a hand and, with unhurried elegance, brushed the dusting of flour from his cheek. A faint, ambiguous smile curved his lips—half amusement, half warning. There was an unmistakable weight to his tone, the quiet pressure of someone long accustomed to standing at the pinnacle of power.
"I came back to life."
Jasper: "..."
Paros glanced at Vangar, then turned to Jasper.
"Weren’t you asking who Rory matched with this afternoon?"
He lifted a finger and pointed at Vangar.
"It’s him."
Jasper had already suspected as much when he saw Vangar being pushed out of the kitchen. Still, hearing it confirmed left him momentarily stunned.
Vangar... had become Rory’s match.
Then what about Vincent’s position as her primary partner—could he still hold onto it?
***
Two days later.
Aboard the warship.
Vincent watched as Sylas Ruan laid out stacks of star coins and rare treasures. Once his subordinates finished tallying everything, Vincent reviewed the list and gave a satisfied nod.
"With this, I can report back to the Marshal."
"Where is Bree?"
Fatigue was etched deep into Sylas Ruan’s face.
Ever since Bree had gone missing, he had searched relentlessly without pause. The moment he learned she was aboard Vincent’s warship, he rushed here without stopping.
He hadn’t slept in over ten days.
Vincent turned to his adjutant.
"Go invite Miss Dekhart over. Tell her her partner has come to take her home."
"Yes, sir!"
The adjutant saluted and headed toward the medical bay.
. . .
Inside the treatment chamber.
Upon hearing the news, Yilan looked at Bree with visible displeasure.
"Bree, Sylas Ruan is here to take you away... What about me? I still haven’t formed a bond with Vincent."
Over the past few days, Bree had come to the firm conclusion that Yilan was utterly stupid.
"I can’t help it," she said calmly. "Vincent may appear courteous on the surface, but he’s extremely wary of us."
"We’ve tried three times, and still couldn’t get him to take the medicine. There’s no point staying on the warship any longer."
Bree was meticulous by nature. Ever since she realized Vincent was on guard against them, she had stopped Yilan from delivering anything to him.
For the past few days, the two of them had remained quietly inside the treatment chamber, going nowhere, doing nothing suspicious. Vincent had tested them several times—but found no flaws.
"Then... then what do we do?" Yilan’s anxiety spiked. "I’ve suffered so much—are we just going to let it end like this?"
She refused to accept it.
She had been captured for Vincent, gravely injured in the process. If she didn’t become his partner after all that, how could she swallow such injustice?
"Calm down. I never said we’d give up."
Suppressing the urge to strangle her on the spot, Bree forced her voice into something soothing.
"There’s no opportunity here on the warship. We’ll have to wait until we return... and find another chance."
"But once we’re back... will I even get to see Vincent again?" Yilan’s frustration only deepened.
They had barely crossed paths to begin with. Once they returned, meeting him would be even harder.
This idiot...
Bree cursed inwardly, then continued aloud,
"Have you forgotten about Aren?"
"Aren and Vincent are both Rory’s partners. You can use Aren to get close to Rory. And once you’re close to Rory... doesn’t that mean you’re close to Vincent as well?"
"That’s right—I almost forgot about Rory."
At the mention of her name, jealousy flooded Yilan’s face.
"I really don’t know what kind of absurd luck she has. Matching with my brother wasn’t enough..."
"And now she’s even matched with Vincent."
Bree smiled and reached out, gently stroking Yilan’s cheek.
"Don’t be upset. Once you get close to Rory—and earn her trust—"
"Vincent, Paros... all those powerful figures around her... they could all become yours."
At that, Yilan’s eyes lit up.
She grabbed Bree’s hand, excitement bubbling over.
"Then... would Marshal Reed become mine too?"
"Who?"
The smile on Bree’s face froze instantly, as though she had just heard a name that should never, could never, be spoken.
For a moment, she thought she had misheard.
Then her hand shot out, clamping down hard on Yilan’s wrist. The force was so great her knuckles turned white, her voice rising sharply with a brittle edge.
"Who did you just say? Say it again!"
"Ow—! Bree, you’re hurting me!"
Pain shot through Yilan’s wrist. Her delicate face drained of color, tears welling in her eyes.
As if jolted awake, Bree abruptly released her.
She forced down the storm raging inside her chest, shaping her expression into something passably gentle, though urgency still bled through her voice.
"I got carried away. Don’t be upset, Yilan... tell me—who did you just say?"
Yilan rubbed her reddened wrist, pouting in annoyance.
"Marshal Vangar Reed, of course."
"...Vangar."
So she hadn’t misheard.
The name struck like a poisoned needle, plunging straight into Bree’s heart.
Her breathing turned uneven. She stared at Yilan, each word pressed out with strained intensity.
"Wasn’t Vangar already dead? Why would you suddenly bring him up?"
Yilan opened her communicator and pulled up a message, holding it out.
"My mother sent this half an hour ago. She just got the intel. She said Rory matched with someone new... the Marshal Vangar—who came back from the dead."
Yilan didn’t notice the way Bree’s face had turned grim as she kept talking.
"She also said that five years ago, Vangar went to the Beast God Mountain. Not only did he not die there—he’s returned completely unharmed."
"She told me to let you know... it’d be best if you could find a way to make him my match too."
Truthfully, Yilan didn’t like Vangar much. His reputation was terrible—rumors painted him as volatile, killing without hesitation, no different from a ruthless interstellar bandit.
But her mother had said he possessed status, strength, and power. With him, one would have everything.
To become his partner meant walking the Empire with absolute impunity.
The rest of Yilan’s words barely registered.
A sharp ringing filled Bree’s ears. In her mind, only one name echoed over and over—
Vangar.
Like a curse dragged up from the depths of hell.
Hatred surged through her like a volcanic eruption, flooding her limbs, threatening to burn away every shred of reason she had left.
"He’s... not dead."
Vangar... wasn’t dead.
"Bree... you... what’s wrong?"
Yilan stared at her, frightened by the twisted, almost feral expression on Bree’s face, instinctively taking a step back.
Why did she look so terrifying?
Bree snapped back to her senses, smoothing her expression and offering a faint smile.
"I’m fine, Yilan."
Yilan didn’t quite believe her.
"Bree... do you know Marshal Vangar?"
It was only after his name had been mentioned that Bree’s expression had changed so drastically.
"...I do."
At the mere thought of him, the hatred in Bree’s chest roared uncontrollably, impossible to suppress.
Yilan stared at her in surprise.
"But... aren’t you a human female? How could you possibly know Marshal Reed?"
After all, her mother had said that Bree had only recently appeared in the Central District—a human female with no past ties here.
And Vangar... had entered the Beast God Mountain five years ago.