Chapter 26: Bond Mark

After a brief visit to Sylvain’s study, Ephraim left after dinner with Sir Owen, his personal retainer. Lydia accompanied them to the entrance to see him off.

"I’ll let you know once I get the surveillance footage. You should have the results by the end of the week," he promised.

"Got it. Have a safe trip back, Ephraim."

Ephraim smiled at her before getting into the flying car. A moment later, the vehicle rose into the air and shot toward the Palace.

After Ephraim left, Lydia decided to return to her room. However, she couldn’t help noticing the uneasy looks from the maids and servants.

Even the head butler seemed quite wary of her.

Now that Ephraim had left, their hostility was becoming clearer.

Whenever Lydia passed them, most would glance at her nervously. Some trembled and looked away when she noticed.

Lydia found their behavior strange, but she didn’t want to give it too much thought for now. She had no intention of wasting her time worrying about every little thing the people in this mansion did.

For now, Lydia returned to her room and tried reviewing her lessons. To her surprise, she still remembered much of what she’d learned in her previous life.

"I should thank my past self for studying so hard. Look at me now! All brains, no effort. What a great deal!"

After changing into her nightdress, Lydia sat before her vanity and began combing her hair, following her usual routine before going to bed.

She was halfway through brushing out the tangles when her eyes caught something unusual on her neck in the mirror.

For a moment, she wondered if she had somehow injured herself without noticing, but the mark was too distinct to be mistaken for an ordinary bruise.

"What’s this? It wasn’t there before I took a bath. A golden lion’s paw surrounded by burning flames around it? Wait. Don’t tell me—"

Lydia paused, bringing her fingers to touch the sore spot.

"Golden lion! This has to be Ephraim’s doing! That damn pervert! Did he seriously Bond Mark me on purpose?!"

The Golden Lion was the symbol of the Adelstein Empire and the Imperial Family. With the flames surrounding it, the mark could only belong to one person:

Crown Prince Ephraim.

What on earth was going through that Crown Prince’s head? Even in her previous life, Ephraim had never done anything like this!

That man was unbelievable!

Since Guides were much rarer than Sentinels, higher-ranking Sentinels sometimes did this to protect their Guides from unwanted attention. Especially the possessive ones!

"Why was he doing that?" Lydia muttered to herself, still staring at the mark. "Perhaps it was just the heat of the moment."

A Guide could mark multiple Sentinels, but once two people exchanged marks, they would be bound to each other for life. Neither could mark anyone else.

Of course, a Bond Mark carried another message. It practically screamed, You’re mine!

In a way, it was like a wedding ring, telling everyone that the wearer already belonged to someone.

Lydia’s eyes widened.

"Wait a minute. It was midterm break and that meant we wouldn’t see each other for quite some time. That pervert must have marked me on purpose so no other Sentinel would dare to approach me!"

Worse, if she exchanged marks with Ephraim, she wouldn’t be able to mark another Sentinel either!

EPHRAIM RION ADELSTEIN! YOU SNEAKY, POSSESSIVE BASTARD!

Lydia let out a small sigh and returned her attention to the mirror. There was no point getting worked up over something that wouldn’t last.

The Bond Mark would disappear on its own because she hadn’t agreed to the bond.

The process worked both ways. Since she hadn’t marked Ephraim in return, his mark on her neck would naturally fade within a few weeks.

"At least this won’t be permanent."

Just as Lydia was about to resume combing her hair, someone knocked twice sharply.

Before she could put down her brush, the door opened abruptly.

"Lady."

The white-haired, elderly butler stood at the doorway. He didn’t step any farther into the room, but that hardly made his behavior acceptable.

Lydia turned toward him. Her long hair covered the Bond Mark on her neck, so he couldn’t see it, but his rude attitude still irritated her.

"His Grace has commanded your presence."

At this hour? Father must be really upset with me. He has plenty of reasons to be, after all.

Still, that didn’t give the butler the right to open a noble lady’s bedroom door without permission. And doing so at this late hour was even more disrespectful.

Lydia had no intention of letting such behavior slide forever. However, after recalling the uneasy looks she’d received from the maids and servants, she decided not to make a scene just yet.

There was no need to create another problem before she understood what was happening in this house.

But I’ll think about how to deal with that butler later.

Setting her hairbrush aside, Lydia rose from her chair and followed him out of the room.

She rarely returned to the Valendorf mansion during holidays in her previous life. Even when she had the chance to stay, she never wanted to spend much time here. So, she had never paid much attention to the mansion.

Since Lydia was here now, she decided to take the opportunity to observe her surroundings.

The mansion resembled a European palace with a futuristic touch. White marble floors gleamed beneath tall pillars, while silver metal accents and blue light strips gave the grand halls a sleek, modern look.

Even without the elaborate decorations, the mansion was a clear display of House Valendorf’s wealth and power.

Lydia’s room was on the second floor. As the butler led her through the corridors, she noticed how busy the mansion remained despite the late hour.

Maids and other servants passed them on their way to various duties, but their sideways glances were anything but friendly.

Some looked at her before quickly turning away. Others didn’t seem particularly concerned about hiding their displeasure.

Lydia ignored them.

Such looks didn’t bother her in the least. She had been glared at far too many times before, and a few unfriendly faces weren’t going to ruin her evening.

Besides, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

The butler led her down to the first floor and stopped before a grand white marble door framed by silver trim and thin blue light strips. Lydia recognized it as her father’s office.

The elderly man raised his hand and knocked three times.

"Your Grace. I have escorted the Lady here," he announced to the closed door.

A brief silence followed.

"Come in."

Her father’s voice came from inside.

The butler opened the door, revealing a spacious office lined with white marble and silver panels. Tall bookshelves covered the walls, their dark book covers standing out against the pale stone

Lydia drew a quiet breath before stepping inside.

For some reason, she couldn’t help feeling nervous.