The Mind-Reading Mate: Why Is the Lycan King So Obsessed With Me?!-Chapter 485: Fragments of a Forgotten Life (II)

Primrose wanted to observe the room more carefully, but the locked door behind her was suddenly forced open, and she heard the sound of clashing metal grow louder than before.

At the doorway stood a man dressed entirely in black. He was holding a sword stained with blood, and half of his face was covered with a black cloth, so Primrose could only see his eyes.

"Did you find anything valuable in that room?!" someone shouted from far away. "If there’s a person inside, just kill them!"

The man in black didn’t answer his companion right away. His eyes were fixed on Primrose as he examined her from head to toe.

At first, Primrose thought he was staring at her because he was a perverted man. But after a while, she realized that his gaze was filled with worry, probably because her appearance looked so pitiful.

"No! This room is empty!" the man finally shouted. "Go upstairs first! I hurt my hand by accident. I’ll follow you later!"

His voice was firm, convincing, even. Because of that, the footsteps outside slowly faded away.

Primrose froze in place. No, it wasn’t because the man had lied. It was because his voice sounded so familiar. Even though it sounded much younger, she would never mistake that voice.

It was Lazarus’s voice.

At first, she didn’t dare believe it. But when he closed the door with its broken hinges and lowered the cloth covering his face, Primrose was finally able to see his face clearly.

He was indeed the younger version of Lazarus. His hair was still completely black, without any gray strand, and there wasn’t a single wrinkle on his face. Even though he looked similar to her father, his overall demeanor was very different.

He didn’t act like a high-ranking noble with neat clothes and carefully styled hair. Instead, he acted casually, and his shoulder-length hair was loosely tied back.

Was he really her father?

"He carries your father’s soul, Your Majesty," Leofric whispered beside her, and it seemed that Lazarus couldn’t see him. "In other words, they are the same person, but living different lives."

Not long after that, the young Lazarus spoke again. "What are you doing here? This place isn’t supposed to be a child’s playground."

He knelt in front of Primrose and muttered to himself, "They said this was only where that stupid cardinal stored his expensive wines and his precious belongings. So why is there suddenly a child here?"

Primrose didn’t want to speak, but her mouth moved on its own. "T-This is my house..." she said softly, almost in a whisper. "M-My father told me that I... that I have to stay here."

Lazarus frowned deeply. "Your father?"

He looked around the small, dirty cell. His eyes moved toward the hard bed, the broken toilet, and the damp walls.

After that, his eyes returned to her. "What kind of father," he said, his anger barely suppressed. "Gives his child a room like this?"

Primrose had the same thought, but unfortunately she was unable to voice her concern.

"Zarius! Where are you?!" The young Lazarus in front of her jumped a little when he heard the voice of one of his companions. "I just got a few women here! Help me, bring them out!"

Lazarus clicked his tongue, then turned back to Primrose. "I’m not one of them. I’m only here because they needed more people to break in, and since I also needed some money, I went with them."

He paused for a moment because to be honest, there was no real reason for him to explain all this to a small, weak girl.

But somehow... he didn’t want her to misunderstand him, he didn’t want her to look at him with fear, and he didn’t want her to think he was as cruel as the men outside.

"And since I’ve already collected a lot of things..." Lazarus opened his bag, showing several expensive bottles of wine and many gold coins inside. "...I don’t have to follow them anymore. Do you want to go with me?"

Primrose blinked several times, and once again, her lips moved on their own. "M-My father told me that I’m not allowed to leave this place."

Lazarus—also known as Zarius—let out a heavy sigh. "Your father doesn’t even care about you," he said. "When was the last time you saw him?"

Primrose lowered her head and clutched her dress tightly. "I’m not sure, but I think Father will come if I’m a good girl."

"Oh, sweetheart, your father should still take care of you even if you’re naughty," Lazarus said gently. "Your father is the naughty one, and a bad father deserves to be abandoned."

"ZARIUS! Where—"

Before the man outside could step into the room, Lazarus suddenly moved. In one swift motion, he lifted Primrose with one arm and pulled her close to his chest.

"Hold on," he whispered.

Crash!

He kicked the old, sealed window with all his strength. The rusted iron bars bent with a loud screech and cracked glass exploded outward.

Without hesitation, Lazarus jumped outside.

Primrose widened her eyes and felt like her heart wanted to explode because her room was on the third floor of what appeared to be a warehouse.

But to her surprise, Lazarus was able to land perfectly and didn’t hurt her at all.

The moment Primrose lifted her face, she saw him smiling warmly at her. "It’s alright, you’re safe," he said in such a gentle voice.

"HEY, ZARIUS, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!"

"THAT BASTARD HAS STOLEN THE WINE!"

Lazarus turned back toward the warehouse and stuck out his tongue. "I only took a few bottles! Don’t be so stingy!"

After saying that, Lazarus rushed toward his horse and rode away quickly into the darkness of the night.

Primrose looked up and saw the full moon shining brightly in the sky. At that moment, she felt her heart fill with excitement and awe.

"Do you want to buy some pretty dresses?" Lazarus suddenly asked when they could no longer see the warehouse.