With trembling hands she unlocked the door and quickly warned him:
- Investors should get all the information on the day the exam results are announced, so they will probably come looking for it this afternoon. That's all I can do. It's your job to get Tilia Ambrose out safe and sound.
Anticipating her decision and having prepared in advance, Ilex took off running as soon as the door opened.
The first person he tracked down was Kevin, who was being held in custody elsewhere.
“Young Master, we can’t stand by and let this happen!” We must formally protest!
- Buy a train ticket.
Ilex grabbed Kevin, who was furiously screaming about the injustice of what was happening, and gave a firm order.
- Buy a train ticket to Ontario as soon as possible. Then send telegrams to the estates I have prepared. Let them know that the owner will be arriving soon, so they need to be ready.
After giving a few more instructions, he left his servant, still seething with anger, and rushed to the academy.
Bursting into the administration office like a storm, he urgently began looking for the teaching assistant - a woman with curly hair and thick glasses.
Soon he noticed her in a secluded corner. Without hesitation, Ilex approached and demanded Tilia's diploma and academic transcript. The assistant frowned slightly as she looked at him.
- These documents can only be issued to the owner...
- This is for Tilia Ambrose.
Knowing that the assistant, like Tilia, came from a fallen noble family and secretly had sympathy for her, Ilex sincerely begged.
“I need this to help Tilia escape from Baron Ambrose’s house.”
-……
- Time is running out. Please.
The assistant hesitated, watching him as if trying to gauge his sincerity, before muttering:
“Well, to hell with it,” and rush towards the office.
While she was preparing the documents, Ilex stared out the window with an alarmed expression on his face. Then, seeing his reflection in the glass next to him, he froze.
-……
He looked terrible. The skin was rough, and the clothes were wrinkled and unkempt.
Motionlessly looking at his reflection, he frowned and hastily straightened his hair.
After all this time, he will finally see Tilia Ambrose again. The thought of meeting her in such a shameful state was unbearably annoying.
- Here!
As soon as he finished getting himself in order, an assistant came running with documents.
Snatching them from her hands, Ilex took off at full speed, not caring that his hair was disheveled again. He had only one goal - to find Tilia, wherever she was.
"Where is she?"
Finding her on the vast campus was not an easy task.
She wasn't in the library, or the dorm, or the lecture hall, anywhere she usually went.
He even checked the central library as a last resort, but it was nowhere to be found. Wiping sweat from his wet forehead, Ilex released a white cloud of breath.
It was already past noon.
He must find her. He must save her at any cost.
Gritting his teeth, he glanced anxiously at the clock tower before rushing down the stairs, skipping two steps at a time. His heart was beating so hard that it felt like it would burst out of his chest, but he was too desperate to notice.
-... Tilia.
Finally he found her standing in front of the notice board of the main building - in the very place where three years ago he first noticed her.
Just like that day, snow was falling from the sky. And just like that day, the girl in the distance had red eyes from unshed tears.
- Tilia.
But unlike their first meeting, he felt no sentimental admiration. Seeing her barely holding back her tears, his heart sank.
Noticing the flock of vultures surrounding her, Ilex immediately stood in front of her without hesitation.
- Ilex.
Her eyes widened in surprise and he found her expression unbearably cute. There was so much he wanted to tell her. So much to tell.
But now only one thing mattered.
- Let's run.
His abrupt order left her momentarily confused. But even in confusion, she grabbed his outstretched hand and ran with him.
He was afraid. He was afraid that her tender, sweaty hand would slip out of his grasp. He was afraid that she would trip and fall from the incredible speed of their running.
Suppressing the overwhelming urge to pick her up and carry her, Ilex grabbed her small hand and ran like crazy across the snowy grounds of the academy.
- This is a map. It shows the address of the house where you will live in Ontario. The rent for the year has already been paid in full. Just tell them your name when you arrive and they will take care of everything.
Inside the moving carriage, where she was jumping up and down like a child, Ilex held Tilia and quickly explained.
- Here's the money. It's first class, so there will be guards, but there may still be pickpockets. Keep them in your purse.
Tilia still looked completely stunned. Seeing her small face filled with nothing but confusion made his heart clench.
He didn't want to send her off like that. He wanted to dress her in the best clothes, put the best shoes on her feet, kiss her rosy cheeks in anticipation of the future, and go to Ontario together.
Barely suppressing the lump in his throat, he tightly squeezed Tilia's hand, which began to tremble slightly. Then he jumped out of the carriage again into the chaos of the world around him.
Tilia, unable to keep up with his speed, stumbled several times. Unable to watch her struggle, Ilex picked her up and ran. Tilia offered no resistance - she simply held his hand tightly.
How pathetic would he be if he admitted that at that moment he felt a fleeting elation because he was responsible for this girl?
By the time they reached the platform, panting, the train had already arrived.
The fact that he hadn't left yet filled him with relief. His face, wet with exhaustion, softened as he lifted her into his arms.
Tilia's little feet landed safely on the steps of the train. Just like in the fairy tale he had always dreamed of.
Soon she will leave him behind and find happiness.
Muttering these words under his breath, Ilex laughed softly and reached out his hand to straighten her disheveled hair.
Only then did he feel that he had returned to the original purpose of love.
Tilia Ambrose will be happy. She will no longer cry while eating chocolate. And it doesn’t matter whether he’s next to her or not.
- Why?
But just at the moment when he finally managed to put aside his tormenting greed, Tilia grabbed him by the collar and pulled him towards her.
- Why are you so kind to me?
Her green eyes trembled like a small sailboat caught in a violent storm. The hand that was squeezing him was shaking, like a person who is going through a chill.
- Why are you doing all this for me? Answer me. Why?
Only when he met her gaze did he realize that he was not the only one who was waiting for recognition. He wasn't the only one who noticed the inner turmoil and hoped the truth would come out.
- Tell me why on earth...
The moment it dawned on him, his body began to move before his mind even realized it.
In an instant, his lips met hers.
The world has gone quiet. Even his own heartbeat could not be heard.
All he could feel was the searing heat where their lips touched and the taste of her tears.
- Sir, the train is leaving!
But separation was inevitable.
Gathering all his strength, Ilex pulled away from her and quietly whispered:
- Wait for me. Understand? You'll have to...
Before he could finish his sentence, the doors closed.
As the train carried Tilia further and further, Ilex stood in a daze, muttering to himself.
-You'll have to wait, Tilia.
"Because I love you."
The train released puffs of white steam and disappeared into the distance.
Suppressing the urge to chase her, Ilex whispered under his breath:
- Because I love you. Here's why. That's why I did all these crazy stupid things.
“Until the day I come to confess, you must wait for me.”
Ilex froze like a pillar and watched until the train was completely out of sight.
- Here it is!
Suddenly his arms were twisted back. In an instant he was on his knees.
- Pathetic fool.
Stunned, he looked up and saw his father, Duke Edmund Davenport, standing in front of him.
“So you really manipulated Cecelia Clayton into releasing you?” Ha. I must admit, your cunning is commendable.
He expected to meet Gilbert. But when he saw his father's icy blue eyes, Ilex realized something.
Ultimately, his father was behind all these plans.
“No matter what you do, you will never defeat Gilbert.” Accept your destiny and live like a family member.
His father's inferiority complex turned out to be deeper than he expected. The way he looked at his son, as if seeing someone's ghost above him, Ilex raised the corners of his lips and muttered under his breath:
-You'll have to wait, Tilia.
He said goodbye to the powerless version of himself. He also canceled a stupid promise he made as a child.
“Until the day I come for you. Until the day when I confess my love to you.”
He will take back what belongs to him. He will demand everything he ever wanted.
"...You shouldn't date other men."
He will get his butterfly back even if he has to step on all the spiders and kill them.