Chapter 637: Chapter 637- A Shadow Lurking Near Eleanor (4)

"What am I looking at?"

There, right in front of his mansion wall, was a man climbing it.

The reason the scene was so bizarre was because the man was not stealthy or graceful at all. If anything, he looked like a confused lizard trying to scale a polished wall.

He slipped, scratched, and clung desperately. At one point, he even missed his footing and almost face planted the ground.

Reinhardt stared at the scene for a full five seconds.

"Is he for real?"

Somehow, the man managed to grab onto a windowsill. Then he awkwardly pulled himself up, trying to stay hidden from the maids walking inside.

After peeking left and right, he slowly, very slowly started inching toward the window.

"Is he a thief?"

Anyone trying to sneak into a house would usually be assumed to be a thief.

However, the reason Reinhardt was doubting his own words was because the man was so amateurish that he was outright bad at his profession.

Still, novice or not, the very idea that someone would have the gall to sneak into his mansion...

Reinhardt rubbed his temples. He wasn’t angry. He was in a state of disbelief.

Someone was attempting to break into his mansion. Like this. In broad daylight. Using... whatever that technique was.

Reinhardt sighed.

"Alright."

Golden light quietly gathered behind his back and formed a pair of majestic golden wings. [Wings of Seraphim] activated, and he took flight.

Latching onto the mansion wall, the intruder’s face lit up as he realized he was just inches away from entering through the window.

However, what he was unaware of was that at that very moment, a shadow appeared behind him.

"I did it...?!"

Before (he) could celebrate, a strange, vice‑like hand grabbed him from behind.

Eh?

A hand caught the back of his collar like picking up a stray kitten.

"Oi... Who the hell are you?"

Reinhardt’s calm voice sounded right next to his ear.

The man froze. Then...

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

He screamed like his soul had left his body.

"Let me go! Let me go!!"

He flailed so wildly that his clothes tore, and he crashed straight to the ground below.

THUD.

Reinhardt’s eyes twitched as he looked at the torn cloth in his hand and the miserable‑looking man sprawled below.

"That sounded painful."

The man had fallen hard, very hard. Reinhardt even heard the sound of bones cracking. The man had at least broken multiple bones.

The loud crash echoed across the manor. Within seconds, footsteps rang out, and the maids and servants formed a crowd around them.

"What happened?!"

"What was that loud noise?!"

"Lord Reinhardt?!"

"Who is that man?!"

Reinhardt, having already deactivated his skill, stood calmly near the man and explained.

"I found him climbing the wall."

For a brief moment, everyone was stupefied. They looked at the man, twitching, half broken on the ground and then at the wall.

"Climbing?"

"The wall?"

Putting aside how high the wall was, they couldn’t believe that there was a man with the audacity to sneak into the Viscount’s manor.

"Why?" a maid asked, her question deceptively innocent.

"Good question." Reinhardt looked down at the unconscious, half‑torn, extremely miserable intruder. "Only he can answer that."

Without ceremony, Reinhardt bent down, grabbed the man by the collar again, and lifted him up like dead weight.

Smack. Smack.

He slapped the man twice on the cheek.

"Wake up."

Then again.

"Wake up, I said."

Finally, the man groaned and came to his senses.

"Ugh..."

"Who are you? And what exactly were you trying to accomplish by sneaking into my manor?"

Seeing Reinhardt, the man gritted his teeth. Even as the pain made him twitch miserably, he refused to say anything. Not a word. Just a hateful silence.

"Hm? Why is there a crowd here?"

Before Reinhardt could press further, a familiar voice came from behind.

Bringing a breath of fresh air with her, Eleanor appeared before them.

She looked at the gathering with mild curiosity, then at Reinhardt, and finally her eyes landed on the crumpled, inconspicuous man on the ground.

At that instant, the moment her gaze fell on him, all colour drained from her face, and her body froze in place. As if she had seen a ghost.

The man, as if attracted by her voice, turned toward her. And at that moment, his mouth twisted into a disturbing grin.

"I... found you... Eleanor."

Then suddenly, (he) screamed her name.

"Eleanor!!"

The servants flinched. Their eyes darted between the man and Eleanor, confused, curious.

Who is this?

Why is he calling your name?

All sorts of questions flashed through their minds.

Reinhardt did not question anything. Instead, he silently registered Eleanor’s reaction.

Her fear wasn’t ordinary. It was deep, instinctive, like something long buried had been violently dug back to the surface.

While Reinhardt was having that thought, the man continued screaming, his voice raw and sickening.

"I finally found you..."

"You don’t know how much I missed you..."

"I was so happy when I saw you at the theatre..."

"That day... I knew it. I had to come here. We’re meant to be together. We always were."

When his eyes locked onto Eleanor, they burned with a twisted, obsessive hunger. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Hearing his words, the whispers among the servants grew louder.

"Do they... know each other?"

"He’s speaking to her so... intimately..."

"Could it be that he is someone from her past?"

The man ignored it all, the pain, the people, even reality itself. He forced himself to stand and began limping toward Eleanor.

"Tell them... Tell them who I am. Tell them we belong together. Come with me. Let’s go back. To our home."

His voice grew louder. Eleanor took a step back.

"Stay away... stay away..."

Her voice was barely audible, her body shaking violently. Her breathing grew uneven, uneven, her gaze slowly unfocusing as if fear was eating her mind from the inside.

Noticing this, Reinhardt’s expression hardened.

That was enough.

Before the man could take another step...

THUD.