“No one will be allowed to enter the prison until my order is given. Tell the guards who regularly distribute meals to stop distributing meals.”
As soon as Dietrich returned from prison, this was the order he issued to the imperial knights. They followed the orders of Dietrich, the commander of the Imperial Knights, without a word.
“I understand, Your Excellency.”
“After you let the guards out, never set foot near the prison. If discovered, you are immediately put to death. Including you.”
The knights swallowed their saliva. Dietrich never played with people's lives.
The knights had many questions they wanted to ask, but as soon as they met Dietrich's dry face, their curiosity disappeared into the back of their throats.
“...I will obey your orders right now.”
The knights bowed their heads and retreated. A black shadow suddenly approached behind Dietrich, who was left alone.
"Your Excellency."
It was Anderson, the adjutant. Dietrich spoke without even turning his head.
"Say it. What did you hear at the conference hall?”
“The ministers are trying to get you in trouble by holding you accountable for not serving the Emperor properly. With Marquis Tailor at the head.”
“...”
Dietrich's mouth twitched. There was a sneer on his lips, but his eyes were not smiling at all.
"I knew it. It came out as expected.”
“Your Excellency, what do you plan to do next? I heard that the woman who assassinated the Emperor was put in a dungeon. Are you going to kill that woman?”
Dietrich's gaze then turned to Anderson. Even though Anderson had seen Dietrich for quite some time, he still found it difficult to see into his inner thoughts.
Dietrich was rarely agitated. He rarely exposed his emotions and always had an emotionless face, like someone who didn't know how to laugh or cry.
It was like that even now when he was looking at his face.
Dietrich's lips opened slowly.
“...I won’t kill her.”
Dietrich turned around after saying those words.
He doesn't kill her. Does this mean that she will be tortured to the extent of not being killed?
With so many question marks floating through Anderson's mind, he belatedly noticed something strange in Dietrich's words.
It was actually the first time in a long time that Dietrich used an honorific for him. Anderson, who had once taught Dietrich swordsmanship, recognized Dietrich's potential early on and offered to become his lieutenant. Since then, he has always been the one to use honorifics.
When Anderson came to his senses, Dietrich had already disappeared from his sight.
“The reality cannot keep up with the rumors.”
The jailer repeatedly licked his lips as he looked at Seliya locked up in the iron cage.
He was an old guard who patrolled the dungeon and distributed meals. He had seen many prisoners in prison, but he had never seen such a beautiful prisoner.
As soon as the guard saw that Dietrich was out of prison, he hurried to see Seliya.
His intentions were extremely shady, as he only brought food for Seliya and did not provide any meals for the other prisoners.
The guard grinned as he tried to push a bowl of stale bread and watery soup into the cage. His cloudy eyes looking at Seliya were full of lust.
“Are you hungry?”
There was a clicking sound. It was the sound of a guard putting food down on the floor. Seliya stared at the bowl of food.
The guard, who had placed the bowl just out of reach of her, looked at Seliya and moistened his lips with his tongue.
The guard's greedy eyes roamed over Seliya's face and her delicate ankles, which contrasted with her blood-stained chemise.
“Well. The clothes you are wearing look dirty. Would you like me to change your clothes myself?”
Seliya didn't say anything. This is because she has seen people like this countless times in her life. And, she didn't want to waste her strength dealing with trash.
“There is no prisoner in the world as lucky as you. I never thought I would be looking down on Brillion’s Angel, whom I had only heard about through rumors.”
The guard chuckled, showing his yellow teeth.
“If you just listen to me carefully, I’ll make sure you have a full meal.”
The guard, who was not even carrying a change of clothes, unbuckled his pants with one hand and unlocked the cage with the other, trying to get into the cage where she was.
As Seliya looked at the guard with his yellow teeth exposed, she remembered what he had said to Dietrich.
"If you kill me now, you will definitely regret it."
In fact, what she said to Dietrich was a lie. If she really wanted to live, she would have killed the Emperor and then run away without looking back.
She might have been caught within a few steps, but if she wanted to live, she would have at least tried to run away.
The reason she didn't do that was because she had achieved her lifelong dream.
Having killed the Emperor who led the destruction of his kingdom, the expectation that he would finally be able to die in peace, that she would be able to see the faces of her family and people who had gone before her with pride, arose.
If she was going to die, she thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to die at the hands of a handsome man who hated her, so she tried to provoke Dietrich, but for some reason, he withdrew his hand that was strangling her.
A man who knows about supernatural abilities. And, the only man whose special abilities do not work for him.
“How dare you think differently in this situation? Are you ignoring me because I’m just a sinner?”
The guard's words erased Seliya's thoughts. Before she knew it, the guard had entered the cage wearing a drawer, with his pants buckled completely unbuckled, and grabbed Seliya's ankles.
There was deep contempt in Seliya's eyes. Just as she was about to use her supernatural ability, the guard saw several figures walking in an angled posture beyond his back.
“...I’m definitely lucky.”
Seliya spoke softly and raised the corners of her mouth. It was an obvious ridicule.
The guard was so preoccupied with Seliya that he didn't even notice who was behind him and was hastily trying to pull down the hem of her dress.
Seliya kicked the guard with her feet and screamed with all her might.
“Ahhhh! Help me!"
"You, you! Are you crazy? Why don’t you shut up right now?”
The guard quickly covered Seliya's mouth, but it was already too late. The people who had paused for a moment at her shout came rushing towards her.
Their appearance was revealed in detail by the torches hanging on the wall. Those wearing red pauldrons and silver armor were Dietrich's direct knights.
The knights' eyes turned to Seliya, whose dress had flowed down, exposing her shoulders, and to the guard who was almost naked above her.
“So this is... It's not what you think..."
The jailer tried to resolve the situation by making excuses, but no way would work with Dietrich's knights.
“I just received an order to close the prison.”
The knights frowned and grabbed the guard by the back of his neck and threw him out of the cage. The guard fell to the floor and rolled ugly.
“Get out now. I will report this to His Excellency as soon as I get out of prison. Just so you know.”
The guard's face turned pale at the knight's words. If Dietrich finds out about this, he will not only kill him, but he will also kill his family.
The guard fell to his knees, fell flat on the floor, and begged the knights.
“I bow down like this and pray. Please do not tell His Excellency this. I will resign from my position as a jailer on my own. I have five rabbit-like children who are only looking at me...”
“Don’t worry about your family.”
At the low voice that came out of nowhere, the eyes of Seliya, the knights, and the jailer who were present all turned towards the owner of the voice.
At that moment, the torch hanging on the wall flickered loudly, and its light poured all over his body.
“Ka, ka, Your Excellency Duke Calypso...!”
The guard let out a sound similar to a scream. A black shadow fell over Dietrich's indifferent eyes.
Perhaps because he was right next to the torch, his statuesque features stood out even more.
The red eyes, which were darker than a blazing fire, looked overly stoic despite their intense color.
It was Dietrich who appeared in a black uniform instead of heavy armor. On his chest were several medals bestowed by the dead Emperor.
Dietrich approached without notice and did not even give the guard a single glance. His eyes were focused solely on Seliya, exposing her white shoulders.
Dietrich, who was staring at Seliya with eyes devoid of any emotion, slowly opened his lips.
“Your rabbit-like children will also follow their father.”
“!”
The jailer was devastated. He moved his lips to try to come up with an excuse, but he was too scared to say anything.
“Take him out.”
At Dietrich's command, the knights immediately grabbed the jailer's body.
“From now on, don’t let anyone into this place.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
The knights bowed their heads and dragged the guard away.
It was only when they were alone that Dietrich's gaze left Selya. He looked down in silence at the hard bread and watery soup that the guard had left behind.
He bent down and dipped his left index finger into his soup. Seliya watched Dietrich's actions.
“Do you know what’s in this soup?”
It was a strange question. Seliya made no reply. Dietrich seemed not to have expected an answer from her and continued speaking, wiping his hand, which had been dipped in the soup, with the handkerchief he had in his arms.
“It’s weak. Also called a stimulant.”
“...”
“In this imperial palace, there are a lot of such weak medicines. You can’t just pick something up and eat it just because you’re hungry.”
Dietrich got up, holding a bowl of crusty bread and soup. Then, he slowly poured them out on the floor right in front of her.
Seliya watched in silence as the thin soup stuck to the cold stone floor.
“From now on, you must only accept what I give you.”
Dietrich's words were very strange. Seliya finally opened her mouth in words as if he were trying to save her life.
"Why? Didn’t you try to kill me just now?”
“...”
The reason his indifferent expression changed was because of Seliya's next words to make him feel better.
“Is it because I have a special ability?”
It was actually the first time in a long time that Dietrich used an honorific for him. Anderson, who had once taught Dietrich swordsmanship, recognized Dietrich's potential early on and offered to become his lieutenant. Since then, he has always been the one to use honorifics.
When Anderson came to his senses, Dietrich had already disappeared from his sight.
***
“The reality cannot keep up with the rumors.”
The jailer repeatedly licked his lips as he looked at Seliya locked up in the iron cage.
He was an old guard who patrolled the dungeon and distributed meals. He had seen many prisoners in prison, but he had never seen such a beautiful prisoner.
As soon as the guard saw that Dietrich was out of prison, he hurried to see Seliya.
His intentions were extremely shady, as he only brought food for Seliya and did not provide any meals for the other prisoners.
The guard grinned as he tried to push a bowl of stale bread and watery soup into the cage. His cloudy eyes looking at Seliya were full of lust.
“Are you hungry?”
There was a clicking sound. It was the sound of a guard putting food down on the floor. Seliya stared at the bowl of food.
The guard, who had placed the bowl just out of reach of her, looked at Seliya and moistened his lips with his tongue.
The guard's greedy eyes roamed over Seliya's face and her delicate ankles, which contrasted with her blood-stained chemise.
“Well. The clothes you are wearing look dirty. Would you like me to change your clothes myself?”
Seliya didn't say anything. This is because she has seen people like this countless times in her life. And, she didn't want to waste her strength dealing with trash.
“There is no prisoner in the world as lucky as you. I never thought I would be looking down on Brillion’s Angel, whom I had only heard about through rumors.”
The guard chuckled, showing his yellow teeth.
“If you just listen to me carefully, I’ll make sure you have a full meal.”
The guard, who was not even carrying a change of clothes, unbuckled his pants with one hand and unlocked the cage with the other, trying to get into the cage where she was.
As Seliya looked at the guard with his yellow teeth exposed, she remembered what he had said to Dietrich.
"If you kill me now, you will definitely regret it."
In fact, what she said to Dietrich was a lie. If she really wanted to live, she would have killed the Emperor and then run away without looking back.
She might have been caught within a few steps, but if she wanted to live, she would have at least tried to run away.
The reason she didn't do that was because she had achieved her lifelong dream.
Having killed the Emperor who led the destruction of his kingdom, the expectation that he would finally be able to die in peace, that she would be able to see the faces of her family and people who had gone before her with pride, arose.
If she was going to die, she thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to die at the hands of a handsome man who hated her, so she tried to provoke Dietrich, but for some reason, he withdrew his hand that was strangling her.
A man who knows about supernatural abilities. And, the only man whose special abilities do not work for him.
“How dare you think differently in this situation? Are you ignoring me because I’m just a sinner?”
The guard's words erased Seliya's thoughts. Before she knew it, the guard had entered the cage wearing a drawer, with his pants buckled completely unbuckled, and grabbed Seliya's ankles.
There was deep contempt in Seliya's eyes. Just as she was about to use her supernatural ability, the guard saw several figures walking in an angled posture beyond his back.
“...I’m definitely lucky.”
Seliya spoke softly and raised the corners of her mouth. It was an obvious ridicule.
The guard was so preoccupied with Seliya that he didn't even notice who was behind him and was hastily trying to pull down the hem of her dress.
Seliya kicked the guard with her feet and screamed with all her might.
“Ahhhh! Help me!"
"You, you! Are you crazy? Why don’t you shut up right now?”
The guard quickly covered Seliya's mouth, but it was already too late. The people who had paused for a moment at her shout came rushing towards her.
Their appearance was revealed in detail by the torches hanging on the wall. Those wearing red pauldrons and silver armor were Dietrich's direct knights.
The knights' eyes turned to Seliya, whose dress had flowed down, exposing her shoulders, and to the guard who was almost naked above her.
“So this is... It's not what you think..."
The jailer tried to resolve the situation by making excuses, but no way would work with Dietrich's knights.
“I just received an order to close the prison.”
The knights frowned and grabbed the guard by the back of his neck and threw him out of the cage. The guard fell to the floor and rolled ugly.
“Get out now. I will report this to His Excellency as soon as I get out of prison. Just so you know.”
The guard's face turned pale at the knight's words. If Dietrich finds out about this, he will not only kill him, but he will also kill his family.
The guard fell to his knees, fell flat on the floor, and begged the knights.
“I bow down like this and pray. Please do not tell His Excellency this. I will resign from my position as a jailer on my own. I have five rabbit-like children who are only looking at me...”
“Don’t worry about your family.”
At the low voice that came out of nowhere, the eyes of Seliya, the knights, and the jailer who were present all turned towards the owner of the voice.
At that moment, the torch hanging on the wall flickered loudly, and its light poured all over his body.
“Ka, ka, Your Excellency Duke Calypso...!”
The guard let out a sound similar to a scream. A black shadow fell over Dietrich's indifferent eyes.
Perhaps because he was right next to the torch, his statuesque features stood out even more.
The red eyes, which were darker than a blazing fire, looked overly stoic despite their intense color.
It was Dietrich who appeared in a black uniform instead of heavy armor. On his chest were several medals bestowed by the dead Emperor.
Dietrich approached without notice and did not even give the guard a single glance. His eyes were focused solely on Seliya, exposing her white shoulders.
Dietrich, who was staring at Seliya with eyes devoid of any emotion, slowly opened his lips.
“Your rabbit-like children will also follow their father.”
“!”
The jailer was devastated. He moved his lips to try to come up with an excuse, but he was too scared to say anything.
“Take him out.”
At Dietrich's command, the knights immediately grabbed the jailer's body.
“From now on, don’t let anyone into this place.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
The knights bowed their heads and dragged the guard away.
It was only when they were alone that Dietrich's gaze left Selya. He looked down in silence at the hard bread and watery soup that the guard had left behind.
He bent down and dipped his left index finger into his soup. Seliya watched Dietrich's actions.
“Do you know what’s in this soup?”
It was a strange question. Seliya made no reply. Dietrich seemed not to have expected an answer from her and continued speaking, wiping his hand, which had been dipped in the soup, with the handkerchief he had in his arms.
“It’s weak. Also called a stimulant.”
“...”
“In this imperial palace, there are a lot of such weak medicines. You can’t just pick something up and eat it just because you’re hungry.”
Dietrich got up, holding a bowl of crusty bread and soup. Then, he slowly poured them out on the floor right in front of her.
Seliya watched in silence as the thin soup stuck to the cold stone floor.
“From now on, you must only accept what I give you.”
Dietrich's words were very strange. Seliya finally opened her mouth in words as if he were trying to save her life.
"Why? Didn’t you try to kill me just now?”
“...”
The reason his indifferent expression changed was because of Seliya's next words to make him feel better.
“Is it because I have a special ability?”
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