Seliya could not possibly understand Dietrich.
What would have happened if instead of hesitating, he had plunged the dagger into Dietrich's neck?
The blood that had formed on his neck flowed down his neckline without a sound.
“Are you angry?”
Hearing the quiet voice, Seliya glared at him with bloodshot, red eyes.
“Are I angry? It doesn’t break down at all.”
“...Your eyes don’t say that.”
“I shouldn’t have hesitated and just plunged the dagger in. Don’t say anything bad.”
“Why didn’t you do that?”
Why didn't you stab me?
There were many reasons. The moment she saw drops of blood on Dietrich's neck, the sight of Dietrich dying unfolded in Seliya's mind.
Even if he died with a dagger stuck in his neck, Dietrich's expression didn't seem to change at all.
Aside from all that, the main reason Seliya couldn't kill him was.
“Because I didn’t want to kill you.”
She didn't want to kill him. She hoped he was alive.
It's not because she wants to depend on Dietrich.
To Seliya, Dietrich was still a suspicious and unknown person.
“I find it so difficult for you. I don't know what you're thinking, and you never tell me anything important. You test people arbitrarily.”
Seliya walked closer to Dietrich. Dietrich stood there and looked down at Seliya with his serene face.
Seliya saw a bloody wound on Dietrich's neck. She gently rubbed her hand over the wound she had inflicted on him.
With just a little rubbing, red drops of blood came out of her hand.
She said that if she had driven the dagger a little deeper, he might have really lost his life. As she thought that, her heart agitated.
The reason she is confused now is probably not because of that brief new relationship. Dietrich in front of him was so insane that she was confused.
Or maybe he used his supernatural ability on her.
Although she had endless doubts, she could not bear to take his life.
“I wanted you to live rather than die.”
It is a mouth that spits out nonsense or lies. But this time, what she said was the truth.
After finishing her words, Seliya quietly looked up at Dietrich. He was so tall that she always had to bend her neck to look up.
Dietrich bent down to meet her gaze.
The cold wind blew Dietrich's black hair. Only Seliya was fully contained in his red eyes.
Dietrich straightened Seliya's hair, not his own. Seliya's silver hair was tangled between his large hands.
Dietrich put the hood attached to the top of the robe on Seliya. The hood of the robe that was tailored to Dietrich's body was so large that Seliya could barely see what was in front of her.
In the dark of vision, Dietrich's bass sound fell into Seliya's ears.
“It’s Sally.”
Has he ever called her name?
Even if he died with a dagger stuck in his neck, Dietrich's expression didn't seem to change at all.
Aside from all that, the main reason Seliya couldn't kill him was.
“Because I didn’t want to kill you.”
She didn't want to kill him. She hoped he was alive.
It's not because she wants to depend on Dietrich.
To Seliya, Dietrich was still a suspicious and unknown person.
“I find it so difficult for you. I don't know what you're thinking, and you never tell me anything important. You test people arbitrarily.”
Seliya walked closer to Dietrich. Dietrich stood there and looked down at Seliya with his serene face.
Seliya saw a bloody wound on Dietrich's neck. She gently rubbed her hand over the wound she had inflicted on him.
With just a little rubbing, red drops of blood came out of her hand.
She said that if she had driven the dagger a little deeper, he might have really lost his life. As she thought that, her heart agitated.
The reason she is confused now is probably not because of that brief new relationship. Dietrich in front of him was so insane that she was confused.
Or maybe he used his supernatural ability on her.
Although she had endless doubts, she could not bear to take his life.
“I wanted you to live rather than die.”
It is a mouth that spits out nonsense or lies. But this time, what she said was the truth.
After finishing her words, Seliya quietly looked up at Dietrich. He was so tall that she always had to bend her neck to look up.
Dietrich bent down to meet her gaze.
The cold wind blew Dietrich's black hair. Only Seliya was fully contained in his red eyes.
Dietrich straightened Seliya's hair, not his own. Seliya's silver hair was tangled between his large hands.
Dietrich put the hood attached to the top of the robe on Seliya. The hood of the robe that was tailored to Dietrich's body was so large that Seliya could barely see what was in front of her.
In the dark of vision, Dietrich's bass sound fell into Seliya's ears.
“It’s Sally.”
Has he ever called her name?
Probably not. Dietrich stopped Seliya, who was trying to take off her hood in frustration, by wrapping his hand around her.
Just by holding his hand, her confused mind calmed down. As Seliya remained still, Dietrich's voice tickled her ears once again.
“Live.”
“...”
“Because I also want you to live more than anyone else.”
After saying those words, Dietrich removed the hood that was blocking Seliya's vision.
Dietrich, who was staring at her with a face devoid of any emotion, looked like a monk who had escaped his secular world, or like a large old tree rooted to the spot.
Dietrich bent down and picked up the dagger that Seliya had missed.
“The attack was good, but the posture of holding the dagger was wrong. You can hold a dagger quite convincingly, but when you do that, you don’t have the right amount of strength.”
Dietrich placed a dagger in Seliya's hand. Then, he stood behind her back and placed his hand over hers.
“Don’t put too much force on your wrist. And, it is more important to aim for the exact vital spot. If you’re good at it, you can suffocate your opponent with one strike.”
Dietrich folded the joints of Seliya's hands one by one and personally showed her how to hold the dagger. Seliya's back and his upper body were touching, and Seliya was almost in Dietrich's arms.
“If you fail to suffocate the opponent, stab both of their eyes with a dagger.”
“...Eyes?"
“Yes. Normally, when people attack their eyes, they become so embarrassed that they completely lose the will to attack.”
“You sound like you’ve done it a lot.”
Dietrich let out a bright laugh at Seliya’s words.
Hearing laughter for the first time, Seliya turned her head to check Dietrich's face, but Dietrich had an indifferent expression as if he had never laughed before.
“Concentrate. You have to look ahead.”
Dietrich wrapped Seliya's hand and personally taught her how to hold the dagger and how to use it according to the area to be attacked.
Seliya learned everything Dietrich taught.
Dietrich looked at Seliya, who was easily absorbing what he taught her and had a soft smile on his lips.
He doesn't know how long it's been since he laughed like this. He thought he would never have anything to laugh about in his life.
- I wanted you to live rather than die.
The image of Seliya talking, looking straight into his eyes, remained like an afterimage, wandering around in Dietrich's mind.
He knew that she would kill him if given the chance, but contrary to his expectations, Seliya did not harm him.
Of course, he wouldn't have made any difference even if Seliya had truly tried to kill Dietrich. Dietrich was a sword master, so if he wanted to, he could avoid death by inserting aura into his own body parts.
Avoiding Seliya's attacks, which were visible to the naked eye, was no problem for Dietrich.
It was Dietrich's momentary loss of facial expression that caused him to put her hood up on accord to cover Seliya's eyes.
Dietrich was embarrassed at that time, not knowing what expression to make. He didn't want to show his embarrassed face, so he put a robe on Seliya.
Seliya with her abilities is more worth using for him than for the lecherous Emperor. Maybe she, like himself, aims for the destruction of Abelon.
So, this is how he teaches her how to use a dagger.
The reason he was excited was because Seliya didn't try to harm him.
That's it.
Dietrich lifted his head and looked up at the sky. It didn't seem like it was long, but before he knew it, the day was getting brighter.
“It’s Sally.”
Dietrich called Seliya. Seliya looked up at him as her name was called.
“Don’t go anywhere, just hide here until I come.”
Dietrich placed a dagger in Seliya's hand. Seliya answered with a nod of his head.
"I'll wait."
Seliya smiled softly. Green eyes resembling a summer forest were gently folded into red-tinted eye corners.
Dietrich looked at Selya smiling for a moment and then turned around.
As soon as the sun rose, Empress Erphia visited the palace where Illeon was staying.
After passing through the golden hall, where the ceiling and walls were all made of gold, a marble staircase leading to the second-floor drawing room appeared.
When she got to the second floor, she saw a door with an emblem of a huge black snake wrapped around a white cross.
It was the coat of arms of Duke Gregrick's family.
As she entered the drawing room, Illeon, with his hair tied on one side, greeted the Empress with an infinitely gentle face.
Wearing a pure white robe with wide arms, he looked more like a priest than a Duke.
As if he had expected her to come, there was a steaming teapot and two teacups on the mahogany table with a vase of roses on it.
“Your Majesty, please sit down.”
The Empress sat across from Illeon with an angry look on her face.
She was so angry that Jeremy didn't listen to her these days and didn't even attend the banquet, but she didn't know that Illeon would leave the banquet hall alone with Seliya.
“Duke, what on earth did you talk about with that girl named Seliya?”
Illeon found it really funny that the Empress did not even know how to control her emotions. He shrugged his shoulders as he poured tea into an empty teacup.
“I just wanted to see for myself the woman caught up in the suspicion of assassinating the Emperor. There is no other reason.”
The Empress furrowed her eyebrows at Illeon’s answer.
“You're telling me to believe that now? I heard you were with that lowly thing for over two hours.”
“How come you don’t like that woman so much? You are the mother of all people, so why should you be swayed like this by nobody?”
After hearing Illeon's words, the Empress took a sip of the tea in her teacup, feeling her throat burning.
Clang.
As she placed the teacup on the table, she got to the point with Illeon.
“...By the way, did you get what I asked for, Duke?"
“If you ask me, do you mean the poison that will ruin her face?”
"Yes. As I wrote in my letter, it is a poison that not only ruins the face but also dissolves it horribly.”
Illeon laughed quietly.
She is such a different person.
Some people were looking for poison that could harm people, while others didn't like it even if the poison was handed to them directly.
It was quite refreshing to see Seliya smiling like a freshly blooming spring flower, telling others not to use it.
Clang.
Illeon took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table.
A small vial the size of his finger contained a clear liquid.
The Empress's purple eyes lit up and she tried to grab the vial. However, Illeon snatched the vial faster than her. The Empress, who had been robbed of the item she wanted right in front of her, opened her eyes fiercely.
“What are you going to do with me now, Duke?"
“How can you say that, Your Majesty? I just wanted to give you a few precautions before handing it over.”
"Caution?"
Illeon smiled brightly and shook the vial.
"Yes. This poison is not life-threatening, but ingesting even a small amount can cause the face to melt horribly, causing the skin to become flabby and the eyes, nose, and mouth to become grotesquely deformed. When a person looks at their own face in the mirror, they become despairing and go mad, or in extreme cases, commit suicide. There was not a single exception.”
The Empress sounded excited at Illeon's explanation.
“It’s very effective.”
“...But.”
After a brief pause, Illeon closed his eyes and smiled at the Empress. The blue eyes folded into half-moon shapes, adding refreshingness to the already gentle face.
“There are conditions in exchange for giving you this very risky poison.”
"Condition?"
The Empress's eyebrows twitched.
Just by holding his hand, her confused mind calmed down. As Seliya remained still, Dietrich's voice tickled her ears once again.
“Live.”
“...”
“Because I also want you to live more than anyone else.”
After saying those words, Dietrich removed the hood that was blocking Seliya's vision.
Dietrich, who was staring at her with a face devoid of any emotion, looked like a monk who had escaped his secular world, or like a large old tree rooted to the spot.
Dietrich bent down and picked up the dagger that Seliya had missed.
“The attack was good, but the posture of holding the dagger was wrong. You can hold a dagger quite convincingly, but when you do that, you don’t have the right amount of strength.”
Dietrich placed a dagger in Seliya's hand. Then, he stood behind her back and placed his hand over hers.
“Don’t put too much force on your wrist. And, it is more important to aim for the exact vital spot. If you’re good at it, you can suffocate your opponent with one strike.”
Dietrich folded the joints of Seliya's hands one by one and personally showed her how to hold the dagger. Seliya's back and his upper body were touching, and Seliya was almost in Dietrich's arms.
“If you fail to suffocate the opponent, stab both of their eyes with a dagger.”
“...Eyes?"
“Yes. Normally, when people attack their eyes, they become so embarrassed that they completely lose the will to attack.”
“You sound like you’ve done it a lot.”
Dietrich let out a bright laugh at Seliya’s words.
Hearing laughter for the first time, Seliya turned her head to check Dietrich's face, but Dietrich had an indifferent expression as if he had never laughed before.
“Concentrate. You have to look ahead.”
Dietrich wrapped Seliya's hand and personally taught her how to hold the dagger and how to use it according to the area to be attacked.
Seliya learned everything Dietrich taught.
Dietrich looked at Seliya, who was easily absorbing what he taught her and had a soft smile on his lips.
He doesn't know how long it's been since he laughed like this. He thought he would never have anything to laugh about in his life.
- I wanted you to live rather than die.
The image of Seliya talking, looking straight into his eyes, remained like an afterimage, wandering around in Dietrich's mind.
He knew that she would kill him if given the chance, but contrary to his expectations, Seliya did not harm him.
Of course, he wouldn't have made any difference even if Seliya had truly tried to kill Dietrich. Dietrich was a sword master, so if he wanted to, he could avoid death by inserting aura into his own body parts.
Avoiding Seliya's attacks, which were visible to the naked eye, was no problem for Dietrich.
It was Dietrich's momentary loss of facial expression that caused him to put her hood up on accord to cover Seliya's eyes.
Dietrich was embarrassed at that time, not knowing what expression to make. He didn't want to show his embarrassed face, so he put a robe on Seliya.
Seliya with her abilities is more worth using for him than for the lecherous Emperor. Maybe she, like himself, aims for the destruction of Abelon.
So, this is how he teaches her how to use a dagger.
The reason he was excited was because Seliya didn't try to harm him.
That's it.
Dietrich lifted his head and looked up at the sky. It didn't seem like it was long, but before he knew it, the day was getting brighter.
“It’s Sally.”
Dietrich called Seliya. Seliya looked up at him as her name was called.
“Don’t go anywhere, just hide here until I come.”
Dietrich placed a dagger in Seliya's hand. Seliya answered with a nod of his head.
"I'll wait."
Seliya smiled softly. Green eyes resembling a summer forest were gently folded into red-tinted eye corners.
Dietrich looked at Selya smiling for a moment and then turned around.
***
As soon as the sun rose, Empress Erphia visited the palace where Illeon was staying.
After passing through the golden hall, where the ceiling and walls were all made of gold, a marble staircase leading to the second-floor drawing room appeared.
When she got to the second floor, she saw a door with an emblem of a huge black snake wrapped around a white cross.
It was the coat of arms of Duke Gregrick's family.
As she entered the drawing room, Illeon, with his hair tied on one side, greeted the Empress with an infinitely gentle face.
Wearing a pure white robe with wide arms, he looked more like a priest than a Duke.
As if he had expected her to come, there was a steaming teapot and two teacups on the mahogany table with a vase of roses on it.
“Your Majesty, please sit down.”
The Empress sat across from Illeon with an angry look on her face.
She was so angry that Jeremy didn't listen to her these days and didn't even attend the banquet, but she didn't know that Illeon would leave the banquet hall alone with Seliya.
“Duke, what on earth did you talk about with that girl named Seliya?”
Illeon found it really funny that the Empress did not even know how to control her emotions. He shrugged his shoulders as he poured tea into an empty teacup.
“I just wanted to see for myself the woman caught up in the suspicion of assassinating the Emperor. There is no other reason.”
The Empress furrowed her eyebrows at Illeon’s answer.
“You're telling me to believe that now? I heard you were with that lowly thing for over two hours.”
“How come you don’t like that woman so much? You are the mother of all people, so why should you be swayed like this by nobody?”
After hearing Illeon's words, the Empress took a sip of the tea in her teacup, feeling her throat burning.
Clang.
As she placed the teacup on the table, she got to the point with Illeon.
“...By the way, did you get what I asked for, Duke?"
“If you ask me, do you mean the poison that will ruin her face?”
"Yes. As I wrote in my letter, it is a poison that not only ruins the face but also dissolves it horribly.”
Illeon laughed quietly.
She is such a different person.
Some people were looking for poison that could harm people, while others didn't like it even if the poison was handed to them directly.
It was quite refreshing to see Seliya smiling like a freshly blooming spring flower, telling others not to use it.
Clang.
Illeon took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table.
A small vial the size of his finger contained a clear liquid.
The Empress's purple eyes lit up and she tried to grab the vial. However, Illeon snatched the vial faster than her. The Empress, who had been robbed of the item she wanted right in front of her, opened her eyes fiercely.
“What are you going to do with me now, Duke?"
“How can you say that, Your Majesty? I just wanted to give you a few precautions before handing it over.”
"Caution?"
Illeon smiled brightly and shook the vial.
"Yes. This poison is not life-threatening, but ingesting even a small amount can cause the face to melt horribly, causing the skin to become flabby and the eyes, nose, and mouth to become grotesquely deformed. When a person looks at their own face in the mirror, they become despairing and go mad, or in extreme cases, commit suicide. There was not a single exception.”
The Empress sounded excited at Illeon's explanation.
“It’s very effective.”
“...But.”
After a brief pause, Illeon closed his eyes and smiled at the Empress. The blue eyes folded into half-moon shapes, adding refreshingness to the already gentle face.
“There are conditions in exchange for giving you this very risky poison.”
"Condition?"
The Empress's eyebrows twitched.
Comments
Post a Comment