Dietrich always acted together with Seliya.
Whether eating, walking outside in the garden, or staying at the mansion, he was never separated from Seliya.
The rumor that Dietrich was Seliya's lover spread publicly.
There must have been a masked prom incident not long ago.
There was no one in Abelon, let alone the imperial palace, who did not know the relationship between the two.
Because Dietrich was treating Seliya so horribly, the men who had their eyes on Seliya were dissatisfied with Dietrich.
Candlelight flickered in front of the men sitting around the wooden table.
“This is truly unacceptable. Brillion's angel must not have a lover under any circumstances. Isn’t there a blemish on her integrity?”
"That's right. With all the money we gave her, we can’t stand by and let someone else steal her from us.”
The men sitting at the wooden table ranged in age from young men to old men.
What they had in common was that they were all very rich.
They were also those who had seen Seliya at least once when the public courtship was held at the Brillion Mansion.
Every day, they would hit and fight with each other because they wanted her to be their wife, but a leader of the imperial knights appeared out of nowhere and snatched Seliya from them.
Their temporary alliance, which had a common enemy in Dietrich, was very strong.
“To be honest, it was all thanks to us that we let her out when she was imprisoned on charges of assassinating the Emperor.”
"You're right."
“However, Duke Calypso is the commander of the Imperial Knights. In addition to being highly trusted by the knights, he also possesses military power.”
Each man put his head to work.
They all wanted Seliya.
Fresh green eyes resembling greenery, clear facial features on a small face, and silver hair that sparkles like stars.
She was a woman that any man could not help but desire.
"Hmm... Could it be that Brillion's angel is a witch, as the rumor goes? Isn't there something strange about her? The Duke of Calypso, who never gets close to women, has the Angel of Brillion as his lover.”
At the young man's words, the old man with wrinkles around his eyes snorted.
“You literally believe in rumors made up by women who are jealous of ultimate beauty.”
“...But isn't it strange? It is said that even His Majesty the Emperor applied for the dance first. He never asked anyone to dance first.”
Bang!
The old man got up and slammed his fist on the table.
The young man stopped the old man with an urgent hand.
“No, what I mean is, let’s use this in reverse. If we really turn Brillion’s angel into a witch, wouldn’t Duke Calypso be able to do anything?”
“...What does that mean?”
The old man rolled his eyes and sat down again.
“Just as we made Brillion’s angel a saint and freed her from prison after being accused of assassinating the Emperor, we are going to separate the two by making her a witch this time.”
“...”
“We have so much money, so why not encourage public opinion through the mouths of idiots? Considering his reputation, Duke Calypso would no longer think of having a ‘witch’ as his lover.”
***
Seliya gazed with her serene eyes at Dietrich, lost in thoughts.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Hmm."
Dietrich asked, looking into Seliya's eyes.
“Shelly, what do you want to do first when everything is settled?”
“After Abelon was destroyed?”
Dietrich nodded his head.
Seliya thought deeply.
After the fall of Abelon, Seliya never once thought about what would become of her.
She just vaguely portrayed death.
“I’ve never thought about it.”
“...Why?"
Why.
Seliya repeated what Dietrich had said to her.
‘Because I’m terminally ill? Or, do you think that the destruction of Abelon is the final destination of my life?'
There were many answers that came to mind.
However, when she actually saw Dietrich's face, her mouth strangely did not drop.
Even after the destruction of Abelon, will Dietrich remain by her side as he is now?
'No, I wonder if I will still be alive before then.'
Her body was so broken that even the doctor could not do anything about it.
Although Dietrich has the ability to heal, it will not be possible to completely restore the rotten organs in her body.
Dietrich explained that he had the ability to heal, but Seliya did not know exactly what the scope was.
There was something she was more curious about than her broken body.
“Even after Abelon is destroyed, will you remain by my side?”
Dietrich answered Seliya’s question immediately.
"If you want."
Seliya did not like Dietrich's answer.
It sure looks like he's trying to catch it himself.
“Dietrich, I’m curious about your opinion.”
Dietrich blinked his eyes slowly and answered.
"I am...”
Dietrich continued his sentence and smiled brightly at Seliya, closing his eyes.
Unlike Illeon, who had a fake smile, Dietrich's smile felt sincere.
“I want to be by your side. If you allow it, all the way.”
It was a truly friendly voice.
“Can I touch your face for a moment?”
Seliya nodded her head slightly in response to Dietrich's question.
After she gave permission, Dietrich gently touched Seliya's face.
His large hand, tracing his outline, touched Seliya's cheek, round forehead, and her lips in turn.
Seliya admired Dietrich's expression as he caressed her face.
The red eyes beneath the black eyelashes were beautiful.
A warm, soft touch that doesn't contain a single trace of dirty desire.
He was noticeably different from the men she had seen so far.
Very slowly, his hand, which had touched her so preciously and carefully, as if touching the glazed porcelain, fell away.
Seliya felt her heart empty as Dietrich's hand fell from hers.
The alliances formed to use each other no longer mattered.
Contractual relationship.
She certainly thought she was nothing more and nothing less, but now it seemed that Seliya could not do without Dietrich.
For her, being with Dietrich was beyond what she was used to, it had become so natural.
Perhaps because they shared the same wounds and pain, Dietrich now felt like a part of her.
Seliya leaned her body against Dietrich's chest, and her hands traced his neck.
Dietrich still had a scar on his neck from where Seliya had stabbed him with a dagger.
The scar had faded to the point where she couldn't tell unless she looked closely, but Seliya didn't like the fact that the scar was still there.
“Why aren’t your scars treated? You treated my skin with a few cuts.”
Instead of giving her answer, Dietrich took Seliya's hand that was groping his neck and clasped them together.
As expected of someone who has held the sword for a long time, the calloused joints of his hands entangled Seliya.
“Because it’s a sign that you trusted me.”
Seliya recalled the past.
On the day when Dietrich told her to stab him with her dagger with all her might, she couldn't bring herself to slit his throat and dropped the dagger to the floor.
He was saying that the scars she gave him were traces of him believing in her.
Seliya felt heartache.
“Even without these scars, I trust you completely now.”
At Seliya's words, Dietrich called her in his soft voice.
“Shelly.”
When Seliya lifted her head, she saw Dietrich with a gentle expression looking down at her.
"So do I."
***
A breeze blew through Arthur's platinum hair.
Arthur, who was leaning against a marble pillar, took out a medicine from his pocket.
When he shook the potion, a red liquid reminiscent of bright red blood flowed out.
He was only looking for an opportunity to use a poisonous medicine, but Arthur was unable to put his plan into action because Dietrich was so involved with Seliya.
“Gross.”
Arthur glared at Dietrich's mansion with an expression of disgust.
If Dietrich had been an ordinary knight and not a sword master, Seliya would have already been in his hands.
But he was stronger than he thought.
Even when he created his clone and sent it to fight, he was clearly pushed back.
It is said that the alter ego can only demonstrate 50% of the actual power of Arthur, but being pushed by Dietrich itself left a huge scratch on Arthur's high self-esteem.
So Arthur left the imperial palace and investigated Dietrich and Seliya.
The pitch-black darkness that lies within.
After thoroughly investigating the source of the darkness, he learned that ten years ago, he was a survivor of a kingdom that disappeared after being destroyed by Illeon.
It was at that time that he learned that Seliya was a Princess, and this gave Arthur a great sense of joy.
Seliya, a woman of extreme beauty, was actually a Princess!
"Perfect...”
Arthur felt thirsty and swallowed.
Thinking that he would no longer be able to see Seliya in that mansion, Arthur took a quick step forward.
At that time, a woman with pink wavy hair was seen passing in front of Arthur.
She was Reina, Illeon's younger sister.
Arthur's eyes sank low as he saw Reyna looking at the mansion and fiddling with something in her arms.
Arthur reached behind Reina's back, and he snatched it up in an instant.
"What!"
Reina, who had her belongings robbed out of nowhere, opened her eyes and glared at Arthur.
Arthur checked the item he had caught.
The object was actually a needle coated with a powerful sleeping agent.
“Princess. Didn’t you hear about me from your brother?”
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