In the imperial palace, a huge banquet hall with luxuriously patterned tapestries hanging from transparent glass windows, people who attended yesterday's hunting competition were gathered in one place.
Illeon, sitting on a golden chair on the podium, announced the winner of the hunting contest.
“The winner is Count Nathan, who hunted two mid-level monsters and five low-level monsters. Count, please come forward.”
Count Nathan stepped forward with a satisfied look on his face.
Illeon handed Count Nathan a box containing jewels.
“I was supposed to grant a wish to the winner. Does the Count want anything?”
"Your Majesty! Just receiving Your Majesty’s favor is an honor to our family, so how could I dare to wish for anything?”
Illeon smiled in satisfaction at Count Nathan’s words.
“That’s a good attitude. But how can I not give anything to the winner? I will grant the Count an island, along with one hundred slaves and one hundred servants.”
"Thank you! Your majesty!"
Dietrich realized that Illeon was wary of him and had chosen someone else as the winner, especially one of the imperial ministers who had been Illeon's close associate for a long time, but he did not say anything.
In fact, the reason Dietrich killed all the high-ranking monsters after defeating Illeon's subordinates was to warn Illeon.
As Dietrich expected, Illeon was wary of him and announced someone else as the winner.
“Dietrich.”
Dietrich's lips softened at the clear voice reminiscent of dew on grass blades.
Seliya was leaning her body against Dietrich's chest, looking up at him.
Dietrich lowered his head and wrapped his arms around Seliya's shoulders.
The two exchanged glances and smiled softly at each other.
“...”
Illeon, who was watching this scene from the podium, had a hard look on his face.
"Your Majesty."
He heard his aide's voice calling him, but Illeon's eyes were fixed on one place.
'Princess Anastasia, and Dietrich.'
The two were no longer fake lovers.
Illeon, who has deep insight, was able to figure it out quickly.
They have a connection with each other. Otherwise, they couldn't have smiled so brightly.
Where the deep darkness cleared, a new emotion called happiness sprouted.
Illeon felt the inside of his mouth becoming dry.
"Your Majesty."
When the aide called Illeon once again, Illeon's eyes slowly turned to the aide.
“Okay, I should finally give a congratulatory speech.”
Illeon muttered lowly as he stood up and said.
“Everyone had a hard time competing in the hunting competition. We are planning to hold a banquet until night tonight, so eat and enjoy as much as you want.”
When Illeon's congratulatory speech ended, people clapped and cheered enthusiastically.
Just before leaving the banquet hall, Illeon's eyes glanced at Seliya one last time.
Seliya, who looked at him with a face mixed with hatred and resentment, smiled as brightly as a flower when she looked at Dietrich.
Fresh green eyes fold gently into pretty eyes.
The woman with her red lips drawing a curved line and a bright smile was so beautiful that her eyes were dazzling.
Even though everything she had was taken away because of him, she was able to smile so brightly.
Illeon didn't know what name to give to this strange feeling he felt when looking at that woman.
Does he want that woman to be completely destroyed?
Or not...
Then, Dietrich raised one of his hands and placed a screen over her head to prevent Illeon from seeing her.
Dietrich's cold gaze turned to Illeon.
Just by looking at him, he felt like his skin was being torn apart.
“Duke Calypso, you seem very dissatisfied with me. Do you have something to say?”
Illeon was embarrassed and spoke to Dietrich as if nothing had happened.
Dietrich soon returned with a dry face and became polite.
“Your Majesty, how dare I do that.”
“...”
“I am the commander of the Imperial Knights and a faithful subject of Your Majesty.”
Although it seemed plausible on the surface, it was full of lies.
Illeon's eyes narrowed.
“I thought the Duke was dissatisfied with not being the winner.”
“The one who announces the winner is Your Majesty, who encompasses all people. How can you ignore someone like me?”
Dietrich's words were spot on.
One day, Illeon realized that he had lost his previous composure.
He became impatient.
'For what reason?'
Illeon felt both confusion and joy at the fact that the person in the prophecy appeared alive and well.
'...This is not good.'
Illeon decided to change his plan to watch the two people for a little more time.
“I hope you will try a little harder for the next hunting competition. Then you might be the winner.”
After controlling his emotions, Illeon said, folding the corners of his eyes.
“Well then, I hope you have a good time.”
Illeon decided to do his best quickly before it was too late.
Illeon turned his body and quickly left the banquet hall.
“Why isn’t Her Excellency the Duke of Calypso the winner?”
“He may not have been able to hunt much because he was not in good condition.”
"Is that so..."
Some people who attended the hunting competition had doubts that Dietrich was not the winner, but they had no way of knowing the true story of the incident.
Dietrich didn't feel the need to explain things to people.
“The banquet is over. Should I just leave? I prefer being at your mansion.”
Dietrich nodded his head at Seliya's words.
"Yes."
Someone blocked the two people from leaving the banquet hall.
Platinum-colored hair, yellow gold eyes like a snake, skin as pale as a corpse, and a playful mouth.
The man was dressed in a splendid outfit, wearing a veil made of silver thread and a gold belt around his waist, and a black earring was hanging from one ear.
“...Arthur Cervantes, what’s going on?”
Illeon felt both confusion and joy at the fact that the person in the prophecy appeared alive and well.
'...This is not good.'
Illeon decided to change his plan to watch the two people for a little more time.
“I hope you will try a little harder for the next hunting competition. Then you might be the winner.”
After controlling his emotions, Illeon said, folding the corners of his eyes.
“Well then, I hope you have a good time.”
Illeon decided to do his best quickly before it was too late.
Illeon turned his body and quickly left the banquet hall.
“Why isn’t Her Excellency the Duke of Calypso the winner?”
“He may not have been able to hunt much because he was not in good condition.”
"Is that so..."
Some people who attended the hunting competition had doubts that Dietrich was not the winner, but they had no way of knowing the true story of the incident.
Dietrich didn't feel the need to explain things to people.
“The banquet is over. Should I just leave? I prefer being at your mansion.”
Dietrich nodded his head at Seliya's words.
"Yes."
***
Someone blocked the two people from leaving the banquet hall.
Platinum-colored hair, yellow gold eyes like a snake, skin as pale as a corpse, and a playful mouth.
The man was dressed in a splendid outfit, wearing a veil made of silver thread and a gold belt around his waist, and a black earring was hanging from one ear.
“...Arthur Cervantes, what’s going on?”
Dietrich stepped forward as if to protect Seliya.
Arthur's gaze fell on Seliya's hand, which was connected to Dietrich's.
“Did you say Dietrich Calypso?”
Arthur muttered, not taking his eyes off Seliya's pure white hand.
“You are not a sword master. Are you higher than that?”
“...”
Dietrich stared at Arthur with indifferent eyes.
“I should have killed you right away before you got any bigger. Don’t you dare covet what’s mine.”
Arthur snapped his neck and revealed his bloodshot eyes.
“They engraved a damn artifact on the dagger? Cast a protection spell to keep my clone from coming? A human who can engrave artifacts without being a wizard. I’ve never heard or seen anything like that.”
Arthur shouted with a look on his face that he wanted to kill Dietrich right away.
From Arthur's words, Seliya could understand why he had been unable to inflict any harm on her.
The reason Dietrich taught dagger skills was so that he could naturally hand the dagger to Seliya.
Seliya tightened her hand around Dietrich's. She said, smiling brightly.
"Thank you, Dietrich.”
Dietrich turned his body and pulled Selya into his arms.
Silver hair wrapped around Dietrich's hand, and Seliya's head was buried in his chest.
When Arthur saw this, the sound of teeth grinding apart came from his mouth.
“I’ll put you especially in my collection. I just pulled out those bright blood-red eyes.”
Arthur laughed darkly.
“Well, try it if you can.”
The smile disappeared from Arthur's face at Dietrich's calm words.
“The one who dies then will be you, not me.”
“...”
Arthur glared at Dietrich as if he were going to kill him, but his eyes suddenly twinkled.
Arthur quickly grabbed something off the floor and laughed, shaking his shoulders.
“My Anastasia. See you soon.”
With those words, Arthur glided away with snake-like movements.
***
A large secret room where not a single ray of light enters.
Arthur set up a separate secret room in his room in his imperial palace.
Contrary to the nature of his luxurious collection, there were no taxidermy items here.
This dark space was specially prepared by Arthur just for Seliya.
Arthur opened his hand to light a candle hanging on the wall. A spark erupted from his hand.
Arthur lit the candle.
The candle flame flickered, and a silver cage was revealed in the center of the dark secret room.
The inside of the cage, which was as tall as a person, was empty.
Arthur, holding back the flame, took out a taxidermy frame from his chest.
Inside a small taxidermy frame, the size of a human palm was a strand of silver hair.
It was the silver hair he picked up from the floor earlier.
Arthur took out a potion containing red liquid.
"Ha.."
The essence of the potion was a weak medicine.
“For the beautiful you, me, huh? I took care of all the evil things that were targeting you.”
Arthur spoke to her as if the hair in the taxidermy frame was Seliya.
“You, you, don’t even know that, just look at that bastard!”
Arthur's voice became more and more intense.
The veins stood out on his pale neck.
“Anastasiaaaaaaa!”
Arthur screamed, holding his face.
Arthur, whose face was trembling with his pupils dilated and his body trembling, stroked the taxidermy frame containing Seliya's silver hair and recited.
“I really wasn’t going to use this method.”
Arthur grinned with an unfocused face.
“You brought it all on yourself.”
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