#143. Dog on a leash
If only one of the two people's hearts changed unilaterally, the relationship would end. The problem was that the other person could not tolerate the relationship.
Asherad initially accepted Daphne's farewell.
Ioannis' sacrifice showed him what love is, and gave him hope that he might have a second chance. However, Daphne asked Asherad to break off the relationship. The change of heart, no, did they ever look at each other in the first place?
He knew that there was a bond that had to be broken. That was why she also wanted to give up on Asherad. However, she could not give up. There was something that Ioannis had overlooked. From the beginning, his goal was Daphne, and he could not live without her.
That's why Asherad thought for a long time.
How can he make Daphne accept him? How can he make Daphne keep him in her heart? He doesn't want to love her, he just wants to be by her side.
A thought crossed his mind.
Ah.
Well then, let Daphne condemn me.
Daphne should punish him! Daphne will stay by his side even for the sake of punishment. And after paying the price for his sins, she may be able to stay by his side again.
For that to happen, Daphne would have to be higher in status than Asherad. Then what should he do? Askelad thought over and over again.
But the answer was simple. Ah, Daphne should become the Emperor! His eyes sparkled with madness. Asherad's head spun around. The spark of life burned in the eyes of the one who had been about to give up his life.
So what should we do? We need to move ourselves.
The Count of Locania himself cannot ascend to the throne. He would face much opposition.
The Count's family is not the old Duke of Turbol, but a family that received a title and became a noble about five generations ago. If he ascends to the throne, the nobles will initially follow him, but their opposition will gradually grow stronger. In order to prevent this, the Count of Locania chose to become a shadow Emperor and establish a puppet Emperor.
Other royals were either incorporated into the nobility or had excessively large heads. What he was thinking was...
'I'll give the throne to Ian or Daphne.'
Asherad thought, Yes, let me defeat the Count. Let Daphne become Emperor.
However, you must not lose right away in vain. When you reach the level of the horn, you must lose. Only then will the Count of Locania feel fear of the bloodline of Asherad. You will be able to imprint yourself on the nobles.
Asherad joined the Kingdom of Pindus and grew in power.
Asherad did not know where Daphne was. However, he thought that Daphne would live in the place that was least related to war. Although he did not actively search for Daphne due to the King of Pindus’s gaze, Asherad attacked the safest place that was unrelated to war, and that is how he was able to meet Daphne. The god was still on his side.
Asherad met Daphne and told her that she was a spy. He wanted her to have no place to return to, so she chose him. He tried to maintain his senses, but his body became cold and took Daphne's body. After that, he became cold-headed.
He had to show her a different side. An attitude that said he was nothing. He had to act like he was done sorting things out. He wanted to chew on it right now, bite it, lick it, and swallow it, but he held himself back very well.
So that Daphne doesn't run away.
He showed a calm attitude, telling her to run away if she wanted to. However, Daphne did not run away and chased after Asherad. Yes, that's right. You should continue to love me too.
In the meantime, Asherad clearly realized his mistake. Oh, I made this mistake. Daphne, I was wrong. So, please punish me. You have to punish me.
That way we can be together forever.
However, he treated Daphne and Ian as if he were indifferent and not interested.
Had he lost everything or had he thrown it away? Asherad didn't know the answer. However, Asherad thought that if he could just get Daphne, he would get everything back.
My beautiful love.
My beautiful tree.
My shade, my blessing, my refuge.
In my wasteland, a green tree grew, sucking up all the nutrients.
That doesn't mean everything was a lie.
The fact that Ian had come was unexpected. Asherad hesitated and then took the child inside. It was just that two people loved each other instead of one. My beloved wife, my beloved child.
How can I get my hands on both?
Asherad thought and thought again. Then he realized that Daphne had shown him the way. If you love, you will be hurt and have to make sacrifices. That was the exact answer.
Because Ioannis sometimes appeared in Asherad's dreams.
He would appear very occasionally, feeling sorry for Asherad and patting his head. Like a foolish guy who can't speak and appears in dreams. He should appear in Daphne and Ian's dreams too. If that happens, wouldn't it be okay to die? In this kind of thing, you have to risk your life.
That's how they came together as a family. Asherad knew what family was, and the moment he realized that love, he wanted it like crazy.
During the Asophos conquest,
Asherad heard reports that there was a pursuit party. He had let them go on purpose. He knew they would come back anyway. Asherad smiled brightly as Thalassa's archers aimed at them.
Sacrifice.
He must sacrifice for these two. Now is the time to do so. Asherad held Ian and Daphne in his arms. An arrow struck his armor. Asherad willingly embraced the things he loved for the sake of his comfortable world.
His sacrifice was not pure.
Just as Ioannis was stuck in Asherad's heart and could never be pulled out, he too wished to become that kind of being.
The moment his broad arms embraced his wife and his children.
He felt somehow fulfilled.
He should have tried this a long time ago.
I should have held you once before. Your things, the things I love, are so full in my arms. Why was there nothing in my arms? Why did I keep getting further away?
He smiled as he looked at Daphne's son.
The moment the arrow passed through the gap in his armor and pierced his flesh, he felt a strange sense of elation.
This is it.
This is what it means to protect.
I found out another one.
He knew for sure what kind of love Ioannis had. He knew why it was called love. So he knew for a brief moment for sure what kind of love he had had.
'Wishing that person happiness. Wishing that person happiness. Wanting that person to be happy. Wanting that person to be happy even if I get hurt or die. That's love.'
You're right, Daphne.
Because of that, he could close his eyes happily.
When he opens his eyes next time, everything will be over. That's how Ian and Daphne will look at him. My family, whom I love. That's how Asherad was loved by his own.
So he opened his eyes happily. King Thalassa was talking about something. He kept looking to see if he knew about Daphne's existence, but it seemed like he knew neither Ian nor Daphne. Count Locania hid them both.
Yes. Yes.
Ah, Daphne. Come to your senses. Think of what you can do, clever Count. What if Daphne doesn't become the Empress? She'll just collapse and die like this.
Daphne sets out to find freedom without herself, so the only ending she has is death.
But it didn't matter. It was better than living as a stallion. It didn't matter if the Count of Locania executed him. It was a pity for Duke Turbol, but Asherad had no will to live without Daphne.
Duke of Turbol.
Asherad thought of Duke Turbol. His father. Ioannis' father. The man who had shown infinite loyalty and called it love. Asherad could have run to Duke Turbol and received his affection.
But he didn't want to do that. There was someone else he wanted to be affectionate towards.
He should have remained Ioanni's father. He did not want to play family with him. That is why Asherad did not call the Duke of Turbol.
So Asherad waited to see how things would turn out. When he was taken to Peneus, he somehow felt that things were going according to plan. He put on the most humiliating expression possible in front of Count Locania. The performance was so boring that it made him yawn.
He heard people muttering about his strange condition, but Asherad decided not to care since he might die in the first place. And so he was locked in the torture chamber for a very long time.
The tormentors who made life miserable did not show up, and only the knights who seemed to be guards occasionally helped him eat and relieve himself. And then Daphne showed up.
He could tell just by looking at the clothes. Daphne had inherited the throne. Asherad grimaced, trying to suppress his laughter. Hoping it would look humiliating. What would happen to him now?
He waited with a pounding heart.
Asherad knew Daphne well. Since he saved Daphne and Ian's lives, she wouldn't take theirs. So, should she let Asherad go?
Well, is that possible? Asherad thought, yawning in his prison cell. Will the Count of Locania really stay still? Asherad somehow felt like he knew how Daphne would dispose of him.
Anyway, since they were in love, it was right to guess to some extent how it would end.
“Asherad, from today onwards you are my dog.”
The moment he heard those words, joy sparkled in Asherad's eyes. In fact, it was something that he didn't know whether it would happen or not! But it did happen. He had no will to live anyway. He believed in Daphne's desire for revenge, and the inferiority complex and extraordinary nature of Count Locania, as well as his twisted desire for revenge.
Ah.
Aaaah! How can you be so lovely?
Daphne did not deviate from his expectations! Instead of abandoning him, she chose to keep him.
Daphne, Daphne. My dear Daphne!
If I could be your dog and pay for the mistakes I've made, if we could be together like that, that would be the greatest happiness!
Asherad, whose brother, Ioannis, had died, was already mad, was mad, and would always be mad. This was the perfect family. So he licked Daphne's round hand.
His living quarters were the bedroom where Daphne had stayed when she was a maid. It had a low ceiling like a coffin and was filled with the smell of mold. But he liked it better than the Emperor's bedroom.
Because he could see Daphne in the morning.
Daphne would openly display Asherad on a leash in front of people. Asherad would occasionally look humiliated, but he didn't really do anything.
When he looked at Daphne's guilty expression and distorted face, he felt that their hearts were becoming more and more entangled in a complicated knot. They would become even more sticky and ugly.
Daphne occasionally stroked his head as if expressing affection. Asherad continued to wait for that sweet affection. Sometimes Daphne would allow him to do so. When Daphne handed him a book and told him to read, it was a time of perfect affection and warmth.
As he watched Daphne fall asleep while he read to her, Asherad made a happy dog-like expression on her lap.
Can someone who puts a leash on himself really be called a dog?
But if this is also a form of happiness, how should we define the relationship between these two? Askerad turned around at the sound. Fabian, no, Derek was standing there with a surprised expression. Asherad smiled brightly at the sight of that astonished face.
A relationship that that bastard can't dare invade.
A warm relationship that is dark and ugly, but has a clear love.
That bastard dares not interfere with this sacred world. Asherad buried his face in Daphne's lap as if he were a fool.
If only one of the two people's hearts changed unilaterally, the relationship would end. The problem was that the other person could not tolerate the relationship.
Asherad initially accepted Daphne's farewell.
Ioannis' sacrifice showed him what love is, and gave him hope that he might have a second chance. However, Daphne asked Asherad to break off the relationship. The change of heart, no, did they ever look at each other in the first place?
He knew that there was a bond that had to be broken. That was why she also wanted to give up on Asherad. However, she could not give up. There was something that Ioannis had overlooked. From the beginning, his goal was Daphne, and he could not live without her.
That's why Asherad thought for a long time.
How can he make Daphne accept him? How can he make Daphne keep him in her heart? He doesn't want to love her, he just wants to be by her side.
A thought crossed his mind.
Ah.
Well then, let Daphne condemn me.
Daphne should punish him! Daphne will stay by his side even for the sake of punishment. And after paying the price for his sins, she may be able to stay by his side again.
For that to happen, Daphne would have to be higher in status than Asherad. Then what should he do? Askelad thought over and over again.
But the answer was simple. Ah, Daphne should become the Emperor! His eyes sparkled with madness. Asherad's head spun around. The spark of life burned in the eyes of the one who had been about to give up his life.
So what should we do? We need to move ourselves.
The Count of Locania himself cannot ascend to the throne. He would face much opposition.
The Count's family is not the old Duke of Turbol, but a family that received a title and became a noble about five generations ago. If he ascends to the throne, the nobles will initially follow him, but their opposition will gradually grow stronger. In order to prevent this, the Count of Locania chose to become a shadow Emperor and establish a puppet Emperor.
Other royals were either incorporated into the nobility or had excessively large heads. What he was thinking was...
'I'll give the throne to Ian or Daphne.'
Asherad thought, Yes, let me defeat the Count. Let Daphne become Emperor.
However, you must not lose right away in vain. When you reach the level of the horn, you must lose. Only then will the Count of Locania feel fear of the bloodline of Asherad. You will be able to imprint yourself on the nobles.
Asherad joined the Kingdom of Pindus and grew in power.
Asherad did not know where Daphne was. However, he thought that Daphne would live in the place that was least related to war. Although he did not actively search for Daphne due to the King of Pindus’s gaze, Asherad attacked the safest place that was unrelated to war, and that is how he was able to meet Daphne. The god was still on his side.
Asherad met Daphne and told her that she was a spy. He wanted her to have no place to return to, so she chose him. He tried to maintain his senses, but his body became cold and took Daphne's body. After that, he became cold-headed.
He had to show her a different side. An attitude that said he was nothing. He had to act like he was done sorting things out. He wanted to chew on it right now, bite it, lick it, and swallow it, but he held himself back very well.
So that Daphne doesn't run away.
He showed a calm attitude, telling her to run away if she wanted to. However, Daphne did not run away and chased after Asherad. Yes, that's right. You should continue to love me too.
In the meantime, Asherad clearly realized his mistake. Oh, I made this mistake. Daphne, I was wrong. So, please punish me. You have to punish me.
That way we can be together forever.
However, he treated Daphne and Ian as if he were indifferent and not interested.
Had he lost everything or had he thrown it away? Asherad didn't know the answer. However, Asherad thought that if he could just get Daphne, he would get everything back.
My beautiful love.
My beautiful tree.
My shade, my blessing, my refuge.
In my wasteland, a green tree grew, sucking up all the nutrients.
That doesn't mean everything was a lie.
The fact that Ian had come was unexpected. Asherad hesitated and then took the child inside. It was just that two people loved each other instead of one. My beloved wife, my beloved child.
How can I get my hands on both?
Asherad thought and thought again. Then he realized that Daphne had shown him the way. If you love, you will be hurt and have to make sacrifices. That was the exact answer.
Because Ioannis sometimes appeared in Asherad's dreams.
He would appear very occasionally, feeling sorry for Asherad and patting his head. Like a foolish guy who can't speak and appears in dreams. He should appear in Daphne and Ian's dreams too. If that happens, wouldn't it be okay to die? In this kind of thing, you have to risk your life.
That's how they came together as a family. Asherad knew what family was, and the moment he realized that love, he wanted it like crazy.
During the Asophos conquest,
Asherad heard reports that there was a pursuit party. He had let them go on purpose. He knew they would come back anyway. Asherad smiled brightly as Thalassa's archers aimed at them.
Sacrifice.
He must sacrifice for these two. Now is the time to do so. Asherad held Ian and Daphne in his arms. An arrow struck his armor. Asherad willingly embraced the things he loved for the sake of his comfortable world.
His sacrifice was not pure.
Just as Ioannis was stuck in Asherad's heart and could never be pulled out, he too wished to become that kind of being.
The moment his broad arms embraced his wife and his children.
He felt somehow fulfilled.
He should have tried this a long time ago.
I should have held you once before. Your things, the things I love, are so full in my arms. Why was there nothing in my arms? Why did I keep getting further away?
He smiled as he looked at Daphne's son.
The moment the arrow passed through the gap in his armor and pierced his flesh, he felt a strange sense of elation.
This is it.
This is what it means to protect.
I found out another one.
He knew for sure what kind of love Ioannis had. He knew why it was called love. So he knew for a brief moment for sure what kind of love he had had.
'Wishing that person happiness. Wishing that person happiness. Wanting that person to be happy. Wanting that person to be happy even if I get hurt or die. That's love.'
You're right, Daphne.
Because of that, he could close his eyes happily.
When he opens his eyes next time, everything will be over. That's how Ian and Daphne will look at him. My family, whom I love. That's how Asherad was loved by his own.
So he opened his eyes happily. King Thalassa was talking about something. He kept looking to see if he knew about Daphne's existence, but it seemed like he knew neither Ian nor Daphne. Count Locania hid them both.
Yes. Yes.
Ah, Daphne. Come to your senses. Think of what you can do, clever Count. What if Daphne doesn't become the Empress? She'll just collapse and die like this.
Daphne sets out to find freedom without herself, so the only ending she has is death.
But it didn't matter. It was better than living as a stallion. It didn't matter if the Count of Locania executed him. It was a pity for Duke Turbol, but Asherad had no will to live without Daphne.
Duke of Turbol.
Asherad thought of Duke Turbol. His father. Ioannis' father. The man who had shown infinite loyalty and called it love. Asherad could have run to Duke Turbol and received his affection.
But he didn't want to do that. There was someone else he wanted to be affectionate towards.
He should have remained Ioanni's father. He did not want to play family with him. That is why Asherad did not call the Duke of Turbol.
So Asherad waited to see how things would turn out. When he was taken to Peneus, he somehow felt that things were going according to plan. He put on the most humiliating expression possible in front of Count Locania. The performance was so boring that it made him yawn.
He heard people muttering about his strange condition, but Asherad decided not to care since he might die in the first place. And so he was locked in the torture chamber for a very long time.
The tormentors who made life miserable did not show up, and only the knights who seemed to be guards occasionally helped him eat and relieve himself. And then Daphne showed up.
He could tell just by looking at the clothes. Daphne had inherited the throne. Asherad grimaced, trying to suppress his laughter. Hoping it would look humiliating. What would happen to him now?
He waited with a pounding heart.
Asherad knew Daphne well. Since he saved Daphne and Ian's lives, she wouldn't take theirs. So, should she let Asherad go?
Well, is that possible? Asherad thought, yawning in his prison cell. Will the Count of Locania really stay still? Asherad somehow felt like he knew how Daphne would dispose of him.
Anyway, since they were in love, it was right to guess to some extent how it would end.
“Asherad, from today onwards you are my dog.”
The moment he heard those words, joy sparkled in Asherad's eyes. In fact, it was something that he didn't know whether it would happen or not! But it did happen. He had no will to live anyway. He believed in Daphne's desire for revenge, and the inferiority complex and extraordinary nature of Count Locania, as well as his twisted desire for revenge.
Ah.
Aaaah! How can you be so lovely?
Daphne did not deviate from his expectations! Instead of abandoning him, she chose to keep him.
Daphne, Daphne. My dear Daphne!
If I could be your dog and pay for the mistakes I've made, if we could be together like that, that would be the greatest happiness!
Asherad, whose brother, Ioannis, had died, was already mad, was mad, and would always be mad. This was the perfect family. So he licked Daphne's round hand.
His living quarters were the bedroom where Daphne had stayed when she was a maid. It had a low ceiling like a coffin and was filled with the smell of mold. But he liked it better than the Emperor's bedroom.
Because he could see Daphne in the morning.
Daphne would openly display Asherad on a leash in front of people. Asherad would occasionally look humiliated, but he didn't really do anything.
When he looked at Daphne's guilty expression and distorted face, he felt that their hearts were becoming more and more entangled in a complicated knot. They would become even more sticky and ugly.
Daphne occasionally stroked his head as if expressing affection. Asherad continued to wait for that sweet affection. Sometimes Daphne would allow him to do so. When Daphne handed him a book and told him to read, it was a time of perfect affection and warmth.
As he watched Daphne fall asleep while he read to her, Asherad made a happy dog-like expression on her lap.
Can someone who puts a leash on himself really be called a dog?
But if this is also a form of happiness, how should we define the relationship between these two? Askerad turned around at the sound. Fabian, no, Derek was standing there with a surprised expression. Asherad smiled brightly at the sight of that astonished face.
A relationship that that bastard can't dare invade.
A warm relationship that is dark and ugly, but has a clear love.
That bastard dares not interfere with this sacred world. Asherad buried his face in Daphne's lap as if he were a fool.
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