“Elise!”
Blake ran towards her. Seeing no Mary or anything else, he rushed in and scooped Elise into his arms.
“Are you okay? Are you okay?”
His body, which was embracing her, was trembling, and Elise felt strangely embarrassed.
'Well, I almost died.'
She died once, but she couldn't bear to die again. Besides, wouldn't it be incredibly painful to die by a sword? A fleeting thought crossed her mind, then vanished, of Cain Liberto, who had taken special care to ensure her death was painless. Of course, she wasn't grateful or anything, but the method wasn't bad.
“I’m okay, Blake.”
She thought she spoke in a fairly clear voice, but perhaps because his chest was pressed so hard against hers, it only came across as a mumble.
“How can I be okay when you're shaking like this?”
‘No, it’s not me who’s shaking right now, it’s you...’
Blake seemed to be out of his mind. With the entire Knights behind him, he was groping her body with one hand. Of course, he was checking her for any injuries, but it was deeply embarrassing for Elise.
Elise barely managed to pull one hand away and pry his hand from her earlobe.
“It’s really okay. So please let me go.”
"But..."
“Come on in.”
Her firm tone left Blake with no choice but to let her go. Even then, his trembling eyes were still busy scanning her, searching for any sign of injury.
‘Should I say it’s fortunate...?’
Blake was so preoccupied with Elise that he didn't notice Mary's brute strength.
Elise took a deep breath. Only after she was sure her voice sounded normal did she look at Mary and open her mouth.
"Mary, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I would have been in trouble. Are your hands okay?"
“Yes, of course. This piece of shit, ugh...?”
Elise, feigning emotion, quickly pulled her head into a hug. She didn't forget to cover Mary's mouth. "Shut up," she whispered, her teeth clenched. Mary shrugged and nodded.
Meanwhile, those who had been staring at this place without moving as if time had stopped belatedly burst into shock.
“Wh, what...”
“That maid just now...”
Elise turned around, hugging Mary, and naturally hid her body in her own.
“I think you need to show your hand to the doctor, so go to my room.”
With that, she gathered her hands and wrapped them tightly in a handkerchief. Of course, inside was a crumpled piece of iron. It was, so to speak, the destruction of evidence.
Mary, who had been observing her, nodded resolutely and limped towards the main building.
‘...Why on earth are you limping?’
It seemed like she thought she had to pretend to be sick.
Anyway, having dealt with Mary in a very short time, Elise turned around in relief. And immediately, she met his blue eyes. Blake was close enough to touch, and Elise couldn't help but stagger in surprise.
He quickly helped Elise up, and thanks to him, she was saved from a nasty fall.
'What? Just now...'
Elise was frozen, leaning against him, the wild emotions she saw in Blake's eyes.
Meanwhile, two knights, rushing in, knelt before them. One seemed to be the owner of the blade, the other the one who had broken it.
“I have committed a mortal sin. Please punish me.”
“I will gladly accept any punishment.”
The two knights, shouting almost simultaneously, bowed their heads to the ground. Claude, the commander of the Blue Knights, also knelt with them.
"It's my responsibility as the leader. I will take full responsibility for everything."
Elise leaned against Blake's arm and watched them quietly.
'Um... what should I do?'
Blake's heartbeat was fast and furious, pounding in her ears. Anger, anxiety, fear, murderous intent. It was all a mixture of these things that had him so agitated. She had a premonition that if she didn't step forward, one of them would inevitably die.
Elise steeled herself and looked up at him.
“Your Highness, this incident is not their fault alone.”
Although it was somewhat scary to face his boiling blue eyes, Elise spoke steadfastly.
"I was deeply impressed by the remarkable skill of the Frozen Knights. As Your Highness said, they are worthy of being called the two pillars of the Empire."
Both the knights and Blake remained silent, unsure of what to say in response to her sudden compliment.
"But, even though they're supposed to be for sparring, they're of such poor quality that they're being distributed. My maid may have some skill in ‘strength training,’ but she could break them barehanded."
Elise spoke with a few accents on her words.
Knight Commander Claude gaped. The steel blunts used by the Frozen Knights for practice were of a grade capable of containing mana. They weren't of what one might call poor quality.
But as Elise said, it had already broken once, and it broke once more in the handmaid's hands.
‘No, but it didn’t look like it was simply broken...’
Claude thought blankly. Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to say what was on his mind. At the very least, everyone would have noticed that the Grand Duchess was trying to defend the knights.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt this time, but it would be truly heartbreaking if one of our precious knights were hurt for the same reason.”
Blake nodded with a dark expression.
“...Madam, what you said is true. If the blade breaks during a fight, it could easily lead to serious injury.”
Blake's emotions, which had grown dangerously violent, were calmed by her few words.
“I will tell the person who supplies the Knights Templar supplies to upgrade the Steel Blunt by one level.”
Hearing his answer, Elise leaned closer to Blake and wrapped her arms around his waist. It was a rather charming gesture.
"I'm ignorant of these matters. But since Your Highness listened to me, I can see how much you care for the Knights. I'm also at fault for acting rashly. So please, let this matter pass quietly."
“But, ma’am...”
"Above all, this is my first time meeting the Knights. If someone gets punished because of me, everyone will find me uncomfortable."
“Who would dare do such a thing? Madam, you are the master of this Duchy of Frozen, along with me.”
Anyway, Blake seemed determined to take care of her. He sighed softly and ordered the knights kneeling on the floor to rise.
“Sir Alan and Sir Bart, return to your places.”
The two knights, Alan and Bart, who had been sparring, hesitated for a moment, then bowed their heads again in apology before returning to their seats.
“Now prepare for the inspection, Sir Claude.”
“Yes, my lord.”
At Blake's command, Claude bowed politely and turned to inspect the knights. It was only natural for him to breathe a sigh of relief.
After greeting the knights and returning to her room, Elise stared blankly at Mary, who was crouching on one side of the room.
“Mary, you are so lucky.”
"Why?"
“Because you don’t have any thoughts. It’s just fun, right?”
“Oh, how did you know? Elise, you’re so sharp!”
“...”
Elise rubbed her throbbing forehead and wondered what to do with this child.
"Anyway, thank you for saving me. I can't deny that. I've never seen anyone as strong as you."
“Oh my, Elise too...”
Mary twisted her body shyly.
'She is a child who shouldn't be beating around the bush or be vague. You need to give clear instructions using examples.'
Of course, before that, she needs to test Mary's abilities to see how far they can go.
“Just extend your hand.”
“Yes? Why?”
Despite her puzzlement, Mary obediently extended her hand. The hand that had gripped the blade, as Elise had expected, was unscathed. Conversely, the lump of metal that had once been the blade was now round and small.
‘Whew... Is this a person or a monster?’
Elise wrapped her hand in the bandage she had prepared in advance.
"It's been like this for a few days. You have to pretend to be injured to avoid unnecessary suspicion. And don't come out of your room until I call you."
It may seem pointless now, but when people witness something unbelievable, they often doubt their own memories rather than simply accept the truth.
Since Mary brought the crooked blade, the rumors will probably be settled somehow.
“Yes... Elise...”
Mary was noticeably sullen. She seemed upset that she was locked in her room again, having just started her mission today.
“I’ll call you soon. Don’t worry.”
“Really?”
"Yes."
Only after receiving a definitive answer did Mary return to her bright face and leave her room, swinging her bandaged arms around excitedly. She should have said something to stop her, but Elise was already exhausted.
Elise stumbled back to bed and collapsed on the ground.
A long sigh escaped her.
'I almost died earlier.'
Thinking of the blade that had rushed right before her nose, her heart froze. She hadn't heard anything about what would happen if she failed to complete her mission.
Elise's mind was racing. She was clearly the Grand Duchess who also appeared in the latter half of "The Fallen Lover." She shouldn't have been seriously injured or killed. But what if Mary hadn't been found in prison? Would there have been someone else who could have rescued her?
The conclusion was 'no'.
'It means that the story can go wrong in places you can't see.'
If we were to be that picky, we couldn't know what consequences going to the system would have on <Fallen Lovers>.
'I need to save my body as much as possible and rescue the mid-zone investigators first.'
If they, like Mary, possessed special abilities, they would undoubtedly be of help in their future endeavors. After a brief moment of mumbling these thoughts, Elise quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The sensation of the needle digging into her flesh was particularly eerie.
'Cain.'
[You'll feel better soon, Elise.]
A sweet scent wafted past her nose. Elise glared at him, trying to gather her hazy mind. Natural tears welled up in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.
'Cain...'
[I'll follow you soon.]
He whispered in her ear and kissed her eyes. Even at this moment, the soft, melting smile he used to give her when reassuring her was on his lips.
'Cain...!'
Good night, my Elise.
Blake ran towards her. Seeing no Mary or anything else, he rushed in and scooped Elise into his arms.
“Are you okay? Are you okay?”
His body, which was embracing her, was trembling, and Elise felt strangely embarrassed.
'Well, I almost died.'
She died once, but she couldn't bear to die again. Besides, wouldn't it be incredibly painful to die by a sword? A fleeting thought crossed her mind, then vanished, of Cain Liberto, who had taken special care to ensure her death was painless. Of course, she wasn't grateful or anything, but the method wasn't bad.
“I’m okay, Blake.”
She thought she spoke in a fairly clear voice, but perhaps because his chest was pressed so hard against hers, it only came across as a mumble.
“How can I be okay when you're shaking like this?”
‘No, it’s not me who’s shaking right now, it’s you...’
Blake seemed to be out of his mind. With the entire Knights behind him, he was groping her body with one hand. Of course, he was checking her for any injuries, but it was deeply embarrassing for Elise.
Elise barely managed to pull one hand away and pry his hand from her earlobe.
“It’s really okay. So please let me go.”
"But..."
“Come on in.”
Her firm tone left Blake with no choice but to let her go. Even then, his trembling eyes were still busy scanning her, searching for any sign of injury.
‘Should I say it’s fortunate...?’
Blake was so preoccupied with Elise that he didn't notice Mary's brute strength.
Elise took a deep breath. Only after she was sure her voice sounded normal did she look at Mary and open her mouth.
"Mary, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I would have been in trouble. Are your hands okay?"
“Yes, of course. This piece of shit, ugh...?”
Elise, feigning emotion, quickly pulled her head into a hug. She didn't forget to cover Mary's mouth. "Shut up," she whispered, her teeth clenched. Mary shrugged and nodded.
Meanwhile, those who had been staring at this place without moving as if time had stopped belatedly burst into shock.
“Wh, what...”
“That maid just now...”
Elise turned around, hugging Mary, and naturally hid her body in her own.
“I think you need to show your hand to the doctor, so go to my room.”
With that, she gathered her hands and wrapped them tightly in a handkerchief. Of course, inside was a crumpled piece of iron. It was, so to speak, the destruction of evidence.
Mary, who had been observing her, nodded resolutely and limped towards the main building.
‘...Why on earth are you limping?’
It seemed like she thought she had to pretend to be sick.
Anyway, having dealt with Mary in a very short time, Elise turned around in relief. And immediately, she met his blue eyes. Blake was close enough to touch, and Elise couldn't help but stagger in surprise.
He quickly helped Elise up, and thanks to him, she was saved from a nasty fall.
'What? Just now...'
Elise was frozen, leaning against him, the wild emotions she saw in Blake's eyes.
Meanwhile, two knights, rushing in, knelt before them. One seemed to be the owner of the blade, the other the one who had broken it.
“I have committed a mortal sin. Please punish me.”
“I will gladly accept any punishment.”
The two knights, shouting almost simultaneously, bowed their heads to the ground. Claude, the commander of the Blue Knights, also knelt with them.
"It's my responsibility as the leader. I will take full responsibility for everything."
Elise leaned against Blake's arm and watched them quietly.
'Um... what should I do?'
Blake's heartbeat was fast and furious, pounding in her ears. Anger, anxiety, fear, murderous intent. It was all a mixture of these things that had him so agitated. She had a premonition that if she didn't step forward, one of them would inevitably die.
Elise steeled herself and looked up at him.
“Your Highness, this incident is not their fault alone.”
Although it was somewhat scary to face his boiling blue eyes, Elise spoke steadfastly.
"I was deeply impressed by the remarkable skill of the Frozen Knights. As Your Highness said, they are worthy of being called the two pillars of the Empire."
Both the knights and Blake remained silent, unsure of what to say in response to her sudden compliment.
"But, even though they're supposed to be for sparring, they're of such poor quality that they're being distributed. My maid may have some skill in ‘strength training,’ but she could break them barehanded."
Elise spoke with a few accents on her words.
Knight Commander Claude gaped. The steel blunts used by the Frozen Knights for practice were of a grade capable of containing mana. They weren't of what one might call poor quality.
But as Elise said, it had already broken once, and it broke once more in the handmaid's hands.
‘No, but it didn’t look like it was simply broken...’
Claude thought blankly. Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to say what was on his mind. At the very least, everyone would have noticed that the Grand Duchess was trying to defend the knights.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt this time, but it would be truly heartbreaking if one of our precious knights were hurt for the same reason.”
Blake nodded with a dark expression.
“...Madam, what you said is true. If the blade breaks during a fight, it could easily lead to serious injury.”
Blake's emotions, which had grown dangerously violent, were calmed by her few words.
“I will tell the person who supplies the Knights Templar supplies to upgrade the Steel Blunt by one level.”
Hearing his answer, Elise leaned closer to Blake and wrapped her arms around his waist. It was a rather charming gesture.
"I'm ignorant of these matters. But since Your Highness listened to me, I can see how much you care for the Knights. I'm also at fault for acting rashly. So please, let this matter pass quietly."
“But, ma’am...”
"Above all, this is my first time meeting the Knights. If someone gets punished because of me, everyone will find me uncomfortable."
“Who would dare do such a thing? Madam, you are the master of this Duchy of Frozen, along with me.”
Anyway, Blake seemed determined to take care of her. He sighed softly and ordered the knights kneeling on the floor to rise.
“Sir Alan and Sir Bart, return to your places.”
The two knights, Alan and Bart, who had been sparring, hesitated for a moment, then bowed their heads again in apology before returning to their seats.
“Now prepare for the inspection, Sir Claude.”
“Yes, my lord.”
At Blake's command, Claude bowed politely and turned to inspect the knights. It was only natural for him to breathe a sigh of relief.
***
After greeting the knights and returning to her room, Elise stared blankly at Mary, who was crouching on one side of the room.
“Mary, you are so lucky.”
"Why?"
“Because you don’t have any thoughts. It’s just fun, right?”
“Oh, how did you know? Elise, you’re so sharp!”
“...”
Elise rubbed her throbbing forehead and wondered what to do with this child.
"Anyway, thank you for saving me. I can't deny that. I've never seen anyone as strong as you."
“Oh my, Elise too...”
Mary twisted her body shyly.
'She is a child who shouldn't be beating around the bush or be vague. You need to give clear instructions using examples.'
Of course, before that, she needs to test Mary's abilities to see how far they can go.
“Just extend your hand.”
“Yes? Why?”
Despite her puzzlement, Mary obediently extended her hand. The hand that had gripped the blade, as Elise had expected, was unscathed. Conversely, the lump of metal that had once been the blade was now round and small.
‘Whew... Is this a person or a monster?’
Elise wrapped her hand in the bandage she had prepared in advance.
"It's been like this for a few days. You have to pretend to be injured to avoid unnecessary suspicion. And don't come out of your room until I call you."
It may seem pointless now, but when people witness something unbelievable, they often doubt their own memories rather than simply accept the truth.
Since Mary brought the crooked blade, the rumors will probably be settled somehow.
“Yes... Elise...”
Mary was noticeably sullen. She seemed upset that she was locked in her room again, having just started her mission today.
“I’ll call you soon. Don’t worry.”
“Really?”
"Yes."
Only after receiving a definitive answer did Mary return to her bright face and leave her room, swinging her bandaged arms around excitedly. She should have said something to stop her, but Elise was already exhausted.
Elise stumbled back to bed and collapsed on the ground.
A long sigh escaped her.
'I almost died earlier.'
Thinking of the blade that had rushed right before her nose, her heart froze. She hadn't heard anything about what would happen if she failed to complete her mission.
Elise's mind was racing. She was clearly the Grand Duchess who also appeared in the latter half of "The Fallen Lover." She shouldn't have been seriously injured or killed. But what if Mary hadn't been found in prison? Would there have been someone else who could have rescued her?
The conclusion was 'no'.
'It means that the story can go wrong in places you can't see.'
If we were to be that picky, we couldn't know what consequences going to the system would have on <Fallen Lovers>.
'I need to save my body as much as possible and rescue the mid-zone investigators first.'
If they, like Mary, possessed special abilities, they would undoubtedly be of help in their future endeavors. After a brief moment of mumbling these thoughts, Elise quickly fell into a deep sleep.
***
The sensation of the needle digging into her flesh was particularly eerie.
'Cain.'
[You'll feel better soon, Elise.]
A sweet scent wafted past her nose. Elise glared at him, trying to gather her hazy mind. Natural tears welled up in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.
'Cain...'
[I'll follow you soon.]
He whispered in her ear and kissed her eyes. Even at this moment, the soft, melting smile he used to give her when reassuring her was on his lips.
'Cain...!'
Good night, my Elise.
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