Presepe slowly raised her head.
Then, she looked back at Fenrir, who was quietly staring at her.
"..."
Fenrir's gaze toward her was no different than usual. She still couldn't guess what he was thinking or what was on his mind.
So she felt even more anxious. Because it seemed like the only source of comfort in this damn game was going to abandon her.
Whether he knew her feelings or not, Fenrir quietly took a step with his mouth still closed. Then, he approached Presepe, who was sitting on a low bed, knelt on one knee in front of her, and carefully cupped her clear cheek.
"Why the long face?"
"..."
“Are you hurt?”
Presepe shook her head instead of answering.
"You look just like someone who has committed a grave sin."
Well, in some ways, she did commit a sin.
"How did you get to the Forbidden Forest? It must have been dangerous."
"There is a side path to the west of the village..."
Presepe parted her lips in a low voice.
"No, I found something that looked like my father's at my mother's house."
What she soon pulled out of her dress was Nidhogg's scales.
"Isn't that a dragon's scale?"
There was no way Fenrir, who had faced monsters many times, would fail to recognize it. Fenrir narrowed his eyes slightly and looked down at Nidhogg's scales.
But I was told that side path was under control, so how on earth was he able to get here? Could it even be because monster blood flows through Presepe?
Quite a few thoughts flashed through Fenrir's mind one after another, but he did not bother to voice them.
Because Presepe in front of him was wearing such a sinful expression.
"I heard that just before my mother became a royal concubine, she was found unconscious near that side path."
“Because?”
"I thought I might be able to find a clue..."
Wouldn't it be good to talk about Vidar?
It was not that she hadn't thought about it, but given that she was already under suspicion, it would have been foolish to say that she had received help from a suspicious demon that anyone could see was suspicious.
Furthermore, regarding the question of how she safely made it to the monster's umbilical cord, she had a plausible excuse.
"Since the monsters wouldn't have attacked Lady Presepe like they did earlier, I suppose you were able to come without much difficulty."
Right, that's exactly it.
"And Siegfried..."
In any case, Fenrir couldn't possibly be unaware of what had happened to Siegfried. There were quite a few witnesses alone, so he must have already heard about it.
“Siegfried..."
She wanted to come up with some plausible excuse, but unfortunately, she had nothing to offer regarding this matter.
So, Presepe bowed her head, trailing off her words as if she were a person who had committed a great sin, just as Fenrir had said.
Fenrir said nothing. He did not answer her, nor did he pry into anything.
He simply held Presepe in his arms quietly.
"..."
Presepe flinched at the sudden hug, but she did not push him away.
"Anyway, the Knight Commander did not die."
Even if Presepe hadn't done such a thing in the first place, he was a man who should have died by his hand anyway.
"Besides, anyone is bound to be startled upon seeing such a multitude of monsters. Also, it has absolutely nothing to do with Lady Presepe, so there is no need to worry about it."
And Fenrir knew it well.
Presepe's act of mercilessly trampling on Siegfried's hand as he hung precariously from the cliff was, in fact, entirely unrelated to her own will.
Of course, even if Presepe was right, it wouldn't have been surprising. It was because he knew exactly how much Presepe had struggled to defeat Siegfried in the previous episode.
"Just in case, I am telling you this: even if Lady Presepe has the bloodline of a monster, and even if you were the only one not attacked by monsters, it does not matter to me."
Fenrir gently patted Presepe's back and said.
"What is important to me are not such trivial matters."
If the father of a person who was stripped of her status as a Princess and banished after her corruption was exposed is a monster, or even a dragon, then what is important?
As if he had read her mind, Fenrir continued speaking.
"I'm sure I told you this repeatedly last time. Your safety, Lady Presepe, is my top priority."
"..."
"Since Lady Presepe was unharmed, that is all that matters. Whatever happened."
If someone else—that is, the five male characters she had pursued so far—had said this, she would definitely have laughed at them.
She asked where they got the nerve to say such useless things, saying that she knew all their dark intentions.
But it wasn't Fenrir. He was someone who always protected her with all his heart no matter what happened, and, as he himself said, he was the only one who cared only about her safety in any situation.
So she can trust it.
Without any doubt.
"...Thank you."
Presepe, who was in Fenrir's arms, slowly buried her face in his chest.
This time, Fenrir hesitated, but he, too, did not push Presepe away, just as Presepe had done earlier.
"..."
A multitude of emotions were evident on Presepe's face as she tightly embraced Fenrir.
"Then, can you promise me, Lady Presepe, as well?"
"What?"
"I said that from now on, you would not hide anything."
Even though they had that conversation, she felt sorry and guilty that she couldn't honestly tell Fenrir everything.
It might not have been simply because she had a secret all to herself.
Perhaps it was because she knew how sincere Fenrir was toward her, and she also knew that she genuinely cherished Fenrir.
However, even now, Fenrir’s embrace as he held Presepe, who had no choice but to hide her secret, was so warm and affectionate.
If only she could be comfortable in this embrace without looking for another male lead.
If that were possible, wouldn't it be better...
"Rumors are spreading again that Grand Duke Fenrir actually has ulterior motives toward you."
At that moment, what brushed past Presepe's ears as he embraced Fenrir was Vidar's voice.
"It’s not entirely baseless speculation. Otherwise, would he have dared to bring you here, even going against the Emperor's will?"
...Is it really true?
Is that really how Grand Duke Fenrir feels towards me?
Then I...?
"Lady Presepe?"
Presepe slowly pulled away from him. Fenrir looked down at her with a puzzled expression.
"..."
Presepe just stared silently at her face reflected in Fenrir's red eyes. Trapped in his pupils, her cheeks were turning a faint red.
'Even so, what can I possibly do...'
Anyway, she wanted to get out of the game. Because that was the only way she could return to the real world.
However, it also meant a permanent farewell to Fenrir.
She probably won't be able to see him again once she leaves the game. Since he was originally nothing more than a random NPC not even registered in the system, even if she were to play the game again in reality, there would be no way to see Fenrir anywhere.
She wondered what Grand Duke Fenrir would be like after she left.
Since she had not Presepe anyway, would the real Presepe, who had returned to her original settings, be this kind to him too, just like he was to her?
She couldn't figure it out.
"Wound..."
Presepe lowered her gaze and looked down at Fenrir's chest revealed through his shirt, saying.
“I will treat you.”
There were no major injuries, but there were many minor wounds sustained while fighting monsters.
She wanted to at least provide treatment.
Because that is the only thing she can do for Fenrir right now.
“Please take it off.”
Fenrir nodded briefly and took off his shirt without any resistance.
Next to it were medicinal herbs, hot water, and bandages. Malea had packed them for her in a state of utter shock.
Presepe reached out and dipped a clean towel into the water.
Then, she began to wipe Fenrir's bare skin with it.
Every time their skin brushed against each other, Fenrir bit his lip slightly as if trying to endure the stimulation, but Presepe did not notice.
***
The Forbidden Forest was silent, as if monsters had never suddenly emerged and waged a slaughter.
"..."
Vidar's footsteps as he walked through the forest were incredibly light. He passed by the corpses of the Knights, fragments of monsters, and red puddles of blood as if nothing had happened.
The place where Vidar’s footsteps led him was a very quiet place where no life could be found, and no sound could be heard.
Cave of silence.
What people said was right.
To the west of the Forbidden Forest lived the Demon King.
It has now become a thing of the past, but that was the case.
"..."
Eventually, long, white fingers swept down the cave wall filled with unknown marks.
Whether it was a few years, a few decades, or a few hundred years.
They were things that marked units of time that he could no longer even remember, like prisoners locked up in a prison.
"It's been a long time since I've been here, but nothing has changed."
It's so annoying.
Vidar muttered while gazing at the foggy cave, then snickered into the chilling daylight. He then looked back at his home, where he had spent thousands of years.
Literally, it was his first time coming home in a very long time.
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