Chapter 69

“……”

I couldn’t even be bothered to point out the maid’s mistake anymore.

I shouldn’t have come to the palace in the first place.

I was practically dragged here—thanks to that stubborn attendant who refused to budge unless I got in the carriage.

I only gave in because Potato looked like he was about to lunge at the guy after I got snappy with him…

‘I should’ve known—like emperor, like attendant. Maybe Potato’s agitation was all part of the emperor’s scheme too.’

The same attendant who brought me here was still hanging around, grinning and observing me a little too closely.

I didn’t like the look in his eyes, but I couldn’t exactly tell him to leave—not when I had no one on my side here.

The spot where the maid had pricked me still stung.

It wasn’t anything serious—just a drop of blood—but it was enough to put my nerves on edge.

“Let’s just finish this quickly.”

“If we rush things, it’ll only tarnish the hero’s reputation.”

Is that how everyone in the palace talks?

Disguised warnings, pretending to be concern.

“Why do you keep dragging this out?”

“Perish the thought.”

Even as she replied, the maid stalled.

She fussed over which accessory would look better, dragging things out deliberately.

Suppressing a sigh, I glanced at the message that appeared.

Your Hero
is feeling annoyed.

Thank goodness. Aside from irritation and weariness, no other thoughts were surfacing from Adam.

It didn’t seem like anyone had tried anything against him in public—at least not yet.

Still, I couldn’t help but worry about him, alone in enemy territory.

Your one true god
worries for you.

“……”

That didn’t mean send me immediately, though!

* * *

Currently, Adam found himself dragged into the imperial ball.

He had come on his own feet, yes—but “dragged” was still the right word.

He absolutely hadn’t wanted to be here.

If it hadn’t been for that letter from the palace, he wouldn’t have stepped foot anywhere near this place.

The invitation hadn’t just been addressed to him.

‘Why is the emperor so interested in Eveline?’

He’d refused when they asked him to bring her, and in doing so, had endured the emperor’s petty tantrums in full.

Though the emperor looked as if he wanted to cut Adam to pieces right then and there, he didn’t dare actually lay a finger on him.

He couldn’t dirty his own hands.

Even a child could guess who would be blamed if a hero died inside the palace.

Not that Adam had any intention of letting himself be taken down so easily.

How could an emperor—who had probably only ever held a sword a handful of times in his life—possibly kill him?

The man had once sent his prized royal knight into Mia’s Forest… and never saw him again.

‘So he changed targets to Eveline instead.’

It wasn’t good.

If he ignored it, the threats toward her would only grow worse. And so, Adam came to the imperial ball alone.

The invitation stated noon, yet no one was there when he arrived.

Eventually, only a single attendant approached him.

“The preparations for the ball aren’t complete yet. His Majesty asks that you wait here for now.”

“…Ha.”

Adam let out a faint laugh.

The emperor’s petty games were becoming more laughable by the day.

The attendant flinched slightly at Adam’s reaction, as if shocked that someone would dare to laugh in the emperor’s face.

Adam swallowed the rest of his amusement and said,

“Tell him I understand.”

“Yes, sir.”

Time passed. Gradually, people began to trickle into the hall.

At first, some nobles tried to make conversation. But the high-ranking ones eventually began avoiding him altogether.

They all knew: Adam had fallen out of favor with the emperor.

The whispers traveled quickly—he was the hero who had incurred the emperor’s wrath, and hadn’t even been granted a proper title.

Adam didn’t care what they did or said. He simply waited for the hours to pass.

He was more relieved than ever that he hadn’t brought Eveline.

He could endure the insults thrown at him. But if they had been directed at her…

‘Emperor… what am I going to do with you…’

And then, his eyes widened.

He saw someone who should not be here.

Like a treasured item carefully hidden away in a drawer so no one would steal it, he had told her to stay at the Demon King’s castle.

“Eve? Why are you here?”

Their eyes met.

She looked surprised too—no, more accurately, she looked startled by his reaction.

“…Huh? The Hero summoned me. A carriage came, so I assumed it was urgent…”

As he repeated her words back to her, Eveline muttered, “Ah, I knew it…”

Adam quickly steadied his expression and asked,

“Who came to fetch you?”

Eveline wasn’t the kind of person to come to the palace ball of her own free will.

She knew, from past experience, that Adam and the emperor weren’t on good terms.

She had harbored a faint hostility toward the emperor from the start—he hadn’t emphasized it, but she had picked up on it.

‘Now that I think about it… why her?’

The fact that the emperor had tormented him wasn’t something he had ever spoken aloud.

No—it was a memory erased from the past. Even he wasn’t supposed to remember it.

There had been a time, long ago, when Adam killed the Demon King while his companions were still alive.

But what awaited the hero and his comrades, having spent all their strength to win that battle… were the emperor’s arrows.

Hiding in the forest, drained of power, the party had been defenseless as imperial soldiers rained death upon them.

Adam had survived the arrowstorm.

But his companions were already cold bodies.

“Why would he do something like this?”

“Because that’s what he desires.”

He could still feel the presence of the god.

But no answer ever came.

Adam stood alone in the Demon King’s castle, thinking—

‘If I die here, will I go back?’

So he stabbed himself.

And one morning, he awoke again.

And again.

And again.

It felt like no matter how many times he started over, the emperor was fated to destroy him.

But this time was different.

That was what Adam told himself. That the anger boiling inside him was his alone to bear.

After all, even if he explained it, no one could understand. It was a forgotten past, erased from all but one soul.

Yet Eveline seemed to understand.

As if she knew that long-lost, god-hidden past.

‘Or maybe… someone connected to the high priest who knows my origins…’

In truth, he had long suspected something was off about Eveline.

Her actions, little by little, felt unnatural.

And yet, he didn’t want to dig into her truths. He didn’t want to doubt her.

So he ignored it on purpose.

Even now, Adam’s eyes swept over Eveline, not searching for the truth, but for any signs that she had been harmed.

More than suspicion, he feared the emperor might have hurt her for being associated with him.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine. Really, Hero.”

He knew how cruel the emperor could be.

How easily he’d use and abuse even a child if it meant personal gain.

That was why Adam had tried so hard to keep Eveline hidden from him.

But today, he had failed.

The very fact that the emperor invited her meant he was already aware of her.

If he could no longer hide her—then he would protect her.

‘Or… remove her from my side entirely.’

He couldn’t let her meet the same fate as those other ‘comrades,’ who had died simply for being near him.

But he kept that last resort to himself.

Because he didn’t want to let her go.

Even though he knew that made him selfish, he still couldn’t bring himself to be the one to let go first.

Without realizing it, Adam gripped her hand tightly.

And when Eveline let out a small “Ah,” he flinched and loosened his grip.

“…I’m sorry, Eve.”

Knowing he hadn’t meant to hurt her, Eveline shook her head, as if to say she was fine.

But Adam’s nerves remained frayed. His worry hadn’t faded.

“…By the way, how did you end up here? Don’t tell me—was it the royal knight we met at the hunting tournament?”