What…? When he saw that, she also felt like her face was being opened for no reason. Feeling somewhat embarrassed and wanting to get over the situation quickly, she brought up another topic.
“…Anyway, let’s talk about the hunting competition again. So what is the exact schedule?”
“It has been decided that it will be held exactly two weeks from now.”
“Two weeks is really not long. But, is there any problem with preparing?”
“It’s almost done, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Well, that’s a relief. No, wait a minute.”
“What?”
She mentioned it once before, but it continued to be a bit annoying, so she decided to say it again.
“How long are you going to call me ‘you’? Isn’t it time you started calling me by my name?”
‘Don’t you still feel like what you’re doing is calling a dog?’
“I’m not even a dog, Duke.”
When I urged him a few more times, the duke let out a small sigh and replied, “…Yes, if I get the chance.”
Was he that embarrassed to call her name? Although it was disappointing, she nodded, wondering where she had heard at least this much of an answer.
“…Well, I understand. I hope you feel like it soon.”
“Is it worth training more than that?”
It was an operation that was noticeable enough to change his words, but he decided to ignore it.
“Yes. It’s worth it. Although my wrists feel a little numb.”
She showed the Duke her guarded hand.
“Miriel gave it to me to wear it for a while and live with it. It definitely seemed to be a bit easier with the brace on.”
“…He gave you a protector? Also directly?”
“Yes. Why?”
“What did he say when he gave it to you?”
“He just said my wrist was like a twig and it would be better if I pinched it… What’s the problem?”
“What else?”
She didn’t really understand why the duke kept asking so persistently, but she answered first.
“When I asked him if he was deliberately providing him with protective gear, he said that it was just a provision for the knights and that it didn’t mean much.”
“…ha.”
The duke let out an incredulous breath and brushed his hair back. She didn’t know why, so she just blinked.
“Why are you doing that?”
Instead of answering, the duke just kept his mouth shut and frowned. What on earth made him feel bad? It means so much to him that Miriel gave her the protector.
At that time, the Duke made an unexpected noise.
“Change the training instructor to another knight.”
“Huh? So suddenly?”
“Anyway, let’s go out knowing that.”
She glared at the duke, who was glaring towards the door. She was adapting well and learning, but it’s like a thunderbolt.
“Why are you suddenly doing this? If you’re going to change someone other than Miriel into a teacher, I can’t take a single step from here.”
“Are you saying you’re not going to get out of here?”
“Yes. I will never leave.”
She didn’t know why he was being grumpy again, but this time she had no intention of backing down. As she continued to glare at the duke, he suddenly got up from the sofa.
“Then it stayed like that?”
After saying that, he just walked to the desk.
Huh? She looked at the duke from a distance, feeling embarrassed. The duke began to do his business whether she was watching him or not.
“Huh, bear with me…”
She was astounded by the absurdity of this situation itself. What on earth was that doing now? She really couldn’t understand his strange stubbornness. It wouldn’t be frustrating if you at least told me the reason. She glared at the duke one more time, then pulled the string on the ceiling and called his attendant. If the Duke shows up like that, she would respond in the same way.
“Did you call me?”
“Please bring me a blanket to cover me with.”
“All right.”
As the servant went out, she felt eyes on her from behind. It’s obvious at first glance. She deliberately didn’t even look at him and just looked straight ahead. Eventually, the servant came back with a thick blanket. She sat back completely on the sofa, covered her stomach with a blanket, and closed her eyes. Since she said she wouldn’t go out, she thought she would just shut up for a while. Although she felt shameless, it was nothing compared to the duke’s grumpiness.
About ten minutes had passed since they sat down firmly, determined to see who would win. A huge yawn poured out. She didn’t expect that she would really fall asleep, but she never thought there would be so many monsters flocking to her. It was especially strange that it was not a bedroom but an office. In her ear, the sound of a fountain pen crunching sounded distant and then closer. Even though she was in the same space as the Duke, she felt comfortable rather than uncomfortable. It was a moment when the scenery in front of her eyes flickered repeatedly, as if she was losing consciousness. A cool yet familiar scent reached the tip of her nose. She wanted to open her eyes, but it was difficult because her eyelids were weighing heavily. Her body was also drooping so low that she couldn’t even stand it.
She opened her mouth to make a sound, but all that came out was a small breath.
“…ah.”
It was low and dry, but it tickled the soft side of her neck. She couldn’t really hear what the sound was saying. The letters sounded intermittent and interrupted.
“…ah.”
She thought it sounded like a familiar word. It’s something she was really familiar with and had heard often… Strangely, hearing a voice spitting out an unknown word made her even more anxious. The corners of her mouth relaxed without her even realizing it, as she felt uneasy.
Just before consciousness completely subsides. She felt like she felt a cool, yet smooth sensation on her cheek.
* * *
“Ugh, Elia…”
A small whining sound tickled her ears. The heavy eyelids gradually became lighter and slowly opened. Blinking, she opened and closed her eyes several times and soon came to her senses.
‘Oh, this is a child’s room…’
She looked up at the familiar ceiling and then looked away. The child’s face was right in front of her nose. The neat eyelashes were tightly closed. She unconsciously touched her cheek, where her breast flesh had not completely disappeared, and figured out the situation. She was clearly in the office before she fell asleep, but when she opened her eyes and saw that it was a child’s room, it seemed like someone had moved her. Perhaps it was the Duke who moved her.
While thinking vaguely, she checked the clock hanging on the wall. It was dawn and the sun had not yet risen. She looked at the tightly closed curtain and carefully got up. She quietly walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. A dim moon was rising in the sky. The moon, which was a little short of a full moon, was obscured by clouds and appeared blurry. Without thinking, she just took the moon into her field of vision because she could see it. However…
“…”
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her fingertips. Without a moment to panic, the pain in her fingertips spread throughout her entire body. The pain that took over even her head made her moan out loud.
“…Ugh, my head…”
Her head felt like it was about to break. She was delirious from the pain of being completely shattered and crushed. Her body was curled up in agony, and she let out a deep breath as the pain suddenly disappeared.
“Huh!”
Her bitter gastric juices poured out of her mouth and onto the floor. She poured out a few more gastric juices and wiped the corner of her mouth.
“Huh…”
‘Why on earth is this pain all of a sudden…’
It was when she unconsciously lifted her head, cupping her trembling fingertips. Her eyes widened as the sight came into view. The color of the moon, which had been golden, had suddenly turned red. She closed her eyes and opened them, but the moon was still red. She tried to trace the glass of the window with her finger just in case, but the red light was still there.
‘What on earth is that? Why is the moon red?’
She got up with her back against the wall, opened the door in the corner, and went out to the balcony. The cold air stung her skin sharply, but all she could see was the red moon.
An ominous sign.
This was definitely not a good phenomenon. She felt it clearly throughout her body. A qualitative yet unpleasant sensation flowed through her entire body. Someone needed to be called. She had to say that the moon had turned red…
‘Wait, a red moon?’
Suddenly, a sentence passed through her head and she took a deep breath.
[It was recorded in the ancient book that the sign of Pezetion’s divine power weakening was when the golden moon turned red.]
In <Ladiana>, passages about God appeared strangely often. Even though it had nothing to do with the main characters, it was like that. Why did she only realize this was strange now?
“…weakened strength, feathers, birds.”
Recently, when she went to a temple, she felt that the energy flowing from the stone statue was weakening. And at that moment, white feathers, some of which were blackened, were found on the floor. It was clear that the situation I was experiencing now had something to do with the ancient Neophegetion. But she knew nothing about her connection to Pezetion. What on earth was it related to?
“…Let’s think about it step by step from the beginning.”
She began to list in her head the questions she had and the facts she had discovered so far. The central chapel of the Rubir Temple is a prayer room where only the stone statues and priests could enter. High Priest Loud, who did not feel any sacred energy. The Marquis of Dior visits the Temple of Louvirs without missing a single day. And she was drawn to the terrible scene and white bird that she saw in the forest where the magic was cast to bind the relationship between the two, and she saw that scene.
Her body was experiencing other abnormal phenomena while magic did not work. A high priest who doubts that it was he who received direct protection from God. Strangely enough, the marquis shows a secret interest in her. Was the reason why the Marquis keeps trying to destroy the dukedom simply because of power?
“No.”
She shook her head. What if there was some other reason, and she was the one standing in the way of taking down the Duke’s family? Most of the traces of what the Marquis had done to the Duke’s house had been revealed since she came to the Duke’s house. What was certain was that her presence was helpful to the duke. What if there was a reason why the duke and she had to be together, and their relationship was created artificially because of that? She felt like things were gradually coming together.
Without hesitation, she walked to the dresser next to the bed. She took out the pendant necklace that was kept inside. And she checked the feathers. The black marks had become a little darker. The moment she confirmed it, what had vaguely occurred to her became colored with certainty. What she had to do from now on was to prevent the power of the Phezetion from weakening any further.
* * *
“We are ready.”
Sarah, who had finished dressing up with the maids, spoke to her. Shechecked her appearance in the front-facing full-length mirror. Today was finally the day the hunting competition opened.
Befitting the location of the hunting competition, the attire was neat and not flashy. While she was looking at the slightly wide-brimmed hat and the robe draped over her shoulders, she heard a knock on the door. There was a knock on the middle door, and it sounded like a child.
“Yes, Lian.”
[Elia, are you ready? Can I come in?]
“Yes, I’m done. You can come in.”
Soon the door opened and the child stuck his face out through it.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on March, 17.
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