However,
“Princess!”
Instead of Redian, who I had called for, other guys appeared this time.
“…Wow, as expected of our Princess.”
It was Francis, who was startled, and Vallentin who expressed admiration in the garden.
“What if you sprained your ankle? Come down, please?”
Seeing their anxious gazes made me certain again.
Why didn’t I notice? Whether it was the devils who were said to devour human souls or the Norma who were called monsters… They don’t deserve this much attention as supporting characters.
Hints about my true identity were scattered everywhere.
What’s the big deal with just this much? Besides, it wasn’t even a height worth making a fuss over.
Why did all these men gather for something so trivial? The excessive presence felt more annoying than uncomfortable.
“Francis.”
“Yes, Princess.”
The more this happened, the more I needed to stay focused.
“I didn’t push you to be the strategist of the crown prince for this.”
“…”
Francis, who had run over at my call, pressed his lips together.
“Even if Inein refused my request,”
Inein’s betrayal didn’t particularly surprise me. It was my mistake to think favorably of Inein.
“You shouldn’t be doing this to me, should you?”
But what about that man? I had just raised and taught him with my own hands, and now he had switched completely to Redian?
“You said our relationship was based on a contract, nothing more.” Francis slowly raised his head and answered. “If you think of us as just that, we have no reason to be sincerely loyal to you.”
“That’s right.” Vallentin’s voice echoed from the garden at the same time. “We were just your toys, weren’t we? You kept us around because you were bored.”
“…What?”
I felt like my head was spinning for the first time in a while.
Toys? Tooooys? I hadn’t expected to handle their bad temper easily, but I never thought I’d hear something like this.
“Who in their right mind would spend so much money and effort on just mere toys?” I was so taken aback that I didn’t even realize I was standing on the windowsill. “If I really thought of you as mere toys, I wouldn’t have come this far. There’d be no reason for all that chaos.”
“…”
“Is there even a toy that gets treated like that? Ha, I wish I could be treated like that too.”
I didn’t even realize I was talking more than usual.
“Real toys would at least sit quietly, so what are you?”
Until I noticed Francis giving a slight smile instead of answering.
What, is he laughing?
Even Vallentin openly smiled, and Inein’s lips twitched.
“So you were upset with us.” Vallentin, who had been smiling innocently, added.
Upset? Who? Me?
“You should have told us. That you’re upset and hurt, so don’t betray you.”
“…Are you crazy?”
As I wondered what kind of reaction this was,
Wait. Come to think of it, this side of me was unfamiliar even to myself. Having lived through countless situations over a long time, I wasn’t used to emotional turbulence. Ignoring barking dogs or hiding my feelings even when hurt was my norm.
What’s going on with me? From their perspective, this emotional side of me must be a first.
Has something changed? I had to press down on my chest, where the vivid emotions were welling up.
“Now that we understand Princess’s feelings, please come down.”
“It was a touching confession. Sometimes, it’s nice to share our inner thoughts like this.”
Realizing I was making a high-altitude confession instead of jumping, it became clear. That they were deliberately provoking me. I really raised a bunch of wolf cubs.
There was no need to distinguish between Norma and devils. All these guys surrounding me were evil spirits with nothing but a flashy appearance! In that case, I had no choice but to show them what I was made of.
“By the way, there’s one thing I forgot to mention.”
As they took a step closer to me.
“Princess!”
“Whoa, whoa!”
When I let go of the window sill, I saw their expressions contort again.
“I always said this when you served me as your master.”
“…”
“Now that you have a new master, this no longer applies to you.”
Then, I extended my remaining foot into the air. If not for my perfect sense of balance, my body would have already wobbled and fallen. Well, it wasn’t really a problem. Even if I fell, I could land with a mid-air spin.
“So whether you die for your new master or not, it’s none of my business.”
“Princess!”
“…Princess, whoa!”
As I pondered how to fall more dramatically and lift my remaining foot,
“Master.”
Finally, a voice I had been waiting for came from quite close.
“Come down.”
However,
“If I had known you would wake up, I wouldn’t have gone out today.”
Why was he coming from there?
“I was wrong. Please forgive me.”
Redian walked out not from the outside but from inside my bedroom, or rather, the room I was confined in.
“Please come down.”
Judging by his attire, it seemed like he had come straight from his office in the crown prince’s place. It didn’t look like he used a magic circle, so how…?
“Where did you come from just now?”
Maybe I could find the exit of this room through Redian.
“The shackle.”
“What?”
“The shackle between Master and me.”
I then looked at the ring in my hand.
“You didn’t forget, did you? It’s the one Master gave me.”
I had confirmed that this supernatural ability to come to each other’s side didn’t work within the imperial palace. It seems he put it back on.
With Redian’s appearance, the surroundings fell silent as if frozen.
“You kept leaving it behind…”
Though his smile was soft, the pressure was incomparable to that of anyone else there.
“So I put it on myself.”
In an instant, I understood his words perfectly. Is this thing impossible to take off? The ring clung tightly to my finger and wouldn’t come off.
“You…”
“I have many ways to keep you by my side, Master.” Redian was now standing close in front of me. “But I want you to stay by my side by your own will.”
“…”
When the wind brushed his silver hair, the eyes that looked at me were revealed.
“You can go anywhere and do anything you want… just stay where I can see and hold you.”
He extended his hand toward me as if hoping I would take it and come down myself.
“Even if all this is mine, I belong to you…”
His whisper was gentle but carried a peculiar strength.
“Ultimately, everything I have is yours, Master.”
So, it was clear that both he and I had changed in some way.
“If you’re angry, you can punish me instead. Just come down.”
“…”
His disheveled shirt collar was endearing, but I still felt slightly annoyed.
Should I jump or not? As I glanced down,
“If it bothers you, I’ll remove it.”
Redian, following my gaze, moved quickly.
“Keugh!”
Someone below, playing with flowers, was thrown to the ground, clutching his throat.
Oh dear, what did he do wrong? He seemed to be one of the devils playing with the flowers.
“Who else bothers you?”
While Redian was always gentle and careful with me, he was excessively ruthless otherwise. The chilling aura from that gap froze the surroundings again.
You, it’s you. You’re the most bothersome. I wanted to say that, but…
“Master, come to me.”
The sunlight made Redian’s eyes looking up at me glint red.
“I’ll take any punishment.”
Even as he reached out to me, his fingertips trembled, unable to actually touch me.
“You know how much I…”
At that moment, our eyes met in the air.
“Love you.”
Seeing Redian, who no longer hid his feelings, made me feel an inexplicable emotion.
“…What on earth are you?”
Redian, who would harm himself at my words but couldn’t easily lay a finger on me.
“Master.”
Though he could forcefully pull me down, he reached out with trembling hands, waiting for me.
“Well, fine.”
My weak Lucifer.
“Then I’ll make you take the punishment on behalf of everyone.”
In the end, he made it so I had no choice but to hold his hand.
“Of course.”
He made me open the door and sleep in his arms…
“You can punish me all night long.”
My cunning Rere.
‘Lovers’ quarrel.’
I had to pretend I didn’t hear Raphiel’s voice whispering in my ear at that moment.
* * *
Although it was broad daylight, all the lights were on in Grand Duchy Benio. Yet the darkness peeking through the cracks was cold and eerie.
What on earth is happening? The grand duke, who had been quietly staring at the interior, creaked the door open and stepped in.
“Ash, are you alright?”
“…Father.”
Ash’s nightmares had intensified recently. It had been frequent since childhood, so no one paid much attention.
“I didn’t know you were still having nightmares.” The grand duke said, surveying the dark room.
Normally, the grand duke would have clicked his tongue at seeing Ash bedridden from mere nightmares, but not anymore. He knew better than anyone that Ash’s condition had been unusual lately.
“Why is your hand…” The grand duke noticed the bandages on Ash’s hand.
“Ah, I went to the Sea of Ananke, Father.”
“The Sea of Ananke?”
“Yes. You need a blood oath to open its gate.”
The grand duke’s expression hardened.
“You’re not still dreaming, are you? The crown prince has already been chosen.”
Though the grand duke found it disgusting to say it himself, he had no choice. The reality was reality.
“Since you don’t have the goddess’s favor, it’s impossible to be recognized as the crown prince from that lake.”
“…”
“But don’t be discouraged. There are many other ways.” The grand duke smiled faintly.
If only those chosen by the goddess could have Meteora, then all they needed was to overthrow the goddess.
“I didn’t go there to become the crown prince. The Sea of Ananke is where all answers lie dormant, so I had something to ask…” Still seemingly lost in the sea’s afterimage, Ash answered with a distant look.
“Something to ask?”
“I’ve always been curious about the nature of recurring nightmares since childhood. That’s why I went.”
Seeing Ash, almost as if he had lost his mind, the grand duke clicked his tongue. To think his son wasn’t even considering how to claim the position of the crown prince.
“Judging by the nonsense you’re spouting, it seems your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
After days and nights of being holed up in the room, all he came up with was that…
“There will be a very important event soon, so once you come to your senses, come find me.” Suppressing his anger, the grand duke turned and left.
“Were you uncomfortable?”
Ash opened the wardrobe to reveal a black bird curled up. It was born from his fallen blood when he cut his palm to open the Sea of Ananke.
“Eat well, Amon.”
Ash decided to call the black bird that drank his blood Amon.
“So that I can bring my goddess back to my side.”
Using the name Siani had called him in the dream…
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