“Ah… um, it’s a messy and long story… Honestly, it’s not something that would be pleasant for you to hear, Young Duke.”
“No matter how long it is, or how trivial the content may seem, I’ll listen to the end…..”
Ludger’s long fingers slowly brushed beneath my eyes.
“So please, do as you feel comfortable, Captain.”
I remembered the last time when Ludger had touched my face with the same concern, just as he was doing now.
It was the moment I had confessed that I was being pressured into marriage due to family matters.
“…Your Highness?”
“You look like you’re about to cry.”
“I’m not crying! I’m not some little kid or anything…..”
“……”
“…Did I, um, really look like I was about to cry?”
“Mm.”
“I’m sorry for making you worry…”
“There’s nothing to apologize for, and you haven’t done anything wrong in the first place.”
“……”
“Didn’t I tell you before? Take care of yourself. Cherish yourself. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
He smiled faintly, as if trying to put me at ease. I nodded slowly and took a step back. The closeness between us made it difficult to calm my racing heart.
“Well….. I do think it’s best that you know the whole story, Your Highness, so I’ll explain it.”
“Alright.”
“However, I don’t think this is the right time or a place to talk about it…. Would it be alright if we discussed it later, in private?”
“Do as you feel comfortable. Even if you decide later that you don’t want to, I don’t mind.”
“……”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve kept you for too long. You’re a busy person. You must have stayed up all night, aren’t you tired?”
“This much is just a regular occurrence. But Young Duke, are you alright?”
“I… had a peaceful night.”
I gave a bitter smile, realizing he had let his guard down for a moment.
“That’s good. I don’t think the Young Duke had anything to do with the commotion yesterday.”
“Yes, it wasn’t as difficult as it was for you.”
Ludger gently took hold of my right hand.
“I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
“Yes. This time, I didn’t use the blue sword energy, but my swordsmanship improved thanks to the sword you gifted me.”
“I see. I’m glad it was a helpful gift.”
“I’m the one who should thank you again.”
“You’re not planning on returning it, are you?”
His eyes curved mischievously, as though he was hinting at something deeper. Perhaps he meant I might be reconsidering our engagement.
Now that it was proven that Ludger was not a terrorist, and the Silver Magnolia Branch had safely reached the Royal Palace.
I felt like… I could trust him.
At least enough to proceed with the engagement.
“Of course. Young Duke, you absolutely can’t back out now.”
“I would never do such a foolish thing.”
For a moment, my heart skipped a beat, but I quickly calmed myself. Right, Ludger said he had his own gains from the engagement, just as I did. I couldn’t allow myself to be swayed by the sweet words of a man with secrets.
“Ahem, ahem. Anyway, I’ll continue to use the sword well in the future.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, and I’ll make sure to keep the ring on as well!”
“Yes, yes.”
I was being quite sincere, but Ludger responded casually and crossed his arms. He was wearing his ring again today…
“Anyway, I’m just glad you’re safe. Not that I doubt your abilities, of course. But there have been times when you’ve collapsed before, so I can’t help but worry.”
“…I’m reflecting on what happened back then, too.”
“Good. If it had been Captain Clara who collapsed this time instead of Gustav Mayr, I might’ve seriously wanted to lock you up somewhere.”
“……That’s a bit terrifying.”
“I’m not joking. I mean it.”
I let out a small laugh at Ludger’s words.
“Well, it was partly thanks to Heilbronner. The number of demonic creatures I had to fight was cut in half, after all.”
“……”
“I know it might seem pathetic for a knight to admit that.”
“It’s not pathetic.”
Ludger’s hand covered mine gently.
“In a situation where the command centre, which was responsible for everything, collapsed, you managed to handle everything without any casualties, Captain. You even managed to capture the mastermind.”
“……”
“Don’t try to shoulder everything alone. There’s a limit to what one person can do.”
“But… aren’t you the one doing exactly that, Young Duke?”
Heilbronner, the Phantom Thief, was a lone criminal after all.
I still didn’t know his true goal… but I could faintly sense that Ludger was acting according to his own convictions.
That is exactly what it means to ‘live a life shouldering everything alone’.
Maybe he hadn’t expected my counter. Ludger blinked, eyes wide for a moment, then let out a small laugh.
“That’s different. I only act within the limits of what I can handle.”
“….Is that so?”
“Yes. I’ve lived my life with great care. I know my limits.”
“You are still worried about that collapse that happened a long time…..”
“I just want to remind you regularly.”
“I’ll handle my duties with health and safety as top priorities, so you can stop worrying.”
I pulled my hand out of his, as if trying to break the awkward atmosphere. As expected, talking to Ludger always made me feel strange.
“Anyway, you should head back now. As for the engagement and everything… Once things settle down, we’ll have a proper conversation about it.”
“Okay. Contact me once you have some free time.”
“Yes.”
I took the documents Ludger handed me.
“You could have just asked a subordinate to deliver these, but you came all the way here yourself. It must have been tiring.”
“Well, that’s because I wanted to see you.”
“Pl, please stop joking around…..”
“I’m always serious.”
“……”
“Then, until next time.”
Ludger pressed his lips softly against the back of my hand before stepping aside with a graceful movement. Of course, I didn’t feel grateful at all.
As soon as he closed the door and left, I smacked my head against the wall with a thud.
‘Seriously, I’m a guilty human being..…’
Calm down. Calm down. Even if it’s fake, an engagement is still an engagement. I just have to get used to it.
Instead of dwelling on Ludger’s every move, I should focus on getting my work done. Yeah, I need to get things done. Just thinking that made me snap back to reality in an instant. Yep.
I picked up the communication stone and requested the handover tasks from the Sapphire Knights. When I looked up, I realized that somehow, I was no longer feeling down.
Whenever I got entangled with Gustav and recalled the past, the lingering feelings used to stay with me for quite a while.
‘…It must be thanks to Ludger.’
I let out a small laugh as I flipped through the documents.
I felt energized and ready to tackle the rest of my work.
* * *
“This way.”
Commander Geloic, wearing a stern expression, headed to the underground prison guided by his subordinate.
He was going to interrogate the terrorist who had regained consciousness after having been knocked out.
Strictly speaking, Captain Clara was the one in charge of the Heilbronner case, but she was occupied, and Vice Captain Gustav had only just woken up and needed to rest, so it wasn’t possible to bring him along.
So Commander Geloic decided to personally interrogate the terrorist.
The young man with sky-blue hair, restrained by various magical equipments, narrowed his eyes at Geloic. Despite having a gag in his mouth, he looked almost cheerful.
He had read the report, but seeing it for himself, it was clear. The young man didn’t seem to be in his right mind. Then again, if he were sane, he wouldn’t have carried out such an absurd, large-scale act of terrorism in the first place.
The scale of what this man had done was beyond imagination, but even so, Geloic had encountered many criminals of this sort before. Those who killed for their own pleasure, or whose very way of thinking was completely twisted.
It was a waste of mental energy to engage with people like that. All that mattered was extracting the necessary information, nothing more.
Geloic nodded toward his subordinate. Two knights held the young man in place as they removed his gag.
“Hehe…..”
The young man chuckled slyly, spitting out the saliva that had dribbled from his mouth. Geloic, maintaining his stern expression, proceeded with the questioning.
“What’s your name?”
“Oh, want an autograph? What a shame. Unfortunately, my hands are tied right now.”
“If you’re not planning to talk, we’ll just move on.”
Geloic simply ignored the sarcasm and smoothly moved on to the next question.
“What was the purpose of this attack? Are you working for someone?”
“Purpose…? Yes, there is a purpose.”
“Speak.”
Geloic expected the typical rhetoric, probably aiming to overthrow the Royal Family or causing political upheaval.
The one who has the power to unleash demonic creatures into the capital and choose to use it for this kind of chaos couldn’t be in their right mind no matter what.
However, the words that followed from the young man’s mouth were completely unexpected.
“To save this foolish world and show its true form.”
“What?”
“Everything is for《The Darkness Flowing through the Sky》.”
In that moment, even though there was nothing visible, Geloic felt a threat that pierced through all of his senses.
Instinctively, he drew his sword and summoned a wide-reaching defensive barrier.
