Diving beneath the covers and reciting incomprehensible prayers—Celeste truly was a woman who exceeded all imagination.
A soft giggle escaped me; I couldn’t hold it in any longer as Karl silently waited for her to shake off the fear born of misunderstanding and delusion.
Tick-tock, tick-tock. Though only a minute or two had passed, it felt as exhausting as if I had been waiting for an hour or two.
Had I always been this impatient? I found myself reflecting on my own character unbidden.
Finally, Karl decided to end this brief commotion by revealing his identity directly to her.
“Karl! What are you doing here?”
“I just stopped by for a moment.”
“This isn’t exactly a place you can just drop by while passing through, is it?”
“If you really set your mind to it, you could definitely come here.”
Celeste seemed puzzled by his ambiguous answer. The statement was not entirely incorrect; however, it suggested that a truly colossal amount of money was required to ‘set one’s mind’ to something.
Moreover, this wasn’t merely about money.
Using such a large quantity of magic stones at once would have to be recorded, and being recorded meant that his actions, as a duke and head of the royal investigation team, would need to remain hidden, now exposed instead.
Despite all these risks, Karl decided to shoulder the burden of time, magic stones, and other dangers just for the simple desire to see her.
It was certainly uncharacteristic behavior for him. Yet, what did it matter? This marriage itself was the most uncharacteristic act of all.
With a smile, Karl pulled Celeste tightly into his arms. It felt warm.
“I borrowed the power of the magic stones.”
“Magic stones?”
“Because magic is about doing the physically impossible.”
“Are you saying you can teleport with magic stones?”
“There’s nothing to say it can’t be done.”
“I’ve never heard that teleportation is possible with magic stones. Wow, that’s incredible.”
Chirping away. The frightened person who had been trembling was nowhere to be found; instead, Celeste, nestled in his embrace, kept talking animatedly.
Her plump lips, firmly settled on that small face, suddenly seemed all the more remarkable.
The clearly defined features seemed closer to a doll than a person, and when she made expressions true to her emotions or engrossed herself in something while murmuring, it was even awe-inspiring.
Karl slowly sat on the bed, holding her.
Celeste, perhaps feeling that just gazing at the man who suddenly appeared before her wasn’t enough, moved her hand without hesitation.
At the moment her hand touched his cheek, Karl instinctively stiffened. Whether she was aware of his reaction or not, Celeste continued to move her hand.
“Even if I missed you this much, isn’t it a bit too forward to touch me so freely?”
“Ah, um… I’m sorry.”
She immediately withdrew her hand after one comment, which felt a bit disappointing to Karl. He quickly grabbed Celeste’s retreating hand.
“Apologies mean it’s a good thing.”
Then, he brought her hand back to his cheek. In an instant, the atmosphere shifted.
Late at night, longing lovers, a secret space—these three elements combined made this moment feel complete.
Karl hoped desperately that Celeste would quickly realize his burning feelings, and he slowly began to move.
Turning his waist while holding her, Celeste gently lay back onto the bed in his arms.
“Karl…?”
Was there a hint of anticipation in her voice, or was that just his wishful thinking? He let his cumbersome outer garment fall beneath the bed.
“Ka, Karl.”
Celeste’s cheeks flushed deeper. It was a satisfying, cute reaction.
As Karl leaned over her, he casually unbuttoned his shirt. It seemed calm and natural, yet it was a frantic motion at heart.
He wished he could just tear the shirt off, but he restrained himself to avoid startling Celeste.
He liked hearing his name from her voice. Karl didn’t often experience being called by someone’s name, unlike most people.
In his childhood, a few family members would call him by his name, but that had dwindled as he grew older.
Since his coming-of-age ceremony and becoming a grand duke, no one called him by his name except for his occasional meetings with Aunt Pulcheria.
Being called by his name felt unfamiliar, but it felt even better because it was Celeste. It was as if she breathed life into a lifeless word.
Was it a foolish and embarrassing thought, being blinded by love? But why should it matter?
The fact that a hot and lovely newlywed couple gazes at each other with starry-eyed affection isn’t a problem at all.
Tap, tap. Karl undid a few more buttons on his shirt.
“Wait, wait a minute, Karl.”
Celeste seemed flustered, embarrassed by the skin peeking out between the collar.
“I just feel stifled.”
Even though they had already shed all the cumbersome things that separated them, Karl didn’t want to frighten her.
Although they were already a couple who spent their first night together, her shyness was both natural and endearing. He wanted to protect her even when she felt bashful and afraid.
Reassuring Celeste that he had merely undone a few buttons because he felt constrained, Karl pressed his lips gently against her forehead.
He had long wanted to do this since he had seen her murmuring to herself from behind.
No, that wasn’t it. Even before he magically arrived in this place, he had wanted to share moments like this with her. Perhaps he wanted it ever since he decided to leave…
Suddenly, Karl found his flustered thoughts amusing.
Though he wasn’t overly kind to himself, he had a degree of self-objectivity and had always considered himself someone who acted more rationally than instinctively.
But when he was with Celeste, he started to question the validity of that assessment. He was becoming a completely different person in front of her.
“I missed you.”
Celeste’s lips trembled slightly. The flame of the lamp flickered in response.
“Did you think I didn’t miss you?”
Despite having read her delight in her gaze, Karl playfully questioned her. He hoped she would say, with her own voice, that she had wanted to see him. He eagerly awaited that moment.
At his somewhat teasing question, Celeste’s face turned even redder as she slowly nodded.
“I also… missed you.”
Ah, how adorable. In that moment, Karl sensed something inside him release with a clunk.
Later, he would come to realize that this was the very thread of reason that had barely held him together in those precious times.
***
They move forward confidently toward a clear destination.
There is no hesitation or regret in their movements, aimed at extinguishing someone’s breath. They are assassins—experienced in taking lives for money.
Their target is three old women, locked away in prison after days of interrogation.
Franz had insisted that even if they learned something through the old women, that link wouldn’t reach him. Yet, to prepare for any eventuality, he ordered his aide, Stilikov, to eliminate all signs of anxiety.
Any trace of anxiety could only be harmful, so Stilikov quickly sent the assassins.
Not only would they eliminate the old women, but they also planned to dispose of anyone connected to them from the black market overnight.
The leading assassin paused, pressing against the wall to check for patrolling knights. Once sure they were going the other way, the assassin moved again.
The map of the underground prison had long been memorized and stored in their mind.
There was no time to pull out a map and check each detail; mastering the terrain before arriving was basic protocol.
The assassin mentally charted the map while moving their feet.
They reached their destination and, drawing a dagger from their waist, positioned themselves right at the prison entrance.
This underground prison, managed by the imperial investigation unit, was much older than the newly constructed palace prisons.
Instead of iron doors that could only be opened with keys, wooden doors tightly bound with ropes held the prisoners inside.
No matter how tightly secured, such a door could easily yield to a single dagger. With a few skilled movements, the assassin swiftly unlocked the door and pushed it open with their shoulder.
As the ungreased door creaked loudly, the assassin held their breath and moved their shoulder more slowly, trying to minimize any sound from the hinges.
Once an opportunity opened just enough to slip through, the assassin smoothly entered.
The dagger used to unlock the door was now to be employed for eliminating the target. Gripping the blade firmly and lowering their stance, the assassin stealthily approached the moving target within the prison.
