TIRS 77

Chapter 77………………………..

 I Swear. If It Isn’t You, Then No One…

“You were… worried about me?”

“……”

Anselot glanced at me briefly, then gave a small nod.

“I thought you were avoiding me.”

“That was my mistake. I should have realized you were accepting quests like that.”

He bit his lower lip hard as he spoke.

The quiet self-reproach in his tone made me realize once again that his concern for me was genuine.

“How did you even know to come here?”

“Do you really think there’s anything about you that I don’t know?”

“There’s a lot you don’t know.”

I immediately shot down his evasive remark.

He sighed softly and then admitted,

“I came because I couldn’t stop worrying. I only meant to come nearby, not to actually show myself before you.”

He glanced at the blue quest window that had been open since I left with Enzer.

“The moment I stepped into the corridor, a quest window appeared that I’d never seen before. I followed it to the door and read its contents.”

I remembered how my quest windows would glow more vividly whenever I got closer to Hezen in the past.

So, it seemed Anselot had discovered it through the same principle.

Before now, he’d been so busy avoiding me that he hadn’t really noticed the quest windows.

“What were you thinking?”

His eyes hardened again.

“Don’t tell me… is dying really a hobby of yours, Princess?”

His tone wasn’t as sharp as before, but I could hear the anger he was suppressing.

“Why would I want to die? It was just a quest.”

“It was a quest you didn’t need to accept.”

“I wanted to clear your name.”

At that, his expression twisted.

“I told you it didn’t matter. Why would you risk your life for something so useless—”

“But you avenged me against Duke Hamilton!”

I cut him off, raising my voice.

“You avenged me even when I said it didn’t matter! I just felt the same way you did!”

“That’s not the same—!”

He started to argue, his voice rising with mine, but then stopped when he saw my expression.

“I was upset. Hearing people slander you without knowing the truth.”

“Ah, damn it…”

He bit down on his lip again, then reached toward me.

“When you make a face like that, I can’t argue anymore. I’m the one who should be upset.”

He gently brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen across my forehead and murmured,

“I should be upset, not you.”

“Why would you be upset?”

“Because you put yourself in danger for my sake without even realizing it.”

I looked up at him, my face warm.

His drooping red eyes seemed full of sorrow, and for some reason, my chest tightened strangely.

“This quest wasn’t even that dangerous. I could’ve finished it quickly. Look, the reward’s nothing special.”

“And yet you accepted it right away, just for that trivial reward.”

There was no hair left to brush aside, but his hand lingered against my face all the same.

“I wouldn’t die anyway. You know that.”

“And you know that even if you don’t die…”

He suddenly fell silent.

Then, as if the thought alone pained him, he winced.

“…you’d still suffer, in that small body, bearing the agony of death. How could you even think of enduring something so awful?”

“I never said I’d do that. Just that, if I failed, I had a safeguard.”

“Don’t ever do something this dangerous again.”

His fingertips traced down from my eyes, softly stroking my flushed cheek.

“The thought of you being endangered because of me again…”

“Again?”

“…Because once already, I endangered you with my own hands.”

“Ah…”

He was remembering the time in the Forest of Illusions when he attacked me.

I’d told him countless times it wasn’t his fault, but he’d still carried it with him.

‘It’s all my fault. So when everything is over, just blame me, Princess.’

I recalled the forlorn smile he’d worn then, and bit down on the inside of my cheek.

Slowly, Anselot withdrew his hand.

But I caught it before it left me.

I laced my fingers tightly through his and said each word with firm emphasis.

“It’s not because of you.”

“Princess…?”

“It’s because of me. I chose to do it. So whatever happens, that’s on me. You don’t need to carry guilt for it.”

“……”

After a short silence, he let out a small laugh and nodded.

“All right. Do whatever you want, Princess. Just promise me you’ll tell me first.”

“Tell you?”

“So I can help you do everything you want.”

“……”

He tightened his fingers around mine, lips curling into a sly grin.

That refreshing smile sent my heart pounding again.

I suddenly became very aware of our joined hands.

Sweat was starting to gather between our bare fingers, but neither of us thought to let go.

I stared at our entwined hands, then looked up.

He was still smiling faintly, gazing down at me.

My mouth felt suddenly dry.

I swallowed and asked slowly,

“Hey, Anselot… So that means… you came here because you were bothered by me going out with Crown Prince Enzer?”

“Mm…”

A vague, pained sound slipped through his teeth—neither a denial nor an admission.

But I took it as confirmation. I pouted and said in a sulky voice,

“If it bothered you that much, why did you avoid me in the first place?”

“……”

He said nothing.

His eyes darted away, avoiding mine, and for some reason, that made me feel good.

That Anselot worried about me.

That Anselot cared about me.

Why did that make me feel so giddy?

I must be crazy.

I forced my lips down to hide the smile threatening to creep up, though it only made them twitch awkwardly.

“…And what about you, Princess?”

He looked at me sidelong, asking softly,

“Are you still angry with me?”

“Huh?”

The unexpected question made me blink.

“You were angry. At me.”

“I wasn’t angry at you—”

I stopped before finishing.

I had to be honest.

I was angry.

At Anselot. At him, who had kissed me, then the very next day was with another woman.

I’d been so angry I’d pummeled my poor pillow all night. To deny that now would just be ridiculous.

But admitting it was hard… because it meant admitting how much I cared about him. And I wasn’t sure if his feelings matched mine.

Maybe I liked him. Maybe I liked him too much. But maybe his heart wasn’t the same.

That was what scared me.

Yet his words earlier—how he came here because of me, how he scolded me out of worry, how he seemed to watch my every move—anchored my wavering heart.

“Yes. I was angry.”

I looked straight into his eyes and declared firmly,

“Anselot, I was really, truly angry at you.”

“……”

His red eyes trembled.

“Princess, I—”

“Do you think it’s strange that I was angry at you?”

I cut him off and asked.

He shook his head immediately.

“Of course not. If you were angry, then it’s entirely my fault.”

“……”

“I’m sorry, Princess. I was wrong.”

His voice was utterly sincere, devoid of even a trace of teasing.

Hearing him say my feelings weren’t wrong, hearing him take all the blame—just like that, all my resentment and betrayal melted away.

“What were you even doing with that woman?”

“I was just watching her babble to herself.”

“She was your first love, wasn’t she?”

“I don’t know. She’s just a crazy woman.”

He answered without the slightest hesitation.

“But people say you two had a deep connection.”

“People can say whatever they want. Only my words are the truth.”

“Then the person you were trying to protect in the fog… was that her?”

“No. I swear to you, I had nothing to do with her.”

It was the exact opposite of what everyone else said…

But I want to believe him.

Even so, I wanted to believe his words.

“And—”

Anselot took a step closer to me.

“I swear.”

He was suddenly close—so close our breaths mingled. I instinctively tried to step back, but his strong arm wrapped around my waist, holding me in place.

“Anselot…?”

“If it isn’t you, then not her, not anyone—no one will ever be anything to me.”

His crimson eyes gazed deep into mine. They were so intense, so unfamiliar, that I tensed. Yet I couldn’t stop myself from asking,

“Why…?”

My voice trembled slightly.

Anselot’s lips moved slowly, his voice gentle.

“Because I—”

And then—

[SYSTEM] Item <Maria’s Wish-Infused Monocle> detects [Faint Killing Intent].

Startled, both Anselot and I turned our heads at the same time.