Chapter 10
His sharp questioning left me speechless for a moment. What could I possibly say to erase the suspicious look he was giving me?
“Uh… I must have dreamed it.”
“A dream?”
“In my dream, Sir Siobhan introduced himself as a member of the Imperial Knights.”
Schmitz unexpectedly added to my excuse.
“It seems the young lady had a dream. Perhaps she saw the future in it. It was probably because of the magic stone.”
“Because of the magic stone?”
Ironically, I was the one most surprised by his words. I had only made up the dream as an excuse, but if what he said was true, then the magic stone really could have such an effect.
“Yes. My lady, would you please hold this magic stone for a moment?”
The instant I took the stone into my hand, it glowed exactly as it had in the bushes before. The light flowed into my body, and the magic stone immediately turned into an ordinary rock.
“Do you feel any pain?”
“My palm feels a little warm, but nothing hurts.”
“I believe my guess was correct. My lady, your body has changed into a rare constitution that absorbs the mana contained in magic stones. This is an extremely, extremely rare condition. I’ve only read about it in academic journals… This is my first time seeing it in person.”
“How rare is it?”
“The journal I read said that perhaps one person out of a hundred thousand is born with such a constitution.”
This had never appeared in the novel.
There hadn’t been a single line about someone whose body absorbed the mana from magic stones.
The story was beginning to move in a direction completely different from the one I knew.
“People with this constitution can use simple magic even without magic stones, which is beneficial… However, if they absorb the power of a large magic stone, they may be unable to withstand the overwhelming mana, and their life could be in danger.”
After giving me a brief examination and prescribing some medicine, Schmitz left.
“This is the Duke’s residence, right?”
“We couldn’t use a teleportation stone all the way to the temple.”
“Are you alright, Your Grace?”
“As you can see.”
Right. You look perfectly fine.
You’re amazing.
My upper body feels as if it’s covered in bruises. It hurts just to breathe!
“Siobhan still belongs to the Duke Hylerus Knights. He’ll be transferring to the Imperial Knights soon.”
The story had changed.
Why?
Was it because I hadn’t married Giwoo?
By now, he should already have joined the Imperial Knights.
“Only Siobhan and I know about that.”
“…”
“So let me ask you again. Did you really just dream it?”
What should I say?
How could I clear away the suspicion in Hylerus’s eyes?
Unable to answer carelessly, my gaze slipped away from his golden eyes. It wandered over his silver hair, brushed past the corner of his lips, then lowered to his neck. Even looking away wasn’t enough, and I nervously bit my own lip.
Finally, I forced the words out.
“…When the time comes that I can tell you, I will. For now… please believe it was only a dream.”
“Who are you? Are you truly Lady Eloa Romania?”
Hylerus pressed even harder than I had expected.
Looking closely, I noticed that beneath his intense stare, his golden eyes were trembling with unmistakable sadness.
“What proof do you have that you’re not part of the Anti-Imperial faction?”
The Anti-Imperial faction?
They were the political faction opposing both the ruling Istyria family and Emperor Istyria.
But in the novel, Hylerus had already eliminated them all early in the story.
“Even if I can’t explain right now how I knew Sir Siobhan would join the Imperial Knights… there is one thing I can say with certainty.”
“…”
“I am Eloa Romania. I am absolutely not part of the Anti-Imperial faction. No matter what you’re thinking right now, I am your fiancée, Your Grace, and I will never harm you or anyone around you.”
I couldn’t explain everything to him.
But I could prove my innocence.
I could at least give him something to believe in.
Perhaps my sincerity reached him.
The violent trembling in his eyes slowly began to settle.
“I’m staking everything I have… even my life… on those words.”
“…I believe you.”
“Thank you.”
“Get some rest. Since today’s engagement ceremony couldn’t be held, we’ll perform it here tomorrow once the temple representatives arrive.”
I had wanted to ask Hylerus what had happened to the injured horse.
But now wasn’t the time.
The image of his deeply shaken eyes remained vividly in my mind.
The next day.
As soon as the priest arrived, we held a modest engagement ceremony in the banquet hall of the Duke’s residence.
Considering it had all been prepared in just one day, it looked surprisingly elegant.
I couldn’t wear the deep green dress that Neves and I had carefully chosen together.
Naturally.
I had torn it apart in the forest the day before.
Once the engagement ceremony was over, I had countless questions to ask Hylerus.
“You have both pledged before God to love one another without ever changing.”
“Yes.”
It was only a political engagement.
Even so, the word refused to leave my lips.
As though sensing my hesitation, his hand tightened around mine.
“…Yes.”
“Then, please perform the kiss of the vow.”
A kiss…
A kiss?!
That wasn’t in the script!
Completely unaware of my panic, Hylerus simply smiled warmly as he stepped closer.
You’re really going to kiss me?
We’re only in a contract relationship!
While I stared at him in horror, he quietly whispered,
“A hand kiss.”
His thumb gently covered my lips.
A moment later, his lips touched his own thumb.
From the audience’s perspective, it looked as though our lips had met.
Flower petals showered down upon us, and cheers erupted throughout the hall.
The engagement ceremony ended without incident.
Well, of course it did.
There weren’t many traditional customs for engagements, and ours had been simplified as much as possible.
Besides, since we’d been attacked on the way to the temple, the Holy Knights accompanying the priest and the Duke’s knights stood guard all around the banquet hall.
“Hylerus, can we talk for a moment?”
“Eden.”
“Hm?”
“Didn’t we agree to call each other by name after the engagement ceremony, Roa?”
“I only said I’d think about it. I never said I’d actually…”
“Roa.”
“Sigh… Fine. Eden.”
In the end, I was the one who gave in.
“I’ll come to your room.”
Eden came to my room not long afterward.
Both of us had changed into more comfortable clothes after the ceremony.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“First… what happened to the horse?”
“The horse?”
“Yes. The one that had the dagger stuck in its thigh.”
“Oh. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t life-threatening. It’s recovering in the stable now.”
I couldn’t hide the relief that spread across my face.
“So you were worried.”
“Of course.”
“It was you who tied the cloth around its leg to stop the bleeding.”
“Yes.”
“Because of that, the horse escaped a permanent disability.”
“A disability?”
“If you hadn’t done that, the dagger would have gone much deeper.”
“Ah…”
I was relieved that it had avoided permanent injury.
But somehow…
That only made me feel even guiltier.
Seeing the concern on my face, Eden deliberately changed the subject.
“Is that everything you wanted to ask?”
“No. There’s still the thing I’m most curious about.”
“What is it?”
“I figured you’d already know why there were so many bandits.”
No matter how notorious that forest was for bandits, there had been far too many during the attack.
Just from what I saw, there had been over a dozen.
There were probably even more hiding in the trees.
“You were right.”
“…”
“We had already wiped out the bandits in that forest the day before our engagement.”
“Then who could possibly have…”
“Can you think of anyone?”
“…One person.”
“Who?”
“Ter Giwoo.”
Considering Giwoo’s personality, having his engagement broken off must have dealt a severe blow to his pride.
…Or maybe he simply had an inferiority complex toward Eden.
“Correct. Giwoo hired mercenaries with his money.”
“What happened to the mercenaries who were captured?”
“We questioned them… then executed them all.”
“…What about Marquis Giwoo?”
“He realized his plan had failed and fled.”
Without realizing it, I clenched my fists tightly.
“Don’t worry. No matter where he runs, we’ll find him.”
“What if he hires more people with money?”
“That won’t happen.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“Roa.”
“He hasn’t even been caught yet.”
The one who finally stopped my rambling was Eden, whose voice had risen slightly.
“Roa.”
“…”
“I’m assigning a knight to protect you. A female knight who’ll stay with you at all times.”
As if he had sensed my anxiety, his voice became gentle, almost comforting.
I used to think he was nothing but an arrogant jerk.
“I’ll catch him as quickly as possible so you won’t have to be afraid.”
“Thank you.”
“Good. And…”
Unlike his usual self, Eden hesitated before continuing.
“…That’s suspicious.”
