FMV 25

Chapter 25

“Why?”

Elise asked calmly, as though nothing were wrong.

“Did I hit a little too close to home?”

At her mocking remark, a few people in the crowd gasped softly.

As the atmosphere grew tense, Leonhardt felt his fingertips turn cold.

“Lady Elise.”

His voice dropped even lower.

“That is enough. Haven’t you gotten enough of your anger out? There is no need for us to become a spectacle here any longer.”

“Hmm…”

She pretended to think for a moment before speaking again.

“I don’t want to.”

It was an unequivocal refusal.

Elise took another step toward him.

Then she whispered in a voice so quiet that only he could hear.

“You should experience being humiliated in front of people too.”

“……!”

“I was held down by you so ridiculously for so long.”

Leonhardt’s pupils trembled.

“Wouldn’t that make my anxiety disappear, even if only a little?”

She stepped back again and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Leonhardt was so shocked by her provocation that he could not even close his mouth.

The strange malice and hostility he had sensed from the moment they reunited had finally risen to the surface.

“Sir Gelina.”

Elise no longer called Leonhardt by his name with the same affectionate tone as before.

“…Yes.”

“You always thought I would never leave, didn’t you?”

He could not answer.

Because it was true.

As though savoring his silence, she smiled even more beautifully.

“So, do you understand now?”

“Understand what…?”

“That whenever I want…”

Her eyelashes curved softly.

“I can leave your side whenever I wish.”

The moment those words fell, the last trace of color disappeared from Leonhardt’s face.

The people watched the two of them without even daring to breathe.

It was obvious to anyone who was in the dominant position now.

Elise was.

And Leonhardt felt that fact more painfully than anyone.

A tiny, pained sound escaped his lips.

The Emperor had been right.

If he wanted to bind Elise to his side somehow, he needed one decisive move.

“Hah.”

After letting out a quiet sigh, he slowly—but ultimately—dropped to one knee.

Thud.

The hero of the Empire knelt before the Saintess in the middle of the spring festival.

“The Commander…!”

“Oh my…”

And he had done it in front of this many onlookers.

Shocked murmurs spread throughout the crowd.

Elise felt a thrilling shiver of satisfaction inside.

The man who had been so arrogant had finally come down to his knees before her.

Yes. This is it. This is the scene I wanted to see.

Leonhardt raised his head.

His usually noble blue eyes were filled with desperation and urgency, along with emotions even he had yet to sort out himself.

“Lady Elise.”

With trembling hands, he pulled a small box from inside his coat.

When the black velvet box opened, it revealed a sapphire ring engraved with the crest of House Gelina.

The gemstone gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

The sapphire set into the ring was strikingly similar to the color of Leonhardt’s eyes.

“Please become engaged to me.”

The crowd collectively held its breath.

Elise said nothing for a moment.

The longer the silence continued, the more desperate Leonhardt’s expression became.

“I love you.”

He spoke quietly.

“So please, come back to my side. This is the sincerity of my feelings.”

“Love?”

Elise slowly repeated the word.

“Do you really love me?”

“Yes.”

“Even if I weren’t the Saintess?”

Leonhardt’s mouth slowly fell open.

It was something he had never once considered.

“Even if I lost the only divine power in the entire continent?”

“That…”

“Would you truly never change your feelings?”

Faced with one question after another, he was momentarily so overwhelmed that he could not answer.

He knew.

She was not simply asking questions.

She was forcing him to swear an oath as revenge for what had happened the previous day.

But if he hesitated here, he felt as though he would lose her completely.

Leonhardt clenched his teeth.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I suppose that is what love is.”

He tightened the hand holding the ring.

“I want Elise—you yourself. My feelings did not arise because you are the Saintess.”

At those words, Elise narrowed her eyes.

As expected. He’s like this until the very end.

Even while claiming to love her, the word that ultimately came out of his mouth was want.

He wanted to possess her, hold on to her, and never lose her.

His intentions were so obvious in that one word that she almost wanted to laugh.

But outwardly, Elise slowly drew in a breath.

Then, at last, she extended her hand.

“…All right.”

At those words, the crowd erupted into murmurs.

A flash of light immediately returned to Leonhardt’s eyes.

“Lady Elise.”

“But…”

It was not over yet.

She cut him off abruptly, and his face hardened again.

With a smile, Elise continued.

“You said you would want me even if I weren’t the Saintess, even if I lost my powers… right?”

“Yes.”

“Then give me certainty.”

A cold light shone in her eyes.

“What?”

Leonhardt blinked rapidly in confusion.

“Swear on this ring. With your sword aura.”

At those words, his face went pale.

It was not the head-of-house ring, but an oath made upon a ring bearing the crest of his family was a binding vow that a knight could never break.

And an oath infused with his own power—his sword aura—was even more significant.

Leonhardt hesitated as though unsure.

Elise lightly tapped the ring once with her fingertip.

“Well? Hurry.”

As if bewitched, he stared at Elise.

Then, with trembling hands, he slipped the ring onto her finger.

Afterward, he slowly opened his mouth.

“No matter what happens, I swear that I will protect you… I love you, Elise.”

The moment the cold metal touched her finger, Elise cheered inwardly.

With a mocking smile.

“I accept your proposal.”

She smiled gently in front of everyone, looking exactly like a happy Saintess who had just received a marriage proposal from the man she loved.

But the reality was completely different.

This engagement was not a symbol of love.

It was a shackle that would one day tighten around their necks.

“Congratulations!”

“The Captain of the Guard and the Saintess are engaged!”

The people began murmuring and cheering.

The commotion of the festival was turning into an entirely different kind of excitement.

Leonhardt finally let out a relieved breath and looked up at Elise.

But he did not know.

Far away, on a rooftop hidden in the shadows beyond the crowd’s view, a red-haired man was watching the entire scene.

Damian stood with his arms crossed, observing the spectacle before him as he let out a low laugh.

“My patience turned out to be better than I expected.”

His green eyes shifted toward Elise’s hand, now wearing the ring.

For a moment, he felt an urge to go down there and smash the ring immediately, but he firmly restrained himself.

He did not want to take away the smile Elise was wearing right now.

Besides, that wasn’t a smile of happiness.

Wasn’t it the expression of a hunter when his prey had finally fallen into the trap he had set?

Damian tilted his head slightly and murmured,

“Now the real game begins.”

And there, in the middle of the square, the Saintess stood smiling brightly with the engagement ring on her finger.

She was more beautiful than anyone—

and carried within her a poison more deadly than anyone else’s.