Chapter 19
“I’m merely following orders.”
“Indeed. A loyal knight of the Imperial Guard. Such admirable courage, fearing the orders you’ve received but not the House of Ziek. It seems you don’t wish for a peaceful life, do you?”
The knight, drenched in a cold sweat, stood paralyzed with indecision. It was the same knight who had looked so uneasy when Clovis had thrown me into the carriage and ordered him to stand guard.
I sighed at Helion’s words, a perfect example of arrogant nobility.
Helion Ziek was the son of Duke Ziek.
His father, Duke Ziek, the head of a family descended from the empire’s founding heroes, was a close aide to His Majesty, practically the Emperor’s right hand. His elder brother was a promising talent in the Treasury, working within the Imperial Palace.
And Helion Ziek himself possessed immense magical power and was one of the top five swordsmen in the empire. He was also one of the three glorious heroes who had defeated the Demon King.
In short, the House of Ziek was the most prestigious among the empire’s noble families.
Before the towering influence of the House of Ziek, even a knight of noble birth couldn’t possibly remain unafraid.
As a child, overshadowed by his father and brother, Helion had been timid, insecure, and frail.
I had drilled it into him, ‘You are one of the few in this empire who can flaunt their power without consequence.’ It was good that he’d grown into a confident and admirable knight, but…
Seeing him now, so perfectly embodying aristocratic arrogance, so different from the child who once huddled and wept in a corner of the garden, left me with a strange, uncomfortable feeling.
Helion, who had been glaring down at the knight with his chin haughtily raised, caught sight of something beyond the staircase and his sneer vanished in an instant. A smile of pure joy bloomed on his handsome, boyish face. He shoved the still-hesitant knight aside and bounded up the stairs as if he were flying.
“Lina? Lina!”
“Will you let go of me for a moment, Helion?”
“No. It’s been so long since I’ve properly seen you. I won’t let go. Ah… you truly smell like Lina…”
His words, uttered with his long body pressed against me, his nose buried in my neck, sounded disturbingly like a middle-aged p*rvert.
“I’m still not feeling well. Let me go.”
My coldly firm words seemed to loosen his tight embrace.
“You’re still not feeling well? Hmm?”
His amethyst eyes, clear as jewels, shimmered with concern. My heart wavered for a moment, touched by his worried gaze, but the feeling was fleeting. My heart turned as cold as the northern snowfields.
‘With these eyes, with these words of concern, he plotted such a scheme?’
As I continued to glare at him in icy silence, Helion’s expression crumpled.
A year younger than me, Helion looked much younger than his age. His features were softer than Seikan’s or Reynard’s, making him appear almost boyish when they were together.
‘And this innocent-looking boy used his brother’s position to steal information about the Imperial Princess’s private property and plotted to sleep with me using demon blood.’
‘In the original story, I remember Helion Ziek’s keywords being “devoted” and “pure.”‘
Deciding that further glaring would only strain my eyes, I turned my head away.
“I’ve seen your face, so that’s enough. Go back now. I have somewhere to go.”
“Lina, you said you’re not feeling well. Where are you going?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Adelina.”
As I brushed past the pleading Helion and started down the stairs, another shadow blocked my path.
“Where are you going?”
‘Why are there so many obstacles preventing me from going where I please?’
“Sir Knight, were you ordered to prevent me from leaving?”
My pointed question caused the knight to avert his gaze uncomfortably.
“Did Her Highness command such a thing?”
“….”
“It must have been His Imperial Highness, then.”
“…I apologize.”
Even though I knew the knight wasn’t at fault, frustration surged within me like a storm. Hestia, who might have intervened on my behalf, was nowhere to be seen, presumably having gone to see the Empress off.
With nowhere to direct my frustration, I sighed, and my gaze fell upon a scar on the knight’s lip.
A healed-over wound, it definitely hadn’t been there on the day of the victory celebration…
‘Could it be that Clovis hit him for failing to guard me at the carriage?’
The knight, noticing where my gaze had landed, averted his eyes with an embarrassed expression.
‘So, he was hit that day.’
The thought that an innocent person had suffered because of me made my heart ache.
‘There’s no other way.’
“Helion.”
“Yes?”
“It seems I can’t go out right now, so let’s go inside and talk.”
I gestured towards the room I was staying in, which originally belonged to Hestia.
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