Perhaps Angelica’s words weren’t derived from a purely altruistic desire to heal the wounded.

“Angel.”

He cautiously spoke up.

“Do you, by any chance, want to step away from me and have some alone time?”

“……Always thinking the same thing, but you’re always straightforward, Hades.”
Hades opened his mouth to object. In his view, he had spoken as cautiously as possible…!

“But you’re wrong.”

Angelica lifted her head.

“I like being by Hades’ side. If my gaze leaves even for a moment, I feel anxious that we might go back to how it used to be.”

Hades quietly responded, “I feel the same way. If you’re not by my side, I get anxious again… afraid that I might lose you or forget you.”

“I thought so.”

Angelica sat on the desk, swinging her legs. It was an entirely un-saintly posture, but neither of them paid any attention.

Regardless of being saintly or not, Angelica was a true saint.

“But you know this? We both have graduated from there.”

Angelica grinned.

“And… if I were to tell you my real reason.”

Hades tried his best to listen carefully. Angelica rarely revealed her inner thoughts, so he had to carefully accept these precious moments.

“To continue staying by Hades’s side, I think I need to be acknowledged by other people.”

“…Is that the reason?”

Hades’ words shortened unexpectedly due to the unexpected reason.

“There’s no need for that at all….”

“Perhaps that’s true for the people of the original Donovan Grand Castle. But now, many refugees have gathered, and there are a lot of people who don’t know me.”

Angelica became increasingly honest.

“What would those people think when they see me? A woman claiming to be a saint without anything to show for it? Or, a woman with a pretty face walking around with the Grand Duke?”

Hades blushed at the suggestive expression. He had thought that Angelica’s position was well-established, but to those who didn’t know the situation, it might seem otherwise.

“…There are ways to reaffirm your position. And to speak to Sir William…”

Angelica cut off his words.

“No matter how many times I speak, I can’t prove myself, Hades. You know that better than anyone else, don’t you?”

“That’s true.”

Hades stared at her intently. Angelica’s words were not entirely wrong, as always.

“You always speak the truth.”

“I’m glad to hear that familiar sound.”

Almost simultaneously with Angelica jumping off the desk, she sat in the chair next to him and hugged him. Due to her small stature, Angelica was quickly covered entirely by Hades’s body.

Hades kissed her on the forehead. The fragrant scent of oil reached his nose. Then the temple, followed by the eye area, and then…

“Hades.”

Angelica whispered softly.

“Is it… all resolved now? Right?”

Hades gazed at her. If only they could tell the saint murmuring sweet words inside him that everything was okay now, and she didn’t need to worry about anything.
However, reality was different.

Blocked by the snow, the capital would probably be in chaos by now.

During that process, no one knew who would seize power.

“Probably the princess.”

A bitter taste lingered in his mouth. Once the princess ascended the throne, she would undoubtedly become hostile to Donovan.

“When that happens, I should seriously consider true independence.”

Donovan Grand Duchy was undoubtedly a sovereign independent state, but it was a fact that it relied significantly on the empire.

Especially due to the harsh terrain limiting resources, it inevitably became dependent on the empire, which imported substantial necessities.

Therefore, the empire had also tried to manipulate him through various means.

Hades quietly nodded.

If this woman really governed, and if she was like those many women around his father, doing things that pleased him without any official duties, he would have whispered lies.

But Angelica was his one and only recognized partner, his one and only companion.

To her, who had recognized only him, he couldn’t utter lies.

“There’s the empire, and… also, there are creatures I can’t control. Problems that I’ll have to deal with someday.”

Angelica suddenly looked up. Surprisingly, her sparkling eyes were filled with hope.

“Is that all?”

In a cheerful tone, Hades couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

Even from his perspective, these were considerable problems. “Is that all?”

‘Maybe, these might be problems that can be easily dealt with.’

Considering all that Angelica has accomplished so far, it would probably be true.

“Yeah. Later, I don’t know what other problems will arise, but for now, those are the two.”

“That’s nothing.”

Angelica replied with a light tone.

“You can rest assured.”

Then, instead of boldly kissing him, she approached him.

“……!”

Hades’ eyes widened, but soon after, he closed them and hugged Angelica even more tightly. Angelica exuded the fragrance of oil, flower scent, and a faint smell of medicine.

It symbolized everything opposite to what she represented – the scent of peace.