The Terminally-Ill Princess Holds the Leash of the Mad Dog (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 009
“Eat.”
It was the morning after Dietrich had thrown the uniform at Celia that he brought her food.
Celia stared at the food Dietrich had brought.
The soup, steaming gently, was clearly different from the thin, watery broth she had seen yesterday.
At a glance, fresh vegetables and chunks of meat floated visibly within—it was appetizing. Moreover, Dietrich had brought freshly baked, crisp bread and placed it beside the bowl.
Celia alternated her suspicious gaze between Dietrich and the food he brought.
“Are you fattening me up to eat me?”
“…….”
Dietrich casually ignored Celia’s remark and stepped inside the iron bars. He placed the bowl of soup and bread in front of her, then leaned casually against the wall.
“I’ll stay and watch you eat.”
“Hey, there’s one thing I’m curious about.”
At Celia’s question, Dietrich’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had expected her to ask again how she knew about his abilities.
“……You’re not giving me a spoon? Am I supposed to eat this with my hands?”
Celia widened her eyes and mimed lifting a spoon. Dietrich was dumbfounded.
In all his life, he had never met such a shameless woman.
“Do you even have any awareness that you’re a criminal? Stop complaining and just gulp it down.”
“No. You said yourself you’d save me. Didn’t you say you’d let me out of prison?”
Dietrich felt a sharp throb in his temple as he pushed himself off the wall. He knelt on one knee in front of Celia, bringing their eyes level.
Celia stared blankly at him, still wearing Dietrich’s oversized uniform. Upon closer inspection, Dietrich’s brow—normally expressionless—was ever so slightly furrowed, though barely noticeable.
Even so, his crimson eyes held no emotion as they gazed at her.
Celia found him fascinating. He was the first man who didn’t waver when looking at her.
Famous priests, beastly relatives, nobles—any man who had ever laid eyes on her, regardless of age, had desired and lusted after her.
Just like the guard she’d seen yesterday. Just like the Emperor, who had died by her hands.
Celia studied Dietrich’s face closely. Her gaze traced his neat eyebrows, the sharp bridge of his nose, and his pale pink lips that seemed never to smile.
Once, she had viewed him—the man called the Emperor’s mad dog—through a distorted lens.
But the Dietrich she knew superficially and the one standing before her now seemed like entirely different people.
“My face isn’t food.”
Dietrich muttered lowly, tearing the bread into pieces. He brought a torn piece close to her lips.
“Eat.”
“…….”
When Celia remained silent, merely staring at him blankly, Dietrich’s patience reached its limit.
“Do you want me to feed you mouth to mouth?”
Dietrich sneered. At his words, Celia—who had been silent—suddenly burst into soft laughter. Her fresh green eyes, like a summer forest, curved into crescents.
Opposite Celia’s smile, Dietrich’s face was cold—icy and rigid.
Celia looked at him as if she were thoroughly amused.
“If I said I wanted that, would you really feed me like that?”
Dietrich almost threw the bread at her feet, but stopped himself. To suppress his anger, he averted his gaze from Celia and instead dipped the bread into the soup.
“Now I see—the talk of Brillion’s angel was all nonsense. Even a demon would be less brazen than you.”
“Didn’t you know? That’s all just nonsense made up by fools.”
Dietrich was completely speechless at Celia’s casual retort. As he stood there, frozen in silence, Celia took a bite of the bread soaked in soup.
The aroma of the soup filled her mouth, melting softly with the bread. Dietrich silently watched her chew the bread like a rabbit.
“Want some too?”
Celia offered the piece she was eating to Dietrich. He looked at her with utter disgust and slowly rose to his feet.
The proud, noble bearing he had shown when they first met in the prison was completely gone. Celia, nibbling the bread with relish, looked exactly like a rabbit.
Of course, Dietrich well knew that a fragile rabbit like her would never have dared to assassinate the Emperor—nor even considered it.
“……Eat well.”
“Aren’t you taking the uniform? It’s yours, after all.”
Celia asked, eyes wide, with crumbs still clinging to her lips. Dietrich found her utterly irritating.
“It bothers me.”
“Huh? What bothers you?”
Celia tilted her head, confused. Her shimmering silver hair cascaded over his black uniform with the motion.
Dietrich pointed to his own lower lip with his index finger.
“……Bread crumbs.”
At his words, Celia quickly wiped her lips with the back of her hand. Dietrich felt exasperated watching her wipe the clean left side while ignoring the crumb on the right.
“Not there. The other side.”
“There. All better now?”
Celia beamed proudly, still with crumbs on her lip. Dietrich’s eyes darkened.
“……Do you truly know no shame?”
Dietrich muttered to himself. Was this clumsiness all calculated?
Despite all his suspicions, Dietrich unconsciously reached out and wiped the crumb from her lip himself.
Celia was suddenly enveloped by Dietrich’s scent. It was the same fragrance from his uniform—like rose-scented soap, or the woody aroma of a forest—something she wanted to keep smelling.
After wiping the crumb, Dietrich gazed silently at Celia, who hadn’t taken her eyes off him.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“There’s something I’m curious about—what kind of perfume do you wear?”
Dietrich fell silent. Without a word, he stepped back, distancing himself from her. He studied Celia carefully, her expression appearing utterly harmless.
“If you don’t want to answer, then don’t.”
At her words, Dietrich turned and walked toward the cell door, muttering lowly.
“Just eat well. I don’t know when I’ll bring your next meal. The outside is in chaos because of what you did to the Emperor.”
Dietrich turned the key, locking the cell door behind Celia. As he began to walk away, Celia called after his retreating back.
“What kind of chaos is happening out there?”
“…….”
Dietrich had no intention of explaining the outside situation to Celia. To him, she was merely a piece—one he could discard without hesitation if she proved useless.
As long as he could blindfold her eyes, block her ears, and use her as he pleased, he could tolerate her mocking with a forgiving heart.
‘If she’s not valuable enough to keep alive, I’ll dispose of her—that’s all.’
Dietrich walked on, lips tightly sealed. But Celia called him once more.
“Wait, what should I do with this uniform? Do you want it back?”
Dietrich only slightly turned his head, silently staring at his uniform draped over Celia. Medals hung heavily from it—awards bestowed upon him by the late Emperor.
The decorations, earned by sacrificing his pride, glinted in the torchlight—objects that made him want to vomit at the sight.
“……Do whatever you want with it.”
“What about these medals? They’re too heavy.”
“Do as you please. That uniform is yours now.”
With those words, Dietrich left without looking back.
[This is the timeline separator]The Emperor’s funeral was conducted with grandeur disproportionate to his incompetence. In truth, no one genuinely mourned his death.
Immediately after the funeral, many eyes turned to Jeremy, the next Emperor.
Given how utterly inhuman the late Emperor had been, no one raised objections to Jeremy ascending the throne.
In truth, there had once been several who opposed Jeremy’s succession—men who found him intelligent but somewhat impulsive. But they had all been killed by Jeremy’s mother, Empress Erpia.
Now that the Emperor’s funeral was complete, the immediate matter at hand was the coronation. However, with so many unresolved issues, it was evident that Jeremy’s ascension would take considerable time.
Above all, the biggest problem was that Celia—the woman who had assassinated the Emperor—was still alive and imprisoned. The ministers were divided on how to handle her.
“Outside the palace, they’re all clamoring to release Brillion’s angel. Not just one person—high-ranking officials’ children, even the renowned Grand Prelate—all are claiming her innocence.”
“But isn’t it a fact that she assassinated the Emperor? Why are they causing such an uproar just to save one woman?”
Marquis Tailo, the head of the ministers, wore a look of utter incomprehension. He shook his head, frowning deeply.
“Marquis, are you aware? Every single person inciting rebellion and provoking riots—without exception—has previously courted Brillion’s angel.”
“!”
At the minister’s words, another layer of wrinkles seemed to form around Marquis Tailo’s already deeply lined eyes.
“How beautiful could this woman possibly be that men are causing such chaos?”
“I’ve never seen her myself, so I can’t say. For now, the underground prison is under strict control by Sir Dietrich…….”
Marquis Tailo slammed his hand down on the table with a loud bang!
“So that man intends to manipulate the palace after all!”
Just then, the conference room door burst open with a loud crash.
“How dare anyone barge into this sacred…….”
Marquis Tailo’s words died in his throat, his face turning deathly pale. The ministers’ gazes snapped toward the intruder who had suddenly appeared.
“……Who said someone was manipulating the palace?”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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I hope she ends up using the crown prince to get out of her situation 🤣.
I hate that we missed chapters 21 and 23
I find Ileon very interesting so far. More so than Dietrich.
Yay! The ML has a personality that is coming out. Good timing