Celia noticed from Eli’s words that she harbored feelings for Dietrich beyond mere loyalty to her master.
She also sensed that Eli was wary of her.
‘He didn’t even properly explain who I am. Typical of that inconsiderate man.’
Putting herself in Eli’s position, it made sense—after all, she was a criminal accused of attempting to assassinate the Emperor. It would be strange to expect her to be treated with trust. Since Dietrich hadn’t explained anything about her, Celia decided to give a vague, evasive answer.
“Lover? If anything, it’s the opposite.”
Hearing Celia’s reply, Eli’s expression softened with relief. Her guard lowered, Eli spoke in a noticeably gentler tone.
“I apologize for my impertinent question. There hasn’t been a single woman close to my master until now… Perhaps, may I assist you with your bath?”
“No, thank you. I prefer to bathe alone.”
“…Understood. Please call me if you need anything.”
Eli slightly bowed her head and left the room. Celia watched the door close behind her and quietly chuckled.
She knew Dietrich was exceptionally handsome, but she hadn’t expected him to charm even a blind handmaiden.
—What is your relationship with my master?
Eli’s words echoed in Celia’s mind.
‘Now that I think about it, I’m not even sure how to define our relationship myself.’
Celia figured Dietrich wouldn’t bother explaining either. In her own view, the relationship between her and Dietrich was extremely, extremely strange.
Not enemies, not allies—just ambiguous.
‘But that doesn’t matter to me. After all, Dietrich is only using me, and I’m only interested in finding out how he knows about my abilities.’
Shaking off her thoughts, Celia removed her clothes and stepped into the bathroom. Inside, rose-scented soap and towels were neatly laid out on the floor.
Celia dipped her hand into the bathtub filled with water. The temperature was warm—not too hot, not uncomfortably lukewarm—perfect for a bath.
She sank her body into the pleasantly warm water.
After such a long time, enjoying a proper bath quickly lifted Celia’s mood.
As she savored the bath, Celia suddenly realized she hadn’t brought a change of clothes.
‘Surely no one would just walk in.’
Even if someone did, she could use her ability, she reasoned.
[This is the timeline separator]Dietrich could not disobey the Empress’s order. If he defied her command to bring Celia by noon, the Empress would cling to the matter relentlessly.
Jeremy, the Empress’s son, had been making every excuse to strip Dietrich of his military authority.
Disobeying the Empress today would only empower Jeremy, who was already desperate to destroy him.
Since he was told to arrive by noon, Dietrich needed to be fully prepared before then.
No sooner had the Emperor’s funeral ended than the Empress bribed even the cook in charge of meals at Dietrich’s estate.
Dietrich noticed this in less than half a day, promptly dismissed the cook, and began purchasing food from outside the palace. Of course, since he couldn’t leave himself, he sent his subordinate, Sir Anderson.
“This is food brought directly from outside.”
Anderson carried a large basket filled with bread and fruit in both arms.
Every item in the basket looked fresh.
Dietrich selected the freshest-looking basket and spoke.
“Good work. Put the rest of the food in any empty room.”
“You mean not in the kitchen, but in an empty room?”
“There’s a chance someone might tamper with things in the kitchen while the estate is unattended.”
“Understood.”
Anderson bowed and added,
“I’ll look for a new cook. Someone reliable, someone who won’t be swayed by the Empress.”
Dietrich said nothing.
In Dietrich’s understanding of the Empress, she would simply bribe the next cook the moment one was hired, continuing her pressure.
Though Dietrich currently held military power, the moment Jeremy ascended the throne, that authority would naturally pass to him.
And since Jeremy deeply disliked him, he might demand Dietrich’s resignation as Captain of the Imperial Knights—or even strip him of his dukedom.
To anyone’s eyes, this was an unfavorable battle.
The Three Dukes would, as always, stand by and watch, knowing full well such events were unfolding.
Just as they had before—manipulating affairs like chess pieces.
Just as they had used the Emperor’s foolishness to bring their own nation to ruin.
One variable, however, was that Celia—the one with supernatural abilities—was now in his hands. Fortunately, it seemed no one else knew about her powers besides himself.
The intoxicating scent of hyacinth still seemed to linger at the edge of his nose.
At the same time, the image of Celia vomiting blood and writhing in pain flashed in his mind.
‘Does using her ability damage her body more and more?’
It made sense. She had been perfectly fine before using her power, but afterward, her entire body had become ravaged.
—…More.
Recalling Celia, who had bitten her lip and refused to let go, Dietrich’s pupils darkened.
Dietrich had watched Celia intently the entire time he transferred his saliva.
He had planned to kill her the moment she opened her eyes, realizing he had given her his saliva and sensing its healing properties.
But Celia never opened her eyes. After greedily consuming the saliva, she finally pulled away after a long while and murmured just one word.
—More.
Smiling brightly as if truly happy, Celia then peacefully drifted off to sleep.
As if dreaming of something joyful, a satisfied smile remained on her lips.
Fortunately, even after waking, Celia seemed to have no memory of the incident.
‘…Since I’ve alleviated some of her pain, I can only hope she fulfills her role properly.’
Dietrich decided to personally deliver food to Celia and question her about her abilities—while also informing her of precautions regarding the cunning Empress.
She hadn’t eaten for several days, so this amount of food would more than fill her stomach. The basket he carried was filled with freshly squeezed milk, fresh apples and plums, and bread baked that morning.
Dietrich stood before Celia’s door.
Knock, knock.
“It’s me.”
He knocked, but no answer came from inside. He quietly stared at the wall clock in the hallway.
The clock pointed to ten past ten. There was less than two hours left until noon—the time specified by the Empress.
Knock, knock.
Dietrich knocked several times, yet still no response came from within. With no more time to waste, Dietrich finally forced the door open and entered.
“….”
The room was empty. Dietrich placed the food basket on the desk and carefully surveyed the room. It was then that he noticed the bathroom door attached to the room was open.
Dietrich turned toward the sound. There she was—Celia, who had just finished her bath.
Instead of clothes, Celia was wrapped in a white towel. The towel was slightly too small to fully cover her body, leaving her pale thighs fully exposed.
Blinking several times as if trying to process the situation, Celia narrowed her eyes. Then, pointing a finger at him, she spoke.
“You….”
Dietrich quickly turned his head away. Celia’s mocking voice pierced his ears.
“You came in here on purpose knowing I was bathing, didn’t you?”
Dietrich felt wronged. He turned his whole body away and protested.
“I knocked several times. It’s your fault for not hearing.”
“I was in the bathroom—how was I supposed to hear?”
“If I had known you were bathing, I wouldn’t have come in.”
“….”
Celia glared coldly at the back of Dietrich’s head. She hadn’t expected the one person her abilities couldn’t affect to barge into her room.
If it had been any other man, she would have frozen him with her power and delivered a powerful kick to a vital spot.
Celia’s gaze shifted toward the food basket on the desk. She hadn’t eaten in days and had been starving to death.
She walked toward the desk where the basket sat. Carefully holding the towel tightly so it wouldn’t slip, she kept watching whether Dietrich was looking at her or not as she moved.
Thankfully, Dietrich was covering his eyes with one hand. Seeing that even his ears weren’t turning red, Celia inexplicably felt relieved.
She took an apple from the basket and took a bite. It tasted incredibly delicious—perhaps because it had been so long since her last proper meal.
Celia set down the half-eaten apple, drank a few sips of milk, and then finished off a baguette right there.
As she reached for another plum after eating her third, Dietrich’s heavily restrained voice came from behind.
“…I’d appreciate it if you stopped eating for now and put on some clothes first.”
Celia finally remembered Dietrich was still there. She had been so absorbed in the food that she momentarily forgot his presence.
During her time at the viscount’s estate, the Brillion mother and daughter had constantly pressured her to eat only meager plant-based meals, so she couldn’t remember the last time she’d tasted real food.
Now that she thought about it, even when she was imprisoned, Dietrich had always brought her delicious meals. Even if it was for his own exploitative purposes, Celia didn’t view that negatively at all.
To use someone effectively, gaining their favor was far more effective than provoking their resentment.
It wasn’t by chance that Dietrich, with no prior backing, had secured the position of Captain of the Imperial Knights.
“Just put some clothes on already.”
Dietrich’s irritated voice shattered Celia’s reverie.
“The food you brought is just too delicious.”
Dietrich remained silent. Instead, a deep sigh escaped him—perfectly expressing his current frustration.
Celia picked up a morning roll instead of another plum. With the bread in her mouth, chewing slowly, she stood before the wardrobe.
Dietrich stood with one hand still covering his eyes, clenching his fist tightly.
Seeing Dietrich’s fist, trembling as if desperate to strike her, Celia let out a quiet chuckle and flung the wardrobe door wide open.
Inside the wardrobe hung not the ornate dresses worn by noble ladies, but plain clothes meant for commoners. Undergarments were neatly folded in the bottom drawer.
Celia was satisfied. She could change alone, and besides, these clothes were far more practical and easier to move in than cumbersome, decorated dresses.
“Can I just pick anything from here?”
In response to Celia’s question, Dietrich answered.
“Yes.”
Celia pulled out simple undergarments and a dress in a neutral color. The clothes smelled fresh and clean, as if brand new. She changed quickly.
“I’m done. You can look now.”
At Celia’s words, Dietrich removed the hand he had been using to cover his eyes.
“….”
His eyebrows furrowed sharply at the sight of Celia. Tilting her head in confusion, Celia met Dietrich’s scornful gaze as he spoke.
“Can’t you eat that damn bread without getting crumbs all over your mouth?”
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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