Yes, you’re my fiancée. Your parents decided it without consulting you.

At Dietrich’s whisper, Celia’s eyes widened.

Celia grabbed the hem of Dietrich’s robe as he tried to pull away. Desperately, she denied his words.

“That’s impossible!”

“…….”

“My fiancé is you? I never once heard about a fiancé, not even when my kingdom was on the verge of collapse.”

Perhaps he truly intended to say it only once—Dietrich silently looked down at Celia.

The way he gazed at her wasn’t pity, but something closer to shared understanding.

As if whispering, We’re the same.

“Are you trying to shake me?”

“In this situation, what would change if I tried to unsettle you?”

That was true.

No matter how she thought about it, Dietrich had no reason to lie at this moment.

Yet, the mere idea that Dietrich was truly her fiancé struck Celia like a thunderbolt.

The difference was this:

Dietrich knew a great deal about Celia, while she knew almost nothing about him.

I don’t know, but you do.

In this situation, who truly holds control?

As if fully understanding her confusion, Dietrich spoke to Celia in a gentle tone.

“There’s no need to worry. Just because you were once my fiancée doesn’t mean our relationship will change.”

“…….”

“You’re the master, and I’m your dog. That’s enough.”

Dietrich met Celia’s gaze.

Celia glared at Dietrich with cold eyes.

Soon, an icy voice dripped from her lips.

“Is there even such a thing as a dog who kisses its master?”

Celia decided she would no longer hide her true self.

Now that Dietrich knew her identity, trying to conceal herself would only make her look foolish.

Dietrich, his expression now dry and composed, carefully scanned Celia as he spoke.

“It was you who kissed me while I stayed still, Celia.”

“It was you who wouldn’t let go, even when I tried to push you away, Dietrich.”

Dietrich’s brow instantly furrowed.

Indeed, his displeased expression felt more familiar than his smile.

Celia felt slightly better.

“Explain the Three Dukes to me. Give me a valid reason why they’re my true ‘enemy.'”

Dietrich stared blankly at Celia.

“Unlike me, who was just a puppet of the Viscount’s family, you were in the imperial palace—you should know plenty.”

At Celia’s words, Dietrich’s face darkened with anger.

His expression seemed to ask, What do you know of my suffering?

“I’m truly relieved we never married.”

“Who are you to say that? Just get to the point.”

Though clearly displeased, Dietrich obediently continued.

“Do you know that Abelon worships snakes as gods?”

“No.”

“Every year, at Abelon’s Grand Temple, people are offered as sacrifices to the serpent under the name of a ritual.”

Dietrich lowered his voice further.

“Whether alive or dead, they offer humans as sacrifices to the serpent in exchange for prophecies.”

“Prophecies?”

“Yes. Literal prophecies. I don’t know if it’s a god or a demon, but Ileon seems to deeply believe in them. Just look at how he grows his hair long and wears only white clothes every single day.”

What connection could there be between these prophecies and the destruction of her kingdom?

Sensing Celia’s thoughts, Dietrich added,

“Ten years ago, Ileon received a certain ‘prophecy.’ Then, conspiring with the other two dukes, he urged the Emperor to wage war, completely destroying both your distant kingdom and mine.”

“……What kind of prophecy could it possibly be?”

“That part I don’t know. This is all I barely managed to uncover.”

His eyes showed no trace of deception. Celia didn’t fully trust Dietrich, but she believed what he was saying now.

She couldn’t understand what had changed in him to make him reveal these hidden truths, but for Celia, this was certainly not a bad thing.

Of course, she was deeply shocked to discover that her long-unknown fiancé was right before her—Dietrich. Yet, without any tangible proof, the fact didn’t quite settle in her heart.

In the end, Celia gained much and lost nothing.

Once she identified the true enemy, the tension weighing on her body suddenly lifted.

Having someone she could rely on felt surprisingly comforting.

“……Thank you for telling me.”

Celia smiled faintly and expressed her gratitude.

Her sudden change in attitude seemed unpleasant to Dietrich—his eyebrows knitted together.

“Just pick one. Either be cold or warm.”

“This is me.”

At Celia’s bold declaration, Dietrich let out a dry chuckle.

“Truly, an unpredictable master.”

“And yet you don’t even consider me your master, but only call me that when it suits you.”

“If I said ‘master’ every day, I might actually start seeing you as one.”

Celia recoiled at the unexpectedly sharp remark.

She quickly changed the subject.

“But that snake-worshipping Ileon framed us. We’re about to be attacked before we even get a chance to strike.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

To you?

His words, as if treating her like mere baggage, irked Celia.

“Why not use me? Use my ability.”

“…….”

Dietrich remained silent.

Instead, he looked down at Celia with an indescribable expression.

“Hmm? Use me.”

“Using your ability will damage your body.”

Celia’s face flushed with bewilderment at this completely unexpected response.

“Celia, no dog in the world uses its master as a shield.”

“…….”

“Get some rest. You must be tired.”

Celia felt both grateful and annoyed by Dietrich’s tendency to shoulder everything alone.

Why choose the difficult path when an easier one exists?

Using her ability wouldn’t kill her immediately. Earlier, when she used it briefly, she only felt slightly queasy—unlike before, she didn’t vomit blood.

‘If things get bad, I’ll just use it then.’

Thinking this, Celia urged him.

“What about you? Why don’t you get some sleep?”

“I hardly sleep at all.”

Celia could hardly believe this was the same person.

Back at the Viscount’s estate, the constant visits from the Brillion family men had deprived her of sleep, yet Dietrich seemed to sleep even less than she did back then.

No wonder his eyes always looked dark—now she knew it was from lack of rest.

Celia asked Dietrich again.

“I’m going to sleep now, so at least close your eyes. Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m used to it. I’m fine.”

“You’re making me anxious just watching you.”

“…….”

Seeing Dietrich hesitate, Celia firmly declared,

“If you don’t sleep, I won’t either.”

With no choice, Dietrich let out a resigned sigh and accepted her request.

“Fine.”

Having said that, Dietrich gently picked Celia up in his arms.

Celia’s eyes widened in shock as she suddenly found herself being carried.

“What are you doing now?”

“I’m taking you to the bed. This room doesn’t have one.”

“I can walk by myself.”

Celia squirmed to escape his hold, but Dietrich silently carried her as he searched for the room with a bed.

Soon, the firmness of his arms felt so comfortable that Celia let her body go limp and gave up resisting.

Celia’s feather-light weight felt endlessly irritating, and Dietrich kept his brow furrowed throughout the entire time.

After laying Celia on the spacious bed, Dietrich pulled the white blanket up to her chin.

Then, Dietrich himself lay down not on the bed, but on the hard, cold floor, closing his eyes.

Celia looked down at him, puzzled by his choice of sleeping spot.

Feeling her gaze, Dietrich opened one eye and said,

“This manor might be infiltrated by someone, so I’m staying here. I know you’d rather not share a room, but endure it for just one night.”

“No, that’s not what I meant……”

This manor belonged to Dietrich—why should he sleep on the hard floor?

Celia wasn’t that shameless.

Looking at the cold, rigid floor, she shook her head.

“The floor is freezing. The bed is wide enough—just sleep together with me.”

At Celia’s words, Dietrich’s eyes snapped wide open.

Meanwhile, Celia’s eyes remained perfectly clear—so innocent and pure, they reminded him of a child seeing the world as round and gentle.

Dietrich found it uncomfortable to sleep beside her.

After all, they had kissed.

Though he pretended indifference in front of Celia, Dietrich remembered that moment vividly.

Her warm breath, her dazed expression, her lips glistening with his saliva.

Not a single detail lacked intensity.

It felt strange that her casual closeness brought him comfort.

At this rate, if Celia told him to lie flat on the ground, he might obediently crawl and pant like a dog.

‘How did it come to this?’

No matter how he pondered, he found no answer.

Only the thought that everything had gone wrong from the start.

He had planned to quietly dispose of her the moment she discovered his ability. Yet now, instead of eliminating her, he was holding her hand and offering her peace.

The answer was clear:

He was already a dog. And Celia was the master.

The only fortunate thing was that the master herself remained unaware of this fact.

Dietrich barely suppressed a curse rising in his throat.

He was clearly insane.

Not only had he freely revealed his identity, but now he was assigning unnecessary meaning to every word and action.

All of this was because he had stayed too close to that woman.

Dietrich closed his eyes and turned his back to Celia.

Then, rustling sounds came from the bed, followed by Celia shaking his body and saying,

“You clearly look cold. Let’s sleep together on the bed.”

Was it his body trembling? Or was it his heart?

Dietrich could no longer tell.