Celiya could not understand Dietrich at all.

Just now, what if she had stabbed a dagger into Dietrich’s neck instead of hesitating?

The droplets of blood that had formed on his neck silently flowed down his neckline.

“Are you angry?”

At the calm voice, Celiya glared at him with bloodshot eyes.

“Angry? I’m not angry at all.”

“…Your eyes are saying otherwise.”

“I should have just stabbed the dagger without hesitation. To stop you from saying bad things.”

“Why didn’t you do that?”

Why didn’t I stab? There were many reasons. The moment she saw blood forming on Dietrich’s neck, the scene of Dietrich dying unfolded in Celiya’s mind.

Even if he died with a dagger in his neck, Dietrich seemed like he wouldn’t change his expression at all.

Above all that, the decisive reason why Celiya couldn’t kill him was.

“Because I didn’t want to kill you.”

I didn’t want to kill. I wanted him to live.

It’s not because she wanted to rely on Dietrich.

To Celiya, Dietrich was still a suspicious figure whose inner thoughts were unknown.

“You’re too difficult for me. I don’t know what you’re thinking, and you never tell me important information. You just test people as you please.”

Celiya approached Dietrich. Dietrich stood in place, looking down at Celiya with a calm face.

Celiya saw the wound on Dietrich’s neck, where blood had formed. She carefully rubbed the wound she had made with her hand.

Just by lightly rubbing it, red drops of blood stained her hand.

If she had stabbed the dagger a little deeper, he might have really lost his life. Thinking that, her heart was stirred.

The confusion she felt now wasn’t because she had grown attached in such a short time. It must be because the Dietrich before her eyes was so out of his mind.

Or maybe he had used his ability on her.

Even while endlessly harboring suspicions, she couldn’t bring herself to take his life.

“I wanted you to live rather than die.”

It was a mouth that usually spoke nonsense or lies. But this time, the words she uttered were the truth.

After finishing her words, Celiya quietly looked up at Dietrich. He was so tall that she always had to crane her neck to look at him.

Dietrich bent his waist to meet her gaze.

The cold wind scattered Dietrich’s black hair. Only Celiya was wholly reflected in his red eyes.

Dietrich tidied Celiya’s hair instead of his own. Celiya’s silver hair intertwined between his large fingers.

Dietrich put the hood attached to the top of the robe on Celiya. The robe tailored to Dietrich’s body had such a large hood that Celiya could barely see in front of her.

In the dark field of vision, Dietrich’s low voice settled in Celiya’s ear.

“Celiya.”

Had he ever called her name before? Probably not, it seemed. As Celiya tried to take off the hood out of frustration, Dietrich stopped her by grasping her hands.

Just by holding her hand, her confused heart settled calmly. As Celiya remained still, Dietrich’s voice tickled her ear once more.

“Live.”

“……”

“Because I, too, wish for you to live more than anyone.”

After saying those words, Dietrich removed the hood that was covering Celiya’s sight.

Dietrich, who was staring at her with a face devoid of any emotion, seemed like an ascetic who had left the secular world, or like a large old tree rooted in that spot.

Dietrich bent down to pick up the dagger Celiya had dropped.

“The attack was good, but your dagger-holding stance was wrong from the start. You’re gripping the dagger quite convincingly, but that way you can’t exert proper strength.”

Dietrich placed the dagger in Celiya’s hand. Then, standing behind her, he overlapped his hand on hers.

“Don’t put too much strength in your wrist. And, it’s more important to aim for the exact vital point. If you do it well, you can cut off the opponent’s breath with one strike.”

Dietrich folded each of Celiya’s finger joints one by one, personally teaching her how to hold the dagger. Celiya’s back touched his upper body, and she was almost embraced in Dietrich’s arms.

“If you fail to cut off the opponent’s breath, stab both eyes with the dagger.”

“…The eyes?”

“Yes, the eyes. Usually, when humans are attacked in the eyes, they completely lose the will to fight out of shock.”

“You speak as if you’ve done it many times.”

At Celiya’s words, Dietrich let out a clear laugh.

Hearing this laugh for the first time, Celiya turned her head to check Dietrich’s face, but he had an indifferent expression as if he had never laughed.

“Focus. Look ahead.”

With his hand still wrapped around Celiya’s, Dietrich personally taught her how to hold the dagger and use it according to the part to be attacked.

Celiya absorbed every detail Dietrich taught without missing anything.

Watching Celiya absorb well what he taught, Dietrich had a gentle smile on his lips.

He wondered how long it had been since he smiled like this. He thought he would never have anything to smile about in his entire life.

−I wanted you to live rather than die.

The image of Celiya looking straight into his eyes as she spoke those words lingered like an afterimage in Dietrich’s mind.

He thought she would kill him whenever the opportunity arose, but contrary to his expectations, Celiya did not harm him.

Of course, even if Celiya had sincerely tried to kill Dietrich, nothing would have changed. As a Sword Master, Dietrich could avoid death by putting aura into his body parts if he wanted to.

Avoiding Celiya’s attacks, which were all visible to the naked eye, was no task at all for Dietrich.

The reason he suddenly put the hood on Celiya to cover her eyes was because Dietrich momentarily failed to manage his expression.

At that time, Dietrich was flustered, not knowing what expression to make. He put the robe on Celiya because he didn’t want to show his face filled with bewilderment.

Celiya, with her ability, is more useful to him than a lustful emperor. Perhaps, she might even aim for the downfall of Abelon like himself.

So, this is why he’s directly teaching her how to use a dagger.

The reason his heart was elated was because Celiya didn’t try to harm him.

Just that, nothing more.

Dietrich raised his head to look up at the sky. It seemed like it wasn’t long ago, but somehow the day was already breaking.

“Celiya.”

Dietrich called Celiya. Celiya looked up at him as her name was called.

“Don’t go anywhere, stay hidden here well until I come back.”

Dietrich placed the dagger in Celiya’s hand. Celiya nodded and answered.

“I’ll wait.”

Celiya smiled softly. Her green eyes, reminiscent of a summer forest, gently closed within her slightly reddish eye corners.

Dietrich gazed at Celiya’s smiling face for a moment before turning away.

As soon as day broke, Empress Erphia visited the palace where Ileon was staying.

Passing through the golden hall where the ceiling and walls were all made of gold, a marble staircase leading to the second-floor reception room appeared.

Upon reaching the second floor, a door emblazoned with a crest of a giant black snake wrapping around a white cross appeared.

It was the crest of the Gredrik ducal family.

Entering the reception room, Ileon, with his hair tied to one side, greeted the empress with an infinitely gentle face.

Dressed in a large pure white garment, he looked more like a priest than a duke.

As if he had anticipated her visit, two teacups and a steaming teapot were placed on the mahogany table with a vase of roses.

“Your Majesty the Empress, please have a seat.”

The empress sat opposite Ileon with a very angry face.

She was already upset because Jeremy had not been listening to her lately, so she hadn’t attended the banquet, but she didn’t expect Ileon to leave the banquet hall alone with Celiya.

“Duke, what on earth did you talk about with that wench Celiya?”

Ileon found it truly amusing that the empress couldn’t even control her emotions. He shrugged while pouring tea into the empty cups.

“I simply wanted to see the woman implicated in the emperor’s assassination attempt for myself. There was no other reason.”

The empress furrowed her brows at Ileon’s answer.

“Do you expect me to believe that now? I hear you were with that lowly thing for over two hours.”

“Why do you dislike that woman so much? Your Majesty the Empress, you are the mother of all people, should you be so swayed by a mere girl?”

Hearing Ileon’s words, the empress felt her throat burning and took a sip of tea from the cup.

Clank.

Placing the teacup on the table, she got to the main point with Ileon.

“…By the way, did you bring what I asked for, Duke?”

“By request, do you mean the poison that disfigures the face?”

“Yes. As I wrote in the letter, preferably a poison that not only disfigures the face but makes it melt horribly.”

Ileon laughed silently.

How different people can be.

Some seek poison to harm others, while others refuse even when the poison is placed directly in their hands.

The image of Celiya smiling like a blooming spring flower, telling him not to use it on others, was quite refreshing.

Clank.

Ileon took out a small vial from his bosom and placed it on the table.

A transparent liquid was contained in the small vial about the size of a finger joint.

The empress, her purple eyes shining, tried to grab the vial. However, Ileon snatched it away faster. The empress, who had the desired object snatched away right in front of her, opened her eyes fiercely.

“What are you trying to do with me now, Duke?”

“How can you say that, Your Majesty? I just wanted to inform you of a few precautions before handing it over.”

“Precautions?”

Ileon smiled brightly as he shook the vial.

“Yes. This poison, while not life-threatening, causes the face to melt horribly even with a small amount ingested, making the skin mushy and deforming the eyes, nose, and mouth grotesquely. Those who see themselves in the mirror despair at their face and go mad, or in severe cases, take their own lives. There has not been a single exception.”

At Ileon’s explanation, the empress spoke with excitement.

“The effect is very good indeed.”

“…However.”

Ileon paused for a moment and smiled at the empress with his eyes narrowed. His blue eyes formed crescents, adding freshness to his already gentle-looking face.

“In exchange for giving you such a risky poison, there is a condition.”

“A condition?”

The empress’s eyebrow twitched.