The full moon appeared between the clouds in the night sky, and someone covered in red blood was seen walking in from the entrance.

The moonlight shone on hair as black as ebony.

The person who appeared covered in blood from head to toe was none other than Dietrich.

Dietrich dropped something that looked like the hides of demonic beasts onto the floor with a thud.

“Your Grace, Duke Calypso!”

Anderson cried out. Celiya ran towards Dietrich a step ahead of Anderson.

Celiya felt Dietrich’s face, shoulders, and body in turn, not caring if blood got on her hands.

Tired red eyes looked towards the sorrowful Celiya.

“…Are you alright? Who did this to you?”

“Celiya.”

Dietrich took off the black gloves he was wearing, and caressed Celiya’s cheek with his clean hand that had no blood on it.

“It’s not my blood.”

“…”

“So don’t make that face.”

With those final words, Dietrich’s hand very slowly fell away.

Celiya’s eyes widened as she saw Dietrich’s eyelids slowly close.

Celiya felt her heart sink.

Anderson, who was standing next to her, immediately supported Dietrich.

“My lady, it seems His Grace the Duke has exerted himself greatly. Fortunately, he has no wounds.”

“…”

“He has merely fallen asleep for a moment.”

Celiya kept looking at Dietrich with a worried expression.

She felt frustrated to the point of madness at her inability to do anything.

‘If only I had healing abilities like you.’

At that moment, the sound of horses’ hooves was heard from the forest direction.

The one who appeared on horseback was Ileon.

Unlike Dietrich who was covered in blood, Ileon appeared pristine on a white horse without a single drop of blood on him.

The carcasses of a fawn with arrows in it and rabbits were hanging from the horse’s saddle.

“Oh my, I’m too late.”

At the cheerful voice, Celiya realized that all of this was Ileon’s doing.

“What’s going on here? Is the Duke injured?”

Ileon dismounted and walked towards Celiya.

Ileon’s knights pulled the deer and rabbit carcasses off the horse.

“…”

Celiya glared at Ileon as if she wanted to kill him.

“What an impertinent look. Shall I throw you in prison for treason against the Emperor?”

Ileon said this and smiled, narrowing his eyes.

Anderson, who was supporting Dietrich, intervened between the two.

“Your Majesty, it seems Duke Calypso has overexerted himself in the hunting competition, so he will not be participating in tonight’s formal dinner.”

“…Very well then.”

Celiya barely managed to suppress her anger.

Thinking that she shouldn’t be swayed as Ileon wished, Celiya hurriedly left the place with Anderson.

Ileon’s gaze lingered on Celiya’s back for a long while.

“Who scored the highest in the hunting competition?”

“…Your Majesty, about that…”

The knights hesitated, then said as they lined up the demonic beast hides Dietrich had brought:

“It was Duke Calypso. He completely wiped out the high-ranking demonic beasts.”

“…”

“Isn’t he a monster? He deliberately chose only the elites, yet came back without a single injury, and even killed all the high-ranking demonic beasts.”

Ileon’s eyes narrowed.

“He has no injuries at all?”

“Yes, not even a scratch. He may have reached a level beyond Swordmaster.”

“…”

“I think he may have been hiding his strength all this time, Your Majesty.”

At the aide’s words, an unpleasant look crossed Ileon’s face.

It felt like a chess piece that wasn’t even on his board was now sitting across from him playing chess.

“…Process someone else as the winner.”

“!”

“We can’t give the Duke more power. If there’s any objection, just say he was excluded from the winners because he didn’t attend the formal dinner.”

Ileon’s aide nodded and bowed his head.

“I will do so, Your Majesty.”

Ileon was right.

If Dietrich were to spread his wings here, what would happen?

More than half of the imperial knights were already completely under Dietrich’s authority.

Although Ileon had become Emperor, it was difficult to easily overthrow Dietrich’s already firmly established authority.

However, it wasn’t that there was no way at all.

Ileon possessed various potions, and he was very skilled at manipulating people.

No matter how excellent Dietrich’s swordsmanship was, Ileon thought he was in the palm of his hand.

As soon as they returned to the mansion, Anderson laid Dietrich down on the bed in the room.

Celiya’s feelings as she looked at Dietrich, covered in blood from head to toe, were indescribable.

Anderson tried to wipe the blood covering Dietrich’s entire body with a towel soaked in water.

“Give it to me.”

Anderson nodded and handed the wet towel to Celiya.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Celiya brought the wet towel to Dietrich’s face.

Celiya carefully wiped Dietrich’s face with the wet towel, then wrung out the bloodstained towel with her hands and wiped the blood covering his entire body.

Anderson, judging that this was not a place he should be, tactfully excused himself.

“…I’ll take my leave now. I’ll be waiting in the hallway, so please call me anytime if you need anything, my lady.”

Thud.

A quiet stillness fell over the room after Anderson left.

Celiya had wiped away all the visible blood completely clean.

When Dietrich’s eyes had closed, she felt her heart sink.

Dietrich was a person just like her.

Why had she thought he would never die?

Because he was always strong, because he was always reliable, Celiya couldn’t even imagine Dietrich dying.

−I’ll protect you.

It was Dietrich who had said that with a voice full of sincerity and a kind face.

Celiya didn’t want Dietrich to die.

Celiya put down the wet towel and looked closely at Dietrich’s sleeping face.

He was Dietrich, who had the same pain as her, but was incomparably strong.

Celiya undid Dietrich’s collar.

It was to check if there were any wounds on his body, as Anderson had said.

When she undid a few buttons, his firm chest was revealed.

Following Dietrich’s breathing, his large pectoral muscles repeatedly swelled and subsided.

Fortunately, there were no wounds on his chest.

Celiya’s gaze fell on the pants Dietrich was wearing.

“…”

Seeing between his firm thighs, Celiya shook her head.

Even though it was to check for wounds, she thought it would be too much to take off his pants.

Celiya was about to button up the buttons she had undone on his chest so Dietrich could rest comfortably.

The moment Celiya’s hand touched Dietrich’s button.

A large hand grabbed Celiya’s wrist.

With the strong force, Celiya fell over onto the bed.

Celiya blinked, not knowing what had just happened to her.

In focus was Dietrich looking down at her from above.

The red eyes that had held a soft light were no longer there.

Instead, there was only Dietrich with the eyes of a predator.

Celiya felt naked in front of a hungry beast.

“Ah…”

Celiya let out an involuntary moan.

She remembered seeing these eyes before.

When Dietrich had healed the bite mark on her collarbone, saying it bothered him.

He had the exact same look in his eyes then as he did now.

Dietrich’s eyes flashed like a beast’s as he looked at Celiya’s parted lips.

Dietrich devoured Celiya’s lips in one breath.

Their breaths intertwined, and Dietrich pushed Celiya down somewhat roughly.

At the sensation of her mind going blank, Celiya grabbed Dietrich’s arms.

Something soft swept through her teeth and kneaded the inside thoroughly.

Dietrich, who always asked for Celiya’s permission, acted like a beast just for today.

But Celiya didn’t dislike this Dietrich.

Celiya let Dietrich explore her as he pleased.

Like a merciless tidal wave, Dietrich explored Celiya.

Wet sounds echoed through the room.

Dietrich gently nibbled inside Celiya’s mouth with his teeth, then softly sucked.

Celiya let go of Dietrich’s arms that she had been holding.

Instead, Celiya embraced Dietrich’s shoulders.

The two repeatedly kissed each other’s lips.

“Celiya.”

It was the first word Dietrich uttered after separating his saliva-slicked lips.

Dietrich’s red eyes were filled entirely with Celiya.

Celiya didn’t ask if he had come to his senses.

“…You were in your right mind from the start.”

At Celiya’s words, Dietrich traced Celiya’s lips, glistening with his saliva, with his index finger.

“Since when were you awake?”

“I was never asleep.”

“…”

“I was just pretending to sleep.”

Dietrich added, the corners of his eyes curving.

“Because I liked you worrying about me.”

Celiya realized she had been completely fooled by Dietrich.

“Why on earth?”

To Celiya’s question, Dietrich caressed Celiya’s cheek and answered.

“I like you.”

“…”

“I’ve come to like you so much that I can’t remember how I lived when you weren’t here.”