I’ll praise you. You’ve been quite bold lately.Now you can even nag at me.Raising your voice, huh?Just go ahead and act all cheeky.

No. You just told me to mind my manners…

Why this posture again?

As I pouted, Edan, with his large hand that was gripping the back of the bench, gently caressed my cheek.

“Go on. Keep going. Don’t you have more to say?”

When I tightly pursed my lips, Edan lowered the hand that was touching my cheek, grabbed my chin, and turned it to the left.

A great river flowed below the sloping hill.

Then he turned my face back to meet his gaze.

“There’s no one to the left because of the river, and the right is blocked by the bench.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Edan’s fingers, which had been slowly stroking my chin with his thumb, gradually moved up to my lips.

“I’m saying that whatever I do here right now, no one else will know.”

The corners of his slightly parted lips curled upward subtly.

Edan’s touch on me was endlessly gentle, and for some reason today, I felt no resistance at all.

He always approached me with a bit of urgency, so why was it different now?

It felt like the flow of time had shifted.

As I blinked slowly and didn’t avert my gaze, Edan wrinkled his nose.

“Lati. You.”

“…?”

“Don’t make that expression. It makes me want to devour you for real.”

After saying that, Edan brought the hand that had been touching my lips to his own.

Then he stuck out his tongue and lightly licked his fingertips.

He did this the first time we met too, and I don’t know if it’s unconscious, but I know it’s not good for my mental health. It’s not as scary as it was back then, but Edan is still just too, too alluring!

His passionate gaze landed on my forehead, then slid down my nose and cheeks, finally resting on my lips.Watching his eyes move, I swallowed hard.For some reason, I felt a little thirsty.

Edan’s body weight pressed down on me just enough.

As he lowered his head to close the distance, the sky darkened slightly, and the sounds of horns and drums echoed from the market.

The quiet surroundings grew noisy, and Edan, as if irritated, furrowed his brow and closed his eyes.

I, too, snapped back to the reality I had momentarily forgotten.

“It’s almost time to start, isn’t it? Let’s go buy some lanterns.”

We blended back into the crowd, heading toward a shop lined with lanterns.

“Your Grace.”

Like a shadow, Ruben quietly approached Edan’s side.

When our eyes met, Ruben gave a brief nod in greeting, then leaned in to whisper something inaudible into Edan’s ear.

In that brief moment, the wind grew chillier, and the halo around the moon reached its peak intensity.

As if they had been waiting for this moment, people flocked to the riverside.

Each person lit their lantern, and with the sound of firecrackers, an immense number of lanterns soared into the sky one after another.

The damp night air carried the scent of cool mist.The flickering small lights of the orange lanterns, steadily rising to fill the dark night sky, were a breathtaking sight.

Everyone was gazing at the lights they had released, making wishes.

“Mon—monster!”

With someone’s sharp cry, black-clad knights with special abilities emerged from all directions at once.

Whoosh— A massive, dark creature with enormous wings, resembling a dragon, flew in from beyond the mountains, cutting through the night sky.

Its wingtips bore sharp claws that looked deadly enough to kill with a single graze.

“Ruben.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Edan swiftly drew his sword.

Patting my head gently twice, as if telling me to wait, he dashed toward the river in one fluid motion.

Ruben immediately came to my side and gestured into the air.

Two of Edan’s other subordinates appeared, guarding my sides.

“Don’t ever leave her.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Ruben entrusted me to them and followed Edan.

The creature was so fast that it was already above the river.

Swoosh—swoosh— Making eerie wind sounds, the monster circled above people’s heads as if scouting.

Grrrr—

With a rough breath that seemed to shake the earth and stir the wind, the creature crunched and spat out lanterns in midair.

I knew how strong Edan was and had seen his men fight, so I wasn’t too worried, but another concern arose.

A flying monster? How do you fight something like that in the air?

I looked around, sweating coldly.

But shockingly, I was the only one this scared.People watched with anxious faces, but no one screamed loudly or fled in a hurry.

What’s going on? Normally, people would run without looking back…

And soon, I understood why.

The moment the creature’s eyes turned toward the crowded market street, a giant blue hand-shaped figure covered the sky.The massive hand I recognized created a sturdy barrier, as if ensuring the monster could never harm the people.

The knights leaped into the air, using the blue barrier Edan had created as a foothold.

All of them wore black hoods, making it hard to tell them apart.

But I knew exactly where Edan was.

Among the dozens of knights, the man who jumped the highest into the sky was Edan.

They were all agile and powerful warriors.

Not a single unnecessary movement, no wasted gestures.

Their movements were so fast that the monster was restrained in an instant.

As if in perfect sync, the knights aimed their swords at the creature simultaneously.

And in one swift motion, they pierced its wings, arms, legs, head, and spine.

Kieee—!

Screaming and spraying what looked like green blood, the monster wailed, and Edan climbed onto its head.

With a long sword, he severed the creature’s neck and massive body in two.

It was a fight so unreal it felt like a performance.

It was over in an instant. The monster’s corpse was flung to the opposite riverbank.

“Wooo—!”

The crowd cheered, and I stared blankly at the brutal yet beautiful scene.

Just as Edan had said, the monster was defeated in no time without any casualties.

My whole body trembled with exhilaration and awe.

In the original story, Edan never protected anyone. He was tormented and out of his mind.

But even so, he had been protecting the North like this all along.

You could tell by looking at the people. Even at a festival where a monster might appear, they trusted that the lord of this land would courageously step up to protect them.

Edan wasn’t a slaughterer. He was a man who could protect people.

Even if he had been sent to the North as if in exile, he never showed it in front of others.

In truth, he protected his domain with more passion and a heavier sense of responsibility than anyone else.

“Edan…”

For a moment, I wished he could truly be happy.

I hoped he would never be in pain again.

I hoped he would never be hurt again.

I hoped he would no longer be used by the cruel emperor and empress.

I looked at the lanterns soaring powerfully into the night sky where the monster had vanished.

That’s when it happened.

“Gasp—!”

The rough texture of thick gloves covered my mouth.

“Shh.”

A deep male voice whispered in my ear.

“Stay still, and you won’t get hurt. I won’t harm you, so just stay put.”

A sweet, fruity scent brushed past my nose along with a soft, pleasant voice.

I quickly glanced around and saw Edan’s two subordinates collapsed on the ground.

“Mmph…!”

I grabbed the hand covering my mouth, trying to pull it away, but of course, it wouldn’t budge.

I tried to make a sound, but even that was impossible.

Still, I couldn’t give up. I struggled with all my might to break free from the man’s grasp.

“Latieana Merigold.”

He knew me. The voice was still soft, but a chill ran through me, and I froze.

As my body went limp, the man spoke again.

“If you scream, I won’t go easy on you anymore.”

I quickly nodded.

The man slightly loosened his grip, and I slowly turned my head to look at him.

Just one step away was the brightly lit festival street, but the shadow of the building obscured the man’s appearance almost entirely.

A white cloth was wrapped tightly around his head, neck, and shoulders. Through the gap, our eyes met.

‘They shine.’

Even in the dark, his golden eyes sparkled like the sun.

The man, whose kind gaze made him seem the least likely to be a kidnapper, blinked slowly at me.

The fruity scent brushed past me again.

And at that moment, with the sound of fireworks shooting into the sky and a loud bang, the man furrowed his brow and quickly looked up.

“Latieana-nim!”

Ruben! I hurriedly turned my head toward the sound.

Ruben, with his sword drawn, was charging fiercely toward us.His rapid approach was momentarily frightening, but I yanked at the man’s hand with all my strength.

“Sir Ruben!”

The moment I shouted, my body was lifted into the air, and my gaze swung to the opposite side.

A man who seemed to be the stranger’s subordinate rushed forward with a sword.

Clang— The sound of swords clashing rang out, and the man holding me tightened his grip.My vision darkened momentarily, and then the surroundings brightened again.

The deafening sound of fireworks faded, and the area became quiet in an instant.