He stared at the snake in his hand with a cold gaze and asked, “Is this snake the one that made you like this?”
I couldn’t respond, so I rolled my eyes up and down. However, even with just that, it seemed like my intentions were adequately conveyed.

I felt Ascan exerting strength on his grip with the snake in hand.

The snake, perhaps sensing danger, thrashed wildly, but it couldn’t escape Ascan’s grip.

Soon, an unextinguishable flame appeared in his hand, and the snake burned to death.

Ascan’s eyes, looking at the snake now turned dark, were still formidable. I, too, felt relieved as I had wanted to kill the snake many times in my heart.

Ascan embraced me. The long hem of the dazzling wedding dress sprawled all the way to the floor.

Ascan spoke, “You seem to be in a paralyzed state, but don’t worry. It will improve over time, and even if not, I’ll take care of it.”

Once again, I rolled my eyes up and down, expressing my understanding.

A single word, “reliable,” couldn’t fully convey my current feelings. As long as Ascan was here to rescue me, the prolonged paralysis didn’t seem frightening anymore.

Helcion, who had been writhing in pain with his right arm severed, seemed to regain some composure. With an angry expression, he said, “Why, you…?”

“I’m paying the price for trying to touch my woman.”

Helcion’s eyes widened. It seemed he just realized that something was off between Ascan and me.

Given Helcion’s cunning nature, rather than suspecting anything, he probably thought Ascan had thoroughly concealed our relationship.

With an expression of malicious delight, Helcion burst into laughter. “Hahaha, are you rebelling just for a mere woman? I didn’t know you lacked such discernment. I’ve misjudged you.”

“Right. You misjudged me. Today it’s my right arm, but next time, I’m thinking of cutting off your throat.”

Crunch! Helcion bit down on his tongue, unable to close his mouth fully, making a muffled sound.

“Ascan, do you really think you can do such things and live peacefully in the Kalua Empire? I will catch you and tear your limbs apart with my own hands!”

Smirking at Helcion’s enraged appearance, Ascan seemed to find it amusing.

He knew well how to infuriate Helcion the most.

“Remember, I’m the one who put you on that imperial throne. If you have the ability, try anything.”

“…You’re unbelievably arrogant.”

Helcion glared at Ascan, holding his bleeding severed right arm. Having spent a long time together, they knew each other better than anyone else. Once allies and now enemies, it was a complete catastrophe.

Ascan, carrying me, walked away, and as a parting remark, he said, “I’ll say it again; the next time we meet, you’ll die at my hands.”

It wasn’t an empty threat. There was a profound determination in those words.
So, Ascan embraced me and hurriedly rushed outside. If we delayed, we would inevitably run into the Royal Guards or the Imperial Knights.

While I was inside the bedroom, I didn’t realize that the outside was in chaos.

Shouts were heard from all directions.

“Quick, put out the fire!”

“Over here!”

Many people in the palace were carrying water to suppress the flames.

Despite their efforts, seeing that the fire wasn’t diminishing at all, I realized that Ascan had used the unextinguishable flame to start the fire.

Ascan walked quickly while holding me, saying, “Let’s head to the northern gate.”

Even amid the confusion, I felt Zen, Calton, and the royal guards following Ascan efficiently.

It didn’t need to be spoken. The key now was to safely escape the palace.

I looked up at Ascan while being held in his arms. It was a more urgent situation than ever, but strangely, I wasn’t anxious.

Just having him by my side made everything not frightening.

‘…Thank you.’

My tongue stiffened, and words that I couldn’t convey right now lingered on my lips.

Having read the original novel, I knew a lot. So, I could guess why Ascan had abandoned something and chose to rescue me in a situation where he could lose a lot.

How could he be so consistent?

Ascan remained unchanged whether before losing his memory or now. I was overwhelmed by the blind love he gave.

Sensing my gaze, Ascan, who had been moving urgently, looked at me. Then, he folded his eyes as if lying and said, “Don’t worry. Even if the sky falls, I’ll protect you.”

Suddenly, I recalled the words Ascan had said to me a long time ago.

─ No one will be able to touch a single strand of Miss’s hair. I will protect you.

If I could move now, I wanted to embrace Ascan’s neck and whisper to him.

That I loved him.

That I loved him so much.

After a while, flames also erupted in Helcion’s bedroom.

Since it was a flame summoned by Ascan, no matter how much water was poured on it, it didn’t weaken. People had to evacuate rather than waiting for the fire to be extinguished.