The darkness that swallowed Alicia in an instant was invisible yet real, and although intangible, it possessed the power to render her body immobile.

Unable to even sink to her knees in the darkness enveloping her body, Alicia could only watch, petrified in a standing position, as the demonic hand reached out towards her with its mouth gaping wide.

Just as the six sharp, pointed fingers were about to grasp Alicia.

Something flew in from somewhere and blasted away the demon’s body.

– Bang!

Only when the loud noise of the demon’s body crashing into something was heard did Alicia’s body, freed from the spell of darkness, collapse to the floor.

“Huff, huh… huh…”

Bracing herself on the floor, Alicia’s shoulders heaved as she gasped for air as if choked, and only then did her body begin to tremble.

‘I almost died.’

Literally, she had almost been torn apart by the demon.

Alicia crossed her arms, hugging her shoulders, and curled her body into a ball.

She was terrified.

No, it was horrific.

Though she tried to calm her rough breathing and body shaking with fear, the terror of facing a monster that seemed to embody all the world’s malice up close did not easily subside.

What on earth… what had just happened?

How could a demon, which should be beyond the northern border, appear here?

And that demon spoke human words… no, it called her name?

Fear and confusion intertwined, seeming to choke her.

“Princess Alicia… Your Highness. Are you alright?”

And then, another situation as implausible as the demon’s appearance unfolded before Alicia’s eyes.

Curled up in a ball facing the floor, Alicia slowly raised her head upon hearing a voice that should never have been there.

“Y-You… Why?”

It was Killian.

His figure, kneeling on one knee and examining her face as if worried about her, seemed even more unreal than the demon.

“How dare…”

Seeing Alicia still trembling, unable to sort out her fear and confusion, Killian gritted his teeth, and visible anger began to fill his emerald green eyes.

‘Why?’

Alicia blankly stared at Killian’s back as he stood protectively in front of her, shielding her.

Ironically, as she looked at his back, her trembling body began to calm.

The unrealistic sight of him getting angry and acting protective on her behalf made the fear that had enveloped her lose its power.

Killian lunged at the demon.

Each time he swung his sword, the air was torn, and each time the demon howled, the ground flipped.

As their clash intensified, the greenhouse became a mess, but Alicia could only follow Killian’s back with her eyes, feeling a floating sensation.

“Your Highness! Princess Alicia! Come to your senses!”

“Soldiers, protect Her Highness!”

“You damn wolves! Hurry and cover the lord! If anyone falls here, I’ll kill you myself!”

The sounds of the people of Lhasa Castle and Badhulf’s unit mixing and shouting as they rushed in upon hearing the commotion seemed distant.

And then…

– Kwang!

“The Duke has taken down the demon!”

“Don’t just stand there staring, you idiots! Move!”

“I told you not to casually speak informally!”

The demon fell, and Killian turned around.

Why did his figure, approaching her without a single breath out of place against the backdrop of the greenhouse turned to ruins, look indescribably beautiful?

“Your Highness, you must get up now.”

Amy, who had been holding Alicia’s body and protecting her with her whole body until just moments ago, whispered.

Grasping the hand of her devoted lady-in-waiting, Alicia stood up unsteadily, and Killian approached, kneeling on one knee before her.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“…Pardon?”

Concern followed by an apology?

From Killian?

Just as Alicia’s confusion was about to start again, a single sentence from Killian brought her back to reality in an instant.

“It was due to the carelessness of my subordinates.”

“…You mean the appearance of that thing?”

“Yes, it seems the structure of the cage holding the demon loosened during our rapid movement.”

“The reason for the Duke’s quick return… was it that demon?”

“That’s correct.”

A clean apology and summary without excuses.

Alicia realized that Killian’s concern and anger were not for her, but for his subordinates.

He had coincidentally saved her while pursuing the demon after discovering its disappearance.

‘…And I didn’t even realize…’

Alicia tightly closed her eyes and took a long breath, realizing it was her confusion, not Killian’s actions, that made no sense.

‘Right, there’s no way this man would worry about me. He was concerned about the situation because his subordinates would be punished if I got hurt.’

The Badhulf unit was a group Killian had personally selected and trained.

Some of them were even comrades who had fought alongside him when he was a bastard son of the ducal family rolling through battlefields.

So he had taken the initiative to deal with the demon and apologize to Alicia, fearing they might face undue consequences over this incident.

‘Such a misunderstanding… I’m glad I didn’t say it out loud.’

Of course, even if she had voiced such a ridiculous misunderstanding, there was no one here who would mock Alicia, but she would have been too embarrassed to face anyone.

“Your Grace! It’s disappearing again!”

A shout came from where they were dealing with the demon.

Killian stood up and quickly walked to where the demon had fallen.

“What is happening?”

Ignoring Amy’s restraint, Alicia followed Killian and witnessed yet another scene that defied her common sense.

The demon’s corpse, which had left loud marks on the ground as it fell, began to slowly turn into black smoke from its extremities and dissipate into the air.

The demon’s body rapidly changed into black smoke towards its center and vanished in an instant.

Though demons were beasts that went against divine providence, they were still living beings, and their deaths, like those of other creatures, should have left traces of their existence as ‘living beings.’

Recalling the memory of signing budget reports for disposing of demon corpses that came up from the Binion duchy every winter during her time as emperor, Alicia asked Killian:

“It’s not just an ordinary demon, is it?”

“No.”

“There was a reason you had to capture the demon alive.”

“That’s correct.”

“…May I understand your straightforward answers to mean there are other reasons besides this?”

“Do you wish for me to report?”

“…No. I don’t have that authority.”

This was the authority held by the Emperor and his successor.

It should not happen that an ordinary imperial princess, not even the next heir to the throne, ignores this principle and receives a report first.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“There’s no need to apologize for matters beyond my authority.”

“That is not what I’m apologizing for.”

“Then even more so. One apology earlier was enough. I’ll overlook the crime of not properly managing the demon since you saved my life.”

“…”

“Rather, I should thank you. For saving my life.”

Regardless of the reason, it was true that Killian had saved her life.

If he hadn’t appeared in time, she would surely have been torn apart by the demon.

“If the price for saving my life isn’t enough…”

“That’s not it either.”

“Pardon?”

Alicia, who was about to say to name whatever he wanted as payment for saving her life, closed her mouth.

What else could there be besides that? There was nothing Alicia had done wrong that warranted an apology from Killian.

Seeing Alicia’s expression of confusion, with her eyes wide and head tilted, the corners of Killian’s mouth lifted slightly before quickly returning to their original position.

“Because I ruined the greenhouse garden you cherish.”

“…What?”

“The roses are safe, but… since the wall has collapsed, they might freeze to death soon.”

“That… that can be handled somehow if we tell the greenhouse caretaker…”

Killian… apologizing for ruining a flower-filled greenhouse garden of all things?

The man who had torn out the flowers she had prepared with rough hands before her regression?

Am I mishearing things because I’m too shocked?

“…My goodness, the Duke…”

Seeing Amy standing beside her, covering her mouth with one hand and muttering in astonishment like that, it seemed Alicia hadn’t misheard after all.

Moreover…

“Would you allow me to apologize for this matter?”

“Y-You smiled… huh?”

Killian smiled.

This man, who seemed as if he wouldn’t bleed a drop even if stabbed with a knife, was now smiling gently at Alicia.

Alicia was too astonished to even realize she had just voiced her thoughts out loud, just as shocked as when she had been attacked by the demon.

If she were to recall Killian’s facial expressions, they were only ones showing negative emotions like irritation, boredom, and disgust.

Of course, since he typically maintained an expressionless face, even seeing such expressions was rare, but…

But… smiling? That Killian?

“Huff!”

“Y-Your Grace?”

“My Lord?”

“T-The Duke s-smiled…?”

“Am I dreaming…?”

If there was any consolation, it was that Alicia wasn’t the only one astonished.

Not just Alicia’s people, but even Diaz’s wolves were looking at Killian with shocked faces.

Some even poked their eyes, doubting if there was something wrong with their vision.

“I’d like to hear Princess Alicia’s answer.”

“Ah…”

However, Killian alone seemed undisturbed.

Rather, he smiled even more gently as he lightly grasped Alicia’s hand and kissed the back of it, saying:

“If you accept my apology, I’d like to be invited to your dinner table. Would you allow it?”

“…S-Sure.”

Alicia nodded, not even realizing what she had heard or what answer she had given.

At her response, Killian’s emerald green eyes glinted like those of a beast that had spotted its prey, but it would be Alicia’s very minor misfortune that no one was maintaining enough presence of mind to notice this.