Until when do I have to watch my precious people die?

Arpeggio got up and opened the storage room. Then, he took out several bottles of liquor, uncorked them, and started drinking heartily.

Hoping that the alcohol would crush the damn guilt.

When Gibben and Riley returned to the mansion, the servants were in turmoil.

Why are the two coming in together? From the start, it was already strange that Gibben, who should be lying in bed, left his place. Moreover, Riley, who attended the welcoming party, and the missing owner came in together. What on earth happened overnight?

Curiosity swirled in the minds of the servants. While everyone focused on the two who went into the bedroom, the door opened, and the housekeeper Sofia came out.

“The master and Miss want to have a meal alone in the bedroom, so prepare some food and send it up. The master specifically instructed to prepare food that Miss Riley likes. Prepare dishes with her favorite menus.”

After Sofia left, Rachel shrugged and said,

“The master couldn’t bear missing our Miss!”

“So, that’s why he followed her to the academic event?”

“All day, the Miss was by his side, so it must have been unbearable when she wasn’t there.”

“I see!”

Rachel boasted, feeling proud as if Riley being loved by Gibben was her own achievement. She also exaggerated how much Gibben cherished and loved Riley. The servants focused on Rachel’s overflowing stories and went to the kitchen with the head chef to prepare the meal.

The once notorious troublemaker, who carried all kinds of rumors around, had become an unabashed lover.

On the other hand, at the same time.

“…They said there would be disadvantages if I missed the welcoming party; what should I do?”

Riley was worrying about something utterly useless.

Gibben thought it was unexpected for her to worry about the academy score even after going through such an incident. In the previous kidnapping incident, it took her a considerable amount of time to recover from the fear and trauma, considering how much she cowered.

“Are you okay?”

“What?”

“After experiencing such an incident, aren’t you afraid? You seem much calmer than before.”

Considering, it was like the experience of being stranded.

Although she didn’t directly face the enemy’s attack, she had to endure the fear of darkness and demons. It was a time of struggle for survival.
However, it certainly wasn’t as terrifying as the ‘kidnapping incident’ last time.

“Maybe because I didn’t directly face an attack… It seems less frightening than back then. Back then, it was a direct threat… Of course, recalling the encounter with the demons still gives me chills…”

Why was it less frightening?

Thinking about it, the answer came quickly.

“I think it’s less frightening now because I have the assurance that there is someone protecting me. Back then, I thought I was alone.”

I can’t protect myself, and there’s no one to help me. I am utterly alone. The fact was terrifying, making it feel more painful and harsh. There was no trust between Gibben and me at that time, and I thought it was hopeless, just contemplating the idea of dying.

But this time, I thought Hila would bring a rescue team, and half of it was protected from the threat of demons. I wasn’t alone. The mere fact that there was someone to rely on gave me a sense of security.

“And…”

“…”

“You endured while thinking about it. As Senior Ban said, they aren’t targeting me; they’re using me to target you.”

“…”

“You were lying there in pain, and I couldn’t just give up and collapse. I thought I had to do something, so I used magic. Of course, it was a complete failure. I didn’t achieve anything.”

Gibben, who had been silently watching Riley, reached out and gently touched her forehead.

“You’re brave.”

“…I did nothing.”

Instead of answering, Gibben recalled the place Riley had made a mess of.

She’s using magic of a scale that you would expect during a demon extermination, and now she’s making a fuss about what?

“If I could freely use magic alone, I don’t think the situation would have become this serious.”

“…”

“So, I’ll work harder.”

“…”

“To be able to protect myself. The enemies targeting you… they won’t try to take me hostage to kill you. So, I’ll study hard and learn diligently.”

The determined little gesture of clenching her fist while talking looked cute and awkward. Gibben couldn’t resist it and hugged Riley. Then he buried his face in her hair and said,

“My birthday is coming soon.”

“Huh? When?”

“In two weeks.”

“Oh…”

“I celebrate my birthday every year. It’s a compulsory event unrelated to my will. I’m thinking of announcing our marriage at that time.”

“Is the wedding date set?”

“I scheduled it at the end of the year considering the academy schedule. How about it, is it okay?”

“That’s good if you’re okay with it.”

“When the marriage announcement comes out, it will be noisy. But what can we do?”

“We have no choice.”

“I wanted to keep it a secret until the wedding, but now it doesn’t make sense.”

The fact that Riley’s existence had been exposed to someone, some enemy who couldn’t be seen. At this point, Gibben decided that he could no longer hide Riley’s existence.

“Rather than hiding, it’s better to be open about it.”

“…”
“I’d rather reveal my existence to many people. If there are more eyes following me, the enemies will be more cautious. Of course, as my existence becomes known, there might be more enemies as well. However, in terms of safety, it’s better to show as much conspicuous behavior as possible, attracting the attention of as many people as possible.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

Since she had already prepared herself to marry him, she had to accept the inevitability of being the subject of numerous conversations. It was something she had already accepted.

“You can resent me if you want.”

“?”

“But, I have to pursue everything since I’ve come this far. Now, the thought of letting you go has completely disappeared. Of course, it was almost non-existent from the beginning.”

Riley looked at Gibben with a puzzled expression, not understanding what he was saying.

Gibben didn’t say anything more. Instead, he tightened his arms around her and, with half-closed eyes, thought to himself.

This woman’s body, heart, time, life.

He had decided to be greedy and possess everything about her.

Even if there comes a time when she begs and pleads for release.

He vowed never to let her go.