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CHAPTER 68:……………..
The Beast
Through the clouds in the night sky, the full moon emerged, revealing someone drenched in blood walking at the entrance.
Moonlight reflected off their jet-black hair.
The person, covered in blood from head to toe, was none other than Dietrich.
Dietrich dropped what looked like the hides of monsters onto the ground.
“Your Grace, Duke Calypso!”
Anderson shouted. Celia ran ahead of him, rushing toward Dietrich.
Celia didn’t care that her hands were getting stained with blood; she touched Dietrich’s face, shoulders, and body in turn.
Dietrich’s tired red eyes looked at the sorrowful Celia.
“…Are you okay? Who did this?”
“Celia.”
Dietrich removed the black gloves he was wearing and gently stroked Celia’s cheek with his clean hand, free of blood.
“It’s not my blood.”
“……”
“So don’t make that face.”
With those words, Dietrich’s hand slowly withdrew.
Celia’s eyes widened as she saw Dietrich’s eyelids close.
Her heart sank.
Anderson, standing beside them, immediately supported Dietrich.
“Milady, it seems the Duke exerted himself greatly. Fortunately, there are no injuries.”
“……”
“He’s just asleep for a moment.”
Celia kept looking at Dietrich with a worried expression.
She felt frustrated and helpless, unable to do anything.
If only I had the same healing ability as you…
At that moment, the sound of horses came from the forest.
Eleon appeared, mounted on a horse. Unlike the blood-soaked Dietrich, Eleon was perfectly clean, riding a white horse.
Hanging from the saddle were the bodies of a fawn pierced with arrows and a rabbit.
“Oh, I’m late.”
Hearing his cheerful voice, Celia realized that this entire scene had been orchestrated by Eleon.
“What happened here? Did the Duke get hurt?”
Eleon dismounted and walked toward Celia.
His knights removed the deer and rabbit carcasses from the horse.
“……”
Celia glared at Eleon as if she wanted to kill him.
“You have irreverent eyes. Shall I throw you in prison for treason against the Emperor?”
Eleon laughed with a sly smile.
Anderson, still supporting Dietrich, stepped between them.
“Your Majesty, it seems Duke Calypso overexerted himself during the hunting competition, so he will not participate in this banquet.”
“……Very well.”
Celia managed to calm her anger.
Determined not to be manipulated by Eleon, she quickly left the place with Anderson.
Eleon’s gaze lingered on the back of her figure for a long time.
“Who scored the highest in the hunting competition?”
“……Your Majesty, that is……”
The knights hesitated, but as they arranged the monster hides Dietrich had brought, they spoke.
“Duke Calypso, Your Grace. He exterminated all the seeds of the high-level monsters.”
“……”
“Isn’t he a true monster? I intentionally selected only elite ones, yet he returned without a single injury, and he even killed all the high-level monsters.”
Eleon’s eyes narrowed.
“No injuries at all?”
“Yes, not even a scratch. He might have surpassed even a Swordmaster’s level.”
“……”
“It seems he has been hiding his strength, Your Majesty.”
The advisor’s words brought a shadow of displeasure to Eleon’s face.
It felt as if a piece he didn’t have on his chessboard had suddenly appeared and was playing against him.
“……Treat someone else as the winner.”
“!”
“We cannot give the Duke more power. If there’s resistance, we can simply say he was excluded for not participating in the banquet.”
Eleon’s advisor nodded respectfully.
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
Eleon’s words were correct.
If Dietrich were to spread his wings here, the situation could get complicated.
More than half of the royal knights were already under Dietrich’s complete authority.
Even though Eleon had become Emperor, it would be difficult to dismantle Dietrich’s firmly established authority.
But it wasn’t impossible.
Eleon possessed various potions and had exceptional skill in manipulating people.
No matter how excellent Dietrich’s swordsmanship, Eleon believed he could control him.
Back at the mansion, Anderson laid Dietrich on the bed.
Celia’s feelings as she looked at Dietrich, covered in blood from head to toe, were indescribable.
Anderson wet a towel and tried to wipe the blood from Dietrich’s body.
“Let me do it.”
Anderson nodded and handed the wet towel to Celia.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Celia gently wiped Dietrich’s face with the towel and squeezed it by hand to remove the blood from his body.
Recognizing that she wasn’t needed, Anderson discreetly left the room.
“……I’ll be outside in the hallway. Call me if you need anything, milady.”
With a thud, silence fell over the room.
Celia cleaned all the visible blood.
When Dietrich’s eyes closed, her heart sank.
Dietrich was like her.
Why had she always thought he would never die?
He was always strong and dependable; Celia could never imagine him dying.
I’ll protect you.
That gentle voice and expression, so full of sincerity—this was Dietrich.
Celia did not want Dietrich to die.
She put down the towel and looked closely at his sleeping face.
Dietrich shared her pain, yet he was incredibly strong.
Celia loosened his collar.
As Anderson had said, she wanted to check if there were any injuries on his body.
After unbuttoning a few buttons, his firm chest was revealed.
His large pectoral muscles rose and fell with his breathing.
Fortunately, there were no wounds.
Celia’s gaze moved to Dietrich’s trousers.
“……”
Seeing the solid thighs, she shook her head.
Even if it was to check for injuries, she thought removing his pants would be inappropriate.
She intended to button his shirt back to let him rest comfortably.
The moment her hand touched his buttons, a large hand grabbed her wrist.
Celia fell backward onto the bed from the force.
Blinking, she couldn’t understand what had just happened.
Her gaze met Dietrich’s, looking down at her from above.
The soft, red eyes were gone.
Instead, there were only the predatory eyes of a beast.
Celia felt naked before the hungry beast.
“Ah……”
She moaned without realizing it.
She remembered those eyes.
When he healed the bite marks on her collarbone, angry that she had annoyed him, he had looked at her the same way.
Dietrich’s gaze sharpened like a wild predator as he looked at her parted lips.
He suddenly captured her lips with his own.
Their breaths intertwined, and Dietrich pushed Celia roughly.
Her mind went blank; she held onto his arms.
Softness brushed across her teeth and explored inside.
Normally seeking her permission, today he acted like a beast.
But Celia didn’t dislike this side of Dietrich.
She let him take her as he pleased.
Like a relentless tidal wave, Dietrich claimed her.
The wet sounds echoed through the room.
He nibbled inside her mouth with his teeth and then sucked gently.
Celia released his arms and instead hugged his shoulders.
They kissed again and again.
“Celia.”
Pulling back from the saliva-slicked kiss, Dietrich spoke for the first time.
His red eyes were filled with her.
Celia did not ask if he had regained his senses.
“…You’ve been awake the whole time, haven’t you?”
Her words prompted Dietrich to stroke her saliva-glossed lips with his finger.
“When have you been awake?”
“I never slept.”
“……”
“I just pretended to sleep.”
Dietrich added with a playful curve of his eyes.
“I liked seeing you worry about me.”
Celia realized she had been completely deceived by Dietrich.
“Why on earth?”
He gently touched her cheek and answered.
“I like you.”
“……”
“I like you so much that I can’t even remember how I spent my time when you weren’t there.”
This translation preserves the tone, pacing, and nuances of the original Korean text, including the tension, tenderness, and intensity of the scene.
