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Chapter : 12
Lancelot was not her biological parent, but he had taken care of her at his side for a long time—perhaps more like a parent than her real ones ever had been.
“…It’s fine.”
Zenaida denied it and turned her head away.
Lancelot gestured toward the bed as if urging her on. Having been nagged so persistently, she had no choice but to lie down. As though he had been waiting for it, he immediately pulled the blanket up over her.
Despite it being a chilly spring night, she felt almost suffocated.
“Shall I sing you a lullaby?”
At the question that treated her like a child, Zenaida frowned slightly. With a sharp movement, she turned her body toward the wall and snapped back at Lancelot.
“I’m fine. Just make sure you come quickly whenever I call you.”
At her irritation-filled tone, Lancelot let out a soft chuckle, replying in a teasing, good-natured way.
“If that’s the case, why not just call my name instead of adding ‘sir’?”
Zenaida didn’t respond.
“Alright. Go to sleep. Sleep.”
Lancelot gently patted her until she fell asleep. That much, at least, Zenaida did not refuse.
When her breathing eventually became steady, Lancelot withdrew his hand from her arm.
Only the faint sound of her breathing filled the room.
He gazed at Zenaida for a moment, then quietly pulled a chair over and sat beside the bed.
‘It feels like just yesterday she was a little kid. Time really flies.’
When he had first met Zenaida, she had been a feral, venomous child who had lost her mother. And now, she had grown into a foolish child willing to die for someone else.
Staring at her sleeping face, Lancelot muttered without realizing it.
“Should I be glad she’s different from before the regression?”
He looked up at the moon floating beyond the window and silently made a wish.
“I hope she survives this time.”
The next morning, Zenaida ate a hearty breakfast as soon as she woke up and took a walk through the garden.
‘I was planning to stay in my room.’
With Ellen having openly declared that he would return, it would be better if others didn’t run into him.
However, the maid had cheerfully urged food upon her, and she ended up eating more than usual.
“So I was thinking…”
She had intended to walk alone, but Dalton ended up keeping her company.
‘It should be fine.’
It would only be for a short while, and it was daytime.
Putting her unease aside, she chatted idly with him. After all, Ellen’s target was her.
‘If anything happens, I can ask Sir Lancelot to protect Dalton.’
As she constantly ran through possible scenarios in her head, Dalton’s expression gradually stiffened.
Zenaida tilted her head in confusion. At the edge of her vision stood Kaiden. He walked toward the two of them.
“Please step aside for a moment.”
However, Dalton did not move aside obediently.
“I can’t. I’ll stand guard, so please say it here.”
When Dalton responded sharply, Zenaida intervened.
“It’s fine. Just step aside for a moment.”
“But, Lady Zenaida—”
“It’s probably about last night.”
She made the excuse hastily, though she didn’t think it was very convincing.
If it truly had been an accident caused by her inability to control her power, it made no sense that the door had been locked.
After her continued persuasion, Dalton retreated with a reluctant expression.
Once she was alone with Kaiden, Zenaida spoke.
“Did you come because of what happened last night?”
“Yes.”
So he had sensed something was off after all.
Zenaida calmly waited for his reaction.
If he pressed her, she planned to keep giving the same answer. Even if he had her investigated and confronted her with it… she wouldn’t say a single word about Ellen.
The more that line was crossed, the more difficult things would become for both her and Kaiden.
Like Zenaida, Kaiden simply stared at her in silence.
His eyes, devoid of emotion, made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
As the silence dragged on, Zenaida moved to excuse herself. There was nothing to be gained from facing someone she had decided to distance herself from for too long. And since she didn’t know when Ellen might appear, it would be safer to stay in her room.
“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be going now.”
Just as she tried to wrap up the conversation, Kaiden spoke heavily.
“…What do you think happiness is?”
“Pardon?”
“Is it happiness to live as His Majesty’s knight even while being denied as a spirit mage?”
Zenaida bit her lip, unable to answer right away. Why was he asking? The question puzzled her, but she soon deduced the reason.
‘He’s starting to dislike me.’
As the current grand duchess, she would have to divorce him in order to return to being the emperor’s knight. It seemed her deliberately cold behavior was finally working.
That was a relief.
“Yes. Even if I’m denied, living as His Majesty’s knight makes me happy.”
But she couldn’t divorce him just yet.
“Even so, I have no intention of divorcing.”
“……”
“It was a marriage arranged by His Majesty.”
For now, Kaiden still needed her by his side.
After hearing her answer, Kaiden turned away without a word. She didn’t comment on it. She was simply relieved that the conversation was over.
That is, until she heard the next voice.
“Did you sleep well?”
The casual greeting came from none other than Ellen.
For a moment, Zenaida’s body stiffened, unable to move. Ellen grabbed her shoulder tightly and murmured in a low voice.
“You two seem closer than I thought.”
At the nonsensical remark, Zenaida slowly raised her head and looked forward.
Before her, Kaiden had already drawn his sword and was aiming it in her direction—more precisely, at Ellen behind her.
Faced with Kaiden’s unmistakable killing intent, Ellen looked him up and down and twisted his lips into a crooked smile.
“Guess I should kill you after all.”
At his mocking tone, Zenaida turned her head slightly to look at Ellen.
Sensing her gaze, Ellen smiled with his eyes, as though nothing had happened. Watching his expression change in real time sent a chill down her spine. A faint madness gleamed in his eyes.
A sudden sense of dread passed through her.
‘Kaiden is in danger.’
Zenaida quickly turned her gaze back, but Kaiden was still openly directing his killing intent at Ellen.
“Take your filthy hand off her.”
Despite the razor-sharp warning, Ellen ignored it and pressed even closer to Zenaida.
“Won’t you move?”
“……”
“You cursed beast.”
The moment his reverse scale was touched, Kaiden’s expression hardened beyond comparison, and a deadly pressure filled the air. If Zenaida hadn’t been between them, someone would have died.
But she couldn’t just stand by. Zenaida spoke calmly, first to Kaiden.
“Please lower your sword. And you—step away from me. Now.”
The two of them hesitated briefly, then complied with her words.
Zenaida first scanned their surroundings. Fortunately, it seemed there was no one nearby besides Kaiden, Ellen, and herself. Letting out a small sigh of relief, she continued in a composed tone.
“Your Highness. I apologize, but would you please step aside so I may speak with him alone?”
Though her request was earnest, Kaiden rejected it outright.
“No.”
Ellen, who had been watching silently, suddenly cut into the conversation.
“That’s right. No.”
When Zenaida turned to look at him, Ellen explained calmly, a smile playing on his lips.
“I just had a great idea.”
He grinned slyly.
“I was going to take you by force, but I’ve changed my mind.”
“……”
“I happened to overhear your conversation. Are you going to divorce that man?”
Had he heard her say she wanted to be the emperor’s knight? Zenaida was shaken internally but didn’t let it show.
Meanwhile, Ellen had already closed the distance and whispered softly by her ear.
“If you divorce him, will you come with me?”
Zenaida frowned and glared at him.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“I told you. We’re both spirit mages, so I’m taking you with me.”
“For such a trivial reason?”
Long ago, many spirit mages had lost their lives at the hands of the Arden Empire. Even so, she couldn’t understand his obsession with her—someone who had sworn loyalty to the empire’s emperor.
“Yeah.”
Ellen was completely unreasonable.
Zenaida stared at him blankly, at a loss for words.
‘It’s not like I’ll ever know which part is the truth anyway.’
He would cling to her relentlessly until she gave him the answer he wanted. If that was the case, wouldn’t it be better to deceive him and bind both his hands and feet?
She didn’t want to admit it, but Ellen was strong.
The spirit she had seen last night—among spirits, it was of the upper ranks.
Spirits do not choose contractors who are unworthy of them.
Ellen would be a nuisance as an enemy, but extremely useful as an ally.
The power of spirits was once strong enough that even the Pope had coveted it.
It would be dangerous if he changed his mind and started killing people—but still.
‘He wants me.’
If she tried to force him away, he would only become more violent. Hadn’t he already killed innocent people just to see her?
The unease wouldn’t go away, but choosing the lesser evil was better than facing the worst.
Zenaida turned her head slightly and whispered softly so only Ellen could hear.
“Then grant me one favor.”
