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CHAPTER 12:
“Quite a Special Person, Is She?”
It felt like it had been ages since she’d had such a pleasant dream. When Celia awoke, she even felt light—as if a weight had lifted from her body.
However, she couldn’t remember exactly what the dream had been about.
Celia slowly opened her eyes. It took her a moment to realize she wasn’t lying on the cold, hard prison floor, but in a soft, comfortable bed.
“I remember coughing up blood and passing out…”
Beyond that, her memory was blank. Had Dietrich moved her here?
“If so… where is Dietrich?”
Celia tried to look around, but the room was dark. Through a half-open window, she could see a bright full moon hanging in the sky.
She got out of bed and opened the window fully. A fresh breeze blew in, rustling her silver hair. The moonlight gently illuminated the room.
By moonlight, Celia examined her surroundings. The room was spacious but extremely simple. There wasn’t even a tea table. Just a bed, desk, chair, dresser, and wardrobe—nothing more.
There was no sign of Dietrich.
She wondered why he had moved her here. Was it because of what had happened in the prison?
“But… wouldn’t that provoke backlash?”
Celia didn’t know the full situation outside. No one had told her that people who desired her had been inciting riots across the empire, demanding her release.
Although she didn’t trust Dietrich, she was beginning to think he wasn’t as terrible as she’d first believed.
Originally, she had thought the worst of him. After all, there had been others who tried to assassinate the Emperor before, but it was Dietrich who had stopped them every time.
He had loyally served the Emperor—so loyal, in fact, he was called the Emperor’s mad dog. Yet, once he discovered she had supernatural powers, he spared her life.
Celia had known from the beginning that the only reason she was alive was because she was useful. Without her powers, she would never have ended up in this room.
She couldn’t help but wonder about Dietrich’s true intentions. But he never spoke about what really mattered.
Because she knew he wouldn’t answer her serious questions, Celia often made silly or pointless comments when talking to him.
And those seemed to draw a reaction. The man who usually showed no expression would sometimes frown or give her a look of disbelief.
Unlike the beasts from the noble houses who only thought of using her, Dietrich furrowed his brows in displeasure or looked at her as if she were pitiful.
Seeing those emotionless red eyes flicker with feeling somehow made her want to tease him more.
Maybe it was because he was the only person she could have a real conversation with.
Maybe it was because, even though her powers didn’t work on him, he never once showed any intention of harming her. That made him feel… safe.
Well, none of that really mattered. Celia had no intention of quietly letting Dietrich use her.
She only intended to pretend to be used.
“I’ll find out what he’s hiding—his powers, his true identity, everything…”
After that… she didn’t really have a plan. With the Emperor gone, her main goal had disappeared.
So, for now, she decided to focus on building rapport with Dietrich.
If he realized that using her powers damaged her body, he might feel sympathy for her.
And the more sympathy he felt, the more her freedom might expand. Even if her former master was dead, Dietrich was still the commander of the Imperial Knights and held control of the palace’s military.
“First, I need to figure out where I am.”
Celia walked to the door and grabbed the handle. The moment she opened it, she was startled to find Dietrich standing right outside.
He was holding a lantern, looking down at her. The light made his eyes appear dry and indifferent.
“Looks like you’ve recovered.”
“Must be thanks to sleeping in a bed for once.”
Dietrich let out a short laugh—closer to a scoff than actual amusement.
“You slept like a rock.”
“Wait, you watched me sleep? And didn’t wake me up?”
Celia narrowed her eyes at him. Dietrich answered in his usual blunt tone.
“I failed to properly protect you. Letting you rest for half a day was the least I could do.”
“It must’ve been difficult for you, pulling me out of prison like that.”
He didn’t reply. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment. Though his expression was as unreadable as ever, something about his mood seemed off.
Celia asked again.
“Am I wrong?”
“A criminal worrying about my situation? Should I call you stupid, or just pretending to be?”
He shot back sarcastically, but Celia wasn’t fazed at all. She beamed up at him.
“Guess, then. Am I actually stupid, or just pretending?”
“……”
“It’s fifty-fifty. Pick one.”
Dietrich stared at her, as if her words hadn’t even registered. Then, he changed the subject entirely.
“You’ll stay in that room from now on. I came to tell you that.”
Celia gave him a puzzled look, and Dietrich clarified.
“There are clothes in the wardrobe. Wear what you like. The bathroom is attached to the room, so use it if you want to clean up. If you need anything, pull the cord next to the bed—a maid will come.”
To Celia, his words sounded utterly bizarre. She was a criminal—specifically, one who had assassinated the Emperor.
And yet, here she was, waking up to a completely new room and a whole new status. With a maid, no less?
“I’m a traitor who killed the Emperor. You didn’t just pull me out of prison—you’re letting me live here? How do you plan to deal with the fallout?”
“Good to know you’re at least aware you killed the Emperor.”
Dietrich looked at her with a calm gaze, contrasting the mocking tone of his voice.
“I’ll handle the consequences. Just stay in the room. I’ll explain everything in due time.”
“Okay.”
Celia nodded without argument, which surprised Dietrich a little.
“Then I’ll be going.”
He turned away as if delivering that message was all he had come for.
But Celia grabbed the hem of his coat.
Dietrich’s brow twitched with annoyance.
“Where will you sleep?”
“Why do you care?”
“Because we’re on the same side now.”
He looked at her like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He sighed deeply and muttered:
“Go to sleep.”
Then he pried her fingers off his coat and walked away without another glance.
Celia watched him disappear, a soft laugh escaping her lips.
It wasn’t just her imagination.
The way he looked at her—it had become noticeably gentler.
Dietrich walked down the corridor. This mansion was entirely his.
A grand estate with its own garden, it had been gifted to him by the late Emperor. Though the Emperor had granted him a duke’s title, he had refused to give him actual territory—fearing Dietrich might leave him if he did.
So instead, the Emperor had built him this spacious mansion within the palace grounds, to keep him close.
The Emperor hadn’t known that he would soon die—at the hands of the woman he had so desperately coveted.
Just then, a soft, seductive voice called out to Dietrich.
“Sir.”
He pretended not to hear and tried to continue toward his room.
But a delicate hand reached out and rested on his arm.
Only then did Dietrich look at the owner of the voice.
She smiled, eyes narrowing.
“Finally, you look at me.”
The woman—dressed in only a sheer gown, with long, golden hair cascading down—gazed at him with sultry eyes.
But Dietrich remained indifferent.
This woman had caused the same kind of scene even when the Emperor was still alive.
Empress Erphia l’Basilisk.
She was more cunning and deceitful than the foolish Emperor, and far more dangerous.
Dietrich glanced past her shoulder. She had come alone, without even a handmaid. She was clearly here with intention.
“What brings Your Majesty to my residence at this hour? People might find it suspicious.”
“There’s nowhere in this palace I cannot go. Especially not your estate.”
She slowly stroked his forearm. Dietrich brushed her hand away and said curtly:
“Return to your quarters.”
The Empress’s smile disappeared.
“I heard you released that woman from prison.”
“……”
“Are you out of your mind? Letting the woman who killed the Emperor go free?”
Her tone flipped quickly when things didn’t go her way—just like her son, Jeremy.
“I’m sure Your Majesty has heard about the uprisings outside the palace. Letting her out was the only way to calm the chaos.”
“The only way?”
“Yes. And she’s not truly free. I’ve confined her to my estate—so others can’t pull anything foolish.”
He put special emphasis on “foolish.” He’d recently learned that the Empress had turned a blind eye to the knight who had tried to harm Celia.
“I’ll be keeping a close eye on her. There will be no repeat of what happened.”
The Empress smirked, raising one corner of her lips.
“That woman… she must be quite special to you, hmm?”
