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CHAPTER 51…
A Perversion Beyond Imagination
Celia was speechless in disbelief.
‘What is this?’
There were no ghosts, and yet knocking sounds had suddenly echoed from various corners of the room, followed by the bathroom door slamming shut on its own.
Celia grabbed the doorknob to escape the bathroom.
But no matter how hard she pulled, the door wouldn’t budge. It was completely sealed, cutting her off from the rest of the room, with barely any light filtering in.
In the darkness, Celia thought carefully.
‘Why is this happening? And right after Dietrich left too.’
At that moment, the lamp hanging on the bathroom wall began to flicker on and off.
Convinced this wasn’t a coincidence, Celia drew a dagger from her clothes and shouted:
“Stop doing weird stuff and come out, you creepy bastard.”
As if responding to her words, the flickering light suddenly stabilized.
Celia let out a small scoff at the now calm lamp.
“Ahhh…”
At the same time, an elated voice came from directly behind her.
As she turned her head, a man had silently approached and was now smiling brightly at her.
His platinum hair shimmered in the lamp light.
He had skin pale enough to be mistaken for a corpse, and eerie, snake-like golden-yellow eyes.
Wearing a black robe, he had a pitch-black pearl earring on one ear and a golden bracelet on his left arm.
He reached out to touch Celia’s cheek.
She swiftly struck his arm with her elbow and pointed her dagger at his neck.
“Ahh… I should’ve come to meet you earlier. If I’d known you were this beautiful…”
Despite the dagger at his throat, the man wasn’t afraid—instead, he looked utterly thrilled.
“Ah, haah…”
Seeing him moan with dilated pupils, curses burst from between Celia’s clenched teeth.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Celia had seen many men in her life, but never one like this.
“Please! I’m begging you! Insult me more! Ruin me! With that beautiful face and that enchanting voice, please humiliate me!”
The man before her had an exceptionally striking appearance, but his madness was so intense that not even his looks could redeem him.
‘…This guy is completely insane.’
She had a hunch that if she stabbed him, he’d just beg for more.
On instinct, she turned the dagger toward her own neck instead.
The man, wide-eyed with excitement a moment ago, suddenly panicked and snatched the dagger from her hand.
He was so fast that Celia could barely see him move.
Breaking into Dietrich’s mansion without a trace already proved he was no ordinary man.
But she hadn’t expected this level of agility.
“No! Don’t do that! You must treasure your beauty.”
“……”
“So, I’m confiscating this dangerous object.”
He casually tucked the dagger into his robe.
“Give it back. It’s mine.”
Celia reached for the dagger inside his robe.
Suddenly, a sticky, snake-like hand clutched her wrist.
And then came the moan.
“Ughh… haaah…”
Utterly repulsed, Celia yanked her hand away.
“It’s too much… So white, soft, and tender…”
As the man blushed and muttered to himself, disgust rose in Celia’s chest.
The thing in front of her seemed less like a man and more like some alien being.
She glared at him in revulsion.
He trembled and twisted his body under her gaze.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Celia reached into his robe and retrieved her dagger.
In her haste, the sharp blade nicked her fingertip slightly—but she succeeded.
With the dagger back in hand, she slashed it at him.
But the blade couldn’t even scratch him—it was as if it struck an impenetrable wall.
“What the hell are you?”
In response, the man answered without hesitation:
“I’m Arthur. A magician who loves beauty above all else.”
“…Arthur Cervantes?”
At the sound of his name, his golden eyes rolled back ecstatically.
“Ahhh… She knows me. The most beautiful being in the world knows me. Hearing my name from your lips is just too stimulating…”
‘What kind of lunatic is this?’
Celia shuddered—not from fear, but from overwhelming disgust at a perversion beyond comprehension.
‘This madman isn’t just one of the Three Dukes—he helped bring down my kingdom, too.’
Still, he might be easier to handle than Illeon.
She had nothing to lose. Celia decided to test something.
“Arthur.”
At the sound of his name, his golden eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
“Ahh! You said my name! I’m so happy! I could die right now and have no regrets…”
His eyes turned red, drool gathered at the corner of his mouth, and he stared at her with unfocused pupils.
He looked truly deranged.
Celia had plenty of questions, but the revulsion of being near him made her want to send him away.
“Why don’t you just go home for today?”
“…Okay!”
With that, Arthur melted into a puddle and vanished without a trace.
Celia checked her hand.
Blood beaded on her right index finger, a reminder that what just happened was real.
She walked to the bathroom door—the same door that had been sealed shut—and opened it.
“…It opened.”
After feeding the horses in the stable, Dietrich returned straight to his mansion.
“No intruders while I was out?”
“None, sir.”
Satisfied with the knight’s report, he headed inside.
Up the marble stairs to the third floor.
“…?”
Although everything looked normal, Dietrich felt something was off.
An animalistic instinct warned him.
‘Nothing felt wrong on the first or second floor—but the third… could someone have come in through a window?’
He looked out. The palace was bathed in the red hues of sunset.
‘How could someone reach the third floor without being seen in broad daylight?’
Unease crept in.
He burst into Celia’s room.
There she was, sitting calmly on the sofa.
“Oh, you’re back?”
Thank God—she was safe.
Relieved, Dietrich exhaled deeply.
“Did anyone come while I was out?”
Celia’s expression darkened.
“I was right. Who was it?”
“Arthur Cervantes.”
Dietrich’s eyebrows twisted sharply.
“What? Say that again.”
“Arthur Cervantes was here.”
“…”
“The most perverted bastard I’ve ever seen.”
Just recalling it made Celia shudder and shake her head.
“That man came here? Did he hurt you?”
“No.”
Dietrich looked down, relieved—then noticed the blood on her fingertip.
“You said you weren’t hurt.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a scratch.”
Celia answered casually.
“This’ll heal in a few days if I just leave it alone—”
Before she could finish, Dietrich leaned down and took her injured finger into his mouth.
Something warm and soft licked and soothed the wound.
Celia could feel the cut from the dagger healing.
Dietrich carefully licked her wound, rolling it gently in his mouth like it was candy.
He was clearly healing her—but it felt almost intimate.
Celia was startled by her own thoughts.
‘Did meeting that pervert make me a pervert?’
No, she told herself. Don’t think weird things.
Dietrich only healed her because her injury bothered him.
The cut was gone, and only then did he release her finger.
Despite his chaste expression, his lips glistened wetly.
Celia stared at them for a moment before quickly looking away.
“Celia.”
When he called her name, she glanced at him awkwardly.
Healing a minor wound had somehow created a strange atmosphere.
“Sorry for leaving you alone.”
The unexpected apology stunned her.
He had no reason to apologize.
If anyone was at fault, it was the lunatic who broke in—not Dietrich.
“Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No. I’m still responsible. I left you alone.”
“Dietrich, don’t apologize so easily. If you say sorry for things that aren’t your fault, people might think you’re an easy target.”
Dietrich looked at her with calm eyes.
“Celia, you’re not that kind of person.”
“…”
“You’re not the type to take advantage of someone just because they apologized. That’s not you.”
Celia met his unwavering gaze.
He always looked at her like this—with honesty and conviction.
And every time he did, she didn’t know what to do.
She wanted to joke, like usual—but maybe because her guard was down, she could only stare back in silence.
“Celia.”
“What?”
“Be careful of Arthur. He’s more dangerous than Illeon.”
Celia only understood Dietrich’s words the following day.
Shortly after Arthur arrived at the palace, both Jeremy—imprisoned in the tower—and Erphia—effectively confined in the Empress’s quarters—were killed.
To call it coincidence would be absurd.
It was far too strange.
