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CHAPTER 67……….:
The Beast
Through the clouds of the night sky, the full moon emerged, revealing someone walking from the entrance, drenched in blood.
Moonlight shone on his jet-black hair like polished ebony.
From head to toe covered in blood, the person was none other than Dietrich.
He dropped what looked like monster hides onto the ground with a thud.
“Your Grace, Duke Calypso!”
Anderson shouted. Celia, one step ahead of him, ran toward Dietrich.
Celia didn’t care if her hands got stained with blood as she touched Dietrich’s face, shoulders, and body in sequence.
His weary, crimson eyes met her sorrowful gaze.
“…Are you alright? Who did this?”
“Celia.”
Dietrich removed his black gloves and, with clean hands untouched by blood, gently caressed Celia’s cheek.
“It’s not my blood.”
“….”
“So don’t make that face.”
With that, Dietrich’s hand slowly pulled away.
Seeing his eyelids close, Celia’s eyes widened.
She felt her heart drop.
Anderson immediately stepped forward to support Dietrich.
“Milady, His Grace exerted himself greatly. Fortunately, there are no injuries.”
“….”
“He’s simply asleep for a moment.”
Celia kept watching Dietrich with a worried expression, frustrated at her own helplessness.
‘If only I had a healing ability like his…’
At that moment, the sound of hooves clattered from the forest.
It was Ileon, riding a horse.
Unlike the blood-soaked Dietrich, Ileon appeared spotless atop a white steed.
Hanging from the saddle were the bodies of a fawn pierced with arrows and a rabbit.
“Oh dear, I’m late.”
In his cheerful voice, Celia realized this entire scene was orchestrated by Ileon.
“What happened? Is the Duke hurt?”
Ileon dismounted and approached Celia.
His knights removed the deer and rabbit carcasses from the horse.
“….”
Celia glared at Ileon as if she wanted to kill him.
“What a disrespectful look. Shall I throw you in jail for treason against the emperor?”
Ileon chuckled, eyes narrowing.
Anderson stepped between them, supporting Dietrich.
“Your Majesty, Duke Calypso overexerted himself during the hunting tournament, so he will not be participating in the upcoming banquet.”
“…Let it be so.”
Celia barely calmed her anger.
She refused to be manipulated by Ileon, and hurried away with Anderson.
Ileon’s gaze lingered on Celia’s retreating figure for a long moment.
“Who scored the highest in the hunting tournament?”
“…Your Majesty, that…”
The knights hesitated, then Dietrich aligned the monster hides he had brought.
“It’s Duke Calypso. He hunted every single seed of the high-level monsters.”
“….”
“Truly a monster, isn’t he? I intentionally selected only elite monsters, yet he returned without a single injury, even killing the high-level ones.”
Ileon’s eyes narrowed.
“No injuries at all?”
“Yes, not a scratch. He may have reached a level beyond a Swordmaster.”
“….”
“I suspect he has been hiding his strength all along, Your Majesty.”
The aide’s words brought a flash of displeasure to Ileon’s face.
A piece that wasn’t even on his chessboard now faced him across the board, as if playing against him directly.
“…Handle the winner as someone else.”
“!”
“We cannot afford to empower the Duke. If there’s resistance, we can simply claim he was excluded for skipping the banquet.”
The aide nodded, bowing.
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
Ileon was right.
If Dietrich were to spread his wings here, who could stop him?
Over half the Royal Knights were completely under Dietrich’s authority.
Though Ileon was emperor, dismantling Dietrich’s firmly established authority was no easy task.
But it wasn’t impossible.
Ileon had a variety of potions and an exceptional ability to manipulate people.
No matter how skilled Dietrich’s swordsmanship, Ileon believed he had him in the palm of his hand.
Back at the mansion, Anderson laid Dietrich on the bed.
Celia’s heart ached as she gazed at him, bloodied from head to toe.
Anderson dampened a towel and prepared to wipe the blood off Dietrich’s body.
“Let me do it.”
Anderson nodded and handed the towel to Celia.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Celia carefully wiped Dietrich’s face, squeezing out the blood from the towel and cleaning his body.
Judging her presence was needed, Anderson discreetly stepped out.
“…I’ll be waiting in the hallway. Call me if you need anything, Milady.”
Thud.
Silence filled the room once Anderson left.
Celia had removed every visible trace of blood.
When Dietrich’s eyes were closed, her heart sank.
He was like her in some ways, yet immensely strong.
She couldn’t imagine him dying—he had always been strong, reliable, invincible in her mind.
—I’ll protect you.
His voice had been sincere, gentle.
Celia did not want Dietrich to die.
She lowered the towel and studied his sleeping face.
Though he bore similar pain to hers, he was immeasurably resilient.
Celia unbuttoned the collar of his clothes.
Following Anderson’s advice, she wanted to check for injuries.
As a few buttons came undone, his firm chest was revealed.
His large pectoral muscles rose and fell with each breath.
Thankfully, there were no wounds.
Her eyes traveled to the trousers he wore.
“….”
Seeing his strong thighs, Celia shook her head.
Even for checking injuries, removing his trousers felt inappropriate.
She intended to fasten the buttons she had undone so he could rest comfortably.
The moment her fingers touched the buttons…
A large hand gripped her wrist.
By force, Celia was pushed onto the bed.
Blinking in confusion, she saw Dietrich towering over her.
The soft, tender look in his eyes was gone.
Instead, a predator’s gaze stared at her.
Celia felt utterly exposed before a hungry beast.
“Ah…”
She moaned unconsciously.
She remembered seeing these eyes before.
When he healed the bite marks on her collarbone—he had looked at her the same way then.
Dietrich’s eyes flashed like a beast as he devoured her lips in a single motion.
Their breaths mingled as he pushed her roughly.
White-hot sensations filled Celia’s mind as she grasped his arm.
He explored her mouth fiercely, teeth grazing, sucking gently.
Celia released her hold on his arm and instead clutched his shoulders.
Their lips met again and again.
“Celia.”
Breaking their kiss, Dietrich’s first words came out.
His crimson eyes were filled entirely with her.
She didn’t ask if he was fully conscious.
“…You were awake the whole time, weren’t you?”
Celia’s words made him sweep his finger over her saliva-glossed lips.
“When were you awake?”
“I never slept.”
“….”
“I just pretended to sleep.”
He smirked.
“Because I liked that you were worried.”
Celia realized she had been completely fooled by him.
“Why?”
Dietrich caressed her cheek as he answered.
“I love you.”
“….”
“I’ve come to like you so much, I can’t even recall how I passed the time without you.”
