Chapter 42.
Thud!
“Ugh…”
Killian curled himself up. He could have easily defended himself with aura, but he didn’t. Deep down, he just wanted it all to end here.
Notten Märchen, his chest heaving, barked at Killian through ragged breaths.
“You useless wretch! Didn’t I tell you? That imperial princess will never be your lifeline! I wondered why her whim lasted so long. That girl—she’s just like her father, arrogant and insufferable. You’ve been abandoned, Killian Märchen.”
No!
Tia isn’t like that!
Killian screamed silently into his mouth full of blood.
Of all things, he could never accept anyone distorting Celestia’s true heart.
She was the first, the last, and the only one who had promised to stay by his side for life.
“You’ve been chasing shadows. Can’t even guard your own post, yet you strut around! I took you in! All you need to do is move exactly as I command!”
Hack!
The blood Killian coughed up splattered onto Notten’s shoe.
At last, clarity returned to Killian’s hazy eyes, and Notten realized he had gone too far.
He hadn’t meant to beat him this badly. But having just returned from his fief after five years, Notten was on edge. Shaking off the shadows of his tedious past always took him a long while.
So seeing Killian at home, when he should have been at the princess’s palace, had only further aggravated him.
Because of that ridiculous “attendant duty,” Notten had even gone to the fief in Killian’s stead, only to find Killian barred from the palace soon after. Small wonder his temper flared.
Scolding turned into venting, and venting into violence in an instant. And maybe what angered him most was Killian’s calm, noble gaze that insisted it was all his own fault.
“Keep him confined until he’s fully recovered.”
Leaving that order with the butler, Notten walked out of Killian’s chamber.
Killian held his breath and wept.
Because it felt as if his own failings had turned Celestia into a cruel person. Because he had no voice or strength to defend her. Because even in this state, he selfishly wished she would still come visit him.
And so he cried.
A day passed, locked in his room.
A physician sent by the duke prescribed medicine for his internal injuries, and a priest from the temple healed his external wounds with holy power. For the rest, Killian used his own aura to bolster his body.
He didn’t know when Tia would call him again, but whenever she did, he wanted to stand before her as if nothing had happened. He poured all his strength into recovery.
That was when an unexpected guest stormed into the Märchen ducal estate.
With the duke absent, the mansion was thrown into a frenzy to receive a noble visitor who had arrived unannounced.
The butler rushed to Killian’s room, dragging him out of his half-confinement.
“Young master! Quickly, change into something proper and come to the entrance! There is no time!”
“What’s happening, butler?”
“You’ll see! Just hurry and do as I say!”
Though the words were polite, the tone and manner were anything but. The butler darted out first, positioning himself at the head of the lined-up servants.
Whatever the urgency, the imperial carriage had ignored all protocols and was already at the mansion’s front steps.
“Announcing the arrival of the Saliante Empire’s infinitely radiant, beautiful star—Her Highness Princess Celestia Mond, accompanied by Lady Adelaide Lewendiff of House Lewendiff!”
Celestia’s attendant, acting as her herald, proclaimed her arrival.
The carriage door opened. Guards lined up smartly, a maid stepped down first and reached inside.
When a small, fair hand rested upon the maid’s, the servants held their breath. A tiny foot in ribboned shoes touched the steps—tap, tap—as if the air itself chimed with each descent.
Even when rumors painted her temper as sharp and cruel, none denied the princess’s unparalleled beauty.
As the servants waited with dry throats to glimpse her illustrious face, a voice boomed.
“Does House Märchen not know how to treat royalty? How dare the only imperial princess arrive, yet the master of the house is nowhere to be seen, and mere servants greet her instead? Such insolence could be charged as treason against the crown!”
A reprimand far too harsh for a seven-year-old.
“Sir Briven!”
At Celestia’s call, Briven and the knights all gripped their hilts, ready to draw at once.
“W-wait, wait! Your Highness! F-forgive us! The duke is away, but the princess’s attendant—Killian Märchen—will be here to greet you. Ah, there he is!”
The butler, bowing and trembling, rushed to Killian, who was emerging in hastily donned clothes.
“Please, quickly!”
“Tia? Tia’s here?”
“Yes, Her Highness has arrived!”
The butler’s muttering faded from Killian’s ears. All he could see was Celestia.
About to dash to her, he unconsciously brushed his lower lip and brow—worried she might notice the wounds not yet healed.
I should’ve checked the mirror once more.
Hoping she wouldn’t see, Killian straightened and walked forward.
Reaching Celestia, he bowed deeply.
“I greet the empire’s shining star, Princess Celestia Mond. Thank you for honoring us with your visit. I am Killian Märchen of House Märchen. Please, allow me to escort you inside.”
“Mm.”
Celestia nodded, placing her small hand in his.
Thump.
Heat flooded into his palm, and Killian thought, If my body were ice, it would’ve melted away in an instant.
I had risen from bed after a full day’s rest, and with Father’s permission, barged straight into House Märchen.
With the Lewendiff marquis’s help, I had seized the chance while Duke Märchen was absent.
A nasty feeling told me Killian’s illness wasn’t ordinary. Adelaide, who had stopped eating after seeing me collapse, came along too.
Led by the butler, we were brought to a large drawing room adjoining Killian’s chambers.
I glared daggers into the butler’s back, sharp enough to make his skin crawl.
When we’d first arrived, I had seen him treat Killian harshly, and it had taken everything not to kick him in the shin. I regretted holding back.
Seated in the drawing room, waiting for tea, I studied Killian’s face. He looked thinner, worn.
“Killian.”
“Tia.”
“Let me see. Where does it hurt?”
Truthfully, I already had an idea. The way he kept brushing his bangs down and covering his mouth with his hand said enough.
“Just… my stomach wasn’t well.”
A transparent lie, but one I let slide.
“I see. Are you alright now?”
Killian was fumbling for a deflection when Adelaide suddenly grabbed his hand.
“What happened here?”
“Wh-where?”
“Your lip. And above your brow. Those weren’t there before.”
“…!”
Killian couldn’t answer, so Adelaide muttered bluntly,
“Don’t go around getting beaten up.”
Oh! Ohhh!
“If you must get hit, let it only be by me.”
…Eh.
She stumbled at the end, but her concern was genuine.
Killian, too, seemed secretly pleased by her reaction.
Yes. Whatever the circumstances, the two of them were growing closer. My role was to guide them down the straightest path to their happy ending.
So instead of prying about his wounds, I promised Killian,
“Next time you’re sick, I’ll come visit again. I’ve always wanted to go see a friend in the hospital. Hehehe.”
It was a childish laugh, but the butler at the door surely understood. The moment Notten laid hands on Killian again, the princess would return.
I had once thought to feign ignorance until I gathered solid proof of Notten’s abuse—but seeing Killian before me, I couldn’t endure it.
Forget the crown princess trials. Protecting my favorite person came first.
“It’s nice, visiting Killian’s home like this! Right, Adelaide?”
“Yeah. Next time, come to my house too, Tia. You as well.”
“Ahem. Well… sure. Thank you for coming, Tia. And you too.”
For the first time in ages, we all looked each other in the eyes and shared a bright smile.
