Chapter 90:
I Can’t Bring Myself to Leave You Alone
“Please assign me as your lady-in-waiting.”
At Dietrich’s words, one of the palace maids answered eagerly, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“Yes, I can serve His Grace, Duke Calypso, better than anyone. I also once served Her Majesty the Empress, so I’ll be of great help.”
The palace maids’ eyes sparkled with excitement.
Dietrich scanned them coldly.
All the palace maids before him came from proud noble families.
Empress Erpia, who had been killed by Arthur, seemed displeased with the fact that she herself was an illegitimate child of the Duke of Gredric and had filled the lower ranks of her attendants with daughters of high-ranking noble families.
Among the palace maids, there was no one like Espia, an illegitimate child.
Erpia had stamped the names of proud noble houses on these girls under the Gredric family name, filling the gaps in her own fragile self-esteem.
And this was the result.
Dietrich found nothing amusing.
Someone who once served Erpia was now trying to switch allegiance to him.
It would be foolish to have people who might betray him as his attendants.
From the start, Dietrich had no intention of accepting these palace maids as his own.
“I don’t need any attendants.”
Hearing this, a palace maid cried out in a panic.
“B-but wouldn’t His Grace’s lover need one? If necessary, we can keep you company. We even know lots of interesting stories.”
Dietrich shook his head.
He had always felt uneasy about assigning the blind maid Elli to Celia.
Elli could not see, but her senses were sharp. She had been appointed under Ileon’s command and had become Dietrich’s attendant, yet he had left her be, knowing she posed no threat.
But after giving his heart to Celia, he realized what an enormous fool he had been.
Dietrich had no intention of repeating the same mistake.
“I don’t need one.”
Dietrich’s firm words darkened the maids’ faces instantly.
Without looking at them, Dietrich rose from his seat.
“My presence alone is enough to keep my lover company.”
After dismissing the palace maids, Dietrich immediately went to find Anderson.
“Have the knights investigate the maids who just left. They may not be able to leave the palace, but they could be plotting something here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Anderson bowed deeply.
“Have you located Ileon?”
Anderson lowered his gaze and replied.
“His whereabouts are unknown. I checked all places he might be nearby, but there isn’t even a single strand of hair.”
“…It’s probably impossible to catch him within just a day of his escape. But he couldn’t have gone far.”
“If it’s Duke Portman, he might know. After all, he was the one who set fire to the prison and ensured Ileon’s escape.”
Dietrich knew that even if Balt knew something, he would not give the answer Dietrich wanted.
It was clear just from seeing him swayed by Ileon.
Their relationship wasn’t just bad—they were from the same Tri-Duke family, so their bond was extraordinary.
As Celia had suggested, they might have even noticed the existence of a supernatural being.
The longer the conflict dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would become.
Anderson carefully began to speak.
“Moreover, the situation in the public is extremely unstable. There are signs of uprisings everywhere. People are spreading rumors, calling Madam a witch.”
“…That damn witch nonsense again.”
Dietrich cursed. The humans of Abelon were thoroughly infuriating.
Vile humans trying to pin all crimes on Celia, intending to chew her up without leaving a trace.
Some even claimed that Dietrich having Celia as his lover was due to her being controlled by black magic. Insane.
“When they praised her as divine and angelic, it was all fine, but now…”
Dietrich looked utterly disgusted.
“The Brillion family is also involved in the instigators.”
“Who?”
“Viscount Brillion, Harial Brillion, Vincent Brillion, Gabriel Brillion. Four in total.”
The same people who once paraded Celia in the public marriage market as if auctioning a slave were now leading the charge, calling her a witch.
Anderson spoke cautiously, gauging Dietrich’s expression.
“Especially Gabriel, who claims that Madam uses strange abilities.”
“…Abilities?”
“Yes. He claims that Madam can use a power to make others lose control of their mind—a form of mental manipulation.”
Dietrich assumed that if the Brillion family knew, Ileon surely did as well.
He could not allow those desperate to kill Celia to live.
Dietrich immediately gave orders to Anderson.
“Tell all the knights: the Brillion family and Ileon are to be killed on sight.”
Celia only regained consciousness that night.
She slowly lifted her heavy eyelids. Expecting intense pain from the blunt impact when she had intertwined with Dietrich, she braced herself.
But to her surprise, her body felt as light as if reborn.
Celia rose from her bed.
Popo, who had been dozing by the window, noticed she was awake and flapped vigorously, landing on her left shoulder.
“Popo.”
Celia called, and Popo chirped while moving its beak up and down.
“Stay still.”
Celia placed Popo on the bedside table and stepped out into the corridor.
Immediately, Dietrich’s face came into view.
Clad in black armor, he leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.
The deep shadows under his long eyelids revealed just how little sleep he had gotten.
Yet in the moonlight, his face was dazzlingly beautiful.
Celia quietly watched him standing there asleep.
“…Not in bed… uncomfortable.”
She murmured softly and touched his cheek.
Dietrich opened his eyes at the touch.
The red irises beneath his lashes looked at her with overflowing affection.
Celia cupped his face with both hands.
Being tall, Dietrich required her to tilt her head up to meet his gaze fully.
“Aren’t you tired? Don’t stand in the corridor—come inside and sleep with me.”
Dietrich smiled faintly at her words.
“I can’t bring myself to leave you alone.”
He pulled her into his embrace.
The chill of his armor against her bare skin made her shiver.
Dietrich gently touched her cheek, just as she had touched his.
“I think we’ll have to leave the palace first thing in the morning.”
Celia asked, her voice filled with concern.
“…Is something wrong?”
Even as she asked, she thought the question was strange.
There were always things going wrong. Ever since she entered the palace, incidents never stopped:
The old emperor lusted after her; she killed him; his son lusted after her; the empress tried to kill her.
Ileon took the throne, Arthur lusted after her.
Now Ileon had escaped prison, and she was being branded a witch.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Celia immediately sensed Dietrich was lying.
“Don’t lie.”
“…Why do you think I’m lying?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t know you’re trying to reassure me? Tell me what happened while I was asleep.”
Dietrich slowly opened and closed his eyes before answering.
“…I found out where Ileon is.”
Despite discovering his location, Dietrich’s expression was grim.
“Where is he?”
Celia asked again.
When Dietrich finally spoke, Celia’s eyes widened in shock.
