CHAPTER 66…………………………………………..
Jenya squeezed her eyes shut against the fierce wind whipping past her ears.
“Don’t use magic!”
She wasn’t sure if it would be heard, but she didn’t forget to issue the warning. How many times had the sound of clothes flapping and bodies colliding repeated now?
When she cautiously opened her eyes, thinking it was finally over, she was met with an extremely awkward sight.
‘Weren’t we supposed to hit him?’
She blinked at the two dolls tangled on the floor. Their hair and clothing, which had remained flawless through numerous traps, were now completely disheveled.
But…
‘The posture is a bit…’
Their legs were completely intertwined, and each was holding the other’s wrist tightly, pushing away, leaving their upper bodies pressed together. On top of that, their harsh, heavy breathing filled the air.
“Ugh.”
Someone who wasn’t there would have loved the scene. Jenya imagined hearing huge claps and cheers in her ears. But she had a perfectly ordinary sense of taste.
In that sense, the trap that had triggered now was actually helpful.
If it hadn’t been for the trap—or if the surrounding area hadn’t been littered with shattered weapons—the situation could have been disastrous.
Jenya spoke to the two who were staring blankly at her.
“I think… we should get up.”
They exchanged glances and swiftly untangled themselves. Their limbs and torsos, tangled and pressed together, and the clothes wrapped around each other were quickly straightened in a surprisingly fast motion.
They rose from the floor in a blur, tidying their clothes with a speed Jenya had never seen before. Then they hurried to her side, each taking hold of her hands and waist as if nothing had happened.
Jenya looked up at the two stubborn men, standing beside her, fixated straight ahead. She found it a bit absurd but didn’t comment.
It wasn’t good for her mental health, either.
‘Alright, just let it slide.’
A little further and they’d have the book in hand—and the Demon Lord seemed to have regained his composure.
“Shall we continue?”
The two men silently nodded. After a few near accidents, the three of them safely arrived in front of the glass case.
Jenya looked at the Demon Lord. If he moved as though entranced again, she would really hit him this time. Fortunately, his eyes were still clear.
“How do we take it out?”
Like the traps on every tile, it seemed likely the glass case had some kind of mechanism.
“It’s not impossible to take it out. But now we can’t avoid it.”
“Excuse me?”
Jenya stared at the Demon Lord, confused. He looked at Lumiere, then—without warning—placed his hand on the glass case.
A brilliant white light flared—
The next moment passed in the blink of an eye. A hand shot out from behind, pulling Jenya.
She buried herself in Lumiere’s embrace, his body shielding her, and stared in awe as the white light spread outward.
But it didn’t last long.
Bang! A violent gust struck, delivering an immense shock that hit Jenya hard.
“Jenya, Jenya.”
She snapped back to consciousness at the voice. Through her blurred vision, she saw Lumiere looking down at her with a worried expression.
“Lu… As?”
“Lumiere is fine.”
Jenya hurriedly straightened herself, glancing around.
“What happened?”
The surroundings were unchanged from before she lost consciousness. Just one thing: the Demon Lord had disappeared.
“You didn’t… run off on your own, did you?”
“Jenya.”
She looked at the hand gently wrapping her shoulder. Lumiere met her gaze, blinked, and said,
“She’s caught in the magic. Like last time with us.”
“What do we do?”
It was probably better that he had left her behind. Caught in magic?
“We can’t undo it right now.”
“Really?”
“Most likely, she’ll come out on her own, even if we don’t help.”
She knew what he meant—he was the Demon Lord, after all.
Jenya glanced at the glass case where the book had been and murmured,
“Then…”
Lumiere nodded.
“Take the book. We need to leave before anyone arrives.”
She gathered the book from the shattered glass case. After all the trouble they went through, she hoped it would be worth it.
She brushed her hand over the white leather binding and placed it carefully into her magical pouch.
“All set.”
Before she could finish speaking, hands appeared beneath her waist. Lumiere lifted her effortlessly, supporting her thighs, making Jenya’s eyes widen.
“Lumiere?”
Reacting on instinct, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he dashed down the corridor in a flash.
“This is faster.”
The struggle they had endured to traverse the long corridor now seemed laughable. They reached the stairs in no time.
Climbing the stairs was equally simple. Lumiere moved several steps at a time as if it were nothing.
‘Is this even possible?’
Carrying a full-grown woman up the stairs without breaking a sweat, his expression calm.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Jenya, I don’t mind carrying you every day.”
Her incredulous glare earned him a small smile.
Standing close to Lumiere, Jenya noticed how near his face was—too close for comfort—and quickly turned her gaze away.
Within five minutes, they reached the final stair. Jenya let out a relieved laugh.
“I should have just let him carry me from the start.”
She sighed, still in Lumiere’s arms, and asked,
“This isn’t the same path we came on, right?”
He nodded.
“Yes. People are coming down the original route. We need to return where it’s empty.”
“…Will we get out safely?”
His expression didn’t change.
“Fortunately, most of the palace guards have been dispatched. The elite forces are protecting the royals.”
Safe or not, she couldn’t be sure. She wanted to push him for answers, but she couldn’t bother someone already juggling so many concerns.
Yet, unexpectedly, Lumiere slowly stopped in place.
Jenya looked up at his serious eyes, understanding why he did it.
“It’s fine.”
Seeing her smile, he hesitated, then slowly set her down.
Jenya lightly touched the floor and straightened her clothes. Lumiere brushed her disheveled hair and said,
“People will arrive soon.”
If they couldn’t avoid facing them, there was only one thing to do.
Jenya glanced at her elaborate dress and lifted her chin confidently. She had to be the Princess again.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, she turned her head.
“…Your Highness?”
Those who spotted her were startled and ran toward her. Fortunately, they were servants, not knights, mages, or priests.
She had always thought herself unlucky—but this wasn’t the worst-case scenario.
‘We need to move quickly and get out.’
Jenya stepped forward to shield Lumiere behind her. She narrowed her eyes at the approaching servants.
“What’s going on?”
Her cold voice immediately silenced the noisy servants.
Among the Emperor, Empress, and Princess, and the servants who had handled all the aftermath, exclamations of relief and joy erupted.
“Half a day at least, right?”
“Yes. Maybe even a full half-day spent there.”
“Phew. We’ve been exhausted, I can’t imagine how tiring it must be for those serving the royals directly.”
These were outer palace servants, usually not in direct contact with the royals, hurriedly dispatched for the temple visit.
As one complained about their fatigue, another snickered.
“That’s why the pay is higher. If lucky, you might even get a minor noble title.”
Unlike outer palace servants, those serving directly in the inner palace had nearly guaranteed futures.
“But if unlucky, you fall all the way to the bottom.”
Better to go slow and steady than fast and reckless—being expelled from the palace in chaotic times would be disastrous. The servants nodded.
“Right, we just need to keep to ourselves.”
“The inner palace’s business isn’t our concern.”
As the servants discussed the benefits of the outer palace, a loud voice rang out.
“There!”
Startled, they jumped up. A group of knights appeared, and the outer palace servants quickly hid behind their supervisor, Emma.
Emma, who had been quietly listening, stepped forward.
“What’s going on?”
“Just in case, return to your quarters immediately.”
“Huh?”
The knight, tense, explained.
“An intruder has appeared. It’s dangerous here.”
“An intruder?”
“Yes. We’re not sure how many or if it’s real, but just in case, head back to your quarters.”
The knights left in a hurry, and the frightened servants murmured among themselves.
Emma quickly calmed them.
“Quiet. This is the palace. Nothing will happen.”
She made eye contact with each of them.
“Follow me and move quietly.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Emma led the servants, moving quickly. Some sniffled behind them, but there was no time to slow down.
They passed several grim-faced knights, soldiers, and mages.
Finally, as Emma prepared to leave the inner palace, she spotted someone.
“Your Highness?”
Emma, who had personally raised the young noblewoman Jeremiah once, hurried toward her.
