Chapter 44
‘Yeah, when did I ever truly care about Bella? I was just teasing her because I found it fun. I’m no different from her.’
But those thoughts were quickly buried by the feeling of betrayal toward Bella.
At that moment, the door suddenly swung open without knocking. Leon, who had been looking out the window, frowned and turned his head.
John came in, breathing heavily, and walked up to Leon.
“Did you forget how to knock?”
“That’s not important right now. Monsters have appeared in Palanuvo.”
If this were any other time, John wouldn’t have rushed in like this. But right now, the Grand Duchess of Aster, Bella, was in Palanuvo.
Leon’s eyes widened in shock. His heart started pounding, and his whole body froze. It felt like the blood in his body was rushing backward. His slightly opened lips began to tremble.
“Bella… Bella is there.”
“We can’t reach Zeus at the moment…”
“I have to go right now.”
“The troops near Palanuvo are already moving there. Even the Emperor’s royal guards are starting to travel through the portal.”
“Your Highness, if you go, your identity might be revealed. The royal guards will be guarding the portal to Palanuvo,” Kalsen said, trying to calm Leon, who looked overly anxious. Leon’s eyes shook dangerously.
“Where is the shelter in Palanuvo?”
“It’s the castle of Baron Borret, the lord of Palanuvo.”
“Don’t worry too much. I’m sure Zeus took the madam there.”
Unable to do anything in this situation, Leon slammed his hand down on the desk in frustration. He leaned back in his chair, then stood up again.
“No, I have to go myself.”
“Your Highness, you can’t. You’ve held back for so long…”
“That’s why I’ll wear a mask or something, so don’t stop me. If anyone says one more word…”
“I’ll go with you.”
John said. Leon nodded slightly and looked toward the holy sword Aesar hanging on the wall. He wanted to use it, but then stopped himself.
‘The Saint said she knows about Aesar.’
“Get ready right now and meet me here again.”
After John left, instead of preparing, Leon slumped into the chair.
“Your Highness…”
“If you’re going to try and stop me, don’t.”
At Leon’s firm words, Kalsen bit his lip. Leon covered his face with both hands, full of anxiety.
It was all his fault. If he hadn’t treated Bella that way, she would still be here. If anything happened to her, Leon would never be able to forgive himself. His chest was swirling with hot, chaotic emotions.
* * *
“Can you sit still for a second? You’re making me dizzy.”
“What?! There are monsters out there!!”
Zeus screamed.
The higher-ups and the lower-ranked people were both driving me crazy in the same way. I shook my head.
Seeing Amy and Mary clinging to each other and trembling, I jumped up. The hall inside the castle was full of people and complete chaos. I sighed and plopped back down.
“This is all your fault, madam! If only we had gone back to Aster!” Amy said in a blaming voice. Her face was covered in tears. I didn’t know she could throw a tantrum like this—how human of her.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
I patted their backs to comfort them. But it wasn’t enough to calm them. They started talking like people who thought they were going to die soon, listing all the things they regretted in life.
From the murmurs around us, I heard that there were five monsters in Palanuvo. Were there monsters in Palanuvo in the original novel? I couldn’t remember. I knew monsters had been appearing all over the continent, but I didn’t expect one of the places to be Palanuvo.
Thankfully, we were shopping in a busy area near the castle, so we managed to escape quickly. I guess you could say Walter saved me.
Anyway, while inside the castle, I ran into Zeus, who looked completely out of it, and we joined up. But I still didn’t understand why Zeus, who should be fighting, was here trembling and driving me crazy.
“Why don’t you go outside and help fight together?”
“You go out there, madam! I’ve never even fought a monster! Why are you trying to send me to my death? Did I do something to you?”
Every time I said one thing, Zeus said ten.
Even so, the reason I was able to stay calm in this mess was because of the bracelet quietly waiting on my wrist. I was itching to test its power.
If I didn’t have this bracelet, I’d probably be no different from Amy and Mary.
“The monsters are attacking the castle gates. They could break in at any moment. Troops to help us are on the way. We need people to buy time until they arrive. Are there any volunteers to help fight?”
I couldn’t see the face, but someone shouted loudly, asking for volunteers.
Zeus, trying to hide his strong build, slowly hunched down. I looked at him and raised my hand high.
“Here! I’ll volunteer.”
“Madam!!”
Amy and Mary grabbed my raised hand and pulled it down.
“Madam, are you so scared you’ve lost your mind? What are you doing!!”
Amy screamed.
“Not me. Over there. Zeus.”
I waved my hand and pointed at Zeus.
He straightened his back and looked at me with a shocked face. His eyes were full of confusion.
“Sir Zeus, you’re someone the Duke values. You need to shine at times like this and become the Duke’s right-hand man. Are you planning to just stay here managing the villa forever?”
“I wasn’t just managing the villa…”
I nodded. They probably called it managing the southern lands to sound nicer, but I was sure the real reason Leon kept him here was because he’s unpredictable.
After hearing me, Zeus seemed to think for a moment, then looked at me with eyes full of ambition and said,
“I’ve never fought monsters before… but if I think of them as things that need to be killed, I think I can cut them down easily.”
His eyes glinted with madness.
‘Did I press the wrong button? This isn’t what I meant. I need to fix this.’
“I’m touched that you want to protect me for Leon’s sake.”
“No, that’s not really why…”
“It’s okay. No need to be shy.”
“There’s no time. Please gather now!”
The man calling for volunteers shouted again. Zeus knelt on one knee toward the air with a serious face.
“For His Highness’s honor, I will fight the monsters.”
“Sir Zeus, I’m right here, though.”
I waved at him to show he was facing the wrong direction.
“I was pledging toward the direction of His Highness the Duke.”
I clicked my tongue and looked at him with annoyance. Still, it was encouraging that I had convinced him.
“…I’ll be back.”
He hesitated for a moment, then slightly bowed his head to me before pushing through the crowd toward the door.
I really wanted to go outside with him and test my bracelet’s power, but showing it off in front of so many people would be dangerous.
After Zeus left, Amy and Mary snuggled even closer to me. I leaned against the wall and sat down, wondering whether Leon had heard the news about Palanuvo yet—and if he had, how he reacted.
But my thoughts kept going in a negative direction, only making me feel more down.
