CHAPTER 71…………………..
“Ah, I don’t even know where the day went.”
Back in her room, Adel leaned out the window as though determined not to forget this feeling. Her hair streamed in the fresh night breeze.
That should have shaken her up a little by now.
She hadn’t expected much, but if Noella realized at least that the world wouldn’t bend to her will, then it was a victory.
“S-sister!”
The sight of that girl—who had committed every misdeed imaginable—actually looking shaken was worth seeing.
She had thought the falcon was dead by her own hand, only to watch it return alive. No wonder she was rattled.
As the priestess Rebecca had said, it might not change her fate, but for a while at least she wouldn’t be so quick to act rashly.
All this just because I kept her from meeting the male lead.
The malice radiating from her was itching to lash out at someone, but if she thought Adel was the target, she had badly miscalculated.
Phew.
Breathing in the night air, Adel stretched her arms high above her head. For tonight, at least, she’d sleep easy with her legs stretched out—
“Are you hot?”
…Of course she wouldn’t.
She must have lost her mind. How could she have forgotten this man?
Feeling the presence behind her, Adel swallowed hard.
“C-Captain?”
She didn’t dare turn around. Every instinct warned her not to.
Even with her gown spreading wide around her, she could feel him standing far too close.
If she turned now, some part of her would inevitably brush against him.
What do I do?
Feigning interest in the commotion outside, she forced her gaze to stay fixed on the window.
“…So many people are still awake. The priestess, the clerics, and especially the knights—they seem the most excited. I suppose they’ll carry on all night.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Really? I thought you’d be stricter about such things.”
“Why would I?”
“….”
“It’s not as though you intend to spend the night like that.”
Killian’s hands came down on either side of hers, gripping the railing.
Don’t you agree?
There was persistence in the way he closed the distance, disguised as tenderness.
“Captain!”
“Disappointing. By now, I thought you might call me by name.”
When his lips brushed her ear, Adel flinched.
She had tried to ignore him, to keep from turning her head—but this was torture. Perhaps it would be better just to face him.
“You know that’s not it.”
“…What is it, then?”
No. It wasn’t better.
The moment she turned and met him head-on, Adel realized it.
She had thought everything was going her way after putting Noella in her place, but God Himself had chosen to remind her—through the man who had become her husband—that the world was not so easily bent.
“Say it, Adel.”
At a distance close enough for their noses to touch, Killian’s lowered gaze shattered her thoughts.
Why are you doing this to me?
She tried to slip away with a vague smile, but even shadows couldn’t escape the Knight Commander’s grasp.
“Did you think you were the only one who never lets go once something is in your hands?”
“Still, why now…?”
“Because it’s time you looked at me.”
His tone was brusque, and Adel answered with an awkward laugh.
No, I’m supposed to be lucky today. This isn’t how it’s meant to go…
Clinging to her focus, her eyes finally fell on the ring on her finger.
“Ah… this.”
She really had forgotten so much today.
Even though it was said to be a relic of Saint Fidelio, it didn’t feel out of place at all.
When she had first opened the box, the brilliance had nearly swallowed the room, but once she put it on, it seemed no different from any other ring—just a strikingly polished gem.
“It feels strange to say this now, but I’m not sure I should even be allowed to have it. If it’s truly a relic of Saint Fidelio… oh dear.”
How much must this be worth?
The thought came to her automatically, and she shook her head quickly.
To measure a divine artifact in money—she felt as though lightning might strike her for the thought alone. And no matter the price, she couldn’t imagine trading it away. Why was that?
For someone who had always tried to wring a single coin more from everything, the feeling was strange even to herself.
Watching her, Killian smiled faintly.
“It’s precious, yes. But if one must decide on an owner, no one is more fitting than you.”
“Why?”
“Because only you have the wealth to keep it forever, without ever thinking to sell it.”
Ah, thank heaven I was born into a rich family. How did I manage to choose this household to be born into?
What a commendable woman I am!
He had probably meant it half as a joke, but Adel was touched all the same.
Indeed, someone else might at least have taken it to an appraiser out of curiosity.
Her awkwardness at being alone with him vanished, replaced with confidence.
“Of course. You never need to worry about that.”
“Is that so?”
“Absolutely. But how did the Archbishop part with something like this so easily? I saw earlier—he had plenty of others as well. He must truly favor you.”
“Not exactly…”
As he leaned close enough for their foreheads almost to touch, Killian lifted her hand.
“It was my mother’s.”
“Ah…”
The unexpected answer made Adel blink at him.
It was embarrassing to meet his eyes from so near, yet this was the first time he had ever spoken of his family.
She wanted, if possible, to hear as much as she could.
“…Didn’t you say she had passed?”
“Strictly speaking, it was meant to be hers. The Archbishop was my mother’s godfather.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
Adel nodded softly in understanding.
As Renald had said, his bond with the Archbishop had begun long before he saved him.
But for someone like the Archbishop to be her godfather, then Killian’s mother’s family must have been formidable as well.
If the Emperor was the Empire’s ruler, the Archbishop was its spiritual pillar.
Such a man would not take just anyone’s child as his godson.
“…What are you thinking?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Adel simply smiled instead of asking.
If she did, he wouldn’t refuse to answer, but unless he spoke first, she had no desire to pry.
After all, the man she had married—the one she would remain with from now on—was right here before her.
“I never imagined I’d come to own a relic in my lifetime. It’s amazing. Most people would never even see such a wedding gift, let alone receive it. From the Archbishop himself, no less!”
“Perhaps he thought giving you something like this would make me seem less lacking.”
“…That’s a joke, isn’t it? What could you possibly lack?”
Ah, that’s right!
How could she have forgotten even that?
There was only one thing he might lack.
Adel’s face drained of color. She would rather have kept forgetting.
Other things she could let slip without worry, but this one—this one was impossible to ignore.
No. Stay strong! Focus!
Muttering encouragement to herself, Adel studied him carefully.
This face, this body… to want anything more would be a sin.
