Chapter 71 …
Shadow did not readily accept my suggestion. As a proud devotee of the Divine Kingdom, he kept his distance from the crown princess of the enemy nation.
“I’m more comfortable standing.”
“Are you subtly bragging about having strong legs?”
Such trivial jokes couldn’t even coax a hint of a smile from Shadow. His actions were tightly constrained by the chastity expected of a messenger of light and the principles he had to uphold as a spy. Hesitating slightly, he spoke quietly.
“I was ordered to…”
“Unbelievable. What kind of orders did Roshinante give you?”
“It’s nothing serious. I was simply instructed to maintain my distance.”
From some point on, Shadow had begun to follow Roshinante’s commands diligently, making him feel like a loyal subordinate. Even if he resisted, he would kneel before Roshinante’s authority. Protecting his savior was his duty. It wasn’t unusual, but something even stronger—a sort of blind loyalty—had grown between them.
If I, knowing the future, was the first to acknowledge Roshinante, then Shadow seemed to be the next to accept him as king.
“Since we can talk standing, do as you like. Speaking of which, your plan failed miserably, and even the divorce papers you prepared were discovered. Do you know what the funniest part is?”
“If there’s anything funny about it, that would indeed be funny.”
“You’re no fun.”
“…”
“Even after discovering the divorce papers, Roshinante’s reaction was surprisingly lukewarm. It’s not because he has little affection for me—I can say that for certain.”
The night I spent with him had taught me a lot. The feelings he harbored toward me were far beyond what could be dismissed as trivial.
‘Perhaps… I feel the same.’
I would not think of him as merely the male lead. Had I done so, I wouldn’t be agonizing over our relationship this seriously.
“I thought crossing the line would make it easy to cut off. But instead, it’s only gotten more complicated.”
“The most important thing is whether you have the will to let go.”
“Are you saying I won’t push Roshinante away?”
“I first suspected that possibility when you canceled your push, and when you carried out the absurd proposal I made, my suspicion became certainty.”
At that moment, clouds blocked the sun, shrouding the room in darkness.
Shadow approached me step by step, neither fast nor slow.
‘You were instructed to keep your distance, but you don’t seem to intend to follow it at all.’
I glared at Shadow with wide eyes.
Though it posed no real threat, it seemed to mock him.
“Admit it already. You have feelings for Crown Prince Roshinante. If you want to deny it, you could just use magic to fly freely like a bird, whether to the Empire or the Divine Kingdom.”
“But if I escape with magic, I’d be discovered quickly—”
“Such excuses don’t work on me.”
“…”
Standing tall before me, he deliberately looked down at me with only his gaze. His face was in shadow, so I couldn’t read his expression.
Yet, instinctively, I could tell he was mocking me, his audacious stance and closeness betraying it.
Had I been too lenient? My hand tightened unconsciously around the teacup.
“We aren’t together all day. You could create plenty of chances to escape. If you want, I could even arrange a false identity and a hiding place for you. But is that really necessary? You wouldn’t want it yourself.”
“…Enough. That’s enough.”
“The reason Crown Prince Roshinante lets you be free is simple. He knows you won’t run away.”
“Can’t you just stop already?!”
I had warned him enough. Pouring cold tea over Shadow wouldn’t be something to be blamed for.
My heavy breaths mixed chaotically with the sound of water dripping from his clothes.
Amid the tense atmosphere, he was the first to speak.
“I apologize. Punish me for speaking out of turn.”
He even knelt fully, hands behind his back, ready to take a slap if I wished. If his goal was to break my will, it was a perfect choice.
“…Enough.”
For the sake of world peace, Shadow’s duty—and his torment—was to match Roshinante with the saintess.
Shadow, who deeply admired the saintess, had his own suffering too.
Yet, my acknowledging my feelings for Roshinante meant confrontation with Shadow.
A mere secondary villainess like me joining the male lead would achieve neither peace nor prosperity.
Only a marriage between the Divine Kingdom’s saintess and the Empire’s royalty could bring an end to the war.
I reached for a dry cloth to wipe the water but, after hesitating, let my hand fall.
Even though the words came from my head, not my heart, they sounded foreign, as if spoken by someone else.
“Shadow. About that false identity and hiding place you mentioned…”
“…”
“Can you prepare it?”
“You really notice things fast, but your response is terrible. The time to avoid this has long passed. And after all that, don’t you know what kind of man Roshinante is? He would move heaven and earth for you…!”
It was the first crack in Shadow’s ice-cold composure. Just as he spoke rapidly, someone knocked on the door.
Knock knock knock knock knock.
Not loud, but urgent.
I allowed them in. Shadow, immediately going into disguise, cleaned up the fallen cup and said, “I’ll handle it, Your Excellency,” making the situation appear natural.
Even if Shadow’s acting had been poor, we likely wouldn’t have been suspected.
The messenger’s face was completely covered with urgency, paying no mind to the wet carpet.
“Miss Levieta!”
The dusty title revealed he was a messenger from the Grimlore Ducal family.
What urgent news could the Ducal family have? Seeing his twisted face, a bad premonition seized me.
“Big, big trouble has occurred!”
“What happened? Calm down and just tell me the point.”
“Lord… has—”
My heart sank. I had tried to deny it, blaming an unavoidable fate, but apparently, I had grown attached to those around me far more than I realized.
Family—what a persistent burden, in this life and the last, always catching me in different ways.
“Lord has collapsed due to deteriorating health…!”
Hearing words equivalent to a death sentence, my body reacted before my mind.
“Ah, miss…?”
Tears burned my eyes. I could have lost consciousness from the blur, but miserably, I didn’t.
I sprang up and ran.
I don’t know how or where I arrived.
Only the shocked faces of those witnessing me flashed intermittently, like a slideshow.
Panting, I stumbled forward, and someone was there.
A man who quietly waited patiently until I calmed down—a pivot and the beginning and end of this world.
“Roshi…”
He didn’t let me collapse.
There was no Grimlore Ducal family or lord’s illness. The only thing that escaped my lips was a broken, half-spoken nickname, yet he seemed to understand completely, holding me tightly in his arms.
“Yes. I’m here.”
Perhaps because my ear rested against his chest, his voice vibrated deep in my heart. Whose pounding heart was that? I pushed that dangerous question aside for the moment.
“Rain or snow, I’ll always be by your side when you want me.”
Seating me on the sofa, he gently brushed my cheek. More than the warmth of his touch, it was the steady gaze of his blue eyes that melted my heart.
‘No. I can’t let myself be greedy here.’
It was time to let him go. Struggling, I forced my lips to move.
“I have to return to Grimlore. I’ll… I won’t come back.”
