CHAPTER 42:……………………………………………
Return
“If I get out of here, I’ll report everything you and your maid have been plotting.”
Shion, his teeth clenched, said this through trembling lips. It was impossible to tell whether the quiver in his voice came from anger or from the cold of the underground prison.
“What have we been plotting?”
Aria stepped closer to the iron bars.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know that you dare deceive His Majesty the Emperor? You dealt with demons to gain magical power, and now you’re sending that maid forward…”
“That again?”
Aria’s sigh cut Shion off mid-sentence.
“What?”
“How long do you intend to keep bringing up that flimsy excuse?”
“What did you just say…?”
“The child’s magical power injured the Lord of the Demons. Don’t you understand what that means? Lowell’s power did not originate from the demons.”
Aria looked Shion straight in the eyes, speaking each word carefully and deliberately.
“H-Hah… That maid must have conspired with the demons to do something. Once I get out of here, I’ll expose everything!”
Shion gripped the iron bars even tighter at Aria’s words.
“Go ahead. Do it. If you can get out, come out and claim it to your heart’s content. But….”
Aria stepped back slightly from the bars, scanning Shion up and down as if a sudden thought had struck her.
“To do that, you’d have to escape, wouldn’t you? Hm… but since you have no magic, breaking out won’t be so easy.”
A sneer Aria could not hide played at the corner of her lips.
“You! How dare you speak to me like that….”
Her words didn’t continue. Rage tightened Shion’s throat, leaving him speechless.
Bang!
At that moment, Aria gripped the bars tightly and stepped closer to Shion. Hot breath blew on his face.
“The reason you’re locked up there is because of your crimes: selling magic to disrupt the Empire and continuously harming me, a war hero!”
Aria’s eyes hardened as she spoke. No, she practically shouted.
“……”
Shion, seeing Aria’s raw anger for the first time, and Aria, breathing harshly in front of him, created an icy tension. For a long while, silence filled the air.
“…Your father won’t just let you act like this.”
After a while, Shion finally spoke, drawing a deep breath. His eyes, fixed straight ahead, trembled slightly.
“You know, older brother. Father doesn’t care about us. He already stripped me of the title of minor duke; he has no reason to save you.”
Aria let out a small scoff.
Until now, Duke Heinstein had never once looked back when she sought help. Therefore, Aria knew better than anyone else that her father would not suddenly grant her brother any favor.
“Oh, but you could still petition His Majesty the Emperor to punish him more severely, claiming that the Duke’s prestige has fallen to the ground.”
Aria released her grip on the bars and once again curved her lips into a small smile.
“Then, do your best on your own, older brother.”
Leaving only that, Aria stepped up the stairs of the underground prison. Soon, shouts and curses filled the air, but she no longer paid them any attention. Aria was no longer swayed by such things.
“Are you going?”
“Well, I wonder.”
Leon sank deep into the sofa in the Imperial Palace library, tapping his chin while looking at the letter in his hands.
“I didn’t expect they’d send a letter.”
Lowell looked at the name “Liefman” written at the end of the letter and spoke.
“They’re probably trying to resolve things quickly since they’ve become a topic of gossip because they were driven out.”
Leon set the letter down on the table.
“Hmm… maybe so.”
“Should I go or not?”
Leon stared vacantly at the lavishly decorated letter.
“Why the hesitation?”
Lowell suddenly asked, observing Leon. She thought his goal was to “succeed and take revenge on those who ignored him,” so going to the main family at this time seemed appropriate.
“Well, I want to go and scoff at them if I get the chance… hmm.”
Leon said this, closing his eyes deeply in apparent contemplation.
“……”
Lowell thought: he seems to carry a lot of built-up frustration.
“Why?”
Leon suddenly straightened as he noticed her staring.
“No, it’s nice to see you in a good mood.”
Lowell smiled lightly, wearing a harmless expression.
“Being in the library is better. No one is following me around.”
She looked around and touched the bookshelf in front of her.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s much better here. Elsewhere, even a slight movement would make someone follow me, asking if I needed something—it was bothersome.”
Lowell frowned, resting her forehead against the bookshelf. No matter how much she thought of herself as a hero, it felt strange to have someone constantly following and attending her.
“I like it.”
Leon rose and stood beside Lowell.
“…Yes. It does seem that way.”
Lowell sighed quietly, recalling earlier events.
If she had been startled by excessive kindness, Leon was enjoying it to the fullest. As a hero’s husband and a war hero himself, he was savoring the favor bestowed on him.
Even earlier, when he entered the room claiming to have visited the royal bath, smelling faintly of mint…
“Ah, but…”
Leon interrupted Lowell’s thoughts.
“I should go to the main family.”
“Huh?”
“I realized there’s something to settle.”
“What is it?”
“Your name.”
Leon leaned in toward Lowell and met her gaze.
“My name?”
“Yes. Soon you’ll be granted a title as a hero, but right now… it’s ambiguous.”
“Oh.”
Lowell immediately understood his meaning. Orphaned, she had no family name. After marriage, it was customary to take the husband’s name, but since Leon was no longer with his family, calling her “Lowell Liefman” was somewhat awkward.
“I need to go to the main family and fix it. I don’t want any issues when receiving the title.”
Leon’s tense expression softened instantly.
“You don’t have to do that for me.”
“No, I think it’s better to go and make it clear.”
Leaning against the bookshelf, Leon nodded resolutely.
“Really? No, you really don’t need to do it for my sake!”
Lowell waved her hand emphatically. She truly meant it—she didn’t want Leon to go through any unnecessary inconvenience.
“If we’re talking about names, Leon, you’d have to compromise somewhat, so I feel a bit sorry.”
Lowell thought to herself.
“Why?”
“I think the culture of women always taking their husband’s surname is very old-fashioned.”
Lowell furrowed her brows, speaking seriously.
“…You.”
Despite her efforts, Leon’s eyebrows lowered, and a look of pity appeared on his face.
“Uh… what’s that expression?”
“You don’t need to feel burdened. It’s natural for a family to share the same name.”
Leon misunderstood her words but said it with genuine sympathy.
Lowell immediately realized: this man thought she had never had a family and felt sorry for her!
“No? No, I didn’t mean that! I really don’t care about names! Women have their own names too; just because you’re married doesn’t mean you should take your husband’s… well, I don’t have a surname anyway…”
Lowell babbled, her words getting jumbled under Leon’s pitying gaze.
“……”
Thanks to this, Leon’s misunderstanding only solidified.
‘I need to go back and fix her family affiliation.’
Eventually, Leon reached that conclusion.
“Ah! No, really, that’s not it! Look at these books. Surely there’s a history book somewhere saying that some cultures don’t follow the surname tradition!”
Lowell, eyebrows raised sharply, grabbed the ladder next to the bookshelf, determined to take down the history books on the top shelf.
“Oh.”
But as she stepped onto the ladder, Lowell realized:
‘This ladder is broken.’
Thunk!
With a crash, Lowell fell to the floor.
“Ouch….”
Rubbing her arm, she opened her eyes. She then realized she had landed on top of Leon’s upper body. Her eyes widened as she pressed against his hard muscles.
“Ah, sorry….”
Her apology was cut short as Leon pulled her closer. Their eyes met, and heat passed between their pressed bodies.
“……”
A silence as if time had stopped. Leon’s lips parted as if to speak.
“Lowell! You’re here…”
At that moment, the door opened, and a familiar, bright voice called out. It was Aria.
“Uh….”
In that instant, Lowell on top of Leon, Leon beneath her, and Aria holding the doorknob—all three sets of eyes met.
“Uh, haha. Was I… not noticing again? I, I’ll go, okay?”
Breaking the tense silence, Aria said awkwardly, her laugh full of tension.
“Sorry!”
With that, she closed the door and left. It took a few seconds for the dazed Lowell to recover.
“Ah! No! Miss!”
She hurriedly got up and followed Aria.
“Haah.”
Only Leon remained, slowly rolling his eyes.
“…Not sure what she means by that.”
Much later, Leon got up, dusted himself off, and muttered quietly.
