CHAPTER 04
When I opened my eyes again, it was already morning.
The sound of the larks’ chirping was very peaceful, unlike the gloomy northern castle with its cobwebs covering the ceiling.
Philiatus slowly got up.
… … did not die.
Were those red eyes I saw last night just an illusion born of fear? Seeing the pain radiating from my entire body, it felt like I was being held down by scissors.
“Whatever it is, I’m still alive, I guess…….”
Filiatus, who was muttering softly and getting up, stopped for a moment.
“……What is this……?”
His body felt heavy and sore, and it wasn’t just a nightmare. A child was sleeping soundly on top of him.
Why is there a child here? Is it the child of one of the servants who came with me last night? Could it be that he abandoned the child here with me?
“Hey, kid. Wake up.”
At Filiatus’s words, the child sleeping on his stomach flinched and slowly began to rise.
He soon rubs his eyes as if he is sleepy, and then stares at Filiatus with wide eyes.
“……Red eyes……?”
The child’s eyes that met like that were a bright red.
Wasn’t that red eye I saw last night a dream? If so, did I faint when I saw this child last night?
Filiatus looked at the child quietly.
Dark black hair and crimson eyes. Her skin was tanned, as if sunburned. Though still young, her features were already sharp and splendid, and she was sure to grow up to be a formidable figure.
Above all, Filiatus, who couldn’t figure out when, where, or how she had appeared, or why she had fallen asleep on his ship, asked.
“What are you?”
“……Piliatus.”
“How did you know my name?”
Then the child with shining red eyes smiled and said.
“You are my bride-to-be, so of course you should know that much.”
“……what?”
“You are my bride.”
But, how dare you say such horrible things to a little kid like that?
Filiatus reached out and began stroking the child’s round head. It was a strange feeling as the glossy hair flowed through his fingers.
The child just stared blankly at Filiatus without any particular reaction, then slightly lowered his head and closed his eyes as if the touch was not bad.
That moment.
“You little shit!”
Bam! It’s Philiatus who grabbed the child’s head.
“ouch!”
The child kept fiddling with his head, which was still stuck in his head, as if he was in quite a bit of pain, and his eyes began to turn red and bloodshot.
Filiatus, who had just put the child down on the floor, placed both hands on his hips and wore a stern expression.
“You dare tease an adult? I may look like this, but I’m still a prince, you rascal. But what? Am I your bride? You little thing.”
That was when.
“How dare you grab Mars’ head!”
Filiatus was startled by the distant, roaring voice, and he looked around. He could clearly hear the voice, but he couldn’t tell where it came from.
At that moment―
Bang! The floor shook as if it were ripping open the air, and shadows rippled.
And between them, a person in the shape of an animal slowly appeared.
The face is that of a bull, the body is that of a human.
A muscular, heterogeneous structure, cow ears and a long, flowing tail, and above all, something like golden horns protruded from near the forehead.
The ground seemed to shake with each step he took, accompanied by heavy breathing.
His eyes flashed a strange yellow, quite different from those of humans, telling us that he was neither human nor beast.
“Mars’s head, how dare you!”
“……Huh, haaaak!”
Filiatus screamed and fell backwards.
Filiatus stared blankly at the water man with his eyes wide open, and then, as if his fear and shock had reached their peak, he rolled his eyes and fainted.
Mars, who was watching the scene, let out a deep sigh.
“Mino, didn’t I tell you not to come out like that?”
Then, the person who still looked like a water man lowered his head with a bewildered expression and said.
“Sorry, sorry. I came out in a hurry, so…!”
His body rippled faintly, then transformed into a human form in an instant. The monster from earlier vanished, replaced by a neatly trimmed young man.
He muttered with a still displeased expression on his face.
“But isn’t that too weak? That’s why, um…….”
At those words, Mars gently stroked the forehead of the fainting Philiatus and looked at him with a calm look that was unusual for a child.
Mino, startled by those eyes, lowered his head and spoke.
“……I’m sorry, Mars.”
Mars said nothing more as he looked at her, her shoulders hunched over with exhaustion.
Instead, he took a deep breath, stretched out his tiny hand, and placed it on the forehead of the unconscious Philiatus.
I have a slight fever. I guess I slept shivering from the cold last night.
‘Hmm, maybe the child’s body temperature wasn’t enough?’
Mars narrowed his eyes and lifted Philiatus up.
“Mars, this Mino will do it—”
“Okay. You’re my bride. Only I can touch this body.”
When I opened my eyes again, the atmosphere around me had changed dramatically. Night had fallen, and the once bright surroundings had become pitch black.
Also, the bull-man I saw before I fainted was nowhere to be found, and instead, there were people who looked like normal people sitting calmly.
When Philiatus blinked and came to his senses, he saw three people sitting in a row behind him, led by Mars, looking at him with very sullen faces.
Filiatus, startled again and flinched, looked around and asked.
“That monster from earlier… where did it go?”
Then, unlike a little while ago, Mino, who was in human form, snorted softly and said.
“……Huh, really me.”
Mars said immediately.
“Mino was just joking. Everyone, introduce yourselves properly.”
Then the three people spoke briefly one after another.
“Mino.”
“Dite.”
“Dante.”
Philiatus still looked at them with blank eyes, then asked, “Who are you?” Mino watched him.
“We are the loyal servants who serve the master of this castle!”
Then Mars added naturally.
“I work here too. We live together.”
At those words, Filiatus asked back in a slightly sullen voice.
“Are you also… like that, half-human, half-beast thing from before…?”
Before he could even finish speaking, the person who introduced himself as Dite suddenly stood up.
“How dare you, Mars-!”
But when Mars looked at her, Dite visibly hesitated, quickly shut her mouth, and sat back down.
Mars said with a smile.
“No, I’m not. I’m just an ordinary kid.”
At those words, Filiatus glanced at the boy, looking him up and down. He had a harmless smile and, objectively speaking, a lovely appearance.
Really… … right?
“Well, there’s no reason for this brat to fool me,” Philiatus tried to rationalize, nodding reluctantly.
“……That’s fortunate. But……then, are you really the owner of this place……?”
Mars smiled brightly and said to Filiatus, who was rolling his eyes as if he was looking around.
“No. There’s someone else besides me.”
Well, that’s right, I said I was your bride. It was just a joke earlier, wasn’t it?
As I glanced at Mars, feeling aggrieved, a thought flashed through my mind. The idea that he had a separate owner—
“……Ho, is it possible that the master of this castle also has the appearance of a beast like ‘that’ earlier……?”
Then, this time, Dante suddenly stood up. His eyes flickered like flames, and he clenched his fists.
“How dare you! To call Areias hideous! How beautiful he is!”
But Philiatus also spoke boldly.
“Well, that’s something I won’t know until I see it myself.”
At that moment, “What?!?” Mino, Dite, and Dante’s eyes flashed for a moment, and then their faces all turned red and blue.
