“Hic!”
Lariette, who had been expecting a kiss, started hiccuping when she was met with his chillingly cold face.
She drooped her brows pitifully, but Asrahan’s expression showed no sign of improving.
“Hic!”
When Lariette’s hiccups refused to stop, only then did Asrahan pull his face away and have a servant bring her a glass of water.
Taking the glass, Lariette gulped down the water while frantically racking her brain for an excuse. She thought the sudden hiccups had bought her some time to think.
‘Should I deny it outright? Or… say I fell?’
Asrahan seemed far too certain for her to deny it outright. So she chose the latter.
After finishing the water, Lariette gave an awkward smile and began her excuse.
“I fell earlier…”
“A bruise. You were attacked with bare fists, and though less than half a day has passed, you received treatment from a low-ranking healer, so the swelling has gone down somewhat.”
But Asrahan cut Lariette off at once, calmly listing each point in a cold voice. He grasped the situation so accurately that she was so startled she nearly started hiccuping again.
Asrahan continued slowly in a low, sunken voice.
“Do I look like a fool to you?”
Lariette shut her mouth like a mute who had eaten honey and hastily shook her head.
How on earth does he know so well?
Flustered, she wondered if rumors had already spread about her fight with Raon.
But for Asrahan, who had gone through countless wars and battles to the point of being called a war demon, it was plainly obvious.
How she had been hurt, and how badly. How long it would take to heal. Just by looking at the wound, he could tell. Because he had been injured and treated that many times himself.
With excuses now useless, Lariette moved her lips, hesitating to speak.
She was deeply embarrassed to say that after asking him to leave her alone, she had gone and been beaten by her older brother. The way Lariette had been treated in Blanche was practically her shame.
And when she recalled the sight of him cutting off Marquis Segreve’s hand in one stroke, it became even harder to say. She worried what would happen if he cut off Raon’s neck in the same way.
Of course, Raon’s safety was none of her concern, but she did not want to get entangled with her family in any way before she died.
Lariette carefully asked, stealing glances at Asrahan’s expression.
“What are you going to do if you find out who it was? …Kill them?”
“Kill them? Of course not.”
Asrahan furrowed one eyebrow as if he had heard something absurd. At that, Lariette thought she must have been overreacting and smiled awkwardly.
But the answer that came back went far beyond her imagination.
“Why would I let it end so easily?”
Asrahan spoke with a calm face.
There was no way he would let someone who dared lay a hand on his precious person die cleanly. At the very least, while they were fully conscious, severing both arms was only natural, was it not?
Lariette read the unmistakable madness in his blue eyes and quickly closed her mouth. Then she rolled her eyes this way and that, wondering what she should say.
After organizing her thoughts, she began speaking calmly.
“Asrahan, I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Lariette lowered her lashes slightly and looked at him with clear eyes. Then she gently placed her hand atop his large, firm one.
“But I’ll handle this matter myself. I’m pretty strong, you know that, right?”
She raised the end of her sentence in a playful tone and winked. Asrahan fell silent for a moment and looked at her.
Lariette sincerely believed this was “her own matter,” something she had to resolve herself. Asrahan was her precious lover, but she had no desire whatsoever to drag her lover into her affairs.
She had quite a strong sense of pride, and so she wanted to cover up this matter like this. Because she did not want to waste what little remained of her life on something like that.
“…Very well.”
Reading the rather firm will in Lariette’s eyes, Asrahan drew back and answered. Then he continued calmly.
“I will call a priest, so receive proper treatment.”
“Hehe, okay!”
Since things had worked out well, Lariette nodded, her eyes curving softly. She was relieved, thinking that as expected, he would understand if she persuaded him with words.
As it was already quite late at night, they decided she would receive treatment the next day. After wishing Asrahan good night, Lariette headed to her room.
Asrahan also returned to his own room and slowly took off his clothes. The face that had briefly softened while facing Lariette was once again shadowed in darkness.
Asrahan undid the buttons of his shirt and murmured quietly in a low voice.
“Gerard.”
“Yes, my lord.”
As soon as Asrahan called his name, a man’s figure appeared before him in an instant.
It was Gerard, commander of the shadow unit “La Noche,” who concealed themselves in darkness and carried out Asrahan’s orders.
Asrahan looked down indifferently at Gerard, who was kneeling before him, and slowly parted his lips.
“Find out.”
“As you command.”
Though no explanation had been given, Gerard bowed with precision, answered, and vanished once more. Understanding his lord’s demands was also part of his role as a limb.
The information Asrahan wanted was already clear. Who had attacked Lariette, what had happened yesterday after he left, and about the most suspicious party—Lord Blanche and the Blanche family.
Asrahan played the part of a tamed beast in front of Lariette, but a wild ferocity still remained in him in full. If she did not want to speak of it, then he only had to find out himself.
‘It will not take long.’
It was an instinct he had no intention of ever revealing to Lariette.
So long as she remained in his arms, forever.
***
The next day, in the grand conference room of the Alteon Temple.
From early morning, all the most prominent priests had gathered to discuss matters of great importance to the temple.
It was a meeting attended only by high priests and senior priests, one of the most important events of the year.
Doha sat in the highest seat.
Unlike when he met Lariette, he was dressed in the splendid, luxurious robes of a high priest, his silver hair flowing long.
With an elegant ornament resting atop his head, he looked as beautiful as a god of the moon.
However, that beautiful Doha was leaning back with his arms on the chair, wearing a bored expression.
A few high priests glared sharply at him, but none had the courage to criticize him. After all, they could not afford to be marked in advance by the next Pope.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, a neat knocking sounded at the door of the grand conference room, and a senior priest carefully entered. It was a young man with curly red hair, Joshua.
“What is it?”
Hibralfaro, the high priest said to be the most promising after Doha, spoke with a frown on his wrinkled face.
Joshua was a senior priest, but he did not have the right to attend important meetings. For that reason, even poking his head in during the meeting was an overstepping act.
“Um, Lord Mikhail. I have something to tell you for a moment…”
Joshua opened his mouth hesitantly. He, too, knew his behavior was rude. But since it was something ordered by the high priest he served, he had no choice.
“Can you not see we are in a meeting! High Priest Mikhail, how exactly do you manage your subordinates for them to behave so carelessly?”
After barking out a rebuke, Hibralfaro looked at Doha with displeasure. Doha smiled thinly and met his gaze.
‘You’re desperate to bite at anything, aren’t you, old man?’
Doha swept back his silver hair as if tired and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his fierce golden eyes flashed toward Hibralfaro.
“Indeed, it seems subordinate management is necessary.”
How careless. Doha added, keeping his gaze fixed on Hibralfaro.
Hibralfaro realized the subtle mockery that he was the careless subordinate and flushed with humiliation.
“I entered the temple before you were even born…!”
“Since when did the temple prioritize years of service? You should have honed your divine power instead of merely growing old.”
Doha curled the corner of his mouth and laughed as if he had heard something ridiculous.
When he gestured to Joshua, Joshua, who had been watching for an opening, hurried over and whispered into his ear. At that, a strange light instantly entered Doha’s eyes, which had been sunk in boredom.
“A telegram came from Candel. They say the healing mage is unwell and are looking for Lord Mikhail.”
At the news that Lariette was ill, Doha furrowed his brow and raised one eyebrow. Then he rose in one motion and began leaving his seat.
“High Priest Mikhail! Where are you going in the middle of a meeting!”
Hibralfaro jumped to his feet and shouted at Doha’s back. Doha did not even turn around, merely answering leisurely.
“Something urgent has come up, so I’ll excuse myself.”
As if he had no concern for the aftermath, he strode out through the door. Joshua let out deep sighs and followed after him.
The priests left in the grand conference room looked at the open door and exchanged harsh gazes. Only then, when Doha was gone and they could not say a word in his presence, did they open their mouths.
“How long are we going to leave that bastard alone?”
“A man of such low birth dares, just because he trusts in his divine power…!”
“Why does His Holiness keep someone like that close?”
To those who had long believed Hibralfaro would become Pope and followed him, Mikhail Dohabellion was a protruding stone.
In their eyes, he lacked far too much decorum, and he was far too young. No matter how outstanding his divine power was, their pride would not allow them to follow such a young man.
“High Priest Hibralfaro, do you intend to leave him as he is?”
An elderly high priest asked Hibralfaro, fuming. Hibralfaro, who sat in his seat with his fists trembling, slowly opened his mouth and answered.
“It seems measures are necessary.”
A sinister air lingered around the old man’s cold face.
***
Doha hastily stripped off his adornments, changed into the clothes of a low-ranking priest, and quickly headed for the Candel ducal residence.
It was not because he was worried. According to what he had been told, she did not seem to be badly hurt.
He was simply impatient to leave the loathsome temple and meet Lariette as soon as possible. It felt as though the endless boredom would vanish at once if he saw her.
When Doha arrived at the Candel ducal residence, this time he was guided to the rear garden. It seemed they had misunderstood his dislike of the drawing room as being due to stuffiness.
Since he would be monitored in the rear garden all the same, Doha clicked his tongue softly as he followed the servant.
As he entered the well-kept rear garden, hair as pink as cherry blossoms in full bloom instantly came into his view.
Sensing someone’s presence, Lariette slowly turned around, and soon, upon finding him, smiled brightly.
“Doha!”
And the moment he heard that radiant voice, the boredom that had tormented Doha since morning melted away like snow.
Doha curved the corners of his eyes gently and answered with a satisfied face.
“Hello, my lady.”
He slowly moved his steps and sat down in front of Lariette. Then, upon noticing her subtly swollen face, he smiled brightly.
“So, whose doing is this?”
Unlike his smiling mouth, his golden eyes glared with savage ferocity.
Who dared touch his prey?
Whoever it was, they would soon disappear without a trace. No one who made an enemy of Mikhail Dohabellion had ever survived.
‘Why is he making a fuss now too!’
Meanwhile, Lariette could only smile awkwardly again, wondering why the men around her were all so eager to tear someone apart over her.
When he heard Lariette was ill, Doha had expected something like a mild cold. He had not even imagined she might have suffered physical violence.
That was only natural, for Lariette was the lover of that Duke Candel. She was someone no one would dare touch carelessly.
‘Could it be…’
Doha narrowed his eyes and examined Lariette’s condition. Then he voiced the small suspicion that had risen in his heart.
“Was this Duke Candel’s doing?”
“Of course not!”
And it was only natural that Lariette was utterly horrified by that.
She denied it in a raised voice, and Doha nodded slightly before continuing.
“True. If he had hit someone, they wouldn’t still be alive.”
There was no way he would have gotten away with inflicting only a wound like this. Doha muttered as if agreeing with his own words, then added more.
Lariette could not hide her bewilderment and gaped at him. As if he would ever hit her in the first place!
That was what she thought, but Doha believed there was no telling when that mad duke might do something.
“Then who could have committed such a brave act?”
Doha smiled slyly and carefully brought his hand to her face. Unlike the low-ranking healer from yesterday, his movements were so gentle that it did not hurt at all.
Soon, white light spread out and began to seep into Lariette’s skin. Once the ticklish sensation passed, her swollen face was quickly healed to perfection.
“Well, my lady? Who was it?”
Doha was genuinely curious.
Who had dared, without knowing fear, to lay a hand on Duke Candel’s lover?
Who in the world was that tremendous bastard who had earned the attention of both the future pope and Duke Candel at the same time?
Lariette gave another awkward smile at his pressing question and remained silent for a moment. She had no intention of telling either Asrahan or Doha.
Understanding the meaning of that silence, Doha smiled crookedly and drew back from her.
This was more interesting than her running over to tattle anyway. He just had to find out himself.
‘I don’t know if my turn will come, though.’
Doha knew Duke Candel’s temperament well.
Although the other day had been the first time he had met him, lunatics were, by nature, good at recognizing other lunatics.
He seemed to be a subtly different type from Doha, but when it came to cruelty, they were very much alike.
That being the case, there was no way he would leave alone someone who had laid a hand on one of his own.
“My lady, don’t go around getting hurt.”
“Okay. Thank you, Doha.”
Lariette smiled brightly and thanked him for accepting her silence. Doha looked at her with a subtle gaze.
Lariette’s ability was very special to Doha. Aside from the pope, she was the only person who could heal him.
Normally, the pope, who possessed the greatest divine power in the empire, had no one capable of healing him, so if he was injured, he had to wait for his wounds to recover naturally. But with her, the story changed.
Not only because of her ability, but because she had also become the person who interested him most lately. It would be very troublesome if she were injured or died.
For that reason, Doha took out what he had prepared for her—or more precisely, for himself—from his coat.
“It’s a gift, Rie.”
“Hm? All of a sudden?”
“Open it.”
At the sudden present, Lariette’s eyes widened. She carefully undid the beautifully decorated wrapping.
What appeared between the layers of wrapping paper was a thin bracelet set with tiny jewels. The craftsmanship was delicate and the gems varied, making it look expensive at a glance.
“It’s a bracelet imbued with divine magic. The healing effect is faint, but it’s there, so wear it.”
“A magic item? It must be incredibly expensive!”
“Let’s call it a friendship gift.”
Doha answered glibly, as if it were nothing. At that, Lariette thought his family must surely possess tremendous wealth.
The jewels were one thing, but once magic was placed on an item, its price multiplied several times over. And if it was divine magic with a healing effect, that went without saying.
“Thank you, Doha! I didn’t prepare anything…… I feel so bad. What should I do?”
“There’s no need to feel bad, Rie. Let’s just have dessert together sometime. It’s enough for me that you invest your time in me, my lady.”
Doha answered with a seductive curve to his eyes. Taking it as a joke once again, Lariette burst into laughter, saying he was good at making smooth remarks too.
In truth, however, Lariette had nothing to feel sorry about. Because he had lied about the bracelet’s abilities.
The bracelet did have a faint divine magic cast on it, but that was merely a secondary effect.
The true magic he had ordered a high-ranking mage to place on it was summoning magic.
It would check Lariette’s physical condition at regular intervals, and if her life was threatened, it would immediately summon Doha.
It was something Doha had planned so that he would not lose such talent in vain.
‘Forgive me for this much of a lie, my lady.’
He smiled like a fox and muttered inwardly.
Unaware of his true thoughts, Lariette was busy smiling innocently as she admired the bracelet sparkling beautifully beneath the sunlight.