Chapter 152

Igrid invited Duke Ruthius to dinner.

At the appointed time, having bathed and dressed, he made his way to the dining room in the main residence.

Duke Ruthius, who had already arrived, rose from his seat.

“You’ve arrived, Your Highness.”

“Duke, why are you standing when your leg is injured? Sit, you can remain seated.”

Duke Ruthius quietly observed Igrid.

‘He seems stable now.’

He looked much better than he had in the afternoon.

It seemed he had regained his peace of mind after leaving the imperial palace.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you for dining with me. I was frightened being all alone…”

“The guesthouse is the farthest from the main residence, so it must be inconvenient. I will have you moved to a closer one tomorrow.”

“No, no! I love how quiet it is! I just had a wonderful nap. It’s been a long time since I slept so soundly.”

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear it.”

“I owe you a great debt, Duke.”

Igrid gave a servile smile, then gave a subtle glance. The chamberlain, who had been standing like a shadow at the dining room entrance, quietly slipped away.

As was typical in noble households, the servants did not move during their master’s mealtime. It was basic etiquette to avoid disturbing a noble’s dinner.

That was why he had pestered Duke Ruthius to dine with him. For the chamberlain to hide ‘that thing’ in the main residence, there was no better time than the evening.

As Igrid unfolded his napkin, Frank respectfully presented him with a wooden box.

“Your Highness, this is a gift from the Duke.”

“A gift? What is this, Duke?”

Duke Ruthius spoke nonchalantly as he lifted his water glass.

“I had it prepared, thinking you might need it. It’s a shield bracelet, I’m told.”

“A shield?”

He hurriedly opened the wooden box, revealing a magnificent bracelet resting on red velvet.

Its gold body was engraved with magical formulae, and it was densely studded with diamonds.

Even without the shield function, it was clearly worth a fortune. Igrid’s mouth fell open.

“Wow…”

“Please, try it on.”

“Sh-should I?”

As soon as he excitedly put on the bracelet, Frank swung a knife at him without warning. Igrid yelped and covered his head.

“Agh!”

*Thump!*

A translucent barrier formed in an instant, deflecting Frank’s attack.

Frank, who had staggered back, quickly bowed.

“I committed a discourtesy to demonstrate the shield’s performance. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Igrid’s eyes widened.

“It’s a real shield! Duke, how could you give me such a gift… I’m so moved! This is exactly what I needed!”

“It will not come off until the shield’s function is depleted. If it’s uncomfortable, I will call a mage tomorrow to remove it.”

“What are you talking about? It protects me from danger, so of course it shouldn’t come off! This is perfect!”

Duke Ruthius’s subdued green eyes rested on the bracelet for a moment before looking away.

“Let us eat.”

Igrid raised his wine glass high.

“Duke, shall we make a toast?”

“What shall we toast to?”

“To your and my brilliant future, cheers!”

“…Cheers.”

Duke Ruthius calmly swallowed his wine. His downcast green eyes were as cold as a winter forest.

Everything was going smoothly.

Until that dawn, when the House of Duke Ruthius was engulfed in a massive explosion.

* * *

*BOOM!*

In the dead of night, while everyone was asleep, a tremendous explosion rocked the main residence of the Ruthius family.

Servants, roused from their sleep, rushed out looking disheveled.

After the explosion faded, the main lobby was ominously silent. *Creek, creek.* Only the massive chandelier swayed quietly.

“Wh-what happened?”

“Was it an earthquake?”

“Could a gate have opened…?”

With Alex and Astell absent, there would be no one to protect them if a gate opened.

Even if the guild dispatched people, casualties would be unavoidable. Fear quickly gripped the servants.

“Now, now, that’s unlikely. Everyone, calm down.”

The butler, Frank, who was assessing the situation, calmed the anxious servants.

“The Princess installed a barrier around the main residence. Even if a gate opened, monsters wouldn’t be able to invade.”

At Frank’s words, the servants breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hah, that’s our Princess for you. She’s so thorough.”

“What a relief. A true relief.”

“But then, where did that explosion come from?”

Frank tightened his nightgown and peered out the window.

A black night. There was no characteristic glow that occurred when a gate opened, nor were there any screams.

“I don’t know… For now, everyone return to your rooms. I must go check on the Duke.”

Frank gestured to the servants and had just climbed a few steps when…

*BOOM!*

Another massive explosion roared. Debris rained down from the ceiling, and the chandelier swung violently.

*Creek, creek, creek!*

“Aaaah!”

“It’s dangerous!”

The horrified servants scattered around the lobby. At the same moment, the precariously swaying chandelier plummeted.

*Thud! Crash!*

“Ugh!”

“Get back!”

The massive chandelier, nearly five meters long, crashed into the center of the lobby.

It was a good thing they had sensed the danger and moved; if they had stayed put, several people would have been killed.

Frank, staring at the chandelier with a grim face, looked up.

The center of the ceiling was hideously gouged out. It was where the chandelier had been firmly secured by chains.

The source of the second explosion was clear.

Inside the main residence.

The servants’ faces grew pale. A servant who quickly ran outside and looked up at the residence shouted.

“Fire! There’s a fire on the third floor!”

“Gasp! That’s where the Duke’s bedroom is!”

Frank immediately sprinted up the stairs.

The second floor was hazy with smoke drifting down from above.

“*Cough! Cough!*”

Lumps of fire licking at the ceiling dripped down, burning the carpet. The terrifying heat made Frank’s face flush red.

“Duke!”

The stairs leading to the third floor were already half-swallowed by flames, even though it hadn’t been long since they realized there was a fire.

This was no ordinary fire. A normal blaze would not have spread so quickly.

Frank ripped down a still-intact curtain and haphazardly poured water on it from a vase.

He threw the dripping curtain over himself and ran up the stairs. The third floor was even worse.

The library must have caught fire; the heat was incomparable to the second floor, making it hard to breathe.

“Duke!”

Frank ran to Duke Ruthius’s bedroom and grabbed the doorknob.

*Sizzle!*

“Aargh!”

The searing-hot doorknob burned his palm red. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Frank threw his body against the bedroom door.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Even though he slammed into it hard enough to break his shoulder, the door didn’t budge. It was like running into a wall. The heat shriveled Frank’s hair.

A servant grabbed him as he tried to break down the door, oblivious to the spreading flames.

“Mr. Frank! You have to get out of here! The whole residence is about to collapse!”

“*Gasp, gasp!* What are you saying? The Duke is still, still in his bedroom!”

“The Duke must have gone out onto the terrace! Ah, there’s no time to dawdle! We’ll all burn to death at this rate!”

Right? Since there was no response even after all that pounding, it seemed no one was in the bedroom. Duke Ruthius must have already evacuated.

Led by the servant’s hand, Frank barely managed to escape the residence.

The fire that had consumed the main residence began to die down around dawn, and by morning, only embers remained as it went out completely.

Duke Ruthius had still not appeared.

* * *

That same morning, in Akron.

I was about to head out for breakfast when I stopped at my door.

I could sense a quiet presence just outside my bedroom door. When I opened it, I saw a shock of brilliant blond hair.

I looked at Johan’s softly waving hair before lowering my gaze. His clear blue eyes curved into a gentle smile.

“Astell, did you sleep well?”

“…How long have you been here?”

“Not long.”

“Standing in front of a lady’s bedroom first thing in the morning. That’s not very paladin-like.”

“Please think of it as an effort to protect the one I love.”

“…You could have at least knocked.”

“I didn’t want to disturb your sleep. I really haven’t been waiting long. I just woke up a little while ago myself.”

Contrary to his words, he didn’t look like he had just woken up. His hair wasn’t even damp.

‘It seems like it’s been at least two or three hours…’

Was he standing guard in case Dante tried to sneak in again?

My cheeks felt warm for some reason. I covered my face, saying something unnecessary.

“I ate dessert before bed yesterday, so my face is all puffy…”

Johan reached out and gently covered the back of my hand.

“You’re at your most beautiful right now, Astell.”

“…”

“And when I see you later, you’ll be at your most beautiful then.”

“…”

“That’s how you always are to me.”

Johan whispered words of love, looking at me with an expression of helpless adoration.

It was a truly touching moment. Not long ago, a situation like this would have made my heart pound.

But now…

‘Hmm, this is different from how it was with Shinwoo.’

For some reason, I felt a little indifferent.