“I knew this would happen someday.”

Yulif saw Deltinus rising from his throne. The wall behind the throne, where Deltinus was sitting, was decorated with two pairs of wings that reflected in his eyes. It was at that moment where his eyes, which had been cool and calm, began to burn with a form of livid light.

As if it had just been torn off and hung on the wall, drops of blood dripped from the tip of the wings, creating a stain on the wall.

Yulif looked around. None of the Hwira people caught by the guards had the face he was looking for.

It wouldn’t be. It shouldn’t be. Never, those wings on the wall should not belong to her.

“How dare you stand on your own two feet in the audience on the subject of being a traitor? What an arrogant traitor!”

It was a sin that he had been forced to cover up. Deltinus knew better than anyone that Yulif was a person incapable of causing treason. But Yulif was not upset. As Deltinus said, he knew it was going to be like this one day, and it was supposed to be like this.

Instead of protesting that it was unfair, Yulif asked quietly.

“Where is Canaren?”

“Yulif, my younger brother. Pointing a sword at the Emperor is not the only sign of rebellion. It is also treason to dare to covet the Emperor’s woman.”

“Did you kill her?”

“No way. She is a girl who dared to choose you even after being favored by me. I left her in a better state than death. To show you.”

Deltinus raised his finger. Soldiers dragged out a cart with a cage on it.

The woman Yulif desperately was looking for was lying down in a cage as if she was dead. Her whole body was covered with blood due to the wounds from her back.

Yulif’s face was painfully distorted. Mana gathered around him and soon scattered uselessly.

It was easy to save the Hwira people taken hostage and kill Deltinus and all of the royal guards.

Unless someone intentionally blocked the flow of mana.

The obstruction, which began as soon as he entered the Imperial Palace, was now suppressing Yulif’s body beyond mana. The mana was a special kind of magic triggered along with an oath. A magic that Yulif could never shake off as long as the oath flowed in his blood.

Eventually, Yulif was forced to kneel down on one knee.

“It seems like your mana is out of your control. The Wizard of the Continent has all the magicians with him, so it should do this much.”

Deltinus, who smiled in satisfaction, opened the door of the cage. Unable to move, Yulif watched as he grabbed Canaren’s hair and forced her to raise herself up.

“Argh!”

“You must have thought Yulif was your savior. But you were wrong. It’s Yulif’s fault that you’ve become like this.”

“…The villagers… Please, release them….”

“Don’t worry. As Emperor, I will save them.”

Deltinus put a small glass medicine vial and dagger in Canaren’s hand. He whispered into her ear.

“Feed Yulif this yourself or put a sword in his heart. Then I will save the villagers. One life to save dozens of lives. It’s the last mercy of this Emperor. Now. Go.”

Canaren approached Yulif with precarious steps that seemed as if she would collapse at any moment. She held the medicine vial and dagger tightly.

The feeling of helplessness Yulif had never tasted in his life was painful. His heart was fluttering like a sharp knife. The cost of realizing his heart so late must have been this high.

A vein burst from Yulif’s eyes. In the meantime, Canaren took a difficult step and finally appeared in front of him.

“Yulif….”

Tears flowed down Canaren’s eyes, over her cheeks, and dripped off her face. She seemed to have so much to say. The same was true for Yulif. There were so many things he wanted to say to her and yet he couldn’t say.

‘I love you. I’m sorry I realized it too late. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.’

Nevertheless, he was happy with the time he spent with her. He was sorry that he was the only one who was happy.

But he knew what he had to say.

“It’s okay. Hurry up and feed me the poison.”

“…I’m so sorry.”

Something warm and soft touched his lips. It was Canaren’s lips.

When her eyes met his, Canaren smiled broadly as if flowers were blooming. It was Yulif’s favorite smile, first seen one day under the bright sunlight and clear sky.

「Please, the villagers. You could do it, Yulif.」

“I love you.”

Canaren whispered in the Hwira language that only Yulif could understand and then drank the poison herself.

The bottle and dagger fell from her hands as red blood flowed out of her mouth, Deltinus, with his face burning red, roared in anger as the soldiers pulled out their swords.

All the shouts and moving chaos around him seemed to move very slowly to Yulif.

Yulif held Canaren as she fell helplessly into his arms. He thought she would break even with a little force. Only after feeling the weak warmth in his hands and chest did he realize how much he wanted her. How cowardly he was.

Love, it was his first time. So he didn’t even know it was love.

When he realized it belatedly, everything was already too late. She was trapped in the cage of a mad emperor, dying day by day.

He was afraid that he would never see her again.

He didn’t want to admit his inability to do anything against the emperor because he was bound by an oath.

So he deceived himself and tried hard to dismiss her as a light interest, saying he was satisfied just by looking at her from afar.

His love was so big and desperate, but he didn’t have the courage to support it.

“No, Canaren. Please.”

Yulif did not just turn a blind eye to his own mind. He betrayed Canaren’s heart for loving him at the risk of her life.

He didn’t expect this. He didn’t want her to die. At least, he wanted her to be happy.

Was he the one who did the wrong thing? He had to be the one who had to bear a terrible price. But why did she have to die?

“…..Yul…..”

Canaren’s last breath was cut off. At that moment, even something broke inside Yulif. It was all his reason, a faded oath that tied him up for a long time, and his cowardice that killed Canaren.

“Argh!”

The arms and legs of the soldiers who were trying to insert a knife into the Hwira people flew away. There were agonizing screams here and there.

“How can he use magic?!?!”

Deltinus looked at the wilting Canaren in Yulif’s arms and stepped back to avoid the approaching Yulif. His foot tripped over the stairs and he fell down violently.

With his hands on the floor, his legs that were crawling like beasts’ were grabbed by Yulif’s magic and he was lifted up into the air.

“Hahaha, yes. Even if you can use magic, you can’t kill me. Because there’s an oath in your freaking blood! You haven’t forgotten your promise to Mother, have you?”

Deltinus, hanging in the air, exploded in madness. Below, the guards were falling one by one under Yulif’s magic.

It didn’t matter how many of those bastards died. Those were consumables that could be used and thrown away. After all, only Deltinus needed to be alive as Yulif is his twin brother…!

“It’s too late.”

He should have killed Deltinus earlier. Ignoring old promises. Even if he could not ignore it, he should have risked his life to do so.

If he did, then Canaren would not have died.

A blue flame engulfed Deltinus. Deltinus screamed in agony as his body twitched in horrifying pain.

Yulif sent the trembling Hwira people out of the middle of their hell with magic.

Was regret so painful? It was so terrifying and horrendous.

Yulif hugged the cold Canaren and cried out. It was the sound of an animal, not a human. Tears of blood flowed from his bloodied eyes.

After a while, the howling stopped, and a huge magic circle was drawn in the audience hall surrounded by corpses.

“Your death is wrong. I will correct it. With certainty.”

‘At any cost, only for you.’

The magic circle absorbed many souls and emitted an ominous light. Finally, the light from the magic circle created a huge door. Yulif held Canaren and melted into the dazzling light through the door.

He was the first and last human to cross the gates of time by his own will in life.

*******

“Agh….”

His head hurt like it was going to break. He woke up feeling an excruciating pain. Yulif looked around and quickly grasped the situation.

It was the barracks where he was sitting. A blizzard blew in outside the small hole in the window. It was left on the desk, but at the top of the report, was written.

‘Come to the North.’

After making the decision, Yulif immediately left the barracks.

“Your Excellency, have you finished the report already? If you are resting, I can go pick it up…”

“Withdraw.”

“What?”

“Withdraw to our territory. I will not say it three times.”

“What? Yes, Your Excellency. I thought…!”

The lieutenant stood still and blinked for a moment. His superior who spoke incomprehensible words had already disappeared.

The lieutenant stood blankly with his mouth open until even the footprints left by Yulif were erased from the snow. His face turned white as he shouted.

“Withdraw troops, prepare for withdrawal!”

*******

As soon as he saw the ornately decorated walls of the Imperial Palace, his anger surged. He wanted to smash it right now and take Canaren with him.

Yulif suppressed the rising vulgarities from his throat. Instead of throwing a spell, he clenched his fist and hit the wall. The wall cracked with a loud bang.

Just then, he saw a servant go down the stairs.

“Where is His Majesty?”

“Greetings, Your Excellency! His Majesty is now in the banquet hall. I heard that the banquet had just begun.”

It was not difficult to find a banquet related to the Northern Subjugation celebration among the randomly entangled memories.

It was a banquet he hadn’t been able to attend in his previous life, no, he wasn’t even invited. Canaren must have been harshly treated by Deltinus at this banquet.

‘But this time, it will be different. Not only today’s banquet, but everything will be different. It has to be different!’

Yulif went to his room, which was used as a bedroom and office, and changed his clothes. She would be surprised if he showed up in leather armor with wolf fur around him. He carefully chose formal wear that was not too flashy, but elegant.

His fingers trembled as he fastened the gold buttons. It was because of the sight of Canaren spitting up blood over and over again turned in front of his eyes.

I love you.

Her voice was so clear and unshakable that it was hard to believe that she was prepared for her death. As if she had practiced countless times during that period, it was a very clear pronunciation.

Yulif took a deep breath. It was as if his chest was choked by a stone, and he couldn’t breathe properly. He had to calm his shaking heart and cool himself by covering it with thick ice.

So that emotions that should not be shown to Deltinus and Canaren would not leak out.

The shaking of his fingers finally ceased. Yulif did a final check of his appearance and headed to the banquet hall.

“Duke Rubius?”

The guard guarding the banquet hall was very surprised to see him. His pale expression was as if he had seen a ghost. It was a natural reaction because there was only one person in the North who was supposed to be dealing with barbarians.

Yulif grabbed the doorknob.

“Your Excellency, please show us your invitation. You can’t go in without an invitation!”

In Yulif’s ear, there were no shouts from the guards. His whole senses were focused on Canaren on the other side of the door.

Beyond this, there would be Canaren. A living woman, with warm blood flowing, still breathing, and a gentle smile.

That was enough.

Yulif opened the door with a blood-stained hand. The luxurious chandelier lights colored the view in white.

The bright lights of the royal palace banquet hall were turned on after a long time. Nobles would gather in the banquet hall early to talk.

“I heard that His Majesty is in a good mood these days, but I didn’t know he would be hosting a banquet himself.”

“Why would he not like it? I got rid of the thorn from his eyes.”

“Can you really say that it was cleared?”

Someone pinched the truth in a cynical way. The nobles exchanged meaningful glances. Some sighed or drank champagne with a rather dark look.

The ‘thorn in the eyes’ he was referring to was the emperor’s twin brother, Duke Rubius.

It was not surprising that Deltinus took the opportunity whenever he had a chance to kill his brother. The tenacity of Deltinus was so great that the anecdote that he assigned Duke Rubius to the barbarian garrison without allowing a single soldier to accompany him was very famous.

Yet, Yulif came back alive every time. It was an advantage that he had built up great achievements in the process as well.

Duke Rubius was soon treated like an invincible guardian among the people of the Empire. Rather, when it became a laughable thing that Deltinus strangled himself, he ran like crazy.

“Heh heh, more than that, it is said that ‘that’ comes out at today’s banquet. Did you all hear it?”

“Oh, finally!”

“I heard that there is a Hwira village in the Duke’s estate. Heh heh, if the Duke dies…”

“Everyone, be quiet. His Majesty is approaching.”

The hall became quiet at the voice of the chamberlain announcing the emperor’s appearance. After a while, Deltinus, dressed in a fancy banquet attire, entered the hall. The intense red cloak attracted attention. Deltinus dragged the red cloak and in a leisurely pace, passed among the people. He looked like a blood-soaked red snake.

As if he was in a good mood, the corners of his mouth soared to the fullest. Still, the nobles bowed their heads and avoided meeting his gaze in case there was a spark. So no one saw the whip wrapped around the waist.

“I’m pleased that everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.”

“Thank you for inviting me to your precious palace, Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty and the future of the Empire will be filled with endless glory.”

“You don’t have to be too rigid. You can enjoy it comfortably.”

Deltinus, who smiled slowly, stood in the center of the venue. There was still something left to say. The many eyes looking at him were mixed with anticipation and anxiety.

“Something seemed missing, but now I see there’s no music. It’s a problem if there’s no music at the party. Bring her.”

Finally, ‘It’ is coming out. The protagonist of the rumor that spread widely in the Imperial Palace.

Deltinus flicked his fingers lightly. The guard, dressed in his armor, pulled out a cart with a large object covered in black cloth.

The arch-shaped thing stood tall in front of Deltinus. The nobles glanced at Deltinus’ eyes and at the cloth-covered object.

“Let me introduce what the Emperor caught in his hunt.”

Deltinus grabbed the cloth and pulled it down. The fabric came off and fell to the floor. The eyes of those who saw what finally appeared open-wide with astonishment and surprise.

A woman was trapped in a huge cage. Her curly, lemon-colored hair was dyed white towards the end, as if snow had fallen, suggesting that she was not an ordinary person at first glance. In addition, two pairs of large wings sprouting from her back and pointed ears with feathers at the tip added to the mystery.

As Deltinus touched it, the cage door opened silently. When she saw the Deltinus crawling into her cage, she hurriedly backed away from him. However, no matter how big it was, she was still inside a cage with bars on all sides. Soon, her face turned white as her back slammed against the grate.

Deltinus sat down with her hair terrifyingly wrapped in his fingers, and kissed her. Then he grabbed her slender arm violently and forced her to stand up.

“Ohh, ah….!”

“I haven’t done anything yet. Why are you so frightened?”

Deltinus’ arms wrapped around her thin waist. A sticky voice licked her ears.

“Every time you act like this, I get so excited I can’t stand it.”

The voice of desire was terrifying. She struggled to get away from Deltinus, but the shackles tied to her ankles were very heavy.

Deltinus, who looked at the clinking shackles with nonchalant eyes, turned her around toward the people.

“My beautiful golden bird, Canaren.”

Small exclamations that couldn’t be identified as lamentation or admiration leaked out everywhere. Then, the small murmurs of the nobles drifted like echoes.

“It is indeed the Hwira tribe. Much more beautiful than rumors.”

“It’s not easy to find the Hwira people these days.”

“His Majesty said he stays at the Star Palace every day… Will he have a concubine this time?”

“I heard their singing skills are very good.”

“His Majesty can’t sleep without her song.”

“The Empress’ seat may be in danger.”

Deltinus was in high spirits. He couldn’t help but be happy that the loot he had hunted with his own hands received good reviews. But the moment the empress’s name rose and fell in their mouths, his mood plummeted in an instant.

The air flowing around Deltinus grew wild. It was the feeling right before harsh beating began. The sensitive Canaren who noticed that shivered from head to toe. The fear engraved into her bones from past experiences came flooding back.

“Sing.”

The nobles gathered at the banquet hall looked forward to the beautiful singing of one from the Hwira tribe that the emperor had captured.

“Oh, ah…… Oh, uh….”

But what escaped from Canaren’s lips was not a song like a bird’s chirping, but a short moan that didn’t even form a word.

Deltinus’ forehead slowly twisted. He clasped Canaren’s chin furiously and whispered lowly in her ear.

“Everyone is watching. Are you going to make the Emperor look funny?”

“Ho, uh, oh….. Oh, uh…!”

Tears flowed from Canaren’s eyes. No words came out. There was only a strange moan as if a stone had been lodged in her throat.

She had become a mute who couldn’t say anything except for when she was singing.

After being caught and trapped in the Imperial Palace, she did everything she could. She tried begging by clinging onto the legs of Deltinus, and knelt on the floor. Whenever that happened, what always returned was a maddening sneer and a whip digging into her skin.

Canaren behaved as he wanted. As if looking for his mother, he looked for her every night, and she would sing a lullaby while he hugged her thigh. Unfortunately or fortunately, the emperor would fall asleep quickly. Whenever she felt that lukewarm weight laid across her thighs, she got goosebumps and felt like she was going to die, but that was the only way she could survive with the mad emperor.

She wanted to give up. Her heart was broken to the point where she could not even speak.

But the emperor was not satisfied.

“Are you ignoring my orders? You have a lot of gall to play with Yulif.”

Canaren shook her head violently.

All she did was meet Yulif by chance at the lake and they exchanged a few words with each other.

Deltinus tormented her tenaciously under the pretext of her only meeting with him. It was as if he poured all his hatred towards Yulif on her. Even her maids were fed up with the treatment of not giving her a sip of water.

Deltinus looked down at her coldly. This was a place to clearly imprint who her owner was. To the nobles and to Canaren.

Canaren was pushed by a violent force and she fell onto the floor. She watched as Deltinus drew a whip from his waist.

He swung his arm once, and the whip slammed onto the floor with a ripping sound. A faint madness flashed in Deltinus’s eyes, which contained Canaren.

“A bird that cannot sing must cry.”

Deltinus swung his whip without hesitation. Canaren tightly closed her eyes and covered her ears with her hands.

She hated it. Singing for this man, being thrown away into a terrible cage like trash, or being trapped in a dark room and calling someone for help.

As the mad emperor said, how great would it be if Yulif rescued her.

The vain and foolish expectations burst as quickly as a bubble. There was no way the duke who had nothing to do with her would come forward. Above all, it was said that the duke went to the North to subdue the barbarians.

“Forgive me for being late.”

At that moment, another voice came from right in front of her. Canaren slowly raised her head. Someone was standing in front with his back facing her.

The whip that flew towards her was wrapped around his arm. The man blocked the whip.

“Oh….”

Looking at his wide back, Canaren gasped without realizing it. Somehow, as soon as she saw his back, her heart was relieved.

Did he hear her voice? The man looked back slowly. At the moment, the cold and neat face of the man was distorted as if he was enduring suffering. But it was very fleeting. So much that no one saw the brief expression.

“…Yulif?”

The man’s face was the same as that of the emperor, Deltinus.

Although the faces of the two facing each other were identical, the feeling was different.

Unlike Deltinus, who looked colorful and decadent with long hair that reached his waist, Yulif was neat and tidy. It seemed more flawless in conjunction with his expressionless face.

Deltinus didn’t even like that. Although he followed his own orders not to grow his hair.

“Why is the Duke here, aren’t you supposed to be in the North? You never contacted me.”

Deltinus was blatantly displeased. The intention was to restrict Yulif’s words and actions by firmly imprinting his status as an uninvited guest.

“I belatedly discovered that Your Majesty had visited the estate. I came here to apologize for the rudeness of not being able to attend to Your Majesty there.”

It was funny. It had been two months since Deltinus had captured Canaren from Yulif’s estate. Yet it was only now that he came to announce the story.

Deltinus snorted.

“Isn’t it too late to apologize? Well, I’m happy to hear that the Duke thinks so much about the Emperor. Shall we listen to the singing of the Hwira tribe in return? Can you move out of the way, Duke?”

Deltinus took a step towards Canaren with a smile. Feeling Deltinus’ gaze that was like a cold blade, Canaren flinched. The original fear that had been forgotten at the sudden appearance of Yulif was soon revived.

At the same time, Yulif moved slightly to block access to Canaren with his body. His broad shoulders were more than enough to hide all of Canaren’s slender physique.

The corners of Deltinus’ lips twitched finely.

“To dare block the way of the Emperor on the subject of a Duke. Are you crazy?”

“I heard that you hunted the Hwira tribe in the Rubius territory.”

The village where the Hwira people lived was in Yulif’s estate. Yulif even enacted a territorial law to ban hunting, but he could not stop Emperor Deltinus.

Deltinus smiled at Yulif. His lips drew a relaxed curve, but his eyes were cold as he glared at Canaren

“Yes. Thanks to you, I found a bird I liked.”

“At least in my territory, hunting the Hwira is against the law.”

“Do you think territorial law is above the Emperor? Duke Rubius, you dare not know the subject.”

“Your Majesty should be the one to set an example for the people of the Empire. Do you have to break a trivial territorial law just because of one woman?”

A spark of tension flashed between Yulif and Deltinus.

A chilly air blew through the banquet hall. The nobles bowed their heads in fear of disobeying the angry Deltinus, but this unexpected situation was very interesting.

Yulif never went against Deltinus. No matter how unreasonable the order was, he carried it out without a word. Despite the humiliating order to have the royal family’s last name ‘Elemian’ taken away from him, and to use the last name ‘Rubius’, Yulif never showed any displeasure – even when he had to deal with barbarians single handedly.

For him to openly confront Deltinus meant there was a reason.

“Shut up. If you don’t get out of the way, you will be beheaded for disobedience.”

Despite the threats from Deltinus, Yulif stood firm without wavering. Canaren hid completely behind his back such that one could not even see her hair.

In Deltinus’ eyes, Yulif and Canaren seemed to be working together to make fun of him.

Deltinus’ patience, which was not much, soon reached its limit. Deltinus, whose eyes were turned over, threw away his whip and instead drew his sword from his waist. With an eerie sound, a silvery-white blade was aimed at Yulif’s neck.

“Ah…”

Canaren’s lips, which had been closed the whole time, opened. Her sweet voice flowed through her red lips. It was a beautiful song, not a terrified cry or a refusal to come near. A calm melody overlaid her clear voice like a bird chirping.

The song, which was composed of melodies, rhythms, and Canaren’s voice without lyrics, gradually drove away the strife and malice casted in the banquet hall.

Not only the nobles, but also Deltinus who held the sword looked at Canaren with eyes filled with amazement.

Canaren closed her eyes to avoid people’s gaze. The reason she opened her mouth was simple. She didn’t want to see Yulif, who was trying to save her, get hurt. Her singing was the only way to help Yulif.

Her song flowed naturally like water. The hearts of those who listened to her song became calm and calmer. Some recalled the lullaby their mother had sung a long time ago, while others recalled the voice of an ex-lover who comforted their terribly sad heart.

The melody gradually increased and her voice carried emotions. As her song reached its climax, Canaren unwittingly spread her wings without realizing it – it was a habit. From her wide-spread, pure white wings, little lights that twinkle like stars fell.

Yulif silently stared at the spread wings, it was as if they were hugging him from behind. He cautiously reached out. The tips of his fingers brushed against the edge of her feathers. It was soft and warm. Yulif’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment.

Then the song was over. The magical time that brought peace to everyone was over. He lifted his eyelids as Canaren caught her breath. Everyone around them stared with captivated eyes.

Only then did Canaren realize that she had accidentally spread her wings and quickly folded her wings back, blushing. She was somewhat embarrassed to show her entire wings to these wingless humans.

“Ha. It’s hard to listen to the song once.”

Deltinus made a short sound that could not be identified whether it was a sigh or a laugh. Annoyance was evident in his motion of sweeping his long hair.

Canaren felt a strange aura and grabbed the hem of Yulif’s coat. She was worried about what would happen to her if this man brushed her hand away, but luckily Yulif didn’t respond.

Canaren was much more comfortable with the cold-hearted Yulif who never gave her a single glance. At least Yulif did not feel unpleasant. There was hostility or desire there, she thought.

“My bird seems to be a little shy, so I’ll let it rest now. Come on.”

Canaren’s song disturbed the atmosphere he had best set. Deltinus went past Yulif and approached Canaren, grinding his teeth inwardly.

After the banquet, he would have to punish the stupid bird that didn’t seem to recognize its owner.

Yulif’s declaration of war flew by as he lifted the chains attached to the shackles at her ankles.

“I will take her.”

“…What did you say?”

“To His Majesty, she may just be entertainment, but to me, she is a permanent resident to be protected. We cannot ignore the permanent residents who are treated like slaves.”

“Don’t get me wrong. As the Duke of the Empire, I do not hand her over to anyone.”

“Ah!”

Deltinus violently pulled on the chain attached to Canaren. Although Yulif’s arm was still wrapped around Canaren’s waist, she suddenly lost her balance and was helplessly dragged towards Deltinus. At the same time however, the chains that bound Canaren were cut like a thread. Yulif, who had broken the chain with magic, gave a little strength to the arm that was holding Canaren to keep her close.

Deltinus’ expression hardened as he looked at the two of them close together.

“Canaren belongs to nobody.”

“I am the master of the Empire. Everything that belongs to the Empire belongs to me. Without a single exception!”

“Canaren will be the exception. I will make it happen.”

“Where are the guards!? Arrest Duke Rubius for not obeying the Emperor right now!”

Deltinus exclaimed in anger. The royal knights, who were guarding the outside of the banquet hall, rushed in and surrounded the three of them. But no one rushed forward. Yulif was a sorcerer who transcended human limits. He was not an opponent where one could fight recklessly just because their number of allies were several times larger.

“Ahhhhhh!”

At that time, a knight, unable to overcome the pressure, lost his mind and rushed towards Yulif.

“You fool.”

A strong gust of wind blew before the cool voice could even disappear. An orthodox knight was swept away by the wind and crashed into the wall of the banquet hall. Shattering stone. Everyone’s faces turned white at the sight of the armor being wrecked.

In the Imperial Palace, in front of the emperor, Yulif used magic. Everyone thought this was impossible.

“I didn’t kill him.”

“You are really crazy.”

“I think it is also the duty of the Duke of the Empire to resist the wrong orders. Please take back the orders you gave to the knights. I will not back down until I have done my duty.”

As if to prove his words, Yulif, who was raising his magic power, suddenly stopped moving. Canaren, who was in his arms, was trembling. Every tremor of his passed from his skin to hers.

He comfortingly stroked Canaren’s head. His hand felt big and warm. It was different from Deltinus’ hands, which were always cold and wet; even the touch of the emperor’s fingertips was unpleasant.

Canaren unconsciously raised her head to look at him.

She thought he was looking ahead, but Yulif was looking at her. Quietly and calmly.

From the gaze she faced, she felt an unknown warmth. However, with no relief from the warmth, Yulif avoided her eyes. He didn’t turn his eyes naturally, but he avoided hers clearly.

Maybe it was because her tear-stained face was dirty. Canaren gently rubbed her cheeks with the back of her hand.

“Don’t pretend to be noble suddenly.”

There was no elegance in Deltinus’s voice, it was as if he was chewing and spitting. Because the knights who were supposed to threaten Yulif were terrified when they saw their fellow knight being thrown against the wall.

Deltinus had no idea that Yulif would rebel so openly. He clicked his tongue inwardly.

“We are leaving now. I hope you have a great banquet.”

Yulif did not miss the opportunity. He carefully lifted Canaren into his arms.

Canaren only blinked her round eyes, shocked.

Yulif said nothing. He just firmly supported her knees and her back, making sure as he didn’t want to put her down.

It would be comfortable to wrap her arms around his neck, but she was reluctant to touch his body. She was afraid of Deltinus’ wrath. Therefore, she clasped her two hands neatly in front of her chest.

“In the end, you’re doing this because you want to own that child* too!”

(*Canaren is not a literal child, it’s just Deltinus’ way of expression.)

Deltinus’s shouts hit Yulif’s back as he left the banquet hall.

Really? Really, this person also… Would he lock her up in a room like Deltinus, saving her in order to beat her? Would he play the ‘father’ role and make her sing her lullaby every night?

“Oh, uh…”

“Don’t listen. Those are useless words.”

Yulif dismissed it with a firm voice. He had an attitude as though he knew what she was thinking even if she didn’t say it.

Canaren felt a little relieved, then she questioned again.

‘Then, why did he save me?’