A scream erupted from the doorway. The eyes of the guests turned to it in an instant. A magic that came from somewhere broke the string on the chandelier. The lights went out and the chandelier fell at a frightening speed. It was above the heads of Deltinus, Yulif, and Canaren.
The chandelier, which was falling rapidly, stopped just above the three people’s heads.
When Deltinus saw Yulif, who had the chandelier blocked with magic, he twisted one corner of his mouth, smiling. He came down from the podium and grabbed Canaren’s arm. Canaren, who had been hardened like a stone statue, was even more stunned when she saw Deltinus.
“Le-Let me go!”
“The first priority is to escape to a safe place. Follow me quietly.”
“I will not. I will stay with Yulif!”
Canaren shook off Deltinus’ hand. It was an unexpectedly powerful force. Deltinus questioned for a moment whether such power could come from her slender arms. He grabbed her arm with the grip that held his sword to prevent her from running away.
The question did not last long. Because Yulif had put the chandelier away and was looking at the two of them.
‘It’s almost time to escape.’
As soon as he thought of that, the ceiling collapsed with a roar like thunder. A thick cloud of dust rose and obscured his view.
—Your Majesty! Your Grace! Her Majesty the Empress! Protect His Highness Lucian!
Shouts erupted from all sides. In the meantime, moans and screams abounded. The wedding hall, which had a sacred and holy atmosphere, was transformed into a scene of tragedy in an instant.
Through a hole in the ceiling, intruders descended into the Great Hall. Dressed in black from head to toe and wearing a black mask, it was as if they had jumped out of the shadows. They looked like dozens, and each had a body that was trained to the limit.
The intruders drew their swords at the same time. Sometimes there were people holding a cane instead of a sword. Seeing that even a wizard was involved, it was clear that the attack was planned.
“Yulif! Yul…!”
“Shh. At times like this, you should be as quiet as a dead mouse. If you talk loudly, you will get hurt.”
Taking advantage of Yulif’s isolation due to the rubble of the ceiling, Deltinus held Canaren in his arms. He was confused by the gentle weight on his body and the sweet smell in his nose. How useless he was feeling and he had been so eager in his dreams every night. It felt real when he hugged her in real life.
The feeling of fullness was very brief. Canaren was not yet his own. Deltinus wanted to get his hands on this small, vulnerable bird. To do that, he had to ruin the wedding. She had to be taken to the Imperial Palace before becoming Duchess of Rubius in front of everyone. He planned to take her and put her in the queen’s seat. He was going to give Canaren back to his brother in the same way that Yulif tried to take Canaren from him.
Canaren’s shoulders trembled softly in her arms. Burying her face in his chest, he couldn’t see the expression on her face. She must be crying out of fear or because of her helplessness. Pitiful. Deltinus pulled the corner of his lips and laughed. Then, he bowed his head and bit the tip of Canaren’s ear.
“Ugh!”
“What did I say? You can never run away from me. Unless I let you go.”
“…Urk.”
“But I will never let you go. I’ll enjoy you to my heart’s content, and when I get tired of you, I will kill you. Giving up as soon as possible is the way to make yourself more comfortable.”
He would never hand her over to Yulif. If he couldn’t have her, Yulif couldn’t have her either.
Then there was a commotion at the entrance. The enlisted soldiers led by Yulif had attacked. The men and soldiers who wielded swords at random collided head-on.
Deltinus licked and kicked his tongue. Even though the movement magic circles scattered throughout the castle were removed and barriers were placed to prevent movement, the Duke’s troops arrived too early.
But he wasn’t too worried. The appearance of Yulif’s knights in the hall was only a matter of timing, but in a predictable category. Of course, countermeasures have been prepared accordingly. And it seemed that the spy they had planted in advance had carried out the operation properly, so Yulif’s people weren’t that many.
The wizards who discovered Deltinus and Canaren quickly approached to cast the space movement magic. In the eyes of others, it was a sight that made it seem as if the intruder was trying to harm Deltinus.
“Keuaaagh!”
Again, magic from somewhere pierced the wizard’s neck.
Deltinus quickly looked at how many wizards were left. There were three relatively intact wizards who could use magic. A calm voice pierced his ears as he shook his head.
“Thank you for taking care of my wife. Now I will protect her.”
Yulif, who had already cleaned the surroundings, was right in front of him. The expression “my wife” turned Deltinus’ stomach upside down once. Deltinus squeezed his lack of patience and calmly let Canaren go. Canaren ran without looking back and hid behind Yulif’s back. The white skirt of her dress she wore fluttered at Yulif’s feet.
“Your Majesty! Where are you!”
“The safety of Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince has been secured!”
“Come on, find His Majesty!”
The imperial guards, who were waiting outside the hall, entered and looked for Deltinus. This was also what Deltinus intended. He instructed the guards to find the crown prince first in case anything happened. It would be burdensome for Lucian to get caught up in a riot and get hurt.
He hadn’t given any orders to find and protect Estella, but she seemed to have somehow managed to find a way to live on her own. She was, in any case, a clever, irritating woman.
“You are very poisonous, Your Majesty.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You know better than anyone else that marriage of the imperial family is not possible without the emperor’s permission. Nevertheless, I did not object. Do you know how much support the nobles had to annul the marriage and find a suitable mate for you?”
It was false. Because Deltinus ran wild like a blood-crazed monster, the nobles could not even open their mouths to the emperor. Deltinus bragged about what he didn’t do. Some of the nobles, who were trembling in the corner, glanced as if they were interested in the story between the two.
“It was all for you. It was also for Canaren. I wasn’t being so cruel. I was hoping that the child would find happiness even now.”
“I don’t know if Your Majesty’s words are true or false, but why are you suddenly doing this?”
“But you took advantage of my sincerity. You want to harm me after bringing me into the territory using the wedding as an excuse!”
“The emperor is over there! Kill the mad emperor!”
“For Duke Rubius!”
Deltinus exclaimed loudly. Using that call as a signal, the few remaining intruders uttered strange words and rushed to Deltinus at once.
Deltinus smiled as he saw Yulif’s eyes that were rarely wide open. And he stepped back slowly. He wasn’t trying to escape the intruders. Deltinus was giving up his body so that they could attack more easily.
Yulif placed barriers all over Pionia and controlled everything about it. This was the reason why he had not taken any action while he regarded Yulif as a thorn in his eyes. If Yulif hid in Pionia, there was nothing for Deltinus to do.
But Yulif made a fatal mistake. The ‘wedding’ provided a justification for Deltinus to enter Pionia. He must have wanted to scratch Deltinus’ stomach by showing that he had Canaren as his wife. Deltinus looked at the wedding invitation and whistled.
Deltinus made this plan and was fully prepared. While Yulif subdued the assailants, it was his top goal to take Canaren to the Imperial Palace. However, the chances of things going as planned were very low.
The second plan was to ambush additional troops outside the duke’s castle and then attack them. This too was nothing more than buying time to take Canaren to the Imperial Palace.
In fact, weight was put on the final plan. Deltinus was to be deliberately attacked by the intruders and would fall down. The assailants commit suicide, shouting that it was to overthrow the tyrant and raise Duke Rubius to the throne. Even if there were some who were captured, they couldn’t put the name of Deltinus in their mouths because they had already been brainwashed by magic.
This would allow Deltinus to claim that Yulif tried to get rid of him as an excuse for his wedding. No one knew that Pionia’s Castle was a strong castle maintained by Yulif’s magic. In the end, the barrier that Yulif put on Pionia was instead strangling his neck.
‘Now, behold, you will soon lose everything to protect a girl, and even that girl will be taken away by me. Blame yourself for being desperate and retreating. And you’ll get down on your knees and beg me. You’ll crawl on all fours like a dog and beg for the little bird back. By then the bird you loved will have forgotten you. If she hasn’t forgotten, I’ll make it happen. I will break her wings and legs so that she will never return to you.’
“Excuse me.”
Yulif’s soft voice broke Deltinus’ happy thoughts. A low-pitched swear word flowed from between Deltinus’s mouth, which was opened to burst the madness.
The men who should have put their swords in him were tied up and fell to the floor. Struggling to let go was like watching a fish caught in a net.
“It’s my job to protect Your Majesty so that even your hair doesn’t get hurt.”
“What…?”
Yulif, saying inexplicable words, uttered a spell. A flash of light from his hand wrapped around Deltinus and turned into a multi-layered shield.
“I’ll get this sorted out quickly. In the meantime, you can be comfortable. It is a shield that no attack or magic can penetrate. Nothing will harm Your Majesty.”
“Release me. Can’t you solve it right now? That’s cowardly, Duke!”
“Looks like you don’t know. In the duke’s castle, the duke’s orders are scarier than the Imperial Palace’s. We’ll be back soon.”
“Yulif!”
Deltinus slammed the shield with his fist, but it wasn’t a shield that would be broken by a mere human punch. As Yulif headed towards the captured men, Canaren followed closely.
“Hey, is it okay for us to leave His Majesty like that? What if we get caught?”
“It’s not over yet. Do not relax.”
“…Ugh! That was so scary, Yulif! My legs are so weak that it’s hard to walk!”
Yulif, no, Roana sighed. It wasn’t cool to be unable to push the clingy Derek away, but she was now pretending to be Yulif. Reluctantly, she tried to ignore the creepy sensations and wrapped her arms around Canaren, no, Derek’s waist.
“A-a-a-are you crazy?”
“Shut up. Do you think I’m doing this because I want to be like this?”
Those who did not know the circumstances only thought that the blunt Yulif loved Canaren very much.
Deltinus saw the backs of the two looking friendly and sharpened their teeth. The fish caught in Yulif’s net were not monsters, but Deltinus.
A scream erupted from the doorway. The eyes of the guests turned to it in an instant. A magic that came from somewhere broke the string on the chandelier. The lights went out and the chandelier fell at a frightening speed. It was above the heads of Deltinus, Yulif, and Canaren.
The chandelier, which was falling rapidly, stopped just above the three people’s heads.
When Deltinus saw Yulif, who had the chandelier blocked with magic, he twisted one corner of his mouth, smiling. He came down from the podium and grabbed Canaren’s arm. Canaren, who had been hardened like a stone statue, was even more stunned when she saw Deltinus.
“Le-Let me go!”
“The first priority is to escape to a safe place. Follow me quietly.”
“I will not. I will stay with Yulif!”
Canaren shook off Deltinus’ hand. It was an unexpectedly powerful force. Deltinus questioned for a moment whether such power could come from her slender arms. He grabbed her arm with the grip that held his sword to prevent her from running away.
The question did not last long. Because Yulif had put the chandelier away and was looking at the two of them.
‘It’s almost time to escape.’
As soon as he thought of that, the ceiling collapsed with a roar like thunder. A thick cloud of dust rose and obscured his view.
—Your Majesty! Your Grace! Her Majesty the Empress! Protect His Highness Lucian!
Shouts erupted from all sides. In the meantime, moans and screams abounded. The wedding hall, which had a sacred and holy atmosphere, was transformed into a scene of tragedy in an instant.
Through a hole in the ceiling, intruders descended into the Great Hall. Dressed in black from head to toe and wearing a black mask, it was as if they had jumped out of the shadows. They looked like dozens, and each had a body that was trained to the limit.
The intruders drew their swords at the same time. Sometimes there were people holding a cane instead of a sword. Seeing that even a wizard was involved, it was clear that the attack was planned.
“Yulif! Yul…!”
“Shh. At times like this, you should be as quiet as a dead mouse. If you talk loudly, you will get hurt.”
Taking advantage of Yulif’s isolation due to the rubble of the ceiling, Deltinus held Canaren in his arms. He was confused by the gentle weight on his body and the sweet smell in his nose. How useless he was feeling and he had been so eager in his dreams every night. It felt real when he hugged her in real life.
The feeling of fullness was very brief. Canaren was not yet his own. Deltinus wanted to get his hands on this small, vulnerable bird. To do that, he had to ruin the wedding. She had to be taken to the Imperial Palace before becoming Duchess of Rubius in front of everyone. He planned to take her and put her in the queen’s seat. He was going to give Canaren back to his brother in the same way that Yulif tried to take Canaren from him.
Canaren’s shoulders trembled softly in her arms. Burying her face in his chest, he couldn’t see the expression on her face. She must be crying out of fear or because of her helplessness. Pitiful. Deltinus pulled the corner of his lips and laughed. Then, he bowed his head and bit the tip of Canaren’s ear.
“Ugh!”
“What did I say? You can never run away from me. Unless I let you go.”
“…Urk.”
“But I will never let you go. I’ll enjoy you to my heart’s content, and when I get tired of you, I will kill you. Giving up as soon as possible is the way to make yourself more comfortable.”
He would never hand her over to Yulif. If he couldn’t have her, Yulif couldn’t have her either.
Then there was a commotion at the entrance. The enlisted soldiers led by Yulif had attacked. The men and soldiers who wielded swords at random collided head-on.
Deltinus licked and kicked his tongue. Even though the movement magic circles scattered throughout the castle were removed and barriers were placed to prevent movement, the Duke’s troops arrived too early.
But he wasn’t too worried. The appearance of Yulif’s knights in the hall was only a matter of timing, but in a predictable category. Of course, countermeasures have been prepared accordingly. And it seemed that the spy they had planted in advance had carried out the operation properly, so Yulif’s people weren’t that many.
The wizards who discovered Deltinus and Canaren quickly approached to cast the space movement magic. In the eyes of others, it was a sight that made it seem as if the intruder was trying to harm Deltinus.
“Keuaaagh!”
Again, magic from somewhere pierced the wizard’s neck.
Deltinus quickly looked at how many wizards were left. There were three relatively intact wizards who could use magic. A calm voice pierced his ears as he shook his head.
“Thank you for taking care of my wife. Now I will protect her.”
Yulif, who had already cleaned the surroundings, was right in front of him. The expression “my wife” turned Deltinus’ stomach upside down once. Deltinus squeezed his lack of patience and calmly let Canaren go. Canaren ran without looking back and hid behind Yulif’s back. The white skirt of her dress she wore fluttered at Yulif’s feet.
“Your Majesty! Where are you!”
“The safety of Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince has been secured!”
“Come on, find His Majesty!”
The imperial guards, who were waiting outside the hall, entered and looked for Deltinus. This was also what Deltinus intended. He instructed the guards to find the crown prince first in case anything happened. It would be burdensome for Lucian to get caught up in a riot and get hurt.
He hadn’t given any orders to find and protect Estella, but she seemed to have somehow managed to find a way to live on her own. She was, in any case, a clever, irritating woman.
“You are very poisonous, Your Majesty.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You know better than anyone else that marriage of the imperial family is not possible without the emperor’s permission. Nevertheless, I did not object. Do you know how much support the nobles had to annul the marriage and find a suitable mate for you?”
It was false. Because Deltinus ran wild like a blood-crazed monster, the nobles could not even open their mouths to the emperor. Deltinus bragged about what he didn’t do. Some of the nobles, who were trembling in the corner, glanced as if they were interested in the story between the two.
“It was all for you. It was also for Canaren. I wasn’t being so cruel. I was hoping that the child would find happiness even now.”
“I don’t know if Your Majesty’s words are true or false, but why are you suddenly doing this?”
“But you took advantage of my sincerity. You want to harm me after bringing me into the territory using the wedding as an excuse!”
“The emperor is over there! Kill the mad emperor!”
“For Duke Rubius!”
Deltinus exclaimed loudly. Using that call as a signal, the few remaining intruders uttered strange words and rushed to Deltinus at once.
Deltinus smiled as he saw Yulif’s eyes that were rarely wide open. And he stepped back slowly. He wasn’t trying to escape the intruders. Deltinus was giving up his body so that they could attack more easily.
Yulif placed barriers all over Pionia and controlled everything about it. This was the reason why he had not taken any action while he regarded Yulif as a thorn in his eyes. If Yulif hid in Pionia, there was nothing for Deltinus to do.
But Yulif made a fatal mistake. The ‘wedding’ provided a justification for Deltinus to enter Pionia. He must have wanted to scratch Deltinus’ stomach by showing that he had Canaren as his wife. Deltinus looked at the wedding invitation and whistled.
Deltinus made this plan and was fully prepared. While Yulif subdued the assailants, it was his top goal to take Canaren to the Imperial Palace. However, the chances of things going as planned were very low.
The second plan was to ambush additional troops outside the duke’s castle and then attack them. This too was nothing more than buying time to take Canaren to the Imperial Palace.
In fact, weight was put on the final plan. Deltinus was to be deliberately attacked by the intruders and would fall down. The assailants commit suicide, shouting that it was to overthrow the tyrant and raise Duke Rubius to the throne. Even if there were some who were captured, they couldn’t put the name of Deltinus in their mouths because they had already been brainwashed by magic.
This would allow Deltinus to claim that Yulif tried to get rid of him as an excuse for his wedding. No one knew that Pionia’s Castle was a strong castle maintained by Yulif’s magic. In the end, the barrier that Yulif put on Pionia was instead strangling his neck.
‘Now, behold, you will soon lose everything to protect a girl, and even that girl will be taken away by me. Blame yourself for being desperate and retreating. And you’ll get down on your knees and beg me. You’ll crawl on all fours like a dog and beg for the little bird back. By then the bird you loved will have forgotten you. If she hasn’t forgotten, I’ll make it happen. I will break her wings and legs so that she will never return to you.’
“Excuse me.”
Yulif’s soft voice broke Deltinus’ happy thoughts. A low-pitched swear word flowed from between Deltinus’s mouth, which was opened to burst the madness.
The men who should have put their swords in him were tied up and fell to the floor. Struggling to let go was like watching a fish caught in a net.
“It’s my job to protect Your Majesty so that even your hair doesn’t get hurt.”
“What…?”
Yulif, saying inexplicable words, uttered a spell. A flash of light from his hand wrapped around Deltinus and turned into a multi-layered shield.
“I’ll get this sorted out quickly. In the meantime, you can be comfortable. It is a shield that no attack or magic can penetrate. Nothing will harm Your Majesty.”
“Release me. Can’t you solve it right now? That’s cowardly, Duke!”
“Looks like you don’t know. In the duke’s castle, the duke’s orders are scarier than the Imperial Palace’s. We’ll be back soon.”
“Yulif!”
Deltinus slammed the shield with his fist, but it wasn’t a shield that would be broken by a mere human punch. As Yulif headed towards the captured men, Canaren followed closely.
“Hey, is it okay for us to leave His Majesty like that? What if we get caught?”
“It’s not over yet. Do not relax.”
“…Ugh! That was so scary, Yulif! My legs are so weak that it’s hard to walk!”
Yulif, no, Roana sighed. It wasn’t cool to be unable to push the clingy Derek away, but she was now pretending to be Yulif. Reluctantly, she tried to ignore the creepy sensations and wrapped her arms around Canaren, no, Derek’s waist.
“A-a-a-are you crazy?”
“Shut up. Do you think I’m doing this because I want to be like this?”
Those who did not know the circumstances only thought that the blunt Yulif loved Canaren very much.
Deltinus saw the backs of the two looking friendly and sharpened their teeth. The fish caught in Yulif’s net were not monsters, but Deltinus.
