MB 061

Annecy arrived in front of the mansion. Cursing his own foolishness for blocking the teleportation spell into the mansion, he rushed toward the parlor.

His once-neatly groomed hair was now disheveled, and the tails of his coat fluttered. Ignoring the startled faces of the servants he passed, Annecy arrived at the parlor.

There were multiple presences inside, but without a moment of hesitation, he flung the door open.

“You found out he’s the bastard of the former emperor…?”

The words, heard as he opened the door, immediately halted the man’s threatening momentum. Found out he was a bastard? What on earth does that mean?

For a moment, a different emotion surged in his chest, but when he saw Terio’s face, the uneasy question was crushed beneath a wave of anger.

Clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned blue, Annecy tried to calm himself as much as possible. His gray eyes darted around to assess the situation.

There were four secret bodyguards, who only showed themselves in emergencies, pointing their swords at Terio, and the intruder was also gripping the hilt of his sword.

A clear situation, even without considering his rage. Annecy stepped away from the door. The man, who had finally come to his senses, grasped his sword handle and glared at Annecy.

“Marquis Bethelgius.”

“I didn’t think Alte would look down on Bethelgius this much. What is a greenhorn, who hasn’t even received his title, doing barging in here without any manners?”

Protecting Goyo as if shielding her, Annecy strode confidently toward Terio.

Only when the master arrived did the bodyguards shift their eyes away from Terio and lower their swords. 

At that moment, when Terio Alte’s attention was momentarily distracted, Annecy grabbed him by the collar and slammed him onto the table.

The sound of tea spilling and teacups shattering filled the room.

Terio Alte hastily reached for his sword, but before his hand could touch it, the scabbard was split in half along with the sword. Terio, shocked, coughed and choked, but Annecy only tightened his grip on his neck.

“A rat acting like a rat is just fulfilling its role, but as long as you’re wearing a human skin, you should at least follow the rules.”

“Grr… Let me go!”

“If I were to crush you, thinking you were really just a rat, the Alte family would be in quite the predicament.”

Looking at Terio’s smooth face filled Annecy with a murderous rage, making him want to tear the man apart right then and there. But Goyo was behind him.

If he had to add a rational reason, it was that he couldn’t afford to ruin everything by being swept up in a moment of anger.

If he really wanted to end Terio Alte’s life, he needed to first replace Alte’s heir and eliminate any potential issues.

It was a perfectly logical decision, but Annecy found himself unwilling to be patient, to the point where he hated his own rationality.

He knew that with just a little more pressure, Terio’s neck would snap, but Annecy gritted his teeth and relaxed his grip slightly. The red-faced Terio, who had nearly passed out, began to regain some color.

“Still making a scene like this, I suppose your last trip was unnecessarily comfortable.”

“Wha…?”

“If you enjoyed your training trip so much, why don’t you go on another? Considering it’s your second trip, it might be more helpful with a bit of a penalty.”

What nonsense. The confusion on Terio’s pain-contorted face slightly lifted Annecy’s mood.

With his free hand, Annecy grabbed Terio’s right arm. Shielding the action with his broad back so Goyo wouldn’t see, Annecy applied firm pressure.

Crack. The sickening sound and scream were muffled by a silence spell, leaving Annecy as the only one who heard them.

“I made a clean break, so it should heal well with time. You’re a knight, so don’t make a fuss.”

Looking down at Terio’s pale face, Annecy whispered softly. Then, as if nothing had happened, he casually asked,

“Oh, your wedding isn’t coming up too soon, is it? Since you didn’t even properly finish your engagement ceremony, you’ll want to make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch. Try to be back in time. For your bride’s sake.”

“Wha… what are you…!”

“Though, whether a rat ruins its own wedding isn’t really my concern.”

“Marquis…!”

“Well then, have a pleasant trip.”

With a final word, laced with laughter, Annecy released both of Terio’s arms. At the same moment, the figure of Terio Alte, who had been slammed into the table, vanished.

Only then did Annecy recall that he had broken Terio’s sword too, but he didn’t particularly care.

‘It’s not the first time with Avalanche, anyway.’

After venting his anger, Annecy finally felt somewhat relieved. He quickly changed his expression to one of calm and waved for the bodyguards to leave.

The guards bowed with military precision and exited, leaving only Goyo, who blinked in surprise, still rattled by the tense atmosphere.

Annecy, doing his best to appear non-threatening, approached Goyo cautiously. His slow, careful steps seemed to help Goyo’s expression gradually return to normal.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked.

“…I’m fine.”

“Your silence earlier seemed odd.”

As Annecy got closer, he noticed something strange about the way Goyo’s clothing was crumpled near her shoulder.

No… His eyes twitched subtly.

Apologizing, Annecy gently pulled back the fabric around her shoulder, revealing a glaring red handprint. His face twisted in anger.

In contrast, Goyo glanced at her shoulder with an almost nonchalant expression.

“Oh, it left a mark.”

“It’s more than just a mark, Goyo. This isn’t fine.”

“I was startled, but it didn’t hurt. It’ll disappear after some time.”

“Most injuries in this world heal over time, at least the ones you can see.”

He should’ve broken that beast’s neck, rationality or not.

Goyo, who was about to respond, fell silent upon seeing the concern in Annecy’s face.

His long fingers gently brushed the area beside the handprint. It had been a long time since Annecy had felt such frustration over his inability to use healing magic.

His voice, now a low rumble, broke the silence.

“I’ll call a priest by the end of the day.”

“They won’t come for something this minor. And even if they do, what would you tell them? Who did this?”

“If it bothers you, I’ll erase their memory.”

“Don’t harass someone coming with good intentions.”

“Then would it be alright if I cast a confusion spell on you, and we both went to the temple?”

“…Why are you going to such lengths? Even if a bruise forms, it’ll fade in less than a month.”

“Please… don’t speak of it as if it’s nothing.”

There was something in Annecy’s voice that felt strange to Goyo, and she looked directly into his face. Just then, a knock sounded.

“Marquis, it’s Rogel.”

The voice was that of the secret guard they had heard earlier.

“Do not enter.”

“No, come in.”

“Goyo…”

“They’ve come with a purpose. You should hear them out.”

Reluctantly, Annecy nodded. Once the marquis couple had given permission, the door opened.

It was the leader of the secret guard who had earlier asked for Goyo’s permission. He stepped inside, bowed to Annecy, and with a respectful gesture, handed over a small vial.

What could that be? While Goyo looked on curiously, Annecy’s eyes lit up with recognition. He accepted the vial with somewhat hurried hands. Having completed his task, Rogel bowed again and left the room without further explanation.

“What is that?” Goyo asked.

“A potion,” Annecy replied.

“…What?”

“Now that I think about it, this is much simpler. I can’t believe I didn’t consider it earlier. I must’ve become a fool.”

Surprised by the unexpected appearance of such an expensive item, Goyo blinked slowly. 

Before she could react further, something cold touched her shoulder.

“Ah!” Goyo let out a small cry of surprise, causing Annecy’s hands to become even more gentle.

“My apologies. I didn’t ask for your permission in my haste.”

“No, that’s fine, but… is it really okay to use a potion for something like this?”

“It’s precisely because it’s for something like this. It’s your body, after all.”

What does he mean by that…?

Goyo tried her best to suppress the strange thoughts threatening to spiral in her mind. In the meantime, the potion soaked evenly across both shoulders. Where the blue liquid had touched, the handprint vanished completely, as though it had never been there.

Amazed, Goyo glanced down at her shoulder, and from above, she heard a sigh.

When she looked up without thinking, her expression stiffened. The man’s face, smiling in relief, was so sweet it seemed to melt away. 

Thump. Her heart pounded loudly. Why is he making that expression? Unable to hide her turmoil, her brown eyes trembled slightly. Her thoughts grew more and more difficult to control.

Oblivious to her inner chaos, Annecy finally felt at ease. He slowly ran his fingertips over her shoulder.

As his fingers brushed lightly against her skin, Goyo’s mouth went dry. Struggling to keep her composure, she tried her best to maintain a calm expression.

“It’s all gone now,” Annecy said.

“Yes, thank y—”

Goyo had tried to thank him out of courtesy, but she couldn’t finish. Annecy had pressed his lips to her shoulder.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Her heart pounded so loudly she was certain he could hear it.

He kissed her tense shoulder and said, “I’m glad.” His voice, mixed with a languid sigh, brushed against her skin, sending a tickling sensation throughout her body.

Goyo remained stiff, waiting for him to lift his lips from her shoulder. But instead of pulling away, Annecy carefully embraced her. He gently guided her stiffened head to rest against his shoulder, his fingers tenderly moving through her hair.

Looking down at his wife, whose breathing had become shallow, Annecy spoke in a soft voice. The low, raspy sound traveled from the top of her head down to her toes.

“Goyo.” His voice was heavy, too heavy for it to be a mere whisper, Goyo thought.

“I have a favor to ask,” he continued.

Swallowing dryly, Goyo instinctively answered in a quiet voice.

“Tell me.”

“Please don’t speak of yourself that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Treat your body as though it were made of diamond, as though it were the most precious thing in the world. More precious than the body of a god descended from the heavens. Treat it with that kind of care. Cry out as if the world were ending at the smallest injury. If someone mistreats you, condemn them as though they’ve committed blasphemy. Get angry. Cut ties with them, never speak to them again. Do that for me.”

“…I’m not a child.”

“Even if you were, it would be fine. You don’t have to be young to act this way. No matter your age, your status, whether you have money or not—none of that matters. Please, do this for me.”

I beg of you.

He repeated his request before falling silent. Only the sound of their breathing and Annecy’s occasional strokes through her hair filled the quiet room.

Outside, the sound of rain began to fall. The sky had been gloomy, and now the clouds finally let go of their droplets.

The rain tapping against the window grew louder and louder. To Goyo, it felt like the sound of her own heartbeat.

As she let herself sink into the emotions welling up inside her, listening to the rain, Goyo eventually spoke.

“…Yes.”

Her response was soft and faint, but Annecy heard it. Without a word, he tightened his embrace.

After a moment, he pressed a kiss to the small whirl of hair on the top of her head before releasing his hold.

Though she had wished for him to pull away due to the overwhelming feeling in her chest, Goyo found herself a little regretful once she was out of his arms. But there was something more important right now.

She looked at Annecy, whose face was still clouded, and smiled gently.

“I think it’s time we talk.”