0% Senior Delphine, whom I encountered after a long ti, was still breathtakingly beautiful.
There was no need for excessive description to convey her beauty. As always, the woman’s enchanting and seductive fragrance dulled a man’s senses.
It felt as though I were intoxicated.
The boundary between reason and desire blurred. Moreover, she was a woman I already embraced twice before.
A man’s primal instincts roared fiercely in my mind.
However, there was a more pressing matter at hand today.
Forcing myself to focus, I deliberately cleared my throat, hoping to rein in my wavering mind. Yet, Senior Delphine simply gazed at with a subtle smile in her eyes.
Her gaze was tender.
It carried an unmistakable warmth of affection. Grateful yet embarrassed for that feeling, I subtly averted my gaze.
Of course, the lingerie clinging to her body was also quite provocative.
Through her clothing’s slightly loosened front , a glimpse of her secret valley was revealed. Without thinking, my mind conjured an image of what lay beyond that thin fabric—an image I quickly forced myself to erase.
Yes, this was not the ti for such thoughts.
There would be plenty of ti for indulgence after our conversation.
“Senior Delphine, have you been well?”
“No.”
With a playful smile, she replied.
Her posture, with her arms crossed and her upper body leaning against the back of the chair, seed quite unguarded. Perhaps it was because her breasts rested atop her folded arms, making them stand out even more.
In the past, I might not have noticed. But now, there was no mistaking it.
That right now, Senior Delphine was trying to seduce .
In any case, she really was a woman who loved to tease.
“How could a woman be well when her husband has collapsed? I’ve spent every day worrying about my dear husband.”
“You don’t seem particularly haggard, though.”
“I can’t afford to look worn out. I’m still a woman, after all. Don’t I need to look pretty for you?”
‘Hah’, Letting out a brief scoff, I shook my head.
There was likely so truth in her words. Given our relationship, she must have been at least sowhat worried about .
But claiming she spent all her ti consud with concern for ? That was a stretch.
My injuries weren’t all that severe.
Well, they were technically serious—but, compared to the past, when my organs had been crushed and my body was riddled with stab wounds, they were nothing more than minor injuries. At most I had a few fractures and bruises from my fight with Leoric.
That was why I was able to get back on my feet relatively quickly.
Even compared to my battle with the Corpse Giant, this was nothing.
I had been bedridden for weeks back then. By that standard, the wounds I suffered fighting Leoric were laughable.
They could perhaps be called severe, but nothing life-threatening.
Certainly not serious enough for Senior Delphine to be so worried.
As proof, I managed to escape after only two hours of the Saintess’ nagging. That alone was evidence that my injuries were nowhere near as bad as before.
After all, the worse my condition, the harsher the Saintess tended to be.
In fact, this wasn’t sothing unique to her. Most of the won around were like that, which ant that, until just a few minutes ago, I had been subjected to an endless barrage of scolding.
At least Seria wasn’t here—that was a relief.
Last I heard, she was busy, wrapping things up on the front lines.
She was supposed to return either today or tomorrow and, when she did, she would no doubt co straight to see . Which ant another round of nagging was inevitable.
How did I end up stuck living like this?
I sighed inwardly, though right now, there was a far more pressing reason to sigh for real.
A blunt statent slipped from my lips.
“They’ve entrusted with the handling of the Yurdina Family.”
That was the mont Senior Delphine’s composed deanor began to falter.
The playful flirtation vanished from her expression.
For a brief mont, she stiffened. Then, furrowing her brows slightly, she straightened her posture and tapped her index finger against the table a few tis, as if in thought.
She didn’t bother asking who had given that authority.
After all, there were only two people in the Empire who had the power to decide the Yurdina family’s fate.
One was Senior Delphine.
The other was obvious.
From her lips, a faint sigh escaped.
“So, what do you plan to do?”
“I don’t know.”
That was my honest answer.
As if expecting it, Senior Delphine let out a brief chuckle and leaned once more back into her chair.
Her crimson eyes drifted to the side for a mont—it was a habit of hers whenever she was deep in thought.
A capable leader never hesitates in making decisions.
Senior Delphine was no exception. She abruptly stood, her fair hands rummaging through the cabinet. Before long, a luxurious bottle of wine made its appearance.
Then, two glasses naturally found their way onto the table.
Not that I minded, but the timing was far from ideal. Drinking in the midst of such a crucial mont was hardly appropriate.
A faint sigh escaped my lips.
“Senior Delphine, didn’t you hear ? This concerns the very fate of your family. We need to put our head together and figure—”
“No.”
Her tone was plain yet resolute.
Failing to grasp her intentions, I fell silent. anwhile, Senior Delphine was already tilting the bottle.
A deep crimson liquid trickled into the two glasses, filling them one after the other.
The fragrant aroma of wine teased my senses. The situation was unfolding as it always did.
The only difference was that Senior Delphine wore a sowhat bored expression.
That, too, was typical of her. Up until our midnight duel, she always carried herself this way—
Bored and indifferent.
A look that spoke of exhaustion, as if she had long grown sick of everything in this world.
“My father has been detained, which makes the head of the Yurdina Family now. They may not monitor my bedroom, but every part of my schedule will be under scrutiny. And if they happen to notice having secret discussions with you, my dear husband, then...?”
I didn’t need to ask what would happen next.
Losing the Emperor’s trust...
That was an outco unfavorable for both and the Yurdina family.
Even so, I couldn’t shake off my lingering sense of regret.
“But...”
“I don’t want to lose anything.”
With a soft thump, Senior Delphine sank into her seat, wrapping her arms around her legs as she leaned forward. It was nothing like the poised and dignified image she usually carried.
I was probably the only person in the world who could witness Senior Delphine being this vulnerable.
Her delicate voice followed.
“Whether it’s you or my family... I don’t want to lose either.”
Her voice was uncharacteristically weak.
One could call it a child’s tantrum. After all, wanting to lose neither was nothing more than a personal wish.
But if the mont ca when she had to choose between the two?
She would have to make a decision. She knew that. And yet, here she was, clinging to like a child refusing to let go.
Saying she didn’t want to lose neither nor her family.
At the sa ti, it ant that, in her heart, my importance had risen to the point where she now weighed against her family.
Letting out a wry smile, I spoke,
“Which is all the more reason why we should put our heads together and figure this out, isn’t it?”
“No. I can’t make an objective decision. And the more often we’re seen together, the more harm it will cause.”
That ant, for the ti being, I would have to keep my distance from Senior Delphine.
At the very least, we wouldn’t be able to have secret conversations like this.
Feeling a sense of disappointnt, I clicked my tongue and fell back into thought.
Does this an I had to solve this crisis alone?
I could probably reach a quick conclusion before the day was over, but a hasty agreent would likely do more harm than good.
As I deliberated, Senior Delphine silently watched ..
One would think she’d be bored, yet instead, a faint smile played on her lips, as if she found the situation amusing. Inside her glass, the wine swirled gently.
In the end, she was the one who broke the silence.
“Why not appoint a strategist?”
“......?”
With a puzzled look, my eyes turned to Senior Delphine.
She carried on as if she were stating sothing completely trivial.
“It doesn’t have to be . There are plenty of smart people in the world. Surely, you must have at least one person like that around you?”
“Ah,” I unconsciously let out a small exclamation.
Now that I thought about it, I did have soone like that.
A friend I trusted the most—a man with an exceptional mind.
Leto Einstern.
Senior Delphine might be off-limits but, discussing the issue with Leto—one of my closest friends—was hardly sothing the Imperial Intelligence would object to. And if it was Leto, I had no doubt he would co up with a plan that satisfied .
As my expression brightened, Senior Delphine let out a small chuckle.
“Were you that worried about ?”
“Well, of course... I an, uh, isn’t that only natural?”
Clearing my throat with a soft ahem, I tried to maintain my composure.
Am I worried about Senior Delphine?
That was hardly a question that needed answering.
She was a woman who crossed countless battlefields with , who shared my bed twice—what kind of man wouldn’t worry about such a woman?
And if such a man did exist, I would doubt whether he could even be called ‘human.’
Leisurely, Senior Delphine lifted her glass and spoke.
“Heh, you look like you have a lot on your mind already. At the very least, you should let yourself forget about it all for tonight... after all, it’s a day worth celebrating, isn’t it?”
“No, I can’t do that. And I still need to thank you for securing the elves’ livelihood—”
“It’s because one of those elves saved the North.”
Those words cut off mid-sentence.
I had heard about it too.
About the sacrifice of Elder Poff.
His life had been steeped in hatred for so long. Harboring resentnt and bla for others corrodes even one’s own heart.
And yet, in his final monts, he chose to sacrifice himself for the very humans he had despised.
He had once told sothing.
That bread should be repaid with bread.
Was that why he had given his life? Because I had risked mine to save the elves of the village?
“Yurdina never forgets the price of blood——whether it’s the blood we shed or the blood shed for us.....thus, his sacrifice will be properly repaid.”
“...Thank you.”
I tried to act as if nothing was wrong, but there was a faint tremor in my voice.
Once again, I was in soone’s debt.
I had lost Ned, and now I had lost Elder Poff.
And surely, I would continue to lose more.
My path was built atop the lives of others. Moving forward without stepping over soone’s sacrifice was impossible.
But today, I reaffird my resolve.
Even if the world forgot them, I alone would rember.
Senior Delphine was a very understanding woman.
She waited patiently for to collect myself and spent the night drinking with .
And after that, well—
At so point, Senior Delphine was lying beneath . The sight of her rumpled attire and the lingering sweetness of her scent overwheld my senses.
With a faint blush on her face, she flashed a teasing smile—
As if she ant to squeeze my heart dry.
“So, in the end, we ended up like this again, my dear husband?”
I almost denied it out of reflex—but instead, I let out a wry smile.
Because she was right.
**
Seria was in high spirits.
Her heart felt as light as a feather, as if it could drift weightlessly through the air. The overwhelming emotions surged through her, pushing her steps forward with urgency.
The dire crisis that had threatened the North was resolved.
And the one who had saved them was none other than the senior she adored beyond words.
Just knowing that alone was enough to bring tears of joy to her eyes.
With the monster that once lood over the North now gone, her beloved sister could finally find peace of mind.
At the sa ti, Ian’s reputation—having defeated yet another underlying of the Evil God—would only grow even greater.
Both her family and her love had been t with fortune. How could she not rejoice?
She was now only concerned about one thing.
And that was Ian’s well-being.
Even if his life was no longer in danger, anxiety had a way of creeping in, latching onto the smallest possibility and tightly coiling around her heart. Seria was proud of Ian, yet night after night, anxiety had driven her to chew at her nails in restless worry.
But now, she could finally bid farewell to those agonizing nights.
Because she had heard the news—Ian had regained consciousness.
Seria set off for ho the mont she learned of it. The decision had been so sudden that she probably hadn’t even sent proper notice to her family.
But that didn’t matter.
Seria was Delphine’s most trusted younger sister. There wasn’t a single place in the castle off-limits to her—not even its most secretive locations.
Ignoring the gatekeeper’s shocked expression, Seria hurried up the stairs.
No matter how much she wanted to see Ian, protocol had to be followed.
As a vassal of the Yurdina Family, her first duty upon arriving at her family ho was to report to the Head of the Family.
It was already late into the night.
Delphine would likely be in her bedroom rather than her office. She might have even succumbed to exhaustion and already fallen asleep.
That would actually work in Seria’s favor.
If her sister was already asleep, she could skip the formality of reporting to her altogether.
Of course, it didn’t take long for that expectation to be shattered.
A faint glow was still spilling out from Delphine’s bedroom. At the sight of it, Seria unconsciously let out a small sigh before steeling herself.
After all, Delphine was soone Seria respected just as much as Ian.
But just as she took another step forward—
“So, in the end, we ended up like this again, my dear husband?”
At the flirtatious tone—one she had never heard before—Seria’s body froze as if struck by lightning.
It was Delphine’s voice.
Seria had lived her entire life with Delphine as her goal. If it were anyone else, she might have been mistaken, but there was no way she wouldn’t recognize her own sister’s voice.
And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to erase the sliver of doubt lingering in her mind.
Because Delphine’s tone was utterly unfamiliar.
Her tone was almost coquettish, as if yearning for the affection of another.
Seria instinctively held her breath and crouched down. Then, inching forward as if crawling, she finally settled outside the door, from where a faint light was seeping through.
Only then did she sense the presence inside the room.
There were two.
And both of them were unmistakably familiar.
Her blue eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
And then, a faint chuckle from a man drifted into her ears.
“...So it seems.”
Seria instinctively covered her mouth with both hands.
There was no doubt.
It was Ian’s voice.
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