Chapter 14
Chapter 14
- Even if You're Caught in a Demon Hand's Lair, Keep Your Wits About You
Vivian, chin resting on her hand at the carriage window, glanced sideways. Beyond the horizon, the walls of the capital, Minerva, were drawing closer.
The journey that had taken her five days alone was now stretching past ten on the return. Aslan was prioritizing her condition to an excessive degree.
'There's really no need to be this over the top.'
Aslan hadn't wanted to return to the capital in the first place. He'd torn up the document from the Imperial Palace and even tried to burn Duchess Eleonora's letter.
But it was unavoidable. An imperial order had been issued, summoning them both to the palace.
Disobeying an imperial order was tantamount to treason.
It had been difficult to persuade Aslan, who was seething with rage, but she'd managed it somehow. The servants, who had been watching anxiously, had given Vivian a thumbs-up as a bonus.
In any case, she was the only one suffering because of her sensitive fiancé.
It was then, as Vivian was pouting and muttering to herself, that two knights on horseback came galloping from the direction of the gate.
The Eleonora Family's insignia was emblazoned on their saddles.
"Greetings to His Highness, the Second Prince."
Even though they must have seen Vivian sitting in the carriage, the two knights only greeted Aslan. Aslan's eyes narrowed in displeasure.
"Do I have to gouge out your eyes for you to come to your senses?"
"G-Greetings to the Princess."
"Vivian, what do you want me to do?"
Aslan glanced at her. His gaze implied that he would really gouge out their eyes if she showed even the slightest hint of displeasure.
But Vivian, unaware of this, simply shrugged.
"It doesn't bother me."
"You always say you're fine."
"Because it's true. It's not like it's happened only once or twice. More importantly, if those knights were sent by my father, they probably have something to say to me."
The two knights lowered their heads under Vivian's gaze.
"By order of the Duke, we will be escorting the Princess from now on."
"Says who?"
"There was an order to return to the Eleonora Family as soon as you arrive in the capital, without delay..."
"I'm asking. Who said you could take Vivian away as you please?"
Aslan tilted his head as if he genuinely didn't understand.
"Vivian is the woman who will be my wife. She is no longer a member of the Eleonora Family."
"H-However, you are not yet married. If you two reside in the same mansion, it will surely become the talk of the town. It will damage the family's reputation!"
"The same people who were so eager to sell Vivian off are now talking a big game."
The terms of their engagement included Vivian moving into the Grand Duke's residence in advance for bridal training, at the strong request of Duke Eleonora.
And now they were spouting such nonsense.
Aslan's stomach twisted as he looked down at the two knights. He wanted to snap their necks and leave them on the side of the road right then and there.
But he couldn't do that in front of his delicate fiancée, so Aslan simply etched the men's faces into his memory.
"Vivian will be living with me from now on. She will not be returning to Eleonora, so make sure to tell the Duke that as well."
"The Duke will not let this matter rest."
"Go ahead and try. If you're thinking of challenging the power of Blackford, I'll welcome it any time."
Blackford was the name of the northern territory that Aslan possessed.
It was once known as hell on earth due to the frequent appearances of Demon Hands.
But after Aslan was granted the territory, it rapidly grew in power, reaching its current authority. He subjugated all the nearby cities and raised a strong elite force, building a small kingdom.
No matter how renowned the Eleonora Family was for its swordsmanship, directly confronting Blackford was out of the question.
"If I hear such nonsense again, I will not forgive you."
The knights, stammering, returned in a pathetic state.
Aslan, who had been fiddling with his sword like a sharp-edged beast, finally turned his horse and approached Vivian.
"Weren't you surprised?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I should just kill them all..."
"What do you mean I'm living with Aslan?"
Meanwhile, from Vivian's perspective, Aslan's declaration was a bolt from the blue.
She had been hoping that going to the capital would give her a little more freedom from Aslan's surveillance. She had even planned to slip away faster than the wind if the opportunity arose.
"You don't want to live with me?"
Oh, you have to ask?
"You want to go back, Vivian?"
Aslan's eyes rapidly dropped to freezing point after she hesitated for only a second.
Vivian's survival instincts moved faster than light. Before her brain could even command it, she was smiling brightly.
"Of course not! My fiancé is Aslan, after all."
It was a sad world of dog-eat-dog.
＊ ＊ ＊
After passing through the gates of the capital, Minerva, the group headed straight for the Blackford Grand Duke's residence.
Aslan was an imperial prince of the empire, but he preferred to be called the Grand Duke of Blackford.
Perhaps that was why, unlike the other members of the imperial family who resided in the Imperial Palace, he owned a separate townhouse.
"There are no forbidden places for you here. You can wander around wherever you like."
Aslan personally showed Vivian around his mansion. He dismissed all the servants who were following them and strolled around the mansion with her alone.
"And this, is your bedroom."
"...!"
Vivian's mouth fell open.
Her gaze wasn't drawn to the furniture, which was more luxurious than that of the southern mansion, nor to the clothes and accessories that filled the dressing room, nor to the beautiful rose garden that could be seen at a glance from the window.
"What's missing?"
"Indeed."
"No, I mean, my bedroom is missing a door!"
"It's only natural for the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess's bedrooms to be connected."
Is this guy serious?!
This isn't just a matter of being connected! There's no door, no door!
Vivian rushed over and almost collapsed, clutching the back of her neck.
When she pulled back the velour that was pretending to be a curtain, the traces of the hinges that had been forcibly torn off were clearly revealed.
'His suspicion is just too much. Shouldn't he trust me a little by now?!'
Yes, the fact that Aslan turned into a Black Lion was the heaviest and most important secret in this world.
The moment it was revealed, his social status would plummet to the bottom, so it was only natural that he was sensitive.
'But even so, he has to know when to stop! If he's going to be like this, he might as well just assign a guard!'
It was at that moment, as Vivian was screaming inwardly.
"Greetings, Madam. My name is Emma, and I will be serving you as the head maid from now on. I will do my best."
Ah.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was the first night that Vivian was spending in the Grand Duke's residence. She was finding it difficult to fall asleep.
Vivian curled up on the bed, lost in thought.
'It was better than I thought. The servants were all kind, and they were overly attentive to me.'
The moment she coughed softly, a warm cup of tea was immediately brought to her, and if she sat by the window to look at the garden, a thick blanket would be placed over her shoulders before she knew it.
It was better than being treated unkindly. But Vivian couldn't shake off the lingering unease in her heart.
It was because they were so different from the servants at the Eleonora Family's mansion.
'It's better than being treated unkindly. But they're being too kind, which makes me suspicious. Are they always this attentive? I'm not even the Grand Duchess yet?'
It was on par with the kindness shown to the original heroine in the novel.
They didn't even seem to be put off by the fact that she had Consumption.
Even though the setting in this world was that Consumption wasn't contagious, they should have felt uneasy about it.
'Ugh, my head hurts.'
What if it was a trap? If necessary, she could just knock them all down and run away.
It didn't seem too difficult to escape, as long as she avoided a major disaster like confronting Aslan directly. She had roughly assessed the situation while looking around the mansion earlier.
It was at that moment, as Vivian nodded in satisfaction.
"Kuh..."
A strange groan was heard from somewhere. Her eyes, which had been about to go to bed, snapped open.
"Heok, keuk!"
What was that sound?
Vivian carefully stepped out of bed. The groan was coming from the other side of the velour curtains that Vivian had tightly closed.
It was Aslan's bedroom.
Vivian carefully parted the curtains.
"Kuh, heok..."
"Aslan?"
"Heok, heok!"
Under the moonlight that streamed down in abundance, Aslan was writhing in pain.
He didn't even notice Vivian calling his name. He was having a nightmare.
'Come to think of it, the capital, Minerva, was the place where the hero defeated the demon.'
In the original story, Aslan didn't like staying in Minerva very much. The demon that had permeated Aslan's body hated this land where he had died.
In particular, Aslan had been cursed through Black magic. That was why he was more deeply assimilated with Astaroth than any other sacrifice in history.
'It must be incredibly painful. It's not Aslan's fault, either...'
The man, who had lived his whole life like a sharp sword, couldn't even sense a normal presence.
Without realizing it, Vivian approached his bed and carefully sat down at his bedside.
"It's okay, Aslan."
"Heok, heok..."
"It's all a dream. It's just a dream."
Vivian murmured softly as she brushed back Aslan's dark hair.
Despite her soft patting, Aslan still didn't wake up.
However, as if Vivian's touch was his only lifeline, he desperately clung to her waist. He hugged Vivian's waist tightly and breathed heavily.
"It's a dream. It was a dream."
"..."
"I'll protect you tonight so that no one can touch you."
Vivian, who had been patting Aslan, suddenly noticed something under the disheveled blanket. The bandage wrapped around his side was stained red.
'Why is there blood...'
Tilting her head, Vivian recalled the wound she had seen in the forest.
Aslan had been stabbed by a spear, suffering a serious injury that had exposed his internal organs. That was why she had torn her dress and hastily applied pressure to stop the bleeding.
It was an injury that would have killed an ordinary human instantly. So it was only natural that even Aslan, a Demon Hand, would take time to recover.
'If he overdoes it like this, something really bad will happen. What did the heroine do in this situation?'
In the original story, there was a scene where the heroine calmed Aslan down when he was suffering from nightmares. At that time, she had sung lullabies all night long.
But unfortunately, she didn't know any lullabies from this world. So she had no choice but to make a decision.
"Sleep tight, my baby. In the front yard and on the back hill..."
Aslan wasn't a baby, but what could she do? This was the only lullaby she knew right now.
Thinking that he could wake up and say something if he was unhappy, Vivian gently patted Aslan's shoulder.
After a long time, just as Vivian's head was nodding off, Aslan's golden eyes slowly appeared.
He stared silently at Vivian, who had fallen asleep at his bedside, for a long time.
The only desire that had bloomed in the abyss. A desperate thirst.
The moon was waning.
