Before Cesare pulled her away, Catherine quickly said she was sorry.
âThatâs not what I think. Itâs not that I didnât trust Cesare. I thought if I asked you to make me stronger, youâd end up protecting me more strictly than just teaching me. Thatâs why I came here to learn magic from Giovanne Busperfield!â
The atmosphere was strangely calm. Itâs true that Cesare was right in her arms, but she raised her head up to look at his silver hair once more. The answer came a long time later.
âI thought I just said it. Thatâs what I expected.â
If it wasnât a mistake, the small sigh that had pierced the end of his words had completely disappeared. Soon, warm energy covered the backs of Catherineâs hands, which wrapped around Cesareâs stomach. Even though she didnât check, she could tell that it was Cesareâs hand.
âBut why are you holding on to me like this? I tried to look out of the window.â
âŠOut the window? He doesnât want to go out?
Catherine looked through the glass window in the drawing-room at Remor, who was still swimming around the city and at Queen, who was next to him.
She quickly took off her body, as if she were embarrassed. No, she tried to pull it off, but Cesare held her hands tightly to prevent her from running away.
Catherine couldnât do this or that, and she stuttered so badly that it was unbelievable.
âI, Iâm sorry. I thought you were just leaving.â
âWell, you donât have to be sorry.â
She carefully raised her head again. Cesare looked back at Catherineâs face, with his characteristic soft smile.
âC, cough!â
Damian, who coughed loudly, moved at a rapid pace.
âDamn disease⊠Iâll go out and rest for a while. Yeah? Call me when youâre done.â
Tak. The door closed and there was silence in the drawing-room. Even though Damian is no longer there, the shyness seems to have doubled.
Catherine tried very hard to pull her hand away, but Cesare held on to her even tighter, as if he was playing a prank on her.
âIf you had asked me to teach you anything about lifespan, I would have done so.â
Thatâs right. Itâs not that Catherine hasnât thought about it. Itâs just that she was reluctant to make that choice.
âI hate that.â
âWhy?â
When she tried to explain why, it felt like there were thorns in her mouth, but she knew it was right to answer these questions honestly.
âTo Cesare⊠Of course, I donât want to be treated like that, even if itâs doing me a favor.â
What nonsense is that? Catherine thought so, too. However, there is nothing she can do about this.
Cesare loosened Catherineâs arms and turned around to face her. But he didnât let go of her hand.
âI donât quite understand. What does that mean?â
ââŠI donât even know.â
Ha. Cesare let out his dumbfounded laugh.
âItâs driving me crazy.â
He told her he wasnât mad. Catherine looked at him and gently waved his arm. Cesare looked down at her with his expressionless face but didnât pull out his shaky arms.
ââŠAre you upset? Iâm sorry. I know I was being too selfish.â
âYou know that?â
âYou said you werenât mad?â
âI didnât. Iâm just asking.â
Isnât his voice too hard for that?
But he told her twice that he wasnât mad, so she decided to trust Cesareâs face. Meanwhile, Catherine quickly opened her mouth, recalling the existence of Belial, which she had forgotten.
âCesare. I saw Belial here. I think she was Giovanneâs partner.â
Cesareâs face changed in an instant, and she stopped waving his arms.
ââŠAre you sure?â
âIt was the same face I saw in the abyss. People called her Bell, and she had long blonde hair and was very tall.â
Cesare immediately agreed with Catherineâs description.
âItâs Belial.â
âIs Giovanne the devilâs contractor?â
âIt is very likely.â
But she didnât get the same feeling in Giovanne as in Percyville. Catherine was anxious because she didnât know if he was the same.
âA human who offers a 10,000 sacrifice to summon Belial the Great Devil.â
When asked if Giovanne seemed like that, Catherine could say absolutely no. So many people wouldnât have followed Giovanne if he had been so cruel. Cesare read her anxiety and spoke in a calm tone.
âBecause I broke the abyss right away at that time, Belial and Behemoth wouldnât be aware of your existence. Asmodus has a shady personality that enjoys himself when he comes across something interesting, so there wonât be much fuss for a while.â
After some thought, he praised Catherineâs decision.
âSo⊠it might be better to be closer to Belial. Itâs good that you came here alone, Catherine. Belialâs meddling would have been tremendous if I had accompanied you.â
Catherine also thought his argument was quite plausible. Even though the compliment might just be a pep talk to calm her down.
âCesare.â
âTell me.â
âI want to ask you something. This is what I felt while meeting Behemothâs contractor a few days agoââ
Cesareâs gaze became sharp.
âBehemothâs contractor?â
His question had both light doubts and clear boundaries. Catherine looked at him blankly for a moment.
âHuh? Did I not tell youââ
So she didnât.
Damn, it seems as if she cheated on him and told him about it when she went to Busperfield.
Catherine swear she wasnât hiding it with a nerdy mind like âI didnât want my old man to be found outâ. She simply forgot about it because she put it off.
âYes, the contractor is Percyville Benedicto Fahenrichin from the Vatican.â
âHow do you know that?â
âI ran into him at Beaton Blue. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was a contractor for Behemoth. Probably it was the same with Percyville.â
Catherine noticed it right away. Cesareâs expression was not very good. To make matters worse, his gaze seemed to be sharp enough to cut melon husks.
It was the first time Cesare had a face like that since he first discovered the ability to dispel magic.
âYou sound very friendly.â
It sounded sarcastic at first glance. But Cesare isnât like that. Catherine comforted him and quickly changed the subject.
âWhat I want to ask is⊠Giovanne didnât feel that way at all. So Giovanne is not a contractor for Belial, right?â
Cesare answered with a face that looked as cold as ice.
âTheoretically, thatâs true. But itâs hard to be sure that the proud Belial is working together. If theyâre in a relationship that they didnât sign a contract with anyone like I did before I knew you, heâs definitely a contractor.â
He then pushed Catherine to answer with a hint of disapproval in his voice.
âSo, why do you call the knight of the lily so friendly?â
Is it because he called Percyville a knight of the lily, not Percyville? Catherine wanted to deny her relationship with Percyville more strongly.
âWhat do you mean friendly? Even though we know each other, I donât think so at all.â
âKnow each other?â
Cesare narrowed his eyes. He seemed to be showing off his displeasure.
Catherine explained step by step as if she was trying to clear up the misunderstanding of her loverâs affair.
âWe met once before. We werenât very closeââ
At best, she has said a few things that show she doesnât care about each other. At times, they tried to run away together, and at other times, he went into her room without permission, they stayed together for a few days, but now they have no relationship.
âSo we knew each otherâs faces and names. Thatâs all.â
âIs that the man who came to the mansion?â
Cesareâs question was very sharp. It made her feel uncomfortable as if she had been caught on the first affair.
âYes, thatâs right.â
âThen you must have met him in Lilith.â
The next thing Cesare did was look at the scene of the second affair with sharp eyes.
ââŠYes, it is.â
âWhy did you tell me now?â
She doesnât do it because she doesnât need to. But that kind of answer feels like an obvious and stupid excuse. So Catherine couldnât answer and had to panic.
âAre you hiding it?â
No, itâs not like thatâ.
âWhy arenât you answering me?â
Whatever she says, it sounds like an excuse!
âCesare, why are you keep asking this?â
To add to the seemingly non-existent emotion, Catherine didnât want to talk about the other man in front of Cesare.
She didnât even try to flirt with Percyville when they met, so it was unfair that she had to be interrogated.
âThereâs no feeling between Percyville and me. Maybe there is on Percyvilleâs side, but I donât have, not even the slightest bit of dust on the table. Why do you keep asking me like Iâm cheating?â
âThat means the Knights of the Lily still have feelings for you.â
Cesare showed no sign of backing down. Does that make sense? But in reality, it seems a bitâ.
âYou declared that you were going to be miserable.â
In fact, Percyville, whom she met on the Lilith, was miserable to live up to that declaration.
âNo, I mean⊠I mean, I canât get into other peopleâs heads, so I donât knowâŠâ
Ah! Suddenly, Catherine realized her true feeling.
âYeah, that was it. Because Percyville said such strange things to me for no reason, I naturally took it to Cesare.â
Cesare was angry even when Meow, the monster, was by her side. If he knew that Percyville, the Paladin, was sneaking around, it would be even worse.
Somehow, Cesareâs gaze begins to cast a dark shadow. The gaze still kept telling her to keep talking without thinking about it.
He was very angry, and she didnât know why, so she decided to tell him the truth before he got even angrier.
âBefore, when he came to the mansion. He kept saying that he was willing to keep the secret. Then he said he would keep coming and he said it would be better to move the mansion.â
ââŠYou mean that bastard?â
Cesareâs voice grew harsh. Well, heâs still the Vaticanâs favorite and a contractor of Behemoth. It wonât be a problem. Catherine nodded.
âSo I just didnât want to get any closer. Because heâs a Paladin, and Cesare is also a devilââ