/
Carlon Delphine’s face eventually contorted with a collapsed expression.
Count Delight was under the protection of the Imperial Family. He couldn’t be touched recklessly since there were private soldiers of the Imperial Family attached to him in places where they could not be seen.
Even he could not detect their location. Therefore, it was almost impossible to see the child go out alone.
Valletta just shrugged her shoulders with a grin on her face.
“I don’t really like Reinhardt that much. However, I never pushed him away. Of course, I never have hugged him either. That’s probably how things would be even now.”
Carlon Delphine stopped breathing as he watched Valletta speak in a low voice.
“Even if we know that we’re both rotten ropes, there are things that we just can’t help but do. Talking about it, it seems to be a lot more twisted than I thought. Can this be solved before I die?”
She doesn’t know if he will hunt her for the rest of her life.
Her goal was to live a normal life, but for some reason, the more she tries to have that kind of life, the farther she gets from it.
Valletta’s eyes watched a torch ceaselessly flicker through the window.
“I’m sure I had a normal way of thinking back then. Now everything seems to be just tools. Abilities, people, and even you…”
Valletta, who was muttering something, let out a breathy laugh.
“This is certainly a little dreary.”
She knows that things are now different from before. Her feelings are different from when she was living in her previous life or when she was just a child and her memories were still clear.
‘If I want to change at this point, will I be able to change?’
It seemed like she was a little tired since she had suddenly mixed around with a large crowd.
The Emperor and Gillian who spoke some meaningful words, and the Crown Prince who forced them into a strange atmosphere.
‘I want to sleep soundly tonight.’
Valletta frowned when Reinhardt’s magic suddenly came to her mind. She must have changed her mind.
She thought about him during this time. Although, it was because his magic’s effect was great. Valletta let out a low sigh.
Carlon Delphine leaned back against the carriage and was silent for a while, and the well-maintained carriage rushed forward quietly.
***
“I’m sure I told you that you could summon me if you call my name.”
Reinhardt, who had suddenly appeared on the roof of the carriage, crossed his arms with a troubled expression.
The moonlight poured down on his silver hair. His red eyes blinked slowly.
Reinhardt let out a low sigh, unintentionally overhearing their conversation. It was not hard to grasp the situation and understand what happened.
‘Looks like something happened in the Imperial Palace.’
The Emperor was a lot more troublesome than expected. The same thing goes for the alchemist next to him.
There were even a lot more enemies in the Magic Tower than he originally thought.
Reinhardt also realized that his power was more unstable than expected. It was a good thing that he didn’t try to catch her when she ran away.
If he had caught her, he might have missed everything. Reinhardt let out a brief sigh.
“If he won’t apologize properly, I will declare war.”
It seemed like the Emperor had some trump card.
The carriage had arrived at Duke Delphine’s mansion.
Reinhardt approached the exhausted, staggering Valletta and lightly poked her neck with his index finger.
A tiny magic circle emerged and seeped into her body.
“… Hey you!”
Reinhardt held her in his arms to firmly support her, as she collapsed from loss of consciousness, and smiled at Carlon Delphine.
“It must have been an unfamiliar day, so she’s tired. She might be a master that can’t be honest, but I still need to give her a good sleep. Because slaves always exist for the comfort of their master.”
Reinhardt, who answered that way, disappeared then reappeared in front of Carlon Delphine. Standing next to Carlon Delphine, the knight’s face hardened and he drew his sword.
Carlon Delphine lightly reached out to stop the knight. Reinhardt grabbed Carlon Delphine’s neck.
“So… What did you say that made my Master collapse with a tired expression on her face?”
“Nothing. I was just telling her that there was no need to doubt what I’m offering.”
“… What’s that?”
Reinhardt removed his hand and asked with a strange expression. Carlon Delphine’s breath caught at his obvious bewildered expression. The sharp atmosphere disappeared instantly.
“Is it the duty or something of a famous, sophisticated aristocrat? I don’t know what kind of foolish emotion it is, but don’t regret it and just accept what you can receive.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Literally what it is, I’m saying stop pretending to be nice and just be honest. Be honest, that you want them. Master’s abilities that you don’t have.”
Carlon Delphine faced Reinhardt and rubbed his face with his palm. He felt like he kept on encountering parallel situations with this child and that child.
“Just like the alchemy stone I offered you last time, there are alot of things you can get from Master. Whether it’s an advance-grade potion or a high-grade potion, aren’t they worth a lot?”
“Let’s stop talking about this. I just stated my opinion, that’s all.”
Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders. Well, that was not what he was concerned about. The reason for his appearance was simple. Because he had something to warn him about.
“The Emperor is aiming for Master, right?”
“Yeah, I don’t think he will give up.”
“He won’t give up. And for that greedy man in gold, the Magic Tower seems to be getting in his way.”
Reinhardt raised his head and looked up at the sky filled with a full moon. The full moon made him feel really good.
A small smile appeared on his mouth as he let out a low sigh.
“Hey, where did you go to get the smell of blood like this?”
Reinhardt smiled widely at Carlon Delphine’s words.
“… A war zone?”
“There’s no war going on in the Empire right now.”
Reinhardt shrugged.
Upon closer inspection, there were dark stains all over his robe. Smelling the strong scent of blood, they were probably bloodstains.
“The world will know tomorrow morning. Protect Master properly. And it would be better to proceed with that plan or something similar.”
“We’re not quite ready for that yet.”
Reinhardt’s brows narrowed as he looked at Carlon Delphine. He seemed to understand a little now why this man, who had such deep conviction and held tightly to things, kept on running in a circle around her.
‘He doesn’t really understand.’
He doesn’t understand the character of Valletta Delight properly. Reinhardt’s eyes narrowed.
“Master needs someone who would throw their body to shield her.”
“… What?”
“Didn’t Master say she would open a store to sell potions? She doesn’t even have the patience of a saint, so why do you think she wanted to do something like that? She wanted to use the common people as a shield.”
Carlon Delphine’s eyes widened at Reinhardt’s words. Reinhardt lightly tapped Carlon Delphine’s shoulder a couple of times then held it tightly.
“What on earth does that mean?”
“Who would not protect Master, as she would sell the thing that could save their lives at a low price that has been monopolized by the Imperial Family and the aristocrats?”
“You don’t mean…”
“You Grace, Duke.”
Reinhardt reached out his hand and touched Carlon Delphine’s cheeks. The coldest fingers brushed his cheeks with no sincerity.
“If you try to force us into the perfectly square box that you have been living in, you will only ruin both sides. You also don’t have to ruin your own sanity.”
Reinhardt turned his back on the moonlight and his eyes curved affectionately. As his red eyes folded into a half circle, Carlon Delphine did not feel any hostility.
He bent over and put his lips close to Carlon Delphine’s ear.
“If you can’t handle it, throw it away. Feel free to do so.”
An angel’s sweet voice whispered seductively. Carlon Delphine bit his lip and his brows narrowed.
For a moment, he felt like he was being subjected to some kind of mind control magic.
“Abandoned and forsaken by everyone… and in the end, I’m the only one she can lean on. This is the scenario that I’m hoping for.”
Reinhardt moved his body away a little and smiled brightly. The voice that tickled Carlon Delphine’s ears faded away, but he somehow felt a little dizzy.
“Just imagining Valletta trembling with nowhere to go, and eventually falling into my arms is enough to excite a person.”
“… Why are you that twisted? How can that be good for a child that is already hurt and broken?!”
Reinhardt took two or three steps back and tapped his chin twice with his index finger. He then burst into laughter.
“So what if she breaks down?  I like a broken Master.”
“… What?”
“It’s also nice if she can’t do anything and relies only on me. As I painstakingly tame her to react to every touch of mine… and only eat what I give her without a doubt.”
Carlon Delphine sincerely wanted to pass out. Isn’t this much more twisted than what he originally thought?
It was not just twisted to a point where it can be resolved, it was beyond warped.
Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders, turned around and sighed.
“Really, I was the one who pushed her off the cliff and saved her from that despair, so it would be nice if her head was filled only with me.”
“Do you really want that child to be like that?”
“It’s not bad. There are people looking for her outside, and wherever she goes, she would be treated like livestock after all. If that’s how it is, will it be bad if I just lock her up and take care of her?”
“You… Did you ever want to see that child smile sincerely?”
Reinhardt’s eyes widened slightly at Carlon Delphine’s words. He tilted his head and crossed his arms.
He had never really thought of that. Has she ever smiled sincerely?
‘Did she ever do it?’
There seemed to be once in the past when they were young, but he could not remember it anymore. What color it was or why it happened, he could not remember it.
“Anyway, use Master as much as you want and throw her away if you don’t need her anymore.”
“You cruel man.”
“You won’t get anything if you’re not cruel.”
In response to Reinhardt’s answer with his eyes wide opened, Carlon Delphine rubbed his forehead.
Instead of answering, he turned around. It was an exhausting day for various reasons.
‘I never thought I would find the reason like this’
He was skeptical from the moment she said she wanted to sell potions, but he didn’t know that there was such a thing.
He doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry.
A magic circle appeared and disappeared under Reinhardt, who was watching Count Delphine move away.
Soon, he completely vanished into thin air.
***