With that thought in mind, I looked back at Theodore with that wide grin on my face.
Our eyes met, and Theodore stared blankly at me. However, he merely sighed softly.
Then, he carefully pulled me into his embrace and said,
āIām sorry for being late.ā
My mind went blank for a moment.
My thoughts completely halted.
ā¦What did he say just now? And was heĀ embracingĀ me?
Even after I laughed while watching someoneās face get burned off?
āIām so glad that youāre safe.ā
āNever againā¦ Iāll protect you properly so that will never happen again. Truly, Iām ashamed.ā
Why was he coming to my defense? Didnāt I look crazy just now?
TowardsĀ me,Ā who Theodore Valentino said was no different than the demons of Everett?
My confusion reached its peak, and I was completely lost.
Not one single timeā¦ I never ever thought that heād ever take my side, even if heād come to find out my true circumstances.
I was so sure that, rather than taking my side, heād be ashamed of me completely.
Theodoreās attitude now, however, remained the same.
Staring blankly up at him as I was still in his arms, I didnāt know what to say. My lips were trembling. My thoughts were all mixed together.
Theodore reached up and gently caressed my cheek.
Soon, his lips touched my forehead.
What a warmā¦ and sweet kiss, enough for tears to be shed.
āItās alright now. Thereās nothing for you to worry about.ā
āYou donāt have to worry anymore. Iāll take care of everything.ā
ā¦And after that, it truly was just as he said.
Even though I received help from Zen Delacroix.
The reason behind why Zen Delacroix came into the greenhouse was simple, but a lot of questions were still raised.
āā¦I donāt understand. Why was your elementalās power focused on me, Young Duke Delacroix?ā I asked.
It was thanks to his elemental spirit that Zen Delacroix knew that I was in danger.
Without my knowledge, and evenĀ hisĀ knowledge, his elemental had buried its power into meā¦
And all of a sudden, Zen Delacroix could see and hear every move I had made.
āā¦My elemental, Ventus, is a very playful spirit. Thatās why this happened. The other reason isā¦ā
Zen Delacroix hesitated, blushing for some reason.
At this, Theodore glared sharply at the other man.
Zen flinched slightly as he was at the receiving end of this razor-edge glare, but he continued speaking with an awkward smile.
āIāll talk to Ventus properly, Duke Valentino. Iā¦ hope you wonāt be too offended.ā
Temperamentally, Theodore looked away and let out a sigh.
I donāt know why heās being so wary of Zen.
In any case, itās true that he helped me, and itās only right to be grateful towards him.
āHave these two been on bad terms since before?ā
As far as I could remember, that wasnāt the case.
They just exchanged perfunctory greetings before. I never heard of them being on bad terms.
I glanced towards Theodore for a moment, then turned to Zen to ask him.
āā¦Anyway, Young Duke Delacroix. Youāre saying that you saw everything that happened to me through your elemental, correct?ā
A moment of silence passed.
No, he didnāt just see it. He even heard what went on.
This meant that he saw just how crazy I had acted.
Keeping my head down, I felt my shoulders shake as I laughed.
Zen Delacroix stared dazedly at me.
Then, I looked up and asked him.
āDo you have a light mouth?ā
āHuh? N-No, not at all!ā
If he really didnāt, then I donāt know why heās denying it so vehemently.
Ignoring how flustered he was, I brought up something else.
āThen you must know that Miss Esner is Lennon Chesterās accomplice.ā
Zenās gaze darkened as he immediately turned serious. Then, he nodded and agreed.
āYes. ā¦If you need my testimony, Iāā
I canāt just let Florentine Esner get away so easily.
Zen stared back at me blankly again, but he came to his senses when Theodore clicked his tongue.
āUm, yes, I will testify. Call me anytime you need me.ā
āThank you, Young Duke Delacroix.ā
And so, two days later, the court trial of both Lennon Chester and Florentine Esner was held.