The safe required two locks to be released: a drop of royal blood and a numeric code.
“How do you know this…? About the remains, about the safe’s code…”
My father’s voice trembled, but I owed him no answer. Thanks to my knowledge from the novel, I knew everything.
I opened the safe and retrieved a small magical pouch, about twenty centimeters in size. It was filled to the brim with thousands of gold coins—the estate’s entire fortune.
“I’ll take this as payment for bearing the stigma of mother-killer.”
Even if I claimed my innocence, the past couldn’t be rewritten. Besides, the royal family detests scandal. Should the truth of my mother’s death come to light, the king would likely fabricate another crime and dispose of me first. In some twisted way, the label of mother-killer served as my shield.
“And grant me your baronial title, along with guardianship papers. I won’t join your faction, but those documents will ensure that bureaucratic processes prioritize me.”
I spoke with quiet resolve, my words carrying a heat that seeped through every fiber of my being.
“If you give me this, I’ll spend the rest of my life in silence, remaining the mother-killer you created.”
My father’s knees trembled as he sank into his chair.
Slowly, shakily, he took up his pen for his own self-preservation.
The steward and my brother remained frozen like statues.
“You are a mother-killer,” he spat weakly.
“Yes. I am a mother-killer,” I replied.
The deal was done.
My father’s eyes were hollow, his face void of expression, as though sealing away any admission of his mistakes. Perhaps this closed heart of his began the moment my mother died.
I accepted the signed documents and turned toward the door.
“Goodbye.”
With my words, Lyzectus retrieved a sleeping bead from his concealed pocket. Moving like lightning, he hurled the beads toward my father, my brother, and the steward.
His aim was impeccable—each of them slumped silently to the ground.
19 hours remain.
“Before they wake!”
Lyzectus and I rode swiftly toward the royal administrative office.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of hooves echoed as the powerful, muscular horse galloped, carrying both of us as swiftly as the wind. Wrapped in Lyzectus’ cloak, I shouted:
“Lyzectus! Marry me!”
“Lady Elise!?”
“I love you, Lyzectus! What about you?”
Master and guard.
Between me and Lyzectus, there had always been an invisible wall.
But I no longer had a fiancé.
I had left my house.
The careful distance I had once maintained was no longer necessary.
I believed that Lyzectus loved me—enough to risk his life for me. In the novel, that’s how it was.
In reality, as my guard, Lyzectus had always been flawless, never once revealing even a hint of romantic affection.
I didn’t want to force Lyzectus into this, but marriage was essential for my escape from the Blue Rose Garden stage.
There are countless reasons for marriage, and I know it’s not as simple as liking or disliking someone. But, childish as it may seem, I want to fall in love with Lyzectus.
In my previous life and this one, I’ve had absolutely zero skills when it comes to romance. Yet, despite how immature it sounds, I desperately wanted to hear Lyzectus say the words “I love you” and truly mean them.
“I love you! What about you, Lyzectus?”
Lyzectus blinked, his body trembling slightly. The conflict within him was brief.
He swallowed hard, then solemnly spoke:
One second. Two seconds. My heart ached, and time felt eternal.
“I love you as well, Lady Elise. Though I am but your guard, I have long held feelings of deep affection for you.”
The joy bubbling up inside me was impossible to contain.
I threw myself into Lyzectus’ arms atop the horse.
At the royal administrative office, my father’s guardianship document became a golden ticket.
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