Chapter 21: CH 21

Chapter 21 ( Who Are You Messing With? )

“Hiccup!”

Lariette, who was expecting a kiss, faced his cold face and started hiccups.

She lowered her eyebrows pathetically, but Asrahan’s face did not improve.

“Hiccup!”

When Lariette’s hiccups didn’t stop, Asrazan took his face off just then and had the servants handed her a glass of water.

After taking the glass, Lariette swallowed the water and shook her head hard to make an excuse. She thought the sudden hiccup gave her time to think.

Should I take it off? If so… I should say I fell?’

Asrazan was too confident to take the accessories. So she chose that option.

After drinking all the water, Lariette started making excuses with a clumsy smile.

“I fell down earlier and….”

“You were attacked with bruises and bare fists, and in less than half a day, You were treated by a lower-level healer and the swelling went down a bit.”

However, Asrahan cut off Larriet’s words at once and argued in a cool voice. She was so surprised at how accurately he grasped that she almost had another hiccup.

Asrazan spoke slowly in a low, subdued voice.

“Do I look like an idiot?”

Lariette shut her mouth and shook her head in haste.

How the hell do you know so well?

Embarrassed, she wondered if there was already a rumor about her fight with Raon.

However, it was clearly visible to Asrazan, who had been through countless wars and battles enough to be called a war demon.

How she got hurt. It was obvious just by looking at the wound how much time it would take to heal again. It was because he had suffered so many injuries and received treatment.

Lariette, whose excuses were useless, was hesitant to speak, licking her lips.

She was embarrassed to say that she had been beaten by her brother while asking him to leave. It was because the treatment  at Blanche was like a disgrace to her.

And it was even more difficult to say when I remembered how he cut off Marquis Segreb’s hand at once. I was worried about what would happen if he cut off Raon’s head like that.

Raon’s safety, of course, was none of her business, but she didn’t want to get more involved with her family in any way before she died.

Lariette looked into Asrazan’s eyes and asked a question carefully.

“What would you do if you knew who it was? … Are you going to kill him?”

“Killing him? No way.”

Asrazan furrowed one of his eyebrows, saying that he had heard absurd words. At that, Lariette smiled awkwardly, thinking that she was thinking too much.

But the answer she got back was beyond her imagination.

“How can I do it so easily?”

Asrazan said with a calm face.

There was no way he would gracefully kill anyone who dared to touch his precious person. Isn’t it natural that at least two pairs of arms should be cut off?

Lariette read the madness clearly in his blue eyes and quickly shut her mouth. Then, she rolled her pupils here and there, thinking about what to say.

Having gathered her thoughts, she calmly began to speak.

“Asrazan, I’m sorry for making you worry.”

Lariette lowered his eyelashes slightly and looked at him with a pitiful eye. And she gently put her hand on his big, firm hand.

“But I will take care of this on my own. I’m pretty strong, you know?”

She raised her lips in a playful tone and rolled her eyes. Asrazan was silent for a moment and looked at her like that.

Lariette sincerely believed that this was ‘her job’, which she had to solve on her own. Asrazan was her precious lover, but she had no desire to include her lover in her work.

She was pretty proud of herself, so she wanted to cover this issue like this. It was because she didn’t want to waste the rest of her life there.

“… All right.”

After reading the strong will in Lariette’s eyes, Asrazan responded. Then he spoke quietly.

“I will call the Priest, so tell him to treat you properly.”

“Hehe, yes!”

When the result turned out well, Lariette  gently bent her eyes and nodded. She was also relieved, saying, “I thought he would understand if I persuaded him with words.”

It was very late at night, so I decided to receive treatment tomorrow. Lariette said goodbye to Asrazan and headed to her room.

Asrazan also went back to his room and took off his clothes slowly. His face, which had been relaxed for a while as he faced Lariette, suddenly became dark again.

Asrazan unbuttoned his shirt and muttered in a low voice.

“Gerard.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Asrazan called his name, a man appeared in front of him in an instant.

It was Gerard, the leader of ‘Ranoche’, a shadow unit that hid in the dark and carried out Asrazan’s order.

Asrazan looked at Gerard, who was kneeling in front of him, with indifferent eyes, and slowly opened his mouth.

“Find out.”

“Yes.”

Despite not giving any explanation, Gerard bowed his head modestly in reply, then disappeared again. Understanding the demands of the master was also the role of Ranoche.

The information Asrazan wanted was already clear. Who attacked Lariette, what happened after he left yesterday, and the most suspicious of Prince Blanche and the Blanche family.

Asrazan played a domesticated animal in front of Lariette, but he was still full of wild ferocity. If she doesn’t want to talk, that’s up to me to find out.

‘It won’t take long.’

It was an instinct that Lariette never wanted to reveal.

As long as she is in my arms, forever.

* * *

The next day, the Great Hall of the Temple of Alteon.

From the early morning hours, all the Priest who were called gathered to discuss important matters of the temple.

It was one of the most important events of the year, with only high priests and ministers attending.

Doha was sitting at the top of the table.

Contrary to how he looked when he met Lariette, he was wearing the luxurious high priest clothes, with long silver hair hanging down.

When he wore elegant decorations over his head, he looked as beautiful as a moon god.

However, the beautiful Doha was leaning against the chair with his arms crossed, with a bored expression on his face.

Some high priests glared at him sharply, but none had the courage to criticize him. Because it was impossible to be stamped by the next pope in advance.

Knock knock.

At that moment, a polite knock sounded at the door of the conference room, and a high-ranking priest cautiously entered. It was a young man with curly red hair, Joshua.

“What’s going on?”

High minister Gibralfaro, who is evaluated as the second most promising after Doha, said with a frown on his wrinkled face.

Although Joshua was a high priest, he did not have the authority to attend major meetings. So even sticking his head in the meeting was presumptuous for him.

“Sir Mikhail, I have something to tell you for a moment…”

Joshua hesitated and opened his mouth. He also knew that his actions were rude. However, he had no choice but to do the work as ordered by the high priest he served.

“Can’t you see we’re having a meeting! High Priest Mikhail, how do you manage your subordinates?”

Gibralfaro looked at Doha with an annoyed expression after yelling. Doha smiled and looked at him.

‘You’re desperate to bite at least one, old man.’

As if tired, Doha closed his eyes and swiped his silver hair. When he opened his eyes again, fierce golden eyes flashed towards Gibralfaro.

“Yeah, it looks like I need to take care of my subordinates.”

You’re acting carelessly. Doha fixed his gaze on Gibralfaro and added.

Gibralfaro, recognizing the sarcastic words that he was a subordinate of that room, blushed with disgrace.

“I entered the temple before you were even born…!”

“Since when did the temple prioritize that? Don’t just get older and improve your sacred power.”

Doha raised the corners of his mouth and smiled as if he had heard funny words.

As he beckoned to Joshua, Joshua, who was noticing, hurriedly approached him and whispered in his ear. Then, in an instant, Doha eyes, who had been submerged in boredom.

“I got a telegram from Duke Kandel. The healing wizard is not feeling well and is looking for Sir Mikhail.”

Upon hearing the news that Lariette was ill, Doha frowned and raised one eyebrow. Then, at once, he got up and started to leave.

“High Priest Mikhail! Where are you going during the meeting?”

Gibralfaro jumped up and shouted at Doha’s back. Doha didn’t even look back and just responded leisurely.

“Excuse me, I’m busy.”

He scrambled around the door to see if he wasn’t worried about the meeting. Joshua sighed deeply and followed him.

The remaining Priests in the conference room looked at the open door and exchanged harsh glances. They couldn’t say anything when Doha was there, but then they opened their mouths.

“How long are you going to leave him like that?”

“A man of low origin dares to believe only in divine power…!”

“Why is the Holy Spirit so close to a man like that!”

For those who had long believed that Gibralfaro would become the next Pope, Mikhail Doha Bellion was a stone.

To them, he was too rude and too young. No matter how great his divine power, their pride was hurt to follow such a young man.

“High Priest Gibralfaro, are you going to leave it that way?”

An elderly high-ranking priest asked Gibralfaro, cheering. Gibralfaro, who sat down and clenched his fists, slowly opened his mouth and answered.

“It looks like we need to do something.”

A gloomy energy lingered on the old man’s cold face.

Illustration

* * *

Doha, who hurriedly took off his clothes and changed into the clothes of a lower priest, headed straight to the Duke of Kandel’s residence.

It wasn’t because he was worried. From what he was told, it didn’t look like she was seriously injured.

However, I was impatient to get out of the disgusting temple and meet Lariette. The endless boredom seemed to disappear as soon as he saw her.

Upon arriving at the Duke of Kandel’s residence, Doha was guided this time by servant. He seemed to have misunderstood what he said he didn’t like about the drawing room because it was stuffy.

Since he was also monitored, Doha clicked his tongue as he followed the servant.

As he entered the well-maintained backyard, her pink hair, like cherry blossoms in full bloom, caught his eye in an instant.

Lariette, feeling someone behind her, slowly turned around, found him and smiled brightly.

“Doha!”

And as soon as he heard that voice, the boredom that had tormented Doha since morning melted away like snow.

Doha gently curved the corners of his eyes and answered with a satisfied face.

“Hello, Rie.”

He moved slowly and sat down in front of Lariette. And soon he found her strangely swollen face and smiled brightly.

“So, who is doing this?”

Unlike his smiling mouth, his golden eyes gleamed ferociously.

Who dared touch my prey?

Whoever it was, it was clear that it would soon disappear without a trace. Because no one survived the loss of Mikhail Doha Bellion.

‘Why is he making a fuss again!’

On the other hand, Lariette just smiled awkwardly again, wondering why the men around her were so anxious.

When Lariette said she was sick, Doha had expected it was just a cold. He couldn’t even imagine that she would have suffered physical violence.

As it should be, Lariette was the Duke of Kandel’s lover. He was someone I couldn’t dare to touch.

‘Perhaps…’

Doha narrowed his eyes and looked at Lariette’s condition. Then he spit out the small doubts in his heart.

“Is this what the Duke of Kandel did?”

“It can’t be!”

And it was only natural that Lariette was terrified by this.

She raised her voice in denial, and Doha continued with a small nod.

“Yeah, he wouldn’t be alive if he hit someone.”

She just can’t get hurt like this. Doha murmured as if affirming his own words and added.

Lariette could not hide her embarrassment and opened her mouth wide. There’s no way he could have beaten her in the first place!

He thought so, but Doha thought she didn’t know what the mad Duke would do.

“Then who would have done such a valiant thing?”

Doha smiled and gently placed his hand on her face. Unlike yesterday’s healer, his actions were so smooth that it didn’t hurt at all.

Soon, a white light spread and began to seep into Lariette’s skin. As the tickling sensation passed, the swollen face was completely healed in no time.

“Huh, Rie? Who is it?”

Doha was genuinely curious.

Who dared to touch the Duke of Kandel’s lover without knowing how scary he was?

Who is that bastard that was searched by the next Pope and the Duke of Kandel?

Lariette smiled awkwardly again at him, who seemed to be working hard, and kept silent for a while. I had no intention of telling Asrazan or Doha.

Doha, who understood the meaning of the silence, smiled bitterly and pulled himself away from her.

It was more fun than running around and shouting. As long as he finds out, that’s enough.

‘I don’t know if my turn will come.’

Doha was aware the Duke Kendel temper.

Although it was the first time he met him, he was supposed to recognize a crazy person.

It seemed to be subtly different in type from Doha, but it was very similar in brutality.

There was no way he could let anyone touch her.

“Rie, don’t get hurt.”

“Yes. Thanks, Doha.”

Lariette smiled softly and thanked him for accepting her silence. And Doha looked at her with a subtle gaze.

Lariette’s ability was very special to Doha. She was the only person other than the Pope who could heal him.

The pope, usually the most sacred man in the empire, had no talent to heal him, so if he got hurt, he had to wait for it to heal naturally. But with her, it’s a different story.

Not only was she capable, but she was also the most interesting person in recent times. It was very difficult to get hurt or die.

So, Doha took out of his arms what he had prepared for her, to be precise for herself.

“It’s a present, Rie.”

“Yes? suddenly?”

“Open it.”

Lariette’s eyes widened at the sudden gift. She carefully unwrapped the beautifully decorated packaging.

What was revealed through the wrapping paper was a thin bracelet studded with small jewels. The craftsmanship was delicate and the variety of jewels looked expensive even at a glance.

“It’s a bracelet with divine magic on it. It’s minimal, but it has a healing effect, so you should wear it.”

“A magical item? It’s so expensive!”

“I call it a friendship gift.”

Doha replied skillfully as if it was no big deal. Lariette thought it was obvious that his family had enormous wealth.

It was because jewelry was also a gem, and the price jumped several times when magic was applied. Not to mention divine magic with healing effects.

“Thank you, Doha! I didn’t prepare anything… I’m sorry, what should I do?”

“No need to be sorry, Rie. Let’s eat dessert next time. It’s enough for you to invest your time in me.”

Doha responded with a seductively curled eyebrow. Taking this as a joke again, Lariette burst into laughter, saying that he was good at it.

But there was actually nothing for Lariette to be sorry about. It was because he deceived the ability of the bracelet.

The bracelet had a weak divine spell, but it was only a side effect.

The real magic he had put on a senior wizard was summoning magic.

Checking Lariette’s health from time to time, and summoning Doha as soon as her life is threatened.

Doha had planned not to lose her talent in vain.

‘This is nothing to lie about, Rie.’

He laughed like a fox and muttered in his heart.

Lariette, who doesn’t know his inner thoughts, smiled brightly and was busy admiring the bracelets that glowed beautifully under the sunlight.