Chapter 69:

He didn’tt know exactly what the situation was, but it was clear that Tyria had a major misunderstanding.

Elric opened his mouth to correct the misundersting, however,

“Madam, no….”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to hear it.”

Tyria, who abruptly stood up, cut him off.

Her bowed head and tightly clenched fists spoke volumes about her feelings.

“I don’t think I have the patience or understanding. I…”

Tyria eventually trailed off.

It was the first time she had ever fumbled her words.

Usually clear and direct in any situation, her current faltering shook Elric as well.

Though he wanted to stop her and correct the misunderstandings, she seemed determined not to give him a chance as she headed for the office door.

“I’ll go fix my makeup. It’s almost dinner time.”

He couldn’t let her leave.

So, it was at that moment that Elric abruptly grabbed her hand.

“Young master, madam. The wizard has requested an audience.”

At the same time.

*What? Just open the door.”

Click!

The door opened.

And there, Elric and Tyria simultaneously stiffened.

“Ah, hello…!”

Only the smiling lips of Ygrett, who was arm in arm with a man, were visible under her deeply hooded robe.

“My husband! I came to take him!”

Her bashful demeanor was clearly that of a girl in love.

More captivating than that was the man she clung to.

“…Deputy commander?”

Tyria’s expression went blank.

Deputy Commander Riki looked utterly dazed.

It didn’t take long to grasp the situation for both Elric and especially Tyria.

The wizard’s words about seeking a fiancé.

A private meeting with Elric.

And now, the confusion and injustice showing on Elric’s face.

“I said it wasn’t so.”

Only then did she realize.

‘…Ah.’

It was a misunderstanding.

The wizard’s betrothed wasn’t Elric, but that deputy commander.

Upon reflection, the knights had invited external guests.

It made sense.

Then what was all that she had just said?

Stormy thoughts swirled in her mind, too embarrassing to even voice.

‘I’m sorry. We agreed not to delve into the past.’

‘…If the betrothal isn’t just about the stars, then what am I?’

‘I’m sorry. I don’t want to hear it.’

Rising feelings of shame, self-reproach, and also relief.

The pointed feelings were Elric’s injustice, Ygrett’s happiness, and Riki’s disbelief.

She had completely isolated herself.

The fact that she had been trembling alone in anxiety, spilling her emotions, only then began to weigh heavily on her.

Creaking, Tyria turned her head towards Elric.

She saw him chuckling.

Her face flushed.

Her eyes welled up, as if they were about to spill tears any moment.

Her lips were tightly sealed, and her eyebrows drooped.

It was a monumental moment when her mask was completely stripped away.

“Will you listen to me now?”

Ygrett was fussing over Riki’s arm lightly.

‘Insane! This is crazy!’

Riki thought to himself.

‘Why are you doing this to me?’

*

The course of events that had occurred roughly formed in Elric’s mind.

Ygrett must have said something that could lead to misunderstandings while concealing her identity and coming here.

Probably something about a fiancé, and Tyria designated him, who had been away from the mansion for 10 years, as the target.

Regardless of Ygrett’s actual intentions, it was quite a difficult situation, and it was fortunate that it ended well.

The details could be figured out later.

At the moment, something else was more pressing for Elric.

“Are you alright now?”

“…”

Ygrett, Riki, and Edward had been sent away.

Only the two of them were left in the office, and Elric was looking down at her bowed head.

His chest felt uncomfortably tight.

Even in that bewildering moment, the look on Tyra’s face was forever burned into his memory.

The sequence of emotions she had shown, which he had never thought she would display, and the blushing face at the end from the shame were quite a sight.

It was painful to think about the emotional struggle Tyria went through alone, but each of those expressions strangely made the corners of his mouth rise as he reminisced.

‘Would those expressions appear again if she lifted her head?’

He was also deeply troubled.

Why was she so sad?

How could she think of him so seriously?

Did he mean so much to her that she couldn’t fully gather her emotions?

He didn’t say it outright, but it seemed the intent was conveyed, or maybe Tyria was just rambling because of her numb heart.

“…It would not have been good for the family’s honor. If it had become known that the heir who returned after 10 years had a spouse, bad rumors would have spread throughout the kingdom via the local nobles. It’s fortunate it was a misunderstanding, but please be careful to avoid such situations in the future.”

Tyria gripped Elric’s clothes tightly enough to crumple them.

Elric felt it.

With only the top of her perfectly straight head filling his view, he let slip a word.

“Madam didn’t listen.”

“…!”

“Please listen to me next time.”

Tyria’s head sunk even deeper.

Thud, her forehead rested against his chest.

Her exposed earlobes were as red as if they had been grilled.

It seemed she was still not over her embarrassment.

Elric unconsciously wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

It was a relief that the matter had been resolved, but now that he held her in his arms, for some reason, his breath grew hot.

He probably wouldn’t forget the sight of her today for a long time… actually, quite a long time.

That thought was intensely crowding his mind.

*

As dinner time was fast approaching, Danal was looking towards the dining area.

From outside.

‘Riki?’

His heart pounded violently, and his insides were steeped in despair.

The wicked witch had captured Riki.

A comrade with whom he had sworn to survive together with since their trainee days at Wolyeong had been captured.

Ah, why had it come to this?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The answer came quickly.

“So, that knight is your husband?”

“Yes!”

The words flowing from the dining room were a clue.

Marriage, engagement, all of it was clearly a ruse.

Danal, who could hold his own in survival and acumen anywhere, knew something.

This was a vile role-play.

Riki was just a sacrificial pawn caught in some plot.

If things continued this way, Riki would be sacrificed.

Memories with him suddenly flashed through Danal’s mind.

‘We’ll definitely become the best assassins on the continent!’

‘Congratulations on becoming the leader! No! Congratulations, sir! From now on, I will assist you!’

‘Leader! We’ve been promoted again! We’re heading to a new branch!’

‘So what if we came from Wolyeong? We’re still alive, aren’t we? Let’s keep our spirits up!’

The moments they had vowed to survive together shone like stars and then faded away.

The thought that these memories would soon fade was heart-wrenching.

‘I can survive if I just hide.’

But was that life worth more than abandoning a comrade he had been with?

‘No!’

Danal firmly denied it.

If not together, survival meant nothing.

The moment his resolve surged, his body moved first.

Crash!

Danal broke through the window and landed in the dining room.

“What, what’s this!”

Ygrett was the most shocked.

Everyone else was also displaying expressions of astonishment.

Amidst this, what caught Danal’s eye was a teary-eyed Riki.

It seemed like he heard a voice calling out, “Leeeeadeeeer!!!”

Danal smiled at him.

“Don’t worry. I won’t abandon you!”

Danal stood up abruptly and looked at Kasha, Tyria, and then at Ygrett in turn.

Then he walked in front of Ygrett and thumped down on his knees.

“Am I not acceptable?!?!”

He shouted with burning passion.

Danal intended to offer himself as a hostage in place of Riki.

“Uh, um…?”

“If not Riki, why not meeee!!!”

For some reason, Ygrett needed someone to play the role of her fiancé.

If a stranger like Riki could be placed in that position, there was no reason he couldn’t be as well.

Call it chaos if you like.

They could think of him as a madman.

As long as he could save his subordinate!

“That means…”

“Marry me!!!”

Thump!

He slammed his head against the ground.

Glass shards embedded in his forehead, but Danal felt no pain.

Such was the depth of a man’s friendship.

However, there was something Danal hadn’t anticipated.

“This guy…!”

Ygrett Valentina of the 7 Strongest was insane.

Among all of the west, she was considered as mad as the saints of the Holy State.

In her way of thinking, Danal’s actions were nothing more than a new opportunity to solidify her lies.

“Leader!”

“Riki!”

As the two were sharing a moment of deep camaraderie,

“Don’t fight over me! I’ll accept you both!”

Thump!

Ygrett hit her chest as she spoke.

A satisfied smile spread across her lips.

While the spectators grew increasingly entertained,

“…What? Why?”

Danal ended up asking such a question.

It was turning into a mutual s*****e rather than a sacrifice.

…Regardless, it was fortunate that the misunderstandings between Elric and Tyria were definitively resolved.