# 44
44
Angelica's voice was full of caution, completely devoid of any curiosity.
But perhaps because she couldn't see her facial expressions, doubt appeared on Hugo's features.
Suddenly—
He rushed towards the temple, completely disobeying her command.
Meanwhile, the dialogue between Angelica and the other party continued without interruption.
“Miss seems to know nothing about that man, so I wanted to clarify. At least you should know who he really is.”
“Everyone who said this to me before you, there was nothing but hatred and slander in his words.”
“I-I, Devitt Dorman, I'm not! I'm a Holy Knight of the Church, how could I have such intentions?”
“Ah... Devitt Dorman... are you really crazy...?”
A faint laugh escaped her lips as if it had crept in against her will. It seemed strangely twisted.
Even Hugo, who was rushing towards the temple, involuntarily stopped when he heard her harsh tone.
However, the Holy Knight did not notice this, and continued his explanation.
“Hugo Bernstein, that very devil! Being from the North, it is not strange for him to devour the hearts of little monsters! As soon as he picks up the sword, he completely loses his mind!”
“Uh… really?”
“Ma’am, you must withdraw from this marriage immediately! Even the saints of the Church are repulsed by that man! If they themselves detest him, then his private life must be dirtier than you imagine.”
A faint grinding sound came from Hugo's jaw, which clenched tightly.
He knew very well how many dirty rumors were going around about him. But he never bothered to refute it.
What could he care about the barking of insects?
Nor does one carry a sword to chase away the flies buzzing around his palace.
But now it's different.
Angelica...that sweet girl, if she believed even a part of those lies, it would really hurt.
'Please...don't believe it.'
He imagined her look mixed with disgust, and he felt as if blood had been drawn from his limbs.
He closed his eyes tightly as he stood directly in front of the door.
And at that moment—
“Are you done gossiping?”
"……Yes?"
“I mean, Dauphin—or what's your name? Have you finished repeating the rumors you have memorized?”
Her calm words, full of pent-up anger, flowed like a sword into the man's chest.
The knight was unable to respond.
And so was Hugo.
The image he had imagined of her—the girl who would break down and cry—had disappeared, and in its place had been replaced by a woman with a hard face and a cold look.
His resolve to break in and save her faded.
The knight seized the moment and raised his voice fiercely:
“Not rumours! Madam, the Northern Bernstein Family actually eats the hearts of baby monsters!”
"And what am I supposed to do about it? Cry because they ate already digested hearts?"
“That's not what I mean—”
“Is it permissible to eat foie gras, but not the heart of a beast? I also like sausage, so would you consider me a demon then? Indeed, you knights of the empire are no different from each other.”
She muttered, clearly upset.
“If you want to call me the devil, go ahead. There seems to be nothing else to say.”
“Despite what happened nine years ago, you still don’t understand?!”
Her steps stopped suddenly.
Seize the opportunity and speak up:
“Don’t you know how much blood has been spilled because of that man? How much blood has been drowned in the Ratlay Kingdom? You should stay away from him—”
“Stop this nonsense.”
She turned violently towards him.
"Instead of worrying about others, look at yourself first. If you were truly a knight protecting the continent, you would at least read history. Then you would know how the women of Ratlay were treated previously."
Hugo's gaze softened as he listened.
Memories of the war nine years ago crept into his mind.
In fact, the Ratlay Kingdom back then was even weaker than the monsters he annihilated every spring in the north.
Its soldiers, who had long been at peace, did not even know how to hold a sword...
But what was disturbing about the matter was that every time, under the pretext of a “trap,” they would throw the women of his kingdom there.
Three women were bound together with ropes, and had been forced to swallow the priestly poison which the soldiers had planted there with their own hands.
In that war, Hugo found himself killing more poisoned women than soldiers.
This was not an easy thing to bear.
“Ah…”
He suddenly remembered a specific incident.
At that time, he was advancing towards the capital without batting an eyelid, as his body was not affected by the deadly poison.
Then the king of Ratlay sent a secret message.
It was no ordinary show.
At the time, he had paid no attention to it, but now, as he recalled the words, he realized that Angelica's name was mentioned there.
[If you retreat now, we will present to you Princess Angelica Ratlay as a spoil of war.
Not just a king's daughter, but a rare gem even by the standards of kings.]
“Since they submitted to the empire, only then did women begin to live as human beings.”
Her words harshly brought his consciousness back from the past to the present.
As “humans.”
The word echoed in his mind.
Even she, who should have lived in honor from birth, was never given a human life.
And perhaps... she had wounds similar to his.
"Stop pretending to care about me, and think about your own life. Your obsession with Hugo since the academy days is a real illness."
"W-what? Me? When—!"
“I went through what you went through then, and yet you learned nothing. It seems that God is indeed merciful, if He still allows people like you to be knights.”
She seemed to have finished speaking completely, as her footsteps were heard again.
But in the next moment, the door opened violently.
Hugo froze, his eyes fixed on her.
“……Hugo?”
She said his name as if she did not expect to see him there, and her features changed immediately.
The cruelty melted from her face, her eyes widened, and her eyebrows arched lightly.
All these changes, Hugo picked up without missing a single one.
As for her, she smiled a confused smile.
“When did you arrive?”
Even the tone of her voice changed, it became warmer, gentler.
Hugo looked behind her, where the knight was standing frozen, and then looked back at her.
“I was just looking for you.”
"Really? Oh, that's good! I found everything I needed."
“Your hand.”
“The bandage is tight, don’t worry. Come on, let’s leave.”
She squeezed his arm lightly, as if she didn't want him to look back again.
He complied with her without resistance.
Behind them, the knight's voice choked, as if an invisible force was suffocating him.
Hugo extended his aura to completely silence the sound.
“You didn't have to come here yourself.”
"I had to. The wait wasn't bad."
“What's good about that?”
She laughed pure, as if something funny had just been said.
He laughed too, even though his words were sincere.
'How can someone be this kind?'
Maybe because she is too delicate to see evil as it is.
Perhaps this is precisely why she was able to accept a man whom even the Church itself feared.
'What you feel towards me...maybe it's just pity.'
But even that was enough.
Enough to cling to it.
He stood in the sunlight, staring at her bright smile, and only one thought penetrated his chest:
'If I continue to live like a monster, maybe... you'll pity me one day.
Then, perhaps, you will stay by my side forever.'
Only then did Bernstein realize what he was really feeling.
This was not just admiration, nor a passing whim.
It was pure love...
A love that needs no other name.
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