Ch.194Chapter 194. Her True Feelings (1)

After that day.

I became so close to Serpina that I could almost be considered her dedicated attendant.

It would be accurate to say that I naturally followed her wherever she went.

Serpina had asked me to be her husband.

That is to say—a marriage proposal.

She had essentially asked me to marry her.

Of course, after that, there were no terrifying developments like her forcing marriage or threatening to kill me if I didn’t marry her—

But occasionally when our eyes met while talking.

“……♥”

Because of Serpina’s smiling eyes, I would often find my heart racing and couldn’t properly focus on my work.

Come to think of it.

If she had approached me more aggressively, I would naturally have wanted to distance myself from her.

Serpina was surprisingly good at maintaining that “line.” Her attitude of almost crossing it but not quite was truly remarkable as a strategy to make the other person feel anxious.

When an incredibly beautiful blonde woman, with sincerity filling her sparkling golden eyes, tells you she wants to have your child…

I felt I deserved some credit for maintaining this level of composure.

When we went outside, away from the royal palace or mansion, she was always accompanied by four knight guards in addition to myself.

Among them was someone incredibly precious to me—Irene.

She was the only person who knew about the possibility of Serpina being assassinated.

The job of guarding the monarch was certainly beneath the rank of a deputy commander of the occupation forces—

But after she quickly realized this was my wish, she carried out her duties without much complaint.

Even without that, she was originally raised to be Lynn’s guard knight. She had become a general purely through ability and earned the title “Specialist of Siege Warfare,” so it was natural that she had no aversion to this mission, as she was simply doing what she had been trained to do since childhood.

I continuously shared information with Irene.

“How does it seem?”

Irene lowered her voice a tone and carefully spoke to me.

“I don’t sense any strange signs. There aren’t any particular rumors going around either.”

Believing that there would definitely be signs before an assassination, I had been talking with Irene frequently lately.

According to Irene, there didn’t seem to be any unusual indications.

I had asked her to tell me immediately if she noticed anything strange, but she had simply been quietly focusing on her duties.

“But the possibility of something happening is extremely high.”

“I know that. It’s not just anyone saying it, but you, Swen. I’ll continue to keep watch, and the other knight guards are all excellent people, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

Looking at Irene as she said this, I suddenly realized something.

Come to think of it.

At some point, she stopped asking me for “evidence.”

Even now, she simply believed my statement that “the lord is in danger” and was quietly doing what I asked to help in any way she could.

Serpina too, after learning about my “mind’s eye” ability to some extent, listened to me without questioning my reasons.

As soon as I recalled that both Irene and Serpina… had given me great trust after realizing my words had been correct in retrospect.

Suddenly I thought of that person.

The ruby-eyed monarch who believed in me unconditionally even though I hadn’t shown anything yet.

“……”

“Swen?”

“It’s nothing. Just a bit overwhelmed for a moment.”

“You can talk to me if something’s bothering you. I’ll listen.”

“Thank you.”

After having conversations like this with Lady Irene—

It would soon be time to advise Serpina on general state affairs again.

“I dispatched Rude to Castle Rose as you suggested.”

“You did well.”

Probably another optimal result would come rolling in. I didn’t know exactly what principles were at work, but I had become accustomed to outcomes that benefited our army.

I was essentially acting as a national strategist, just without the official title…

It was fine now since Jenna was away, traveling around the continent to check for possibilities of rebellion, but how would this relationship be maintained after she returned?

If I were to take her position, it would clearly cause major problems. There might be another rebellion, and even if not, many would dislike my sudden appearance as an interloper.

Although there were some people like Ian or Irene who would firmly take my side, to many generals I was still the enemy from the Kelstein Castle siege who had changed monarchs three times, like a migratory bird.

And sure enough.

After learning roughly about my abilities, she brought up the question she had been asking repeatedly.

“Swen. Can I, Serpina von Einhart, become the ruler of the unified continent and grasp this world?”

When she asked this question, her eyes were closer to those of a curious girl than those of a leader.

It was as if she was asking, “I’ve worked so hard, isn’t it about time I deserve it?”

Of course.

The answer to that question had never changed.

“It still doesn’t seem so.”

“Is that so? I see.”

One might expect her to be disappointed after repeatedly hearing the same negative answer, but she showed no such signs and spoke with a confident expression.

“It seems my devotion and abilities are still lacking.”

“My lord…”

“But I’m not worried at all. Because I have you. The white-haired magician who came to my side like fate… you are by my side.”

Serpina said this while tracing my cheek with her white hand.

I was surprised at myself for not disliking her touch.

“Swen. If you continue to stay with me… I will surely obtain the world. I’m confident that rebuilding the once-glorious empire won’t just be a dream if I’m with you.”

Though I gave no answer to her words, she continued speaking to me without minding.

“So, continue to teach me various things. Light my path forward, Swen. Until then, you will stay with me for life. Huhuhu…♥”

Serpina looked at me with a flushed face, as if she was madly in love with me.

I felt her voice becoming increasingly sticky.

Her gaze longing for me was becoming more explicit as time passed.

If there was any other change, it was probably that the frequency of her appearing as if she might break had decreased.

It seemed that having me—who “appeared to always be right”—by her side, continuously helping her, was playing quite a positive role in her mental health.

She seemed to believe my explanation that “predictions change according to the situation” and thought that if she kept trying, a path would eventually open.

So naturally, she wanted to keep me close.

A lord’s obsession with a capable retainer wasn’t particularly strange.

And so the next day, and the day after that.

I continued to say “My lord cannot become the ruler of the unified empire”—

But Serpina, undeterred, continued to rely on me and lead the state affairs.

To me, it seemed like she was resisting the enormous evil deeds weighing on her shoulders, the malice that tried to crush her at every moment.

‘……’

The more time I spent with her… the more I felt like a huge stone was weighing down my heart.

But in the long run, wouldn’t this be beneficial not only for Lady Serpina but also for Lady Luna?

Lady Luna’s unification condition required Lady Serpina’s survival, and being able to maintain contact with Serpina in a situation where there was a risk of assassination was also the best condition for protecting her.

But why did I feel so troubled?

Without reaching a conclusion about that stirring in my heart, days continued to pass meaninglessly.

* * *

How many days had passed like this?

That day, the sky was particularly blue.

On top of the outer wall surrounding the Einhart territory, I was attending to Serpina.

Four knight guards, including Irene, followed her like shadows as soon as she left the royal palace.

For the past few days.

I had been constantly thinking about my promise to Lady Luna.

Was it because Lady Serpina had been particularly asking me not to leave her lately, or because of the eye-smiles she occasionally gave me?

Or was it because I felt that even I might forget Lady Luna if I didn’t try to remember her?

Even while following her, I was quite impudently thinking about another monarch.

‘…No. Let’s not think about that now.’

After roughly organizing my thoughts, I turned my gaze and followed her with a small question about why she wanted to come here.

After a while, she pointed beyond and asked me.

“Swen. Do you know what that place is?”

“That’s Castle Utiner.”

Castle Utiner.

It was a small territory closest to Castle Einhart.

Though small in scale, it had a royal palace and was strategically very important due to its proximity to the capital, Einhart.

And then.

A bombshell announcement came from her lips.

“Yes. That’s the place. The territory I’ve decided to bestow upon you.”

“…Pardon?”

She’s bestowing a territory on me?

All territories were directly managed by the monarch.

There were castle lords, but since the empire’s dissolution, rather than granting territory rights to vassals and collecting taxes, the administration had been centralized, making the phrase “territory bestowal” sound quite awkward.

In fact, such a function didn’t exist in this game.

Of course, things were a bit different during the imperial era.

If we were talking about the emperor of the empire, bestowing territory wouldn’t be such a strange concept.

If I hadn’t read the history books at the Einhart Grand Library out of boredom, I wouldn’t have understood what she meant.

In other words—

It was essentially a declaration that she intended to keep me by her side until the moment of reunifying the empire.

“Swen, with you by my side, soon this Serpina’s army will unify the continent and revive the once-great Einhart Empire. When that time comes, I will grant you a noble title.”

After saying this, Serpina turned her head to look at me again.

Her yellow hair, bathed in sunlight, looked like jewels.

Her golden eyes, boldly stating she would give me a title, were pure without a trace of deceit.

Lady Serpina before me, who desperately needed me more than anyone else.

And Lady Luna, who firmly believed in our promise and gave me unconditional trust without asking for anything in return.

I naturally bowed my head, closed my eyes, and could only sigh.

—How did it come to this? I wondered.