I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

---

198 Chapter. Side Story 4

The Duke’s Mansion was ridiculously huge. As Aria walked along under Taylor’s guidance, her mind raced with thoughts.

‘I’m fully healed. How did that happen? Did Crisis… save me? But why? Is it possible my sister made a no-ye contract…?’

A terrible imagination crossed her mind,

and Aria felt like dying.

After all, she should have died last night.

“This is the Duke’s office…”

With a sudden motion,

Aria burst through the office door before Taylor, the head butler, had finished speaking. The normally composed and experienced butler took a sharp breath in surprise this time.

“A little pup is quite brave.”

A low, languid voice echoed in the office. The presence of the Sword Master felt like it might shatter Aria’s body.

“Don’t you know that unbridled courage is recklessness?”

Aria swallowed as she looked at the man before her.

From his slightly curly black hair to his sculpted features and inhuman red eyes.

Caesar was far too similar to Kashmir.

‘Is this the aura of a Sword Master?’

It was a feeling of being overwhelmed merely by his presence, without him having to do anything special. Aria suddenly grasped how much her sister had managed to control her own power in front of her.

“What did you do to Kashmir?”

Even amidst an instinctive fear tightening her throat, Aria boldly stepped forward. Showing any sign of shrinking back here would mean nothing, and her concern for Kashmir birthed an otherworldly mental strength.

At the mention of Kashmir, Caesar’s red eyes flickered. Just for a moment, but Aria didn’t miss it. She felt her mood plummet.

That was love. It was clear. It was similar to the way he looked at Kashmir.

“You are a half-fairy. You’ve been weak due to a lack of energy from the Fairy Forest, but now that you’ve eaten enough, you should be fine for a while.”

“Did you make a slave contract with Kashmir?”

“Your sister has been quite worried about you. Have you two been together this whole time?”

“I will pay the price. If you hold onto Kashmir, I won’t let it slide.”

After a series of nonsensical exchanges, silence filled the air for a moment. The two exchanged sharp glances.

“Aren’t you afraid of me? I could kill you right now if I wanted to.”

Caesar tilted his head, resting his chin on his hand.

It wasn’t a threat; purely curiosity. ‘How can she act like that in front of me?’

Despite not being blood relatives, Caesar felt intrigued.

“……Shut it. You can’t hurt me.”

Aria spat out defiantly, even while trembling from fear.

Her fierceness stemmed from a simple reason.

“But tell me. Why has someone who never helped my sister during her difficulties suddenly appeared to aid us?”

Perhaps, he had suffered losses to save someone who almost died, Kashmir.

“Why? Are you saying you’ve only just developed an interest? Are you trying to take advantage of my sister being the Mercenary King Mir? Or do you plan to leech off the sisters living in the back alleys, noble duke?”

Fearing that she might be a burden once again,

“If you hurt my sister… I swear, I’ll sell my soul to the devil just to kill you.”

Aria had no idea how to speak softly. There was only evil and venom in her.

Her love had always been miserable, constantly reminding her of her own weakness.

“….Aria.”

Nonetheless, Aria loved the way Kashmir called her name.

“Sister.”

She hoped her sister wouldn’t have to suffer anymore because of her.

Unbelievable moments flew by. From being a commoner named Aria, she became Aria Postal de Caesar Crisis, and she moved from a cramped, poor home to the Duke’s mansion that looked like a castle.

It would be a lie to say she hated all of that; she was human, after all, and she was thrilled by the fairy-tale-like shift in her circumstances.

But above all, she was happiest that Kashmir no longer had to sacrifice herself for her.

Time passed quickly, and the day of the debutante was approaching. During that time, Aria resolved herself.

‘I will use everything I can to dominate the social circle. I won’t let anyone slander my sister in society.’

Aria couldn’t protect Kashmir with her body. After much thought, she decided to protect Kashmir from rumors in the social circle. That was all she could do for Kashmir.

No matter how the environment changed, the protagonist of Aria’s world remained Kashmir.

Though it was her first time in an official setting, she didn’t feel nervous. She was a natural at handling people. Even though she had spent a long time at home without much communication experience, her brilliance hadn’t dulled.

Aria captivated people with well-crafted words. It was ridiculously easy and boring. She just wanted the debutante to end quickly.

Not long after, the waltz began to echo throughout the hall. It was time to dance.

‘I want to dance with sister.’

“Sister! Come with me…!”

“Good day, Young Lady Kashmir!”

As Aria turned around excitedly towards Kashmir, she was surrounded by unfamiliar young men.

“Hey, would you like to dance a tune with me?”

“Please dance with me as well!”

Aria gritted her teeth, trying not to show her irritation. If she could, she would have flat out refused. But it was already late for that. She wore a graceful smile like someone who had managed their image all her life.

“Oh, there you are.”

Among them appeared someone she never could have imagined.

Short silver hair, sharply angled eyes, lilac-colored irises, and a divine appearance clad in white priest robes.

“Young Lady Aria, if you don’t mind, would you dance a tune with me?”

It was Julian, the deputy priest.

‘Is this the Kashmir you speak of? It’s such a pleasure to meet you. I’ve always wanted to see the one who turns that mad tyrant into a sugar-coated macaron. I’m curious about who you are.’

Julian was the priest who blessed Kashmir and Aria on their debutante. He had said many strange things back then, which made Aria feel the need to investigate, but she never expected to see him appear and ask to dance.

“…..I didn’t think the deputy priest would ask me to dance.”

Aria smiled gently but took a defensive stance.

His lilac eyes blinked slowly. His long, full, white eyelashes fluttered.

Julian, smiling brightly, leaned towards Aria.

“Wouldn’t you like to hear about the Young Lady Kashmir?”

Aria momentarily forgot to manage her expression and stiffened. Julian quickly pinpointed an irresistible topic for Aria.

“……What are you suddenly talking about?”

“Did you know there’s an old friend of Young Lady Kashmir in the temple?”

She tried to act calm but Julian casually tossed out topics that would pique her curiosity.

Aria hesitated.

‘Sister’s friend…’

Kashmir never informed Aria about events happening outside. Though she didn’t directly ask, Aria had always been curious about how Kashmir had been and what her relationships were like. It was closer to obsession than pure curiosity, but nonetheless.

Aria’s blue eyes sparkled.

“Please tell me.”

“Of course, I must tell you. However…”

His previously playful gaze turned mischievous.

Julian extended his hand. His pure white hand was unexpectedly rough and rugged.

“How about we dance first? I’ll take you to the balcony where we can talk quietly.”

His lilac eyes sparkled with mischief.

Aria slowly blinked. Many men had cast flirtatious glances like this before. They were all equally unpleasant, but Julian’s atmosphere was light and cheerful. His curiosity approached her without any ulterior motive, and she didn’t dislike that.

“……Then I won’t refuse.”

Aria impulsively took Julian’s hand.

“It’s an honor to receive the first dance of the Young Lady’s debutante. Allow me to escort you.”

Julian, grinning, gently kissed the back of Aria’s hand. Aria thought it felt rather ticklish.

“Can you dance?”

“What do you think I am?”

“Haha, a newly emerged chick stepping into the debutante ball?”

As Aria naturally followed Julian’s lead, she thought his speech was quite free-spirited. Unlike the nobles she had met a moment ago, he was sharp and straightforward.

‘Not all deputy priests are of noble birth, I guess.’

Those who crawled up from the bottom have an unerasable edge to them. Aria instinctively sensed that Julian was of commoner origin.

No matter how refined he appeared, his attitude exuded the aroma of someone who had rolled around in the dirt.

Julian danced with fluid grace as he led her toward the balcony. Upon stepping out and drawing the curtains, they were completely separated from the noise of the ball.

“Let’s talk about your sister first.”

Aria leaned against the railing, lowering her voice. Julian, who had been gazing intently at her, smiled warmly. Bathed in moonlight, he looked like a scene straight out of a fairy tale.

“Do you know I’ve gone from being the pope’s companion to the position of deputy priest?”

“Huh?”

“They said they’d feed me, so I became a priest. They needed a friend around the same age as the young pope, so I was chosen as the one closest in age. And unexpectedly, I ended up getting close and becoming the deputy priest while listening to his troubles. Do you know what his biggest concern was back then?”

Julian’s smile deepened.

“It was none other than Young Lady Kashmir.”

Aria’s eyes widened.

‘The pope and my sister? How?’

It was an unimaginable combination. It was hard to believe that Kashmir, who was just a common mercenary until recently, was intertwined with the pope, but Julian’s expression showed no sign of deceit.

“……Why are you telling me this?”

Aria rapidly filtered through numerous questions racing through her mind and asked the one that burned with curiosity.

Regardless of the truth of his words, she couldn’t understand why Julian, whom she had just met today, would share such information.

“Me? I didn’t particularly want to tell you. It was just bait to provide me an opportunity to see you like this.”

And Julian’s replies were far beyond Aria’s expectations.

‘This guy… what is he?’

Even when Aria made a sour expression, Julian remained forever cheerful. It was the first time she had encountered someone so light-hearted and unbothered. Aria briefly lost her words.

“Human emotions are always a mess; they don’t always follow reason, you know?”

Julian moved slowly closer to Aria. His silver hair sparkled in the moonlight. He gently lifted Aria’s chin.

“There are those who act merely on curiosity. You simply piqued my interest.”

As Aria looked into his angelic lilac eyes, she internally clicked her tongue.

“‘Fell in love at first sight.’ Shall we put it that way? Those who fall in love often go to great lengths to catch someone’s attention.”

Aria realized something. This person really lived life according to his own whims.

“……What part of me intrigued you?”

Aria asked despondently. She couldn’t fathom what about her had provoked this rather eccentric deputy priest’s interest.

In the meantime, Julian laughed.

“It’s your lack.”

A straight and peculiar response.

That was how Aria and Julian had their first meeting.