I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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41 Chapter

I wiped my expression clean.

“Lady Ilium, your words are excessive.”

Bam—

I slammed my cup down loudly and scanned them with cold eyes. Lily looked taken aback.

“Is the name of the House of Crisis so light that it can be spoken of in places like this?”

“N-no, that’s not it…”

“The House of Crisis has a long history of defending the Empire with our swords. As a member of Crisis, it is natural for me to wield a sword, but I do not understand your intentions in saying such things. Are you insulting the history of Crisis?”

In the social circle, the power of a family does not always apply. However, it wasn’t completely ineffective.

As the only Duke’s Mansion in the Empire, with only the royal family and the temple to contend with, the name Crisis was revered by even commoners across the continent.

“Lady, it seems there’s a misunderstanding. We are not insulting the House of Crisis; it’s just that…”

“I am a member of Crisis before I am a Young Lady. Do you not understand that insulting me is insulting the Duke’s Mansion?”

As I infused my cold gaze with a hint of danger, the Young Ladies shuddered.

“And what era are we in for you to say such things? You have a classic mindset that surpasses the times.”

Although male supremacy was still strong in the Empire, these days it was not uncommon for women to inherit titles or become knights. The corners of the Young Ladies’ mouths trembled as their faces flushed.

“Lady of Crisis!”

Just as the flustered Lily raised her voice.

A strong rose scent brushed against my nose.

“Perhaps you should stop now, Lady Ilium.”

A fiery red hair. Sparkling emerald-green eyes. An elegant demeanor. A gaze resembling that of a seasoned predator at the top of the food chain.

The gate of all gold coins in the Empire. The owner of many commercial enterprises. One of the three Marquis families.

None could rival the wealth they possessed; the one commonly known as the “Money-eating Beast,” Deckardo Marquis Lewellin Deckardo.

Lily’s eyes widened.

‘Crazy.’

I also nearly blurted out a curse in shock.

‘Why is Lewellin here?’

My facade of social smile began to falter in the face of strangeness. It wasn’t an issue that Lewellin appeared here, but the fact that Lewellin had seen Mir was a problem.

‘What if Lewellin recognizes me here?’

Everything would fall apart perfectly. My pupils began to tremble as if they couldn’t settle.

“W-what qualification does the Deckardo Young Lady have to interfere? This is between me and the Young Lady of Crisis, so step aside!”

Lily, who had been sneaky like a fox in a tiger-less mountain, flinched in front of true authority. Lewellin smirked and stepped forward as if to protect me.

“As a senior in the social circle, it’s only natural to help the harassed Young Lady of Crisis. Instead of lending a hand to a Young Lady who just made her debut, you’re throwing some sort of temper tantrum… It seems like the dignity of the social circle is diminishing.”

“Te-temper tantrum! Harassment! We’re not doing that…!”

“Enough of that, Lily Ilium. How unsightly. I’ve heard that the House of Crisis is also involved. Do you want to stir up trouble? You must know that the name Crisis is anything but light. I would advise you to apologize before matters grow larger. I assume you wouldn’t want this to reach the Duke of Crisis’s ears.”

Lewellin twisted her lips with a mocking look. Lily’s face turned pale.

‘Wow.’

Inside, I clapped my hands. Direct and clean discourse. A touch rough, perhaps, but she wrapped it in elegance perfectly.

Even when taken away, the current emperor of the social circle was undoubtedly Lewellin.

“…I’m sorry, Lady of Crisis. I have committed a rudeness.”

The fox who sought to play king in the tiger’s roar had obediently tucked its tail. While she didn’t seem in the least bit apologetic in her narrowed gaze towards me, I decided to let it slide.

“It’s fine. Mistakes happen to everyone. Just remember, though…”

I looked around the three Young Ladies with cold eyes.

“Your mouth is a door to disaster, and your tongue is a blade that can cut yourself. Never forget that.”

It meant that foolish chatter could lead to ruin.

With a shudder, Lily hastily led the other Young Ladies away from the scene.

“…Thank you for helping me, Lady Deckardo.”

After the storm passed, I let out a sigh and briefly thanked Lewellin. She quickly opened a fan and covered her mouth with a chilly gaze directed at me.

“Don’t misunderstand. It wasn’t for you. I just didn’t want to watch the dignity of the social circle diminish.”

‘Just like in the novel.’

I chuckled while tilting my cup.

In the story, Lewellin had a tsundere personality until she darkened due to her love for Rainer and jealousy towards Aria.

I gave a slight bow to her.

“Still, thank you. I’m just belatedly introducing myself. I am Kashmir Doremad Caesar Crisis.”

Lewellin raised her chin haughtily.

“I am the eldest daughter of the Deckardo Marquis Family, Lewellin Bertha Chesler Deckardo.”

No matter how haughty she acted, to a sword master who had lived for about 60 years in both past and present, she only seemed cute. Just then, as I was inwardly laughing, Lewellin narrowed her brows at me with a sudden serious look.

“By the way, Lady of Crisis.”

“Yes?”

Her sharp emerald eyes stared at me closely before shifting to the cup in my hand. Those eyes deepened.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

Cough—

A cough escaped me.

“N-no, I-I don’t think so.”

“Hmm… I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”

“No, I haven’t.”

Flustered, I denied it far too firmly. As Lewellin squinted at my evasively turned gaze, her lips parted slowly.

“The Emperor and Empress of the Solarit Empire, along with their son, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince, are entering the banquet hall!”

The rulers of the Solarit Empire, where the sun never sets, made their entrance.

‘Wow…’

My eyes immediately went to the Emperor who exuded an overwhelming presence.

A man with golden hair, the symbol of the royal family, confidently ascended to the throne. It was Helios I.

“Greetings to the sun of the Empire.”

Salutations poured simultaneously from all corners of the banquet hall. I also slightly bent my waist and murmured a greeting. The Emperor nodded as he sat languidly on the throne.

“There’s no need for long speeches. Everyone, enjoy the banquet.”

The Emperor’s words ended as quickly as they had begun, almost disappointingly. Looking up at the seemingly indifferent Emperor, I clicked my tongue.

‘He was a bit strange in the novel, though…’

Still, an emperor was an emperor. As I observed the subtle pressure in his cold blue eyes, they suddenly rolled in my direction.

The Emperor made direct eye contact with me.

‘Uh…’

Engrossed in the deep blue, I snapped back to reality. The Emperor was obviously staring at me. Having already made eye contact, it was awkward to ignore but too far to greet, so I was left floundering as the Emperor’s lips curled up mischievously.

‘•••••A wink?’

I really couldn’t believe it. Caught off guard by the Emperor, who playfully winked, I hastily turned my head away, pretending I hadn’t seen anything.

What I caught in my peripheral vision was none other than the Crown Prince.

And I was aghast.

‘…D-D-Didi?’

The Crown Prince was Didi with just a different hair color.

“…Tsk. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

Lewellin, with her mouth hanging open in shock, fixed a glaring stare at me and clicked her tongue before disappearing. Whether she left or not, I was frozen in place.

‘Why is Didi here?’

It was the peak of astonishment. My mouth hung open, refusing to close, as my mind went blank. I could only watch Didi sitting beside the throne.

‘The Crown Prince of the Solarit Empire… is one of the male leads.’

Diego Ilyas de Helios Solaritne. The Crown Prince of the Empire and one of the male leads in the story “Fairy’s Night.”

The Crown Prince Diego was identical to Didi, whom I had just saved.

‘Crazy.’

All I could say was a curse.

‘Was that the time back then?’

I was twisted. I had ruined the original narrative.

In the original story, the connection between Diego and Aria was precisely when Diego fell into a coma due to assassins.

The Crown Prince Diego, being the son of the deceased former Empress, was appointed Crown Prince at birth. However, when he turned five, Tina Cypros ascended as Empress and began threatening Diego’s life to put her own two sons in line for the throne.

‘The Emperor cherished Diego, but he couldn’t protect him openly.’

The appointment of the Crown Prince was solely the Emperor’s prerogative, and later, only the Crown Prince could ascend the throne. The Emperor could not interfere with the bloodlines vying for the throne. It was a long-standing tradition of the Solarit royal family.

‘In this process, all sorts of tricks and illegalities are tacitly permitted.’

That was why Diego had to endure countless assassination attempts despite being the Crown Prince.

‘So far, he’s held on, but eventually, in the early part of the story, he’ll fall into a coma from assassins’ attacks.’

If Diego fell, the Empire would be thrown into chaos. I should have noted that there hadn’t been a single report about this. I tangled my hair in silent frustration.

‘The point of connection between Aria and Diego starts when Aria heals the comatose Diego!’

Fairies, the closest beings to nature, possessed the healing ability to bring back to life as long as there was a pulse. Half-fairy Aria had inherited this power and was supposed to heal Crown Prince Diego, thus setting the flag.

‘But it’s all ruined now.’

I saved Diego, who was supposed to fall into a coma. There. I had turned into a destroyer of the original.

‘Damn!’

The cup I was holding cracked. Staring blankly at Diego, who was seated near the throne with a beautifully crafted smile, he turned his gaze towards me.

His deep azure eyes locked onto mine, creating ripples of surprise.

‘Damn it!’

I internally cursed and quickly turned away. My heart raced wildly. Diego’s gaze stubbornly followed my face.

‘He couldn’t have recognized me, right? No way! I was even wearing a mask!’

There was no way he could recognize me. I had always worn a mask whenever we met. Even if he thought I looked familiar, there was no way he could connect that sword master to the Duke’s Mansion Young Lady.

“What’s wrong? Why is your neck red?”

Aria, who had approached before I knew it, glanced between my strange reaction and the still-staring Crown Prince, raising her brows.

“Could it be you like that guy?”

Her voice was so low it made me flinch. Wondering what she meant, I turned around to find Aria wearing a serious expression.

“He’s not bad-looking, but, hmmm, compared to our sister, he’s more like a bear. The Crown Prince may have money, but our sister can’t give even a penny to a dragon grandpa…”

Her burning gaze targeting the Crown Prince was like a legitimate wife angry that her husband had been taken by a mistress.

“It’s not like that! He just looks like someone I know.”

I hastily mumbled, trying to dodge the narrowed eyes of Aria and hurriedly slipped into a corner.

‘He couldn’t have recognized me. No way…’